Yinnar is a rural township located in the Latrobe Valley, in central Gippsland, Victoria, Australia.
Yinnar is a rural township located in the Latrobe Valley, in central Gippsland, Victoria, Australia.At the 2016 census, Yinnar had a population of 907. The origin of the name Yinnar is believed to have been derived from the local Aboriginal term yinnar, meaning "woman".
History
Yinnar began its life as a part of Scrubby Forest Station at Middle Creek, which as its name implies, was pretty heavily wooded. Its southern section was quite mountainous, so its area of practical use was estimated as ten square miles. The first holders were Nicol Brown and Billy Hillier. Eventually they divided the station into two with Middle Creek being the line of division, Brown taking the western half and Hillier the eastern half. Billy's Creek was named after Billy Hillier. They held their leases from 1848 to 1868.
George Firmin arrived at Middle Creek in 1874 and took over Scrubby Forest West, which he divided into what was known as the Scrubby Forest Run. Due to this the Firmin family are said to be the first settlers of Yinnar. Other early selectors on Scrubby Forest Run were Henry Wicks and John Quigley. In 1885 George Firmin handed the license back to the Government so the farming areas were made available to selectors.
The town was surveyed in May 1885 and two months later one hundred allotments were auctioned to selectors at the offices of Mr Wicks' agents.
The area called Middle Creek and Scrubby Forest became known as Yinnar in 1879.
George Firmin's wife Maria and their eleven children came to live with him in the bark hut at the Scrubby Forest Run in 1898. They were the first family to live in Yinnar.Many of the first buildings in Yinnar were established in the 1880s by Mr. John Quigley and Mr. Henry Wicks, two of the early settlers in Yinnar. The buildings by Mr Quigley included Quigley's house, a store, a butcher's shop, a boarding house and a wine saloon. Mr Wicks was the builder of the first hotel.Despite many fires over the years some of the earlier buildings of Yinnar are still around today.
On 2 December 1927 the State Electricity Commission of Victoria announced that a supply of electricity had been made available to the town of Yinnar.
Weather
Things to do
Anglican church
The first church was established in 1888 on land donated by Mr. George Firmin, and this was the United Church (Anglican, Presbyterian & Methodist) which is now known as St Matthews.
Methodist church
Yinnar Methodist Church was established 6 October 1934.
Catholic church
The Yinnar Catholic Church Our Lady Of Good Counsel was established 26 April 1903 on land donated by Mr John Quigley.
Church of England
The Church of England in Yinnar South known as Holy Innocents was established in 1894.
Mechanics' Institute
The Mechanics' Institute was built in 1888. It served as a community centre for the district until its ultimate destruction by fire in 1963.
Memorial Hall
The Yinnar and District Memorial Hall is located in the main street.
War memorial
The Yinnar war memorial, located in main street, was unveiled on 1 December 1920.
Bell tower
In 1921, with first settlers George and Maria Firmin deceased, the Firmin family chose a church bell as a memorial to them. The bell was cast in Melbourne, and a suitable inscription added. The bell was erected in a tower at the back of the church and stood until the church was closed and the building and tower removed in the 1990s. In 2006, the Co-Operating Church Parish Council decided to take steps to have St Matthew's bell installed at the Church in Main St. Yinnar. The Yinnar and District
Community Association was contacted. They suggested a survey of the town's people. This survey was well patronized.
As the bell was the property of the Anglican Church the church then contacted the Anglican Bishop of Gippsland, the Right Rev John McIntyre. Bishop John offered the bell to the Yinnar Community to be erected on public land as an historical monument to
help the town recognize and remember the pioneering family of George and Maria Firmin. Four years of planning followed,
with liaison with Latrobe City Council, Yinnar and District Association, Pro Draft P.L. (construction), grant funding etc.
The memorial bell tower was established on 8 August 2010.