Gladysdale is located 6 km south-east of Yarra Junction. It is situated in hilly country watered by tributaries of the Yarra River. Early industries included timber cutting and farming.

​

Gladysdale Post Office was named after Gladys Pettit, the postmistress' daughter. It had opened in 1914 as Slaty Creek, but the name was changed in 1915 because of confusion with the Slatey Creek post office near St Arnaud.

​

Timber continued to be cut around Gladysdale for several decades and was carried along one of the numerous tramways to the Powelltown timber mill. Several spurs linked up with the Powelltown Tramway at various points along its run between Yarra Junction and Powelltown and beyond. These included Lloyd's (from Gladysdale), Groom's (from Three Bridges), Worlley's (from Gilderoy), Feiglin's (from between Gilderoy & Powelltown) and Reid's (from Powelltown). Beyond Powelltown spurs ran to Monett's, Fitzpatrick's, The Ada,Herman's and Knott's.

 

In 1918 a school was opened in the Gladysdale hall and seven years later a proper building was constructed. Gatherings at the hall were lit by kerosene lanterns or power generators until 1956 when the village was connected to the State electricity grid.​

​

​

Source:

‘Gladysdale’, Victorian Places, 2014, accessed on 6/3/2023

'The Upper Yarra - Illustrated History' by Brian Carroll