Mernda is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 28 km north-east of Melbourne's central business district, located within the City of Whittlesea local government area. Mernda recorded a population of 23,369 at the 2021 census. History The first structure by European settlers was built in 1841 and bore the title of The Bridge Inn. That same year a small flour mill was built on the Plenty River. These town enterprises provided the nucleus of a village which was initially known as Morang. The Post Office opened on 19 February 1875 as Yan Yean. Situated near the Yan Yean Reservoir and Yan Yean, the popularity of the region for recreation led Morang citizens to press for a name change. This was granted and from 1893 to 1913 the township was known as South Yan Yean. In 1913 the locality was renamed Mernda. The post office and the railway station were also renamed. The name means young girl (derived from murmurdik) in Woiwurrung, the local language of the Wurundjeri. In 1913, Mernda contained a school, a Methodist church, a Catholic church, a bakery/store, a railway station and a mechanics' institute, as well as the Bridge Inn Hotel. A bluestone house, known as Carome was built in the 1860s near a flour mill on the Plenty River. The area was used for mixed farming at that time and later as a dairy farm and horse stud. Multiple mills took advantage of the Plenty River, including the Janefield mill and Mayfield Flour Mill, used as the basis of a test case of virtual reality reconstruction for public engagement with rural heritage. Today From the early 2000s, the area began being suburbanised with several new estates being constructed. The suburb of Mernda consists of a number of new and developing housing subdivisions offering the new communities of Mernda Villages, Settlers Hill, Everton Gardens, Bridge Inn Rise, Berry Lane, Mernda Ridge, Woodland Waters, Hawkstowe, Riverdale and Renaissance Rise. In 2009 Working Heritage acquired the Carome property and repaired and updated it for community use. Carome is currently home to a cafe and community garden. A strategic transport plan developed by the Victorian State Government had earmarked Mernda to be 're-connected' to the rail system by 2027; however, the 'South Morang and Mernda Rail Alliance' sought an earlier completion date of 2014 due to rising population and congestion in the area. Passenger trains recommenced to Mernda on