Burwood, Victoria

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Burwood
Melbourne, Victoria
Population: 11,886 (2006)[1]
Postcode: 3125
Area: 8.7 km² (3.4 sq mi)
Property Value: AUD $610,000 [2]
Location: 16 km (10 mi) from Melbourne
LGA: City of Whitehorse
State District: Burwood
Federal Division: Chisholm
Suburbs around Burwood:
Canterbury Surrey Hills Box Hill South
Camberwell Burwood Burwood East
Glen Iris Ashwood Mount Waverley

Burwood is a suburb of Melbourne, Australia, in the state of Victoria. It is in the Local Government Area of the City of Whitehorse.

Contents

[edit] History

The first settlement in the area, known as Ballyshanassy was surveyed in 1858.The settlement changed name to Norwood and subsequently Burwood in 1879. The name "Burwood" (later "Invergowrie") was the name of a house built by Sir James Palmer in Hawthorn West in 1852. The original settlement was centred near Burwood Cemetery and the Police Station, but the focus shifted to the intersection of Warrigal Road and Toorak Road with later commercial development. The suburb later spread westwards to the Hartwell railway station which was renamed as Burwood railway station[3]

By 1904, Burwood had a population of 600 and had a post office, two hotels, a savings bank and a number of churches. The township at that time was surrounded by farms and market gardens.[3]

The extension of the Toorak Road tramline in 1912 was a catalyst for residential development in the area. Following World War 2, development headed east along Burwood Highway[3]

[edit] Allambie

The Allambie Reception Centre for juvenile offenders was located in Burwood.

[edit] Burwood Boys Home

Burwood Boys Home, located on Warrigal Road, was founded in 1895 by Robert Campbell Edwards who was concerned about the number of children living on the streets of Melbourne. The facility changed its name to Burwood Childrens Home when girls began to be admitted after 1972. It was closed in 1986.[4]

[edit] Orana Methodist Childrens Home

In the 1950s and 1960's the Methodist Chuch developed residential units on a site in Elgar Road for the care of abandoned and neglected children.The facility was relocated to Meadow Heights in 1989.[5]

[edit] Princess Elizabeth Kindergarten for the Deaf

The Princess Elizabeth Kindergarten for the Deaf, the first facility of its kind in Australia, was opened on a site at 90 Elgar Road in 1950. It was later known as the Princess Elizabeth Junior School for Deaf Children [6]

[edit] Government schools

A number of government schools were built in the area, many of which were closed in 1987-92 as the population aged.

Primary schools included:

  • Bennettswood Primary School
  • Burwood Heights Primary School (opened 1965)
  • Burwood Primary School
  • Wattle Park Primary School (opened 1914)

Secondary schools included

  • Burwood High School
  • Burwood Technical School
  • Burwood Heights High School (opened 1970)
  • Wattle Park High School (1962 - 1992)[3]

[edit] Drive-in theatre

The Burwood Skyline, opened in February 1954, was Australia's first drive-in theatre. Operated by Hoyts, it had a 652 car capacity, later increasing to 743. The drive-in was located near the intersection of Burwood Highway and McComas Grove in a natural amphitheatre setting provided by the Gardiners Creek Valley. The screen was located on a high point on the other side of the creek from the viewing area. The first film publicly screened was On the Riviera starring Danny Kaye and Gene Tierney. The drive in was very popular in its early years, often causing traffic jams in the local area. A playground was provided for children, which included a motorised carousel.[7]

Following a decline in audience numbers over a number of years, the drive-in closed on June 22 1983, with a screening of We of the Never Never and Local Hero.[7]

[edit] Geography

Burwood is bounded to the north by Riversdale Road, the northern boundary of Deakin University, Gardiners Creek and Eley Road. It is bounded to the east by Middlebourough Road and to the west by Warrigal Road.The southern boundary runs near to Carlyle and Zodiac Streets then along Gardiners Creek and subsequently in approximate alignment with Ashwood Drive, Montpellier Road, Arthur Street, Huntingdale Road and Highbury Road.[8]

The most prominent feature of the Burwood landscape is Building C (The Alfred Deakin Building) of Deakin University.

