Jacana is a 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
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, north of Melbourne's
Central Business District, located within the
City of Hume
The City of Hume is a local government area located within the metropolitan area of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It includes the outer north-western suburbs and a number of rural localities between 13 and 40 kilometres from the Melbourne c ...
local government area. Jacana recorded a population of 2,187 at the
2021 census.
[
Jacana is located north of the ]Western Ring Road
The M80 Ring Road (also known as simply the Ring Road or by the name of its constituent parts: Western Ring Road and Metropolitan Ring Road) is a currently incomplete urban freeway ring road around Melbourne, Australia. This article will dea ...
, south of Johnstone Street and between the Craigieburn railway line
The Craigieburn railway line (previously the Broadmeadows line and Essendon line) is a commuter rail passenger train service operating between Craigieburn in the northern suburbs and Flinders Street in Melbourne, Australia. The service is par ...
and Moonee Ponds Creek
Moonee is a coastal suburb of the Central Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. It is part of the local government area
A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for ...
.
History
The name Jacana was applied to an area between Broadmeadows
Broadmeadows is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Hume local government area. Broadmeadows recorded a population of 12,524 at the 2021 census.
Broadmeadow ...
and Glenroy in the 1950s by the Housing Commission of Victoria
The Housing Commission of Victoria (often shortened to Housing Commission, especially colloquially) was a Victorian State Government body responsible for public housing in Victoria, Australia. It was established in 1938, and was abolished in 198 ...
(HCV). The name comes from Jacana Avenue, to the east of the Craigieburn railway line (therefore, technically not ''in'' Jacana itself).[ Both the street and the suburb are slightly to the north of the Jacana railway station, which was built to service the suburb in 1959. However, Jacana as a built landscape did not spring fully formed under the aegis of the HCV.
The streets in the southern section of Jacana were laid out in 1923, when 861 lots were offered for sale on land which had formerly been owned by Duncan Kennedy, a farmer in the area from the mid-1840s. The Housing Commission retitled some of the streets (for instance, the jokingly named Emu Parade and Sunset Boulevard, as well as after prominent sports persons who competed in the ]1956 Olympics 1956 Olympics refers to both:
*The 1956 Winter Olympics, which were held in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy
*The 1956 Summer Olympics
The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport eve ...
)[ and built most of the housing stock in this section of Jacana in the 1950s. Only a few houses in Jacana—notably those in ]Pascoe Vale Road
Pascoe Vale Road is a major thoroughfare through the northern suburbs of Melbourne, connecting the outer northern fringe to the inner northern suburbs.
Route
Pascoe Vale Road starts at the intersection with Somerton Road in Coolaroo and runs ...
—predate the Housing Commission's arrival in Broadmeadows. In the late 1950s, a picture of the 'daily needs' shopping centre in Emu Parade appeared in the Housing Commission's ''Annual Report'' of 1958–59, presumably because it represented the progressive and ever-expanding nature of HCV operations. As the population increased, Jacana Post Office opened on 15 May 1961. The Commission later laid out and built the northern section of Jacana in the early 1970s, the southernmost section of its showcase Meadow Fair estate. A small portion of the southern section of Jacana came under threat in the mid-1960s, when a new branch line was proposed to extend from the Broadmeadows railway line close to the site of Jacana Station, to the new Melbourne Airport
Melbourne Airport , colloquially known as Tullamarine Airport, is the primary airport serving the city of Melbourne, and the second busiest airport in Australia. It opened in 1970 to replace the nearby Essendon Airport. Melbourne Airport is ...
. This line was not built.
Construction of the newer area of Jacana took place in the Whitlam era, which ended with the opening of the Broadmeadows Sporting Club, located on the Jacana side of the Moonee Ponds Creek
Moonee is a coastal suburb of the Central Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. It is part of the local government area
A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for ...
Valley. The club was opened by Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
Gough Whitlam
Edward Gough Whitlam (11 July 191621 October 2014) was the 21st prime minister of Australia, serving from 1972 to 1975. The longest-serving federal leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 1967 to 1977, he was notable for being the ...
on 10 November 1975—the day before his dismissal by the Governor General
Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy ...
