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 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. Mernda was proclaimed a township on 26 April 1928 by the
Governor, Lord Somers. 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==