The Old Foster Post Office now the Museum

Foster (including Fish Creek)
Small and quiet dairying and grazing town in Gippsland
Foster is a dairying and grazing town 169 km south-east of Melbourne on the South Gippsland Highway. It is only about 20 km north of the beautiful Gippsland coastline which includes Shallow Inlet, Corner Inlet, Waratah Bay, Yanakie and Wilsons Promontory.

Originally called Stockyard Creek, after the stream which still flows through the centre of the town, Foster was initially nothing more than a resting place for drovers travelling from Port Albert to Westernport.

John Amey, an ex-convict of Tasmania, took up land at Bennison, several miles east of the creek, in 1860. He established a profitable farm which shipped produce to Port Albert via packhorse and bullock dray. His daughter often accompanied him on these trips and thus she met and married Port Albert's Crown Land Ranger. At that time, all logging was supposed to be strictly licensed by the Crown and the illegal logging of blackwood was being carried out around the creek. When timber staves were found washed up after a boating wreck the ranger became suspicious and travelled to Stockyard Creek to investigate. While he was resting at Amey's, the father-in-law hurried out to the loggers' camp and forewarned them. They cleared the camp and, while pretending to be gold prospectors, actually discovered a rich strain of gold. The find was registered and a rush followed. One of the most profitable claims existed on the site of what is now the State Bank.

As there were no police at the site of the rush, William Henry Foster, a magistrate, was called in to adjudicate disputes in 1871. Objecting to carrying out the Crown's business at an undistinguished 'creek' he suggested a change of name. Someone, with a wry sense of humour or an eye on winning the favour of the magistrate, suggested Foster and the suggestion was unanimously carried.

A census taken in 1871 revealed 345 men and 24 women in the area. A mechanics institute and bank were established that year while a school and post office arrived in 1872. However, there were no outstanding strikes and by the end of the decade the gold was drying up and the locals began to turn to dairying to support themselves. Reef mining was taken up later in the century and mining was abandoned altogether in the 1930s.

The railway arrived in 1892 and two years later the people of Foster successfully agitated for the creation of the new shire of South Gippsland. A butter factory commenced operations in 1905 and the area received a boost in prosperity immediately after the Second World War, when the Soldier Settlement Commission developed the Yanakie area, a narrow stretch of land to the south.

Foster holds craft markets once a month, during the holiday season, in the showgrounds.

Things to see:  

The statue of the goldminer in Foster

Historic Buildings and the Museum
The old post office, near the former Victory mine, is now an historical museum which contains information about John Amey and memorabilia of the gold days. The Exchange Hotel, built in 1907, with its unusual conical turret, was modelled after a hotel which the proprietor, Anastasia Thornley, saw in Ireland.

Other Attractions
Foster North Lookout, 6 km north-west, provides excellent views over Corner Inlet and Wilsons Promontory. The roads from Foster to Fish Creek and Yanakie are also quite scenic. Boating and fishing are popular at Corner Inlet, which possesses boat-launching facilities. The safe waters and strong winds of Shallow Inlet are also ideal for windsurfing. Further south-west, Cape Liptrap is a popular spot for surfers.

To the south-east, along a road which runs south off the highway, is the district's original fishing village, Port Franklin, which is a pleasant side-trip with nothing in particular to offer the visitor, other than its own pleasant self.

Windy Ridge Vineyard and Winery
5 km east of Foster, along Fish Creek Rd, is Windy Ridge Vineyard and Winery. The vineyard was established in 1978 and the winery in 1985. It produces traminer, pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon, malbec and port. To order wines or to enquire about tastings ring (03) 5682 2035.

	Motels
	Foster Comfort Inn South Gippsland Hwy Foster VIC 3960 Telephone: (03) 5682 2022 Rating: ***
	Wilsons Promontory Motel 26 Station Rd Foster VIC 3960 Telephone: (03) 5682 2055 Rating: **
	Hotels
	Foster Exchange Hotel Main St Foster VIC 3960 Telephone: (03) 5682 2377
	Bed & Breakfast/Guesthouses
	Larkrise Pottery & Farm Bed & Breakfast Fish Creek - Foster Rd Foster VIC 3960 Telephone: (03) 5682 2953 Rating: ****
	Apartments
	Warrawee Holiday Apartments 38 Station Rd Foster VIC 3960 Telephone: (03) 5682 2171 Rating: ***
	Cottages & Cabins
	Rose Cottage 21 Victory Ave Foster VIC 3960 Telephone: (03) 5682 2628 Rating: **
	Stockyard Creek Cottage McGleads Rd Foster VIC 3960 Telephone: (03) 5682 2493 Rating: ***
	Lodges & Chalets
	Camp Rumbug Lodge Mirboo South Rd Foster VIC 3960 Telephone: (03) 5664 6524 Rating: ***
	Caravan Parks
	Prom Central Caravan Park Nelson St Foster VIC 3960 Telephone: (03) 5682 2920 Rating: **
	Restaurants
	Cafe Ole South Gippsland Hwy Foster VIC 3960 Telephone: (03) 5682 2022