Doncaster, Victoria

Doncaster is a suburb centred around Doncaster Hill, which is 12km east from the Melbourne central business district. The border of the suburb follows the Koonung Creek from Doncaster Road, along the south of the suburb to Wetherby Road, Wetherby Rd & Victoria St form the eastern border and the northern border follows Ruffey Creek, Williamsons Road, Manningham Rd and Ayr Street to the junction of the Koonung Creek and Doncaster Road.

Westfield Shoppingtown Office Tower, Doncaster, Australia

[edit] Transport

The major east-west road (Doncaster Road) leads from Kew to Donvale.

The Eastern Freeway terminated at Doncaster Road at the western edge of the suburb from its construction in the 1970s until December 1997. As a result of a decision by the Victorian Cain Labor Government, the Eastern Freeway ended at Bulleen Road and was joined to Doncaster Road by an inadequate arterial road. During this period Doncaster suffered from heavy traffic congestion and air pollution as Doncaster Road carried 60,000 vehicles a day as a major arterial road.

Since the Kennett Government extended the Eastern Freeway along the course of the Koonung Creek to Springvale Road, Doncaster's through-traffic has dropped considerably.

Public transport advocates, such as the Public Transport Users Association have proposed the return of rail to Doncaster to service the growing high density area of Doncaster hill. Both Light and Heavy Rail options along the Eastern Freeway corridor may be considered by government in future.

[edit] History

The region was settled in the 1860s and 1870s predominantly by German settler orchardists. The German community was named Waldau[1], but the name Doncaster gradually became commonly accepted. A Lutheran church was the first one in Doncaster in 1858. A Lutheran school opened in 1860 and a denominational school in 1861.[2] Schramm's Cottage, an historic stone cottage originally situated in Doncaster Road (at the site of the fountain next to the Municipal Offices) has been relocated to the site of the original Lutheran Church building in Victoria Street in the 1970s. The remains of the Waldau Cemetery, where approximately 150 burials took place between 1853 and 1888, are located in the grounds of Schramm's Cottage.[3]

In the 1880s an observation tower (285 ft high) was constructed on Doncaster Hill, which attracted day-trippers to (what was then) the countryside.

Doncaster was the location of the first tram to run in Melbourne in 1889. The tram started in Doncaster and ended in Box Hill (Approx 3.5km away). However, the service didn't gain any profit, so the service ended in 1896 due to feuds with land holders and financial problems. more information can be found at Tram Way Society Site

It remained an orchard area until the 1970s with the majority of houses built from the 1950s to the 1980s.

In 1969 a large shopping centre was built at the corner of Doncaster and Tram Roads. Westfield Doncaster (also known as Shoppingtown) has expanded several times since and still serves as the largest shopping centre in the City of Manningham.

[edit] Government

Doncaster has a Victorian State Parliamentary seat named after it, the Electoral district of Doncaster. The current member is Mary Wooldridge. Doncaster is encompassed within the Federal Seat of Menzies. At the municipal level, it is situated within the City of Manningham.