Coburg North, Victoria

Coburg North
MelbourneVictoria
Coburg North
Population: 6064 (2006) [1]
Postcode: 3058
Area: 4.9 km² (1.9 sq mi)
Location: 10 km (6 mi) from Melbourne
LGA: City of Moreland
State District: Pascoe Vale
Federal Division: Wills
Suburbs around Coburg North:
Hadfield Fawkner Reservoir
Pascoe Vale Coburg North Preston
Pascoe Vale Coburg Preston

Coburg North is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 10 km north from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Moreland. At the 2006 Census, Coburg North had a population of 6064.

As its name suggests, it lies north of Coburg, and shares the postcode 3058 with the suburb of Coburg. The majority of Coburg North is zoned residential, though there are some industrial precincts. The major commercial strip on Sydney Road is primarily automotive-related businesses. Merlynston has a small shopping strip with some cafes. The rest of the suburb is reliant on corner shops for everyday needs.

Contents

History

Coburg North Post Office opened on 1 August 1857 and closed in 1980.[2]

Housing

A large number of the houses in the area have two bedrooms and are made of brick, some with a weatherboard extension. These were constructed in bulk by the Housing Commission of Victoria, and most follow a standard design and layout. The weatherboard extension appears to be standard feature on houses of this period, and can take the form of a third bedroom, extended kitchen or laundry, or a standalone shed. Some houses share a common wall as a duplex unit.

After the close of the Kodak Factory in 2005, the land began being turned into A$250 million 21 hectares (52 acres) housing site for 1000 people.[3]

Local industry

Industry in Coburg North is concentrated in the area bounded by Gaffney Street, Sydney Road, Shorts Road and Sussex Street. A notable and major industry in the suburb used to be a factory owned by Kodak, on two sites either side of Edgars Creek used for photographic paper manufacture and film processing. With the popularity of digital photography, Kodak has closed the factory. It is speculated that the grounds will be redeveloped for housing, as they are both large in area and hold a prime position in the suburb.

Geography

Geographical Features in North Coburg, include:

Educational facilities

Coburg North has an Islamic college, a Catholic college and a campus of Kangan Batman TAFE focussed on automotive training, and two primary schools; Coburg North Primary School and Newlands Primary School. Newlands Primary School, No 4646, was built in 1951 to a design attributed to Percy Everett, the chief architect of the Public Works Department of Victoria (PWD). It was built on the borders of Coburg and Preston, as a model school with rooms of hexagonal design.[4] The Newlands Primary school building is Heritage listed (ID # 18497).[5]

Transport

Coburg North has two train stations, Batman and Merlynston on the Upfield railway line. Tram route 19 travels along Sydney Road from the terminus at Bakers Road, Coburg North to Flinders Street Station in the city.

Cyclists can access the Upfield Bike Path and the Merri Creek Trail. A new style bikeway was also constructed along O'Hea Street that currently starts at Sussex Street and finishes at Sydney Road. Sections through Pentridge and McDonalds Reserve have been constructed and will open in early 2011 - these will mean the bikeway links to Merri Creek Bikeway. Council has plans to continue the path from Sussex Street to Glenroy.

References

External links