Boisdale
Postcode: 3860
Boisdale is a town in Victoria, Australia, located on Briagolong Road, north of Maffra, in the Wellington Shire.
It is a small town in the heart of Gippsland’s dairying distinct. Boisdale includes not only the town itself, but the area surrounding the town, comprising mostly dairy and vegetable farms.
It is situated approximately 9km north of the larger town of Maffra. Boisdale is around 250km east of Australia’s second largest city, Melbourne, the capital of Victoria.
Boisdale has a primary school, Boisdale Consolidated School, a local post office/ general store, mechanic, sporting facilities and the town’s pride and joy, The Boisdale Hall, dating back over a century in age.
A butter and cheese factory was built in 1900 to process the milk and cream, and village of Boisdale was built around the factory to house its employees. There was a store and bakery, butchery, confectionery shop, stables and blacksmith. A hall was built in 1904. It contained a library and was used as church and school until a school was built in 1910.
In 1911 a portion of the Boisdale Estate was purchased for closer settlement. Blocks were taken up immediately, but the settlers suffered several poor seasons and drought. One of the conditions of settlement was a committment to grow sugar beet to supply the the beet sugar factory at Maffra. After poor crops and a scarcity of labour during the First World War, the compulsory beet growing clause was removed. Also the need for a permanent water supply had become apparent. Glenmaggie weir was constructed on the Macalister River, providing the first irrigation water in 1925. By the early 1940s, dairying had become more profitable and the beet sugar factory closed in 1946.
In 1892 Askin Foster had a new house built on a ridge overlooking the plain. It was constructed of Hawthorn bricks and Marseilles tiles, with red pine used internally. Its modern design included electricity, running hot water and drainage. The stables were equally modern, and of the same brick and tiles. Seven acres of garden and orchard surrounded the homestead. The estate is now reduced in size, and managed by a great grandson of Askin Foster.
Boisdale is the location of a Consolidated School formed by the amalgamation of six small schools, including Boisdale and Boisdale Estate. The Consolidated School opened in 1951 with 265 pupils, providing primary and secondary education with an emphasis on agricultural interests.
In 1911, the population was 274 and in 1933 was 479. According to the 1994 Victorian Muncipal Directory Boisdale is only a small township, but has many social organisations to serve its closely settled farming community, including a consoilidated school, mechanics’ institute, general store and shops hall, churches, fire brigade, Red Cross, and scouts, football,netball,cricket, tennis clubs.