The City of Banyule is a

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 ...

in Victoria, Australia in the north-eastern suburbs 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 ...

. It was created under the Local Government Act 1989 and established in 1994 as an amalgamation of former councils. It has an area of and lies between 7 and 21 km from central Melbourne. In 1994 it had a population of 116,000. In June 2018 Banyule had a population of 130,237. 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 ...

runs along the City's southern border while its western border is defined by

Darebin Creek Darebin Creek is a Stream, creek that runs through the northern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. It is the main watercourse of the Darebin Valley and a major tributary of the Yarra River. For tens of thousands of yea ...

. The City moved their main offices from

Ivanhoe ''Ivanhoe: A Romance'' () by Walter Scott is a historical novel published in three volumes, in 1819, as one of the Waverley novels. Set in England in the Middle Ages, this novel marked a shift away from Scott’s prior practice of setting st ...

to Greensborough in 2017. A brand-new civic centre was constructed, including three-level offices to accommodate 320 council staff, community and function rooms.

History

The area was originally occupied by 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 ...

Indigenous Australians Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

of the

Kulin nation The Kulin nation is an alliance of five Aboriginal nations in south central Victoria, Australia. Their collective territory extends around Port Phillip and Western Port, up into the Great Dividing Range and the Loddon and Goulburn River valley ...

, who spoke variations of the

Woiwurrung The Woiwurrung, also spelt Woi Wurrung, Woiwurrong, Woiworung, Wuywurung, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the Woiwurrung language group, in the Kulin people, Kulin alliance. The Woiwurrung people's territory in Central Victoria (Austral ...

language group. The City was named after the

Indigenous Australian Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

term Banyule or "Banyool", and was originally the name of a locality within the former City of Heidelberg before being adopted as the name of the new Council during the amalgamation of local government areas in Victoria. It was formed in December 1994 from the merger of the City of Heidelberg with parts of the Shires of Diamond Valley and

Eltham Eltham ( ) is a district of southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It is east-southeast of Charing Cross, and is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. The three wards of Elt ...

. The City also has some significant heritage within its boundaries. Significant buildings listed on the Victorian Heritage Register include: *

Charterisville Charterisville is the name given to a property in Ivanhoe, Victoria Australia closely associated with the Heidelberg School of Australian art. David Charteris McArthur, Melbourne's first banker (with the Bank of Australasia), sportsman (player i ...

(1840) * Banyule (1846) *Ravenswood (1891) *

Chadwick House Chadwick House is one of three neighbouring houses built by architect Harold Desbrowe-Annear. At the time of purchase, the allotment location was on the rural urban fringe of Melbourne. It was sloping and provided extensive views over the Yarr ...

(1904) *

Heidelberg Town Hall Heidelberg Town Hall is a civic building located on Upper Heidelberg Road in Ivanhoe, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia. It is now more commonly known as The Centre Ivanhoe Opened in April 1937, the building was designed by architectural firm Pe ...

(1937) There are a number of housing estates designed by leading early 20th Century architects

Walter Burley Griffin Walter Burley Griffin (November 24, 1876February 11, 1937) was an American architect and landscape architect. He is known for designing Canberra, Australia's capital city and the New South Wales towns of Griffith, New South Wales, Griffith and ...

and

Marion Mahony Griffin Marion Mahony Griffin (; February 14, 1871 – August 10, 1961) was an American architect and artist. She was one of the first licensed female architects in the world, and is considered an original member of the Prairie School. Her work in ...

and by property developer Albert Victor (A.V.) Jennings, some of the most significant

art deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...

buildings in Melbourne, and the world's first

Olympics The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

athletes' village. Banyule is the birthplace of the

Heidelberg School The Heidelberg School was an Australian art movement of the late 19th century. It has latterly been described as Australian impressionism. Melbourne art critic Sidney Dickinson coined the term in an 1891 review of works by Arthur Streeton and ...

of Art, which was formed when a group of artists, including

Tom Roberts Thomas William Roberts (8 March 185614 September 1931) was an English-born Australian artist and a key member of the Heidelberg School art movement, also known as Australian impressionism. After studying in Melbourne, he travelled to Europe i ...

Arthur Streeton Sir Arthur Ernest Streeton (8 April 1867 – 1 September 1943) was an Australian landscape painter and a leading member of the Heidelberg School, also known as Australian Impressionism. Early life Streeton was born in Mt Moriac, Victoria, sou ...

Frederick McCubbin Frederick McCubbin (25 February 1855 – 20 December 1917) was an Australian artist, art teacher and prominent member of the Heidelberg School art movement, also known as Australian impressionism. Born and raised in Melbourne, Victoria, McCubb ...

Walter Withers Walter Herbert Withers (22 October 1854 – 13 October 1914) was an English-born Australian landscape artist and a member of the Heidelberg School of Australian impressionists. Biography Withers was born at Handsworth, Staffordshire, the so ...

Charles Conder Charles Edward Conder (24 October 1868 – 9 February 1909) was an English-born painter, lithographer and designer. He emigrated to Australia and was a key figure in the Heidelberg School, arguably the beginning of a distinctively Australi ...

and others moved to a shack on Mount Eagle (now known as Eaglemont) and began painting the landscape in a uniquely Australian way during the late 1880s.

Former councils

Former councils which formed part of Banyule council's current jurisdiction prior to their amalgamation include: * City of Heidelberg (all apart from the Bundoora Health precinct) *

Shire of Diamond Valley The Shire of Diamond Valley was a local government area about northeast of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The shire covered an area of , and existed from 1964 until 1994. History The name relates to the lowlands to the ...

(all apart from the area north of Greensborough Highway, the Bundoora Health precinct and the eastern part of Eltham North) *

Shire of Eltham The Shire of Eltham was a local government area about northeast of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The shire covered an area of , and existed from 1856 until 1994. History Eltham was first incorporated as a road district ...

(suburbs of Montmorency and Lower Plenty only).

Wards and councillors

The current

councillor A councillor is an elected representative for a local government council in some countries. Canada Due to the control that the provinces have over their municipal governments, terms that councillors serve vary from province to province. Unl ...

s of the City after the elections in October 2020 are:

Suburbs

Notable people

Facilities

Ivanhoe Library, Rosanna Library and Watsonia Library are operated by

Yarra Plenty Regional Library Yarra Plenty Regional Library (YPRL) provides a public library service to the local government municipalities of the City of Banyule, Shire of Nillumbik and City of Whittlesea in the northeast of Melbourne Australia and located on the lands of ...

. A mobile library service to West Heidelberg is also operated by Yarra Plenty Regional Library. Heidelberg Historical Society is a varied group of people with a shared interest in understanding and preserving the history of Heidelberg and surrounding suburbs.
Warringal Conservation Society
is a community group which advocates for the green spaces of Banyule and beyond. U3A Banyule provides learning opportunities especially for people of 50 years and older.

References

External links

Official websiteYarra Plenty Regional LibraryPublic Transport Victoria local public transport mapLink to Land Victoria interactive maps
{{DEFAULTSORT:City Of Banyule Banyule *