Menzies Creek

Menzies Creek is a rural township in the Dandenong Ranges and 5km east of Belgrave. It lies within the Menzies Creek Valley and is one of the most scenic valleys with steeply sloping land with lush pasture, tall Mountain Ash trees and native vegetation.

The name Menzies Creek comes from James Menzies, an early gold miner on the Emerald diggings during the 1860s.

The narrow-gauge railway opened in early 1900 along with the Menzies Creek Station. The Station was renamed Aura, after the estate of The Shire President but returned to Menzies Creek in 1947. The narrow-gauge railway closed in 1954 after a landslide blocked it in 1953. It opened again in 1962 as the Puffing Billy Railway. The Menzies Valley is one of the most scenic sections of the journey and the Menzies Creek Station has an island crossing platform with a track on each side. The station is now home to the Aura Tearooms, the Puffing Billy Narrow Gauge Museum (currently closed) and also boasts a Signal bay containing a 14-lever interlocking frame.