![Streetview North Balwyn](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f8/Streetview_North_Balwyn.jpg)
Balwyn North, also known as North Balwyn, is a suburb of
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
,
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, 10 km east of Melbourne's
Central Business District
A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...
, located within the Cities of
Boroondara
The City of Boroondara () is a local government area in Victoria, Australia. It is located in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. It was formed in June 1994 from the amalgamation of the Cities of Kew, Camberwell and Hawthorn.
It has an area of ...
and
Whitehorse
Whitehorse () is the capital of Yukon, and the largest city in Northern Canada. It was incorporated in 1950 and is located at kilometre 1426 (Historic Mile 918) on the Alaska Highway in southern Yukon. Whitehorse's downtown and Riverdale areas ...
local government area
A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...
s. Balwyn North recorded a population of 21,302 at the
2021 census.
Geography
The north-western part of the suburb is known as Bellevue and the eastern part is known as Greythorn.
Traditional Ownership
The formally recognised Traditional Owners for the area in which Balwyn North is located are the Wurundjeri People.
The Wurundjeri People are represented by the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation.
History
Balwyn North was one of the first Melbourne suburbs to be developed according to the pattern of postwar suburbia, with expansive, quiet residential areas designed as family homes and relatively few business districts. The original route of Bulleen Road began at the present-day corner of Kilby Road and Burke Road, but by the 1900s, its route had changed to its present-day alignment. This was a result of
Elgar's Special Survey, which dragged the alignment of Burke Road further west, resulting in the surrounding road network being forced to adjust.
A Balwyn North Post Office opened on 1 April 1937. This was renamed Burke Road in 1941, when a new Balwyn North office opened at its current location. The Greythorn Post Office opened in 1951.
The suburb was lampooned in the 1974 song by Australian band
The Skyhooks
Skyhooks were an Australian rock band formed in Melbourne in March 1973 by mainstays Greg Macainsh on bass guitar and backing vocals, and Imants "Freddie" Strauks on drums. They were soon joined by Bob "Bongo" Starkie on guitar and backing vo ...
, Balwyn Calling.
Greythorn
Greythorn was developed later than North Balwyn, but has had residents living there since the 1830s, when the Maughan and Towt families bought large tracts of land in the area. Present-day Greythorn Road was formerly known as 'Towt's Road' but renamed to 'Whitethorn Road', after the many
whitethorn hedges that had been planted along it. To avoid confusion with
Whitehorse Road
Maroondah Highway (also known as Whitehorse Road from Deepdene to Mitcham) is a major east–west thoroughfare in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, and a highway connecting the north-eastern fringes of Melbourne to the lower alpine region of V ...
, the name was changed again to 'Greythorn' some time in the 1920s. The area around
Greythorn Park
Greythorn Park is a park in the suburb of Balwyn North, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is located in the eastern part of the suburb known as Greythorn, from which the park gets its name.
History
The land where Greythorn Park currently i ...
was a wildlife sanctuary from 1938 until 1954, when the area between the park and Greythorn Road was subdivided and sold for housing. Greythorn Primary School was opened in 1953 and occupies a site covering approximately two hectares.
Today
Consistently among
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
's top 20 most exclusive postcodes, Balwyn North's status as an affluent suburb has seen middle to upper-middle-class families from surrounding localities transfer to the area to take advantage of the suburb's relatively large block sizes and proximity to some of Victoria's best private schools including those in the neighbouring suburbs.
In the 12-month period to January 2020 Balwyn North reported a median house price of A$1.46 million for a three bedroom house.
Education
Located in Balwyn North are several primary schools, such as Greythorn, Balwyn North, St Bedes, Boroondara Park and Bellevue.
Balwyn High School
Balwyn High School is a state-run high school (years 7–12) in the Melbourne suburb of North Balwyn, in Victoria, Australia. It was established in 1954. As of February 2013, it had 1948 students, making it the fourth largest secondary school ...
is located on Buchanan Avenue, and is so highly sought after, particularly by Asian families, that property prices within its student catchment area sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars more than nearby properties not located in the area.
Shopping
The main shopping strip is located at the intersection of Doncaster and Bulleen Roads, known as 'The Village'. There are a number of other local shopping strips, such as Greythorn Village, located further east along Doncaster Road, the East Balwyn Shopping Centre and Belmore Heights Shopping Centre.
Transport
Bicycle tracks connect with the
Main Yarra Trail
__NOTOC__
The Yarra Trail is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians, which follows the Yarra River through the north eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
The trail follows the river from near its mouth, through the city ...
