Yea

Yea is a historic country town in the Murrindindi Shire of Victoria, Australia, located about 100 kilometres northeast of Melbourne on the Goulburn Valley Highway. Established in the 1850s during pastoral settlement and later supported by gold and timber industries, it serves as a gateway to the Victorian High Country. The town is notable for its heritage streetscape, the Great Victorian Rail Trail, Yea Wetlands, and its role as a service centre for surrounding farming communities.

Visitors can expect a compact rural town centre along High Street with heritage buildings, cafes, bakeries, pubs, and boutique shops. The town is set in a valley surrounded by rolling farmland and bushland, with the Yea River nearby. Visitors can walk the Yea Wetlands boardwalks, cycle or walk sections of the Great Victorian Rail Trail which passes through the former Yea Railway Station, visit the Y Water Discovery Centre, and explore parks, playgrounds and picnic areas. The atmosphere is quiet and country-focused, suitable for short stops or as a base for exploring the region.

Yea was established in 1855 as a pastoral settlement and town survey, named after Colonel Lacy Walter Giles Yea. It developed as a service centre for surrounding pastoral runs and later supported gold mining at nearby Highlands and timber milling. The Mansfield railway line reached Yea in 1883, operating until 1978, and the town retains heritage buildings from the late 19th and early 20th centuries including the former railway station and shire buildings.

Yea is located on the traditional lands of the Taungurung people of the Kulin Nation. Today it functions as a cultural and community hub for the Murrindindi Shire, known for its country markets, agricultural shows, community events, and as a gateway for visitors to the Victorian High Country and Goulburn River region.