From the 1870s, Beenak, at the head of McCrae's Creek, in the rugged forest east of Gembrook, 70 km east of Melbourne, was home to a few timber cutters and settlers.

With the sawmilling boom of the early 1900s, Beenak developed into a small settlement, with a school, post office and general store, and peak population of about 100.

Much of the area has now reverted to forest, and bushfires of 1926 destroyed most of the surviving buildings. ... (more)