Maude

Maude is a rural locality between the east side of the Moorabool River and the west side of Sutherland Creek. The land steepens towards the Moorabool River Valley, and on the other side, about 5 km away, is Lethbridge. Geelong is 28 km to the south-east.

Maude has never been more than a village, it had a district census population of 200 people in 1911.

Its school – originally Church of England – was opened in 1874 and survived until 1989 when it was closed. The Anglican church also closed within a year or two. Until phylloxera affected the Geelong region there were vineyards in the district. Later there was dairying and orchards, and vineyards have returned to the Moorabool Valley since the early 1970s. Sheep grazing and cereal growing are now the other main activities. There have been football and tennis clubs, but the main community activity is now the fire brigade. A local brigade was formed because of the difficulty of getting equipment from further away into nearby bushland. Upstream Sutherland Creek leads to the Steiglitz historical park and the Brisbane Ranges.

Maude has a recreation reserve, tennis court and quarries.

Its census populations have been:

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