Belgrave is a town and outer suburb in
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,
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 ...
, 36 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
Shire of Yarra Ranges 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 ...
. Belgrave recorded a population of 3,894 at the
2021 census.
History
Belgrave is situated in the foothills of the
Dandenong Ranges
The Dandenong Ranges (commonly just The Dandenongs) are a set of low mountain ranges, rising to 633 metres at Mount Dandenong, approximately east of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The ranges consist mostly of rolling hills, steeply weathere ...
, part of the land of the
Wurundjeri
The Wurundjeri people are an Australian Aboriginal people of the Woiwurrung language group, in the Kulin nation. They are the Traditional Owners of the Birrarung (Yarra River) Valley, covering much of the present location of Narrm (Melbourne ...
first nations people. Belgrave was first settled by Europeans in 1851.
Belgrave was named after an 1840s chapel in Leeds, Yorkshire, England; the name was carried by Mr and Mrs R.G. Benson when they came to Melbourne in 1856. Their sons, the Benson Brothers, settled in the Belgrave district in the 1870s. Though originally the area was known as "Monbulk" for the reservoir that lay near by, the town wasn't known as Belgrave until around 1903, and another suggested name for the town at that stage was Glassford. A Post Office opened in the area around 1904.
Many men from Belgrave went to the two world wars, and there is a war memorial in Belgrave.
McDonald's rejection
In 1993, the
Shire of Sherbrooke
The Shire of Sherbrooke was a local government area about east of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The shire covered an area of , and existed from 1963 until 1994. Its largest population centre was the town of Belgrave.
H ...
prepared a site specific amendment for land adjoining the Belgrave roundabout to facilitate the development of a 70-seat
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechri ...
restaurant including drive-through. The proposal was unpopular attracting many objections from within the local community. The Panel approved the proposal but disallowed the drive-through. McDonald's decided not to proceed with the development. Application for a nearly identical proposal by the site owner was approved by
Yarra Ranges Council in 1996 but lost on appeal at the Victorian Administrative Appeals Tribunal.
Business
![Belgrave, Victoria panorama](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/Belgrave%2C_Victoria_panorama.jpg)
Most of the commercial district of Belgrave is located on Main Street, which is at the end of
Burwood Highway. There are also shops on Bayview Road, which is located just across the rail bridge.
Belgrave has galleries and bookshops. There is an organic and fair trade emphasis amongst some businesses including Belgrave Organics, a number of cafés serving fairtrade coffee (Earthly Pleasures Organic Café, The Laughing Owl, Mareesa's Cafe, Tree of Delights and Bensons). There is Belgrave Emporium with stalls of new and vintage wares, works from local artists plus vintage clothing and items. There is a
Woolworths
Woolworth, Woolworth's, or Woolworths may refer to:
Businesses
* F. W. Woolworth Company, the original US-based chain of "five and dime" (5¢ and 10¢) stores
* Woolworths Group (United Kingdom), former operator of the Woolworths chain of shops ...
supermarket, two hairdressing salons, a travel agency, a building design (drafting) service, a pharmacy, a butcher, a dry cleaner, a bakery, a patisserie “ The Blacksmith" a newsagency, a cinema, a few fast food outlets, restaurants, a
Centrelink office, a pub and a few bars/lounges, two banks (the
Commonwealth Bank
The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), or CommBank, is an Australian multinational bank with businesses across New Zealand, Asia, the United States and the United Kingdom. It provides a variety of financial services including retail, busines ...
and the
Bendigo Bank
Bendigo and Adelaide Bank is an Australian financial institution, operating primarily in retail banking. The company was formed by the merger of Bendigo Bank and Adelaide Bank in November 2007.
Before the merger, Bendigo Bank delivered its pr ...
), a tattoo studio, as well as a public library. It also has a very active Traders Association.
Tourism
![Monts dandenong, Victoria, Australie](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Monts_dandenong%2C_Victoria%2C_Australie.jpg)
Belgrave's most notable attraction is the
heritage
Heritage may refer to:
History and society
* A heritage asset is a preexisting thing of value today
** Cultural heritage is created by humans
** Natural heritage is not
* Heritage language
Biology
* Heredity, biological inheritance of physical c ...
narrow gauge,
steam-operated Puffing Billy Railway, which was reopened in 1962—after four years of restoration by volunteers—and travels through 24 kilometres of cool temperate rainforest, semi-urban development and rural farmland to
Gembrook
Gembrook is a town in Victoria, Australia, south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Shire of Cardinia local government area. Gembrook recorded a population of 2,559 at the 2021 census.
Gembrook is a popular ...
. It is also the terminus of the
Belgrave Suburban Electric Railway Line.
