Leongatha is a town in the foothills of the Strzelecki Ranges, South Gippsland Shire, Victoria, Australia, located south-east of Melbourne. At the , Leongatha had a population of 5,869. Canadian dairy company Saputo which trades in Australia under the Devondale label, among others, has a dairy processing plant on the north side of the town producing milk-based products for Australian and overseas markets. History First settlement of the area by Europeans occurred in 1845. The Post Office opened as Koorooman on 1 October 1887 and renamed Leongatha in 1891 when a township was established on the arrival of the railway. The railway line from Melbourne reached the town in 1891, and stimulated further settlement. Regular V/Line passenger operations on the line to the local railway station ceased in 1993. The Leongatha Magistrates' Court closed on 1 January 1990. Transport The town is located on the South Gippsland Highway which links Leongatha to Melbourne. Leongatha was formerly situated along the South Gippsland railway corridor that operated to its terminus at Yarram in the early 1980s and Leongatha in the mid 1990s. A V/Line road coach service replaced the rail service on 24 July 1993, running between Melbourne and Yarram. A second service runs from Traralgon to Wonthaggi. There was also a third bus service running from Venus Bay, through Tarwin Lower and Koonwarra connecting with the V/Line services that depart from Leongatha. This was a trial service and no longer operates. The Leongatha Airport is located south of the town and serves general aviation. Education Leongatha is a major educational hub for South Gippsland, and contains several schools, including: Leongatha Secondary College, result of a merger between Leongatha Technical School and Leongatha High School. Leongatha Primary School South Gippsland Specialist School GippsTafe (Leongatha Campus) St Laurence O'Toole Catholic Primary School Mary MacKillop Catholic Regional College Chairo Christian School - For prep level to year 10. Also provides three to four year-old Kindergarten. The town also has two kindergartens (Allora and Hasset Street), and two childcare centres (Brown Street and Leongatha Children's), which both have kindergarten rooms. Tourism The Daffodil Festival is held annually in September. Competitions are held and many daffodil varieties are on display. A garden competition is also held. The railway line from Leongatha to Foster has been converted into the Great Southern Rail Trail, for the shared use of horse riding, walking and cycling. The Great Southern Rail