Leongatha  is situated some 130 kilometres south-east of Melbourne and is the largest township within the South Gippsland Shire.

At the heart of a rich, green and closely-settled dairy, beef, lamb, vegetable and wine growing district, Leongatha is located literally "between the mountains and the sea" in the foothills of the Strzelecki Ranges. The nearest beaches are located at the popular seaside resort town of Inverloch, an easy 20-minute drive to the south-west. 

The world-famous Wilsons Promontory National Park lies about 90 kilometres south-east of Leongatha, while the LaTrobe Valley with the Victorian snowfields beyond is about 60 kilometres away to the north-east.

Leongatha's landmark Memorial Hall

Leongatha serves a district population of about 25,000, with some 6,500 people living in the town itself.

The South Gippsland Shire is based at Leongatha, as are the regional offices of a number of state and federal government departments.

The town has a host of excellent community facilities and services including several primary and secondary schools, a TAFE campus, a variety of sporting venues including a first-class velodrome and two golf courses, a hospital and a great choice of shops.

 
South Gippsland Shire offices, with an original ceramic sculpture made by Korumburra potter Robert Barron in the foreground.

Leongatha was first established during the 1870s when gold fossickers from nearby Mount Eccles stayed in the area to take up land for farming.

They formed small co-operatives of three or four families, clearing their holdings, building rough wooden homes and then bringing cattle over the mountains from Warragul and Yarragon.

The coming of the Great Southern Railway in 1892 boosted the development of the whole district.

Many of the town's fine public buildings, like its several churches, the Memorial Hall, the Mechanics' Institute and the former Courthouse, as well as the private homes that were built during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, may still be seen.

St Peter's Anglican Church, Leongatha

Every September Leongatha hosts its annual Daffodil Festival, while in January, the district's abundance of gourmet food and wine is celebrated with tastings, displays and cooking demonstrations. 

The five-hectare Moss Vale Park at Berrys Creek, a short distance north-east of Leongatha, is filled with mature native and European trees and is the setting for many musical festivals held throughout the year.

Leongatha is dotted with public parks and gardens, including the impressive Recreation Reserve and Showgrounds, and the Ellen Lyndon Gardens. Annual and perennial flowering plants are a feature of the town's street garden beds.

Leongatha's public gardens and street plantings are always a picture all year 'round.

McCartin Street is just one of the many wide and graceful thoroughfares to be found in Leongatha.

Leongatha is also home to one of the Murray Goulburn Co-operative's modern dairy processing plants, which manufactures some of the company's well-known " Devondale" brand range of products.

The large plant operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week and employs a large number of local people.

The Leongatha and District Historical Society's Museum is located in the former Mechanics' Institute building in McCartin Street and many old photographs and relics of the town's earlier days are preserved there. 

The scenic Leongatha Golf Club is located on the Inverloch-Koonwarra Road at Leongatha South, about 15 kilometres south of Leongatha.
The 18-hole, par 70, 5795-metre golf course is fully-watered and features grass greens set within an undulating and challenging layout.
 

Visitors with a taste for the good things in life will enjoy the fine wineries around Leongatha. The Bass Phillip Winery is 10 kilometres south of Leongatha, and is known for its fine pinot noir and chardonnay.

The next stop could be the Tarwin Ridge winery, which has a small range of wines including a special barrel-fermented sauvignon blanc.

At Koonwarra is the Lyre Bird Hill Winery , which produces riesling, chardonnay, pinot noir and shiraz in full or half bottles.

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