, John Kerr. During the 1970s, a major portion of what is now Jacana Reserve was a rubbish dump created to fill a valley containing a small tributary of Moonee Ponds Creek. This area now features two sports ovals.
As is to be expected from a former Housing Commission development in this region, Jacana is a lower-middle or working class area which, because of its planned heritage, enjoys better amenities than many privately developed or unplanned suburbs. It contains the aforementioned shops and Sports Club (which includes a bowling green), small playgrounds, a school and extensive parkland. The north-eastern section of the suburb is the site of the Broadmeadows Community Health Centre, relocated from a site north of Broadmeadows Central to a space long reserved for a hospital.
Schools
Jacana boasted a successful primary school (Jacana Primary School – School Number: 4839 and Motto: "Through Knowledge Success"). The school functioned from 1959 until its demise in 2009, due to the amalgamation of Broadmeadows West, Jacana and Meadowfair North primary schools. Class sizes were large during its early years, but by its closure in 2009, attendance dropped to below 50 students.
The former school site is currently occupied by the Northern School for Autism (for primary and secondary aged students in the Northern Region of Melbourne, formerly the Preston Special Developmental School). The old school site is undergoing renovations, to the interior and exterior, expected to be completed in 2011.
Jacana Progress Association
Community facilities in the wider Broadmeadows area were generally the outcome of community agitation through Progress Associations. The Jacana Progress Association was formed in 1959 and concentrated most of its energies on building a community hall. The Association requested that residents donate two shillings each towards this project, and along with a series of local carnivals, had raised $2 000 by 1968. As this was insufficient to construct a hall, the Association approached non-government bodies with aspirations to locate in the area. St. John's Ambulance
St John Ambulance is the name of a number of affiliated organisations in different countries which teach and provide first aid and emergency medical services, and are primarily staffed by volunteers. The associations are overseen by the interna ...
was the successful 'bidder' for this and was given the money towards a hall on land which had been donated by the Housing Commission to the Association. It constructed the Hall in Pascoe Vale Road
Pascoe Vale Road is a major thoroughfare through the northern suburbs of Melbourne, connecting the outer northern fringe to the inner northern suburbs.
Route
Pascoe Vale Road starts at the intersection with Somerton Road in Coolaroo and runs ...
, for its own and the community's use. The Hall was demolished in 2012.
The Jacana Progress Association no longer exists, and little is known of the circumstances of its demise.
Demographics
ABS 2001 statistics for the Jacana reveal a suburb in which 60.4% of the population is Australian-born – the remainder from a variety of sources, only the United Kingdom (3.1%) and Italy (2.6%) exceeding 2%. In 2001 almost 10% of residents were unemployed, and 48.5% were not in the labour force (over 30% of the population is under 18 or over 65). Of those employed, almost a quarter worked in manufacturing, and just over 15% worked in retail.
The majority of Jacana housing, as stated above, was erected by the Housing Commission of Victoria either in the late 1950s, early 1960s or in the early 1970s. It is mainly of brick construction with pre-cast concrete elements as per the HCV method of the 1950s-60s. There are no flats. 91.3% of Jacana residents live in separate houses. 48.3% own their own home, and 26.2% are purchasing their home, a total of 74.5%. The average housing price in Jacana in 2001 was $131,750; today premium streets such as Langton Street and Freeland Grove command prices over $700,000 as a result of the housing boom earlier in the decade. While this is a major increase over a short period of time, prices in Jacana are still far below the average for Melbourne.
Transport
Bus
Five 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 ...
service Jacana:
* : Broadmeadows station – Roxburgh Park station via Greenvale. Operated by CDC Melbourne
CDC Melbourne is a bus operator in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It operates 55 bus routes under contract to Public Transport Victoria. It is a subsidiary of ComfortDelGro Australia.
As at 2018, CDC Melbourne was the third-largest commuter b ...
.