[edit] Shopping centres

The main Burwood shopping centre is located at the intersection of Warrigal Road and Burwood Highway. Another shopping strip is located at Bennettswood (corner of Burwood Highway and Station Street).[8]

[edit] Education

Deakin University - Burwood Campus
Deakin University - Burwood Campus

[edit] Sports and recreation

Parks in the suburb include Wattle Park and Gardiners Creek Reserve, the latter which has a shared bicycle and pedestrian path. Sports facilities include Bennettswood Sports Ground and Bennettswood Bowling Club. Burwood Reserve and Burwood Bowling Club are located in nearby Glen Iris.[8]

[edit] Transport

The principal north-south roads are Warragul Road, Elgar Road,Station Street and Middleborough Road, while the principal east-west roads are Riversdale Road, Burwood Highway and Highbury Road.[8]

Tram route 75, which runs from Melbourne to Vermont South, traverses the suburb along Burwood Highway. There is no train service in the suburb, Burwood railway station is located in the adjoining suburb of Glen Iris, resulting from a boundary change.

There are a number of bus routes which connect the suburb to surrounding areas:

[edit] Vision Australia

The Royal Victorian Institute of the Blind (now Vision Australia) purchased 41 acres of land on Burwood Highway in 1951 for a school, which was opened in 1959.[18]

[edit] Retirement villages

Burwood has two retirement villages - Fountain Court on Station Street and Cameron Close on Warrigal Road.[8]

[edit] Notable people from Burwood

[edit] See also

  • City of Box Hill - the former local government area of which part of Burwood was a part.
  • City of Camberwell - the former local government area of which part of Burwood was a part.
  • City of Waverley - the former local government area of which part of Burwood was a part.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). Burwood (State Suburb). 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved on 2007-10-01.
  2. ^ Burwood, accessed 19 May 2008
  3. ^ a b c d Burwood and Burwood East, Victoria. Australian Places (archived). Retrieved on 2008-05-19.
  4. ^ Best Chance History. Retrieved on 2008-05-19.
  5. ^ History. Orana Family Services. Retrieved on 2008-05-19.
  6. ^ The History of the Victorian School for Deaf Children. Deaf Children Australia. Retrieved on 2008-05-19.
  7. ^ a b Burwood Skyline (Hoyts). Drive-ins Downunder - Australian Drive-ins. Retrieved on 2008-05-20.
  8. ^ a b c d e Australia Map Guide. www.street-directory.com.au. Retrieved on 2008-05-17.
  9. ^ 11-12 Campus. Emmaus College. Retrieved on 2008-05-19.
  10. ^ St Andrews Christian College. Retrieved on 2008-05-19.
  11. ^ St. Benedict's Primary School. Retrieved on 2008-05-19.
  12. ^ St Scholastica's Primary - Catholic Primary School, Victoria. Retrieved on 2008-05-19.
  13. ^ 700 - Box Hill - Mordialloc (SMARTBUS Service). metlink. Retrieved on 2008-05-17.
  14. ^ 7732 - Box Hill - Upper Ferntree Gully. metlink. Retrieved on 2008-05-18.
  15. ^ 735 - Box Hill - South Blackburn (K-Mart Store). Retrieved on 2008-05-17.
  16. ^ 766 - Box Hill - Warrigal Road Burwood. Metlink accessdate=2008-05-23.
  17. ^ 767 - Southland Shopping Centre - Box Hillwork=metlink. Retrieved on 2008-05-17.
  18. ^ Buckrich, Judith Raphael. A History of the Royal Victorian Institute for the Blind 1866-2004. Australian Scholarly Publishing. Retrieved on 2008-05-19.

[edit] External links

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Suburbs of the City of Whitehorse | Melbourne | Victoria