The
Berwick Road District was incorporated on 24 October 1862, and became a shire on 12 May 1868. At the time, it was a considerably larger area, extending well into what is now Melbourne's eastern and southeastern suburbs, including today's
City of Knox, as well as areas east of
Dandenong and the
Dandenong Ranges. On 23 May 1889, the Scoresby Riding was severed and incorporated as the Shire of Fern Tree Gully. Fern Tree Gully in turn was splintered in 1964, to form the City of Knox and the
Shire of Sherbrooke. In 1902, the Berwick Shire headquarters moved to
Pakenham. The shire was generally rural in character, with fruit growing, dairying and sheep and cattle grazing being the main pursuits. However, from the 1950s onward, the western part, around
Berwick and
Narre Warren, experienced major residential growth as well as industrial development. On 1 October 1973, the western part split from the shire and was immediately proclaimed as the
City of Berwick. The remaining rural area was renamed the Shire of Pakenham on 1 September 1974. On 15 December 1994, the Shire of Pakenham was abolished, and along with parts of the
City of Cranbourne (
Koo Wee Rup and
Lang Lang) and the Shire of Sherbrooke (around
Emerald and
Cockatoo), was merged into the newly created
Shire of Cardinia. Council met at the Shire Offices, in Duncan Drive, Pakenham. The facility was later the headquarters for the Shire of Cardinia until 2014. ==Wards==