Nunawading, Victoria

Nunawading Melbourne, Victoria
Nunawading
Coordinates	37°49′01″S 145°10′37″E / 37.817°S 145.177°E / -37.817; 145.177Coordinates: 37°49′01″S 145°10′37″E / 37.817°S 145.177°E / -37.817; 145.177
Population	10,947 (2011)[1]
• Density	2,027/km2 (5,250/sq mi)
Established	1870s
Postcode(s)	3131
Area	5.4 km2 (2.1 sq mi)
Location	19 km (12 mi) from Melbourne
LGA(s)	City of Whitehorse
State electorate(s)	Mitcham
Federal Division(s)	Deakin
Suburbs around Nunawading: Doncaster East Donvale Donvale Blackburn North Nunawading Mitcham Blackburn Forest Hill Vermont

Nunawading /ˌnʌnəˈwɒdɪŋ/ is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 19 km east of Melbourne's Central Business District.^[2] Its local government area is the City of Whitehorse. At the 2011 Census, Nunawading had a population of 10,947.

Nunawading is centred at the intersection of Whitehorse Road and Springvale Road, in Melbourne's eastern suburbs and features the City of Whitehorse's main offices, as well as large retail (e.g. furniture, auto dealerships, hardware, and electrical) and wholesale businesses, along Whitehorse Road.

History

The name Nunawading, thought to be derived from an Aboriginal word meaning battlefield or ceremonial ground, was initially applied to a vast area which now incorporates Box Hill, Blackburn, Mitcham, Forest Hill and Vermont.

The township of Nunawading began life in the 1870s as a producer of bricks and clay. The name Tunstall, named after the famed pottery producing English town, was given to the area, based at the intersection of Whitehorse Road and Springvale Road. The name is still reflected in Tunstall Park, on Luckie Street, Tunstall Avenue, off Springvale Road and the Tunstall Square Shopping Centre, on Tunstall Road, in nearby Donvale. The opening of the Tunstall railway station contributed to the growth of the brick and clay industries, with orchards soon following. Tunstall Post Office opened on 1 February 1889 and was renamed Nunawading in 1945.^[3]

Following a series of Shire subdivisions throughout the 1920s, the name Nunawading fell from use. The name was reinstated in 1945 when it replaced Tunstall.

The period following World War II saw a housing boom in the area, as residential blocks began to replace orchards. The civic centre was opened in 1968 and became the administrative centre for the City of Nunawading, which was later incorporated, along with the City of Box Hill, into the City of Whitehorse, in 1994.

Today

Whitehorse Road is the largest retail strip for bulkgoods in Melbourne. The City of Whitehorse has named this strip the Mega Mile, in an attempt to provide brand recognition for retailers. Nunawading is home to a large Pacific Brands clothing factory and a brick factory. A large Seventh-day Adventist campus exists on Central Road with a church, church offices, a retail book shop, Coronella Retirement Village and the coeducational Nunawading Christian College (Primary and Secondary), as well as a combined kindergarten and Primary School, located on Mount Pleasant Road; Mount Pleasant Road Primary School. The head office of Bird Observation & Conservation Australia is in Springvale Road. It was formerly home to the Winlaton Youth Training Centre, Wobbies World amusement park and the Melbourne studios of the Network Ten television network. The soap opera Neighbours is still filmed in this studio, now owned by Fremantle Media Australia.

Nunawading has benefited from the new railway station and the Springvale Road grade separation, in 2010. The south and north areas of Nunawading are now more unified, with better access to the Eastern Freeway.

The Nunawading Primary School on Springvale Road has closed and the new Whitehorse Primary School has opened on the site of the old Springview Primary School. This school is next door to the Catholic primary school, St. Phillip's.

Sport

The suburb has an Australian Rules football team, the Nunawading Titans, competing in the Eastern Football League. However, their home ground is in the suburb of Blackburn North.^[4]

Independent of this is the Nunawading Cricket Club, based at Mahoneys Reserve, in Forest Hill. Competing in the Box Hill Reporter District Cricket Association, the club holds the record number of premierships in the competition and has been the breeding ground of many prominent Australian cricketers, including Victoria and Tasmania seam bowler David Saker; after whose ancestors the club's main ground is named.^[5]

Nunawading is home to the Nunawading Swimming Club. The Nunawading Swimming Club is the largest swimming club in the Southern Hemisphere.

Nunawading is also home to the Beavers Basketball Team and Nunawading Netball Team. The Beavers currently play section 9 on Sundays and are aiming to win the championship this season under the guidance of ex-Warrior Nick Papaziakas.

Although their home ground (Nunawading Stadium) is in Burwood East, the Nunawading Spectres represent Nunawading in the Melbourne East Basketball Association (MEBA).

Nunawading is also the home of the Nunawading City Soccer Club.

See also

• City of Nunawading - the former local government area

References