, along the
Yarra River
The Yarra River or historically, the Yarra Yarra River, (Kulin languages: ''Berrern'', ''Birr-arrung'', ''Bay-ray-rung'', ''Birarang'', ''Birrarung'', and ''Wongete'') is a perennial river in south-central Victoria, Australia.
The lower stre ...
and the
Eastern Freeway.
Tram route 48 passes through Balwyn North, running along Doncaster Road and terminating at the intersection with Balwyn Road. A number of
bus routes
A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...
connect Balwyn North with suburbs such as
Box Hill,
Camberwell
Camberwell () is a district of South London, England, in the London Borough of Southwark, southeast of Charing Cross.
Camberwell was first a village associated with the church of St Giles and a common of which Goose Green is a remnant. This e ...
,
Doncaster
Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...
and
Templestowe
Templestowe is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 16 km north-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Manningham local government area. Templestowe recorded a population of 16,966 at the .
The s ...
. A number of freeway bus services have stops at the entrance of the Eastern Freeway, on the northern edge of the suburb.
In recent times, there have been numerous calls from both residents and local councils for
the extension of the route 48 tram from its present terminus to either the 'Doncaster Park + Ride' facility or further along Doncaster Road to
Westfield Doncaster
Westfield Doncaster (formerly Doncaster Shoppingtown) is a shopping centre 50% owned by Scentre Group and 25% owned by ISPT and 25% owned by Asia Property Fund (as of May 2015) located in Doncaster, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ...
.
Parks and gardens
Balwyn North is host to a large number of parks and reserves, which are used for both passive and active recreation. A line of parks through which
Glass Creek
Glass Creek is a waterway flowing through the inner-eastern suburbs of Melbourne. It is a minor tributary of the Yarra River and now largely runs through a series of underground drains.
Etymology
The creek was named after Hugh Glass, a land s ...
formerly ran at surface level lies at the heart of the suburb, stretching from Jacka Street Reserve in the east, through
Gordon Barnard Reserve and
Hislop Park
Hislop Park, also known as Hislop Reserve, is a park in the suburb of Balwyn North, Melbourne, Australia. It is situated between Balwyn Road and the North Balwyn Tennis Club in a portion of a valley through which the Glass Creek runs, now larg ...
in the centre, ending with
Macleay Park
Macleay Park is a park in the suburb of Balwyn North, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The western half of the park is also referred to as Myrtle Park. It is situated between Severn St and Buchanan Avenue in a portion of a valley through which t ...
in the west. Other parks in the suburb include
Greythorn Park
Greythorn Park is a park in the suburb of Balwyn North, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is located in the eastern part of the suburb known as Greythorn, from which the park gets its name.
History
The land where Greythorn Park currently i ...
,
Leigh Park
Leigh Park is a large suburb (population 27,500) of Havant, in Hampshire, England. It currently forms the bulk or whole of four electoral wards: Battins, Bondfields, Barncroft and Warren Park (generally referred to as 'The Warren').
Staunton C ...
and
Koonung Creek Reserve
Koonung Creek Reserve is a linear park in the suburb of Balwyn North, Melbourne, Australia. It follows the path of the Eastern Freeway (Melbourne), Eastern Freeway from Bulleen Road in the west to Doncaster Road to the east.
History
The area ...
.
Notable residents
*
Warwick Capper
Warwick Richard Capper (born 12 June 1963) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Sydney Swans and the Brisbane Bears in the Victorian Football League/Australian Football League. An accomplished full-forward, Capper kick ...
* Melanie Charles
*
Tania Lacy
Tania Jane Lacy is an Australian comedian.
Early life and education
Originally from Toowoomba, Queensland, Lacy spent many of her early years travelling with her family. Her father, then an officer in the army, was posted to Singapore (where L ...
*
John Safran
, citizenship =
, education =
, occupation = DocumentarianJournalistRadio presenterAuthor
, years_active = 1997 – present
, known_for = ''John Safran's Music Jamboree'' ''John Safran vs God'' ''Race ...
*
Jo Silvagni
Joanne Louise Silvagni (née Bailey; 10 March 1970) is an Australian model and television personality and television hostess/compere.
Career
Silvagni was born on 10 March 1970 to Barrie and Fran Bailey and was educated at Tintern Grammar, in t ...
*
Stephen Silvagni
Stephen Silvagni (born 31 May 1967) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).
As the second member of three generations of Silvagnis to represent the Blues, he is ...
See also
*
City of Camberwell – Balwyn North was previously within this former local government area.
*
Balwyn
Balwyn () is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 10 km east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Boroondara local government area. Balwyn recorded a population of 13,495 at the 2021 census.
Whitehor ...
References
{{City of Whitehorse suburbs
Suburbs of Melbourne
Suburbs of the City of Boroondara
Suburbs of the City of Whitehorse