| Black Rock Melbourne, Victoria |
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Black Rock
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| Population: | 5796 (2006) [1] | ||||||||||||
| Postcode: | 3193 | ||||||||||||
| Area: | 3.7 km² (1.4 sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Location: | 18 km (11 mi) from Melbourne | ||||||||||||
| LGA: | City of Bayside | ||||||||||||
| State District: | Sandringham | ||||||||||||
| Federal Division: | Goldstein | ||||||||||||
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Black Rock is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 18 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district.[2] Its Local Government Area is the City of Bayside. At the 2006 Census, Black Rock had a population of 5796.
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The suburb was named after Black Rock House, a grand residence built by Charles Ebden in 1856, who had taken the name from Black Rock, Dublin. Ebden was an early Port Phillip pastoralist as well as being a businessman and parliamentarian representing the seat of Brighton in the Victorian Parliament. Black Rock House is on the Register of the National Estate.
The northern part of the suburb between Beach Road and Bluff Road was one of the early estates in the parish of Moorabbin developed by Josiah Holloway in the 1850s. Named Bluff Town, sales were slower than in other areas and the suburb grew slowly.[3]
One of the notable characteristics of the Black Rock shoreline is Red Bluff. The bluff's name comes from the oxidised iron in the cliffs which gives off a burnt orange colour. Either side of Red Bluff are many popular beaches and seaside destinations, including Half Moon Bay. Half Moon Bay had been setting for yachting since the 1890s, and a branch of the Brighton Yacht Club formed the Black Rock Yacht Club in 1919. A rock breakwater was constructed and in 1926 the hull of the colonial naval vessel HMVS Cerberus was added to further protect the boat haven.
In 1888, the year after the railway was extended to Sandringham, a horse tram was provided between Sandringham and Black Rock, running on to Beaumaris. The service, which lasted until 1914, was replaced by an electric tram service (operated by the Victorian Railways) in 1919, which ran slightly inland of the horse tram service. In 1931, the line was cut back to Black Rock, and the entire line closed in 1956. In 1910 a State primary school was opened in Black Rock which continues to operate to this day.
The first Post Office in the area was Red Bluff to the north, which opened on 17 April 1901 and closed in 1969. The first Black Rock Post Office opened on 23 April 1902, was renamed Half Moon Bay in 1922 and closed in 1968. The second Black Rock Post Office opened in 1922 near the corner of Bluff Road and Balcombe Road.[4]
Like many neighbouring suburbs, the residential development in Black Rock dates partly in the postwar period and due to active conservation movements for the protection of native plants beside roads and on heathlands, Black Rock boasts beautiful surrounds. There are many recreational reserves located throughout the shoreline and near the town centre. The major shopping centre in Black Rock, located at the intersection of Bluff, Beach and Balcombe Roads is home to the prominent Black Rock Clock Tower.
Median house prices in Black Rock during 1987-96 were between 100% and 140% higher than the median prices for metropolitan Melbourne.
The suburb has an Australian Rules football team competing in the Southern Football League.[5]
Golfers play at the course of the Royal Melbourne Golf Club on Cheltenham Road.[6]
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