Balwyn, Victoria

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Balwyn
Melbourne, Victoria

Population:

14404 (2001 census)

Postcode:

3103

Area:

5.6 km²

Property Value:

AUD $780,000 ^[1]

Location:

12 km from Melbourne

LGA:

City of Boroondara

State District:

Kew, Box Hill

Federal Division:

Kooyong

Suburbs around Balwyn
Kew East	Balwyn North	Mont Albert North
Kew	Balwyn	Mont Albert North
Hawthorn East	Canterbury	Mont Albert

Balwyn is a suburb of Melbourne, Australia, in the state of Victoria. It is in the Local Government Area of the City of Boroondara. The South West part of the suburb is also known as Deepdene. Named after a farm established on the hill overlooking Canterbury Gardens, it means home of the vine.

The suburb developed in the post WWII boom and was populated by a mixture of professional and working class families, although it is now primarily professional and mercantile, this being the demographic that can afford the higher real estate prices. The initial boom occurred along the Whitehorse Road tramline, which defined the lower class Deepdene factory (such as the Wade handbag and the Jarvis-Walker fishing rod factories) and shop strip and the Balwyn shops around the intersection with Burke Road. South of the tramline was generally elite while the slopes down to the north was populated by aspiring middle classes, workers and frugal professionals such as teachers and bank managers. With Deepdene State School at its Western extreme, it drew a mixed student population that contrasted with the student population of Balwyn High School located in the area that became known as North Balwyn, which was populated later than the rest of the suburb by a more uniformly comfortably-off demographic.

Apart from the significant religious establishments of the suburb, local almost village churches sprang up with the boom of young people post war, one example of which was the Deepdene Methodist Church. Now defunct, the church was a thriving focus for young people's fellowship, a scout troop, fundraising as well as mothers' and other groups that defined a viable neighbourhood. In addition to its social function in nurturing the development of young people given the opportunities of a scholastically elite school, an ever expanding employment market and the excellent public health regime of the era, the church was adopted by the great Reverend Dr A.H Wood upon his retirement as Principal of the Methodist Ladies' College in Kew. Dr. Wood made an indelible contribution to the suburb through this role, and the effect remains evident in the 2000s in the lives of people he influenced at that time.

Balwyn is also home to the exquisite Maranoa Gardens, a native garden developed by citizens. The suburb has been immortalised by the Skyhooks single named after the suburb, 'Balwyn Calling'.