Glen Alvie

Glen Alvie is a rural locality in west Gippsland, 15 km north-west of Wonthaggi. It is situated in hilly grazing and dairying country. Apart from the name being of Scottish origin there is no explanation of how it came to be given to the locality.

Glen Alvie was part of the Blackwood Forest. In 1888 slightly more than 28 sq km of the forest were opened for selection. During the next ten years community facilities in the form of a school (1893), a hall (1896) and a butter factory (1897) were opened. There was some prospect of diversification from dairing when the Glen Alvie coal mining company was formed, but the coal seams were less than first thought. Catholic and Baptist churches were constructed in 1905 and 1910.

Glen Alvie, situated in steep hills, was surrounded by larger villages such as Archies Creek, Grantville and Kongwak. These all had general stores and dairy factories, and the Glen Alvie district supplied them all with milk and used them for shopping. Rabbit infestation in the 1920s required netting and eradication programs, and pasture improvement gave better milk yields. A new hall was built in 1925.

Glen Alvie's comparative elevation and isolation is evidenced by the Wonthaggi water reservoir being built there in 1910. Since the 1960s it has lost the Catholic church (1968), post office (1975) and school (1983). The recreation reserve with memorial gates and the hall remain.

Glen Alvie's census populations have been: