Koo Wee Rup Swamp History

This blog is about the history of the Koo Wee Rup Swamp and surrounding areas, including Garfield, and Western Port as well as some of my family history. It's my own original research and writing and if you live in the area you may have read some of the stories before in the Koo Wee Rup Swamp Historical Society newsletter or the Koo Wee Rup township newsletter, The Blackfish, or the Garfield township newsletter, The Spectator. Heather Arnold.

Tuesday, February 17, 2026

Garfield - named for an American President

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Garfield was originally called Cannibal Creek. The term Cannibal Creek is believed to refer to the killing of dogs by dingoes and was the n...

Wednesday, January 14, 2026

What happened in Koo Wee Rup and surrounds in 1926

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This is a look at what happened in Koo Wee Rup and on the Koo Wee Rup Swamp 100 years ago in 1926. I write this every year for the Blackfis...

Tuesday, January 13, 2026

What happened in Garfield in 1926

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This is a look at what happened in Garfield and surrounds 100 years ago in 1926. I write this every year for the Garfield Spectator . I al...

Saturday, January 10, 2026

Milk Trains on the Koo Wee Rup Swamp and surrounds

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The Koo Wee Rup Swamp historically had many dairy farms and I have written about this and the local milk and cheese factories, which process...

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About Me

Heather: I am a local history enthusiast, the President of the Koo Wee Rup Swamp Historical Society and the Secretary of the South Eastern Historical Association. I was the Local History Librarian at Casey Cardinia Libraries from 2005 until 2021.

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