Narbethong - VIC

More a locality than a town, Narbethong is set among the tall trees of the Yarra Ranges northeast of Melbourne.

The first European settlement at Narbethong was established in about 1865 by Frederick Fisher. Fisher built a 12-room hotel, the Black Spur Inn, on the road, now the scenic Maroondah Highway, which was being built to link Melbourne with the new goldfield at Woods Point. Fisher came from the town of Narberth in Wales, so it is likely that the name Narbethong was based on that. However, there are also claims that Narbethong is an Aboriginal word meaning cheerful, or cheerful place.

The town was devastated in the Black Friday bushfires in 1939 and again by the Black Saturday bushfires in 2009. In 2011, a new public hall was built using local timbers, with the whole building being wrapped in a bronze mesh fire resistant screen.

A worthwhile diversion is to drive, ride or pedal the wonderfully scenic Acheron Way (VicRoads C507) which follows the Acheron River from St Fillans just north of Narbethong to Warburton.