Other nearby attractions include
The 1000 Steps
The Dandenong Ranges National Park is a national park located in the Greater Melbourne region of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. The national park is situated from at its westernmost points at Ferntree Gully, Victoria, Ferntree Gull ...
in Upper Ferntree Gully,
Sherbrooke Forest
Sherbrooke Forest is a wet sclerophyll forest within Dandenong Ranges National Park, 40 km east of Melbourne, in Victoria, Australia, close to the suburb of Belgrave. It lies within an altitude of 220–500 m asl and is dominated by the t ...
and Sherbrooke Falls in the
Dandenong Ranges National Park
The Dandenong Ranges National Park is a national park located in the Greater Melbourne region of Victoria, Australia. The national park is situated from at its westernmost points at Ferntree Gully and Boronia to at it easternmost point at Sil ...
.
Social scene
Belgrave has a park 3 km from the Main Street.
The Cameo Cinema has eight cinemas, with Cinema 1 dating to the 1930s. There is an outdoor Cinema at the rear of the building, which is open only during the summer months (December to March). There is a music scene with live acts taking place at Sooki Lounge, 12 Bar Belgrave, Zuke's Place, and Belgrave Hotel. There is a recording studio. The historic property known as Glen Harrow Gardens has been featured on travel television programs. During the summer months, Belgrave Pool is open. Belgrave pool is an outdoor 33m heated pool.
Special events
Belgrave has a growing reputation for popular, and innovative cultural events. Belgrave Survival Day is an annual event held on 26 January (Australia Day) and presents an opportunity for people in the area to honour and celebrate Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander peoples, their continuing culture and heritage.
The Lantern Parade, coinciding with the winter solstice, brings together the community of the Hills in a celebration of friendship, light, warmth and creativity. The street is reclaimed for the people engaging in one of the best and biggest community-made spectacles as hundreds of lanterns line the main street, accompanied by drummers, dancers and performers of all sorts.
Schools
Belgrave itself does not contain any state schools, with these being located in the neighbouring suburbs of
Tecoma
''Tecoma'' is a genus of 14 species of shrubs or small trees in the trumpet vine family, Bignoniaceae. Twelve species are from the Americas, while the other two species are African. The American species range from the extreme southern United St ...
,
Selby and
Belgrave South
Belgrave South is an area and a suburb of Greater Melbourne mainly beyond the Melbourne metropolitan area Urban Growth Boundary, 37 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district, located within the Shire of Yarra Ranges local g ...
. Upwey High School is the nearest state high school.
Two Catholic schools operate within Belgrave: St Thomas More's Primary School that was founded in 1963 by the parish of Belgrave, and is situated on Reynolds hill overlooking Belgrave and adjacent to St. Thomas More's Catholic Church, and
Mater Christi College, a girls' secondary school located on Bayview Road.
Recreation and government buildings
Belgrave has a police station, which acts as the base for all police stations in the Dandenong Ranges Region. There is also the Belgrave Volunteer Fire Brigade on Bayview Road, which has been serving the community for over 80 years. It is also home to the Dandenong Ranges Fire Brigades Group HQ, from there, the CFA and Parks Victoria used to manage all major fires within the Dandenong Ranges, though this has moved to an Incident Control Centre in Ferntree Gully since the Black Saturday Fires of 2009. There is also an Ambulance station in Bayview Road.
There is a
Centrelink office on the high side of Main Street. The State Member for the seat of Monbulk,
James Merlino MLA, has his Electoral Office in Belgrave. The closest
Shire of Yarra Ranges office is in
Upwey on Main Street.
The Belgrave Town Park, just below the police station, provides a fine view over the town as well as a public space for events such as the annual Christmas carols. Just off the Belgrave-
Hallam Road
Hallam Road is a major urban arterial road in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Within Hampton Park the road is known as Hallam Road, whilst on its northern sections the allocation is still best known as by the names o ...
is the Belgrave outdoor swimming pool, tennis courts and a playground.
The town supports both a cricket and
Australian Rules
Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...
football team which are located at Belgrave Recreation Reserve on Reserve Road. It is also the home ground of the Belgrave Junior Football Club. The Belgrave Cricket Club is affiliated with the Ferntree Gully And District Cricket Association, while the Belgrave Football Club competes in the
Yarra Valley Mountain Football League
The AFL Yarra Ranges was an Australian rules football and netball organisation based in the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges within Victoria. The organisation operated the Yarra Ranges Senior Football league and the Yarra Ranges Junior Footb ...
.
Transport
Belgrave railway station
Belgrave railway station is the terminus of the suburban electrified Belgrave line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the eastern Melbourne suburb of Belgrave, and opened on 18 December 1900 as Monbulk. It was renamed Belgrave on 21 November ...
is located behind the main street shops, with the steam train Puffing Billy just beyond it. Belgrave suburban electric trains go to Melbourne via
Ringwood. Puffing Billy goes to
Gembrook
Gembrook is a town in Victoria, Australia, south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Shire of Cardinia local government area. Gembrook recorded a population of 2,559 at the 2021 census.
