Belgrave, Victoria

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Belgrave
Melbourne, Victoria

Belgrave main street

Population:

4094 (2006)^[1]

Postcode:

3160

Area:

4.1 km² (1.6 sq mi)

Property Value:

AUD $277,500 ^[2]

Location:

39 km (24 mi) from Melbourne

LGA:

Shire of Yarra Ranges

State District:

Monbulk, Gembrook

Federal Division:

La Trobe

Suburbs around Belgrave:
Sherbrooke	Kallista	Kallista
Tecoma	Belgrave	Selby
Lysterfield	Belgrave Heights	Belgrave South

Belgrave is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located 39 kilometres (24 mi) east of Melbourne. It is in the Local Government Area of the Shire of Yarra Ranges.

Most of the commercial district of Belgrave is located on Main Street, which is at the end of Burwood Highway. There are also shops on Bayview Road, which is located just across the rail bridge.

It was named after an 1840s chapel in Leeds, Yorkshire, England; the name carried by Mr and Mrs R.G. Benson when they came to Melbourne in 1856. Their sons, the Benson Brothers, settled in the Belgrave district in the 1870s.

1 Business
2 Tourism
3 Social Scene
4 Schools
5 Recreation & Government Buildings
6 Local Media
7 References
8 External links

[edit] Business

Belgrave has many galleries and bookshops. There is a strong organic and fair trade emphasis amongst the businesses with a fair trade shop Local and Global, Belgrave Organics, at least three cafes serving fairtrade coffee (Earthly Pleasures Organic Cafe, Ample and Queen of Tarts), and Savvy Organic Pizza, who specialise in gluten free pizza. There are two retro clothing stores, Walk in Wardrobe and The Silver Compac. There is a Safeway supermarket, three hairdressing salons, a building design (drafting) service, two pharmacies, a butcher, a dry cleaner, two bakeries, a DVD store, a newsagency, a cinema, many fast food outlets, restaurants, a centrelink centre, a pub and a few bars/lounges, two banks (the Commonwealth Bank and the Bendigo Bank) as well as a public library. It also has a very active Traders Association.

[edit] Tourism

Its best known attraction is the heritage narrow gauge, steam-operated Puffing Billy Railway, which was restored in 1962. It is also the terminus of the Belgrave Suburban Electric Railway Line.

The 1000 steps

Other nearby attractions include The 1000 Steps, Sherbrooke Forest and Sherbrooke Falls.

[edit] Social Scene

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Belgrave has a cinema called the Cameo Cinema, which has recently been restored to its original 1930s glory. The complex features six cinemas, with Cinema 1 dating back to the 1930s. There is also an outdoor Cinema at the rear of the building, which is open only during the summer months (December to March). Patrons of the outdoor Cinema hear the sound through radio headphones while sitting on deckchairs The Reel Cafe, which is off the lobby of the theatre, provides meals from breakfast through to dinner as well as coffee breaks for anytime of day.

Belgrave has a busy night scene, with several major pubs and bars, Ruby's Lounge, Bell Tavern, Scarab Bar and Micawber Tavern, established in 1923. There is an Indian restaurant, a Thai restaurant, several pizza shops, a noodle shop, a Subway store, a hot chicken shop, organic cafe (Earthly Pleasures) and two fish and chip shops. Sometimes on Thursday or Friday nights, fire-twirlers and percussionists perform on Bayview Road.

There is also a healthy music scene with many exiting live acts performing at Ruby's Lounge. Ruby's has become a hotspot to see many of Australia's most popular artists who include Ekoi, Chain, Motorace, Pete Murray, Cat Empire, Killing Heidi, Magic Dirt, Kate Ceberano and Mark Lizotte aka Diesel and Artinem. Aside from just hosting well known performers, Ruby's and Micawber Tavern host many open-mike/jam nights where amateur artists can perform. The Micawber Tavern Jam Night on Mondays has been running for over 10 years, hosted by John & Kirk from Wild Turkey, and is a mainstay of the music scene in the hills. They also host a monthly comedy night.

Street buskers can be found almost every day and there is also a recording studio.The historic property known as Glen Harrow Gardens has been featured on many travel television programs, is just round the corner in Old Monbulk Road.

[edit] Schools

Belgrave has two local schools, both managed by the Catholic church.

St Thomas More's Primary School - A co-educational school, located near the Belgrave Library and adjacent to St. Thomas More's Catholic Church.
Mater Christi College - An all girls Secondary school located on Bayview Road.

[edit] Recreation & Government Buildings

Belgrave has a state of the art Police Station, which acts as the base for all police stations in the Dandenong Ranges Region. There is also the Belgrave Volunteer Fire Brigade on Bayview Road, which has been serving the community for over 80 years. It is also home to the Dandenong Ranges Fire Brigades Group HQ, which manages all major fires within the Dandenong Ranges.

There is a Centrelink office on the high side of Main Street. The closest Shire of Yarra Ranges office is in Upwey on Main Street.

The Belgrave Town Park, just below the police station, provides a fine view over the town as well as a public space for events such as the annual Christmas carols. Just off the Belgrave-Hallam Road is the Belgrave outdoor swimming pool and a playground.