COCKATOO

A GREAT PLACE TO VISIT, A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE.

Welcome to the website for the township of Cockatoo, Victoria a place where you can find information about upcoming events, read the latest township newsletter, or find out more about local clubs and groups.

Cockatoo is a town of about 4500 people, situated in a beautiful part of the Dandenong Ranges and about an hour’s drive from Melbourne.

It is a very active community, with many local groups and organisations. These include Scouts and Guides, a Fire Brigade, Playgroups, St Luke’s Anglican Church, Community Garden, Neighbourhood House and Men’s Shed group.

For those who enjoy sports, Cockatoo has plenty of options. At Mountain Road Recreation Reserve they play football, netball, badminton, basketball and a number of other sports. There is also a skate bowl as well as a tennis club and bowls club in the Alma Treloar Reserve, along with a children’s playground.

Located on the edge of Wright’s Forest, there are several walking tracks on offer. The Cockatoo to Emerald trail is a 7km walk or for those wanting something a little shorter or less challenging, a newly built boardwalk winds alongside the creek and through the Alma Treloar Reserve.

Cockatoo has two schools: Cockatoo Primary School and Cockatoo Montessori School. For those not quite at school yet, there is a Kindergarten on Bailey Rd, or for the really little ones, the Cockatoo Early Childhood Learning Centre.

McBride Street is the heart of Cockatoo, and home to a number of shops. You will find gift shops, a café, bakery, butcher, several take away food stores, hairdresser, chemist, Licensed Supermarket and Post Office. The community bank branch in Cockatoo is run by the Bendigo Bank, and Computers Made Fun is very popular with the local youth.

On the corner of McBride Street and Pakenham Rd, is the Casey- Cardinia Community Health Centre that also provides a number of low-cost services including counselling, podiatry, yoga, and financial counselling (amongst others).

Cockatoo also has a community hall and a 12 seater community bus available for hire. Puffing Billy also passes through here, and there are plenty of bed & breakfasts around if you want to come and visit for a few days.

There is always plenty happening in Cockatoo, with a number of fantastic community events taking place. The year kicks off with the Australia Day breakfast – a free community event celebrating the great work by local citizens. The Cockatoo Rodeo is held mid-March, and on the last Sunday in March and October the Cockatoo Plant Market draws people from near and far, with all funds going to support the very worthy cause of the Cockatoo Fire Brigade.

Anzac Day at the RSL is also popular, and the Cockatoo May-Fair is held on the first Saturday in May with a variety of activities for the whole family. Finally, Cockatoo has a Community Carols by Candlelight event in December.