Gembrook is a popular ...
.
Bus services are located throughout the suburb, and go to
Oakleigh,
Lilydale,
Gembrook
Gembrook is a town in Victoria, Australia, south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Shire of Cardinia local government area. Gembrook recorded a population of 2,559 at the 2021 census.
Gembrook is a popular ...
,
Olinda
Olinda () is a historic city in Pernambuco, Brazil, in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region. It is located on the country's northeastern Atlantic Ocean coast, in the Recife metropolitan area, Metropolitan Region of Recife, the state capi ...
,
Belgrave South
Belgrave South is an area and a suburb of Greater Melbourne mainly beyond the Melbourne metropolitan area Urban Growth Boundary, 37 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district, located within the Shire of Yarra Ranges local g ...
,
Upwey.
Major roads include
Burwood Highway, Wellington Road, Ferntree Gully Road and Belgrave-
Hallam Road
Hallam Road is a major urban arterial road in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Within Hampton Park the road is known as Hallam Road, whilst on its northern sections the allocation is still best known as by the names o ...
, all providing access to the city centre 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 ...
.
Public reserves
Public reserves in Belgrave include Belgrave Lake Park, Belgrave Recreation Reserve, Borthwick Park, Violet Larsen Reserve and Dandenong Ranges National Park.
Belgrave Lake Park
Biodiversity
A small reserve surrounding Belgrave Lake and located south of Belgrave town centre. It is an important biolink between Dandenong Ranges National Park and Birdsland as well as Lysterfield Lake Park. The park has a combined focus of recreation and conservation. Monbulk creek flows through the area and is important for wildlife such as
platypus
The platypus (''Ornithorhynchus anatinus''), sometimes referred to as the duck-billed platypus, is a semiaquatic, egg-laying mammal Endemic (ecology), endemic to Eastern states of Australia, eastern Australia, including Tasmania. The platypu ...
and
water rat. In the trees, arboreal mammals include the
sugar glider and also would have been a habitat for the yellow-bellied glider. The reserve is dominated by ''Eucalyptus cypellocarpa'' (mountain grey gum) on the slopes. Along the riparian zone (adjacent to creek) the dominant plant species are ''Eucalyptus viminalis subsp. viminalis'' (manna gum), ''Acacia dealbata'' (silver wattle).
History
Belgrave Lake was constructed in 1893 to supply water to Dandenong. Water flowed by pipeline to Heany Park in Rowville and then by aqueduct and pipeline through Churchill Park and on to Dandenong. From 1924 water supply to Dandenong was discontinued but the pipeline continued to supply water to farms in the Lysterfield area. Fern Tree Gully Shire leased the pipeline from 1940 to 1950.
The pipeline was still in use in the 1970s and was closed some time after that.
Media
Belgrave's local newspapers are ''The Free Press Leader'', and ''The Ferntree Gully-Belgrave Mail'' and its local radio station is
3MDR
3MDR is one of many community radio stations broadcasting in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. covering the Shire of Yarra Ranges and Shire of Cardinia
The Shire of Cardinia is a Local government areas of Victoria, local government area in Vi ...
on 97.1FM.
Gallery
File:Belgrave Shops.jpg
File:Jellyfish lantern, Belgrave Lantern Parade 2013.jpg
File:Puffing Billy (3708462529).jpg
File:Belgrave Railway Station.jpg
File:Sherbrooke Forest Belgrave.jpg
File:Micawber Tavern.jpg
File:Belgrave - panoramio.jpg
File:BelgraveStation1.jpg
File:Puffing Billy Loco 12A at Belgrave.JPG
File:Monbulk Creek Trestle Bridge.JPG
File:Puffing Billy Railway Line Closeup.JPG
File:Belgrave rail trail.jpg
File:Puffing Billy Railway Station at Belgrave.JPG
See also
*
Belgrave railway line
*
Belgrave Lantern Festival
*
Puffing Billy Railway
*
Belgrave (Puffing Billy) railway station
Belgrave (Puffing Billy) railway station is situated in Belgrave, a suburb of Melbourne in the Australian state of Victoria. It is the inner terminal of the famous Puffing Billy heritage steam railway.
Belgrave (Puffing Billy) is adjacent to, ...
References
External links
Belgrave- Official government tourism site.
Belgrave Township—Belgrave Traders AssociationEastern Dandenong Ranges3MDR 97.1FMMater Christi CollegeSt Thomas More Primary SchoolMenzies Creek Primary SchoolSherbrooke Community SchoolBelgrave Cricket ClubBelgrave Football ClubBelgrave Junior Football Club
{{DEFAULTSORT:Belgrave, Victoria
Suburbs of Melbourne
Suburbs of Yarra Ranges