* : Roxburgh Park station – Pascoe Vale station via Meadow Heights Shopping Centre, Broadmeadows station, Glenroy Shopping Centre (every day). Operated by Dysons
Dysons is a bus and coach operator in Victoria, Australia.
History
Dysons was founded in June 1952 when Laurie Dyson purchased the business of Ned Gastin with route 46A Regent station to Janefield Hospital. Over the years a number of route ...
.
* : Frankston station – Melbourne Airport
Melbourne Airport , colloquially known as Tullamarine Airport, is the primary airport serving the city of Melbourne, and the second busiest airport in Australia. It opened in 1970 to replace the nearby Essendon Airport. Melbourne Airport is ...
. Operated by Kinetic Melbourne
Kinetic Melbourne is a bus operator in Melbourne, Australia, operating a fleet of 531 buses on 43 bus routes, as well as seven SmartBus routes. It commenced operations on 31 January 2022, taking over all routes previously operated by Transdev Me ...
.
* : Chelsea station – Westfield Airport West
Airport West is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Moonee Valley local government area. Airport West recorded a population of 8,173 at the .
Bounded b ...
. Operated by Kinetic Melbourne.
* : Melbourne CBD
The Melbourne central business district (also known colloquially as simply "The City" or "The CBD") is the city centre and main urban area of the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, centred on the Hoddle Grid, the oldest part of the city la ...
( Queen Street) – Broadmeadows station via Niddrie and Airport West
Airport West is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Moonee Valley local government area. Airport West recorded a population of 8,173 at the .
Bounded by ...
(Saturday and Sunday mornings only). Operated by Ventura Bus Lines
Ventura Bus Lines is a large bus and coach operator in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, operating a fleet of 893 buses on 141 bus routes, including 2 SmartBus routes and 2 V/Line services. It commenced operations in December 1924.
History Ea ...
.[959 City - Broadmeadows Station via Niddrie and Airport West](_blank)
Public Transport Victoria
Cycling
The Moonee Ponds Creek Trail
__NOTOC__
The Moonee Ponds Creek Trail is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians, which follows the Moonee Ponds Creek through the northern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
History
A public meeting called by State Member of ...
and the Western Ring Road Trail
__NOTOC__
The M80 Trail (previously known as the Western Ring Road Trail) is a shared-use path for cyclists and pedestrians that bridges the northern suburbs and follows the Western Ring Road/Metropolitan Ring Road (M80) freeway in Melbourne, ...
provide facilities for recreational and commuting cyclists.
Train
Jacana is served by Jacana railway station, on the Craigieburn line. Despite its name, is located in the neighbouring suburb of Glenroy. Broadmeadows station, also on the Craigieburn line, also serves Jacana.
Sport
Jacana Football Club
The Essendon District Football League (EDFL) is a professional Australian rules football league competition based in Essendon, Victoria, consisting of teams based in the north-west suburbs of Melbourne. Founded in 1930, the men's competition ...
, an Australian Rules football team, competes in the Essendon District Football League
The Essendon District Football League (EDFL) is a professional Australian rules football league competition based in Essendon, Victoria, consisting of teams based in the north-west suburbs of Melbourne. Founded in 1930, the men's competition ...
.
See also
* City of Broadmeadows
The City of Broadmeadows was a local government area about north of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The city covered an area of , and existed from 1857 until 1994.
History
Broadmeadows was first incorporated as a road ...
– Jacana was previously within this former local government area.
References
* City of Hume, ''Jacana Suburb Profile 2001''
* (88 pages)
* Hamilton-Smith, E.; Balmer, C. ''Broadmeadows – A Growing City Vol. 1'' Youth Services Planning Division, East Melbourne 1972
* Housing Commission of Victoria ''Annual Report 1958-9'' Melbourne, 1959
* (257 pages)
* Westland, Doug ''Factors Surrounding the Provision of Community Facilities in Somerton Ward, Broadmeadows'' Social Studies Report, Faculty of Architecture and Building, University of Melbourne, 1971
{{City of Hume suburbs
Suburbs of Melbourne
Suburbs of the City of Hume