Lalor () 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 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 ...

, north 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

City of Whittlesea The City of Whittlesea is a local government area located in the outer northern suburbs of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The city covers an area of , and in June 2018, it had a population of 223,322. History What became ...

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 ...

. Lalor recorded a population of 23,219 at the 2021 census. Lalor was named in honour of

Peter Lalor Peter Fintan Lalor (; 5 February 1827 – 9 February 1889) was an Irish-Australian rebel and, later, politician who rose to fame for his leading role in the Eureka Rebellion, an event identified with the "birth of democracy" in Australia. ...

, a leader of the

Eureka Stockade The Eureka Rebellion was a series of events involving gold miners who revolted against the British administration of the colony of Victoria, Australia during the Victorian gold rush. It culminated in the Battle of the Eureka Stockade, which ...

rebellion and later a member of the

Victorian parliament The Parliament of Victoria is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of Victoria that follows a Westminster-derived parliamentary system. It consists of the King, represented by the Governor of Victoria, the Legislative Assembly and ...

. The suburb was named after the Peter Lalor Home Building Co-operative Society. In recent times, the mispronunciations has become predominant, whilst the Federal electorate of

Lalor Lalor is an Irish surname derived from the Irish ''Ó Leathlobhair'', from ''leath-'' “leper; weak, ailing person”. Notable people with the surname include: * Denis Lalor, athlete * Francis Ramsey Lalor (1856–1929), politician * John Lalor ...

is still predominantly pronounced . The eastern and western borders of Lalor are defined by

Darebin Creek Darebin Creek is a creek that runs through the northern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is the main watercourse of the Darebin Valley and a major tributary of the Yarra River. For tens of thousands of years it was used as a food and ...

and

Merri Creek The Merri Creek is a waterway in southern parts of Victoria, Australia, which flows through the northern suburbs of Northcote. It begins near Wallan north of Melbourne and flows south for 70 km until it joins the Yarra River at Dights Fa ...

respectively.

History

Lalor was originally a part of

Thomastown Thomastown (), historically known as Grennan, is a town in County Kilkenny in the province of Leinster in the south-east of Ireland. It is a market town along a stretch of the River Nore which is known for its salmon and trout, with a number of ...

. In 1945, Leo Purcell, while a patient at a military hospital on the

Atherton Tableland The Atherton Tableland is a fertile plateau which is part of the Great Dividing Range in Queensland, Australia. The principal river flowing across the plateau is the Barron River. It was dammed to form an irrigation reservoir named Lake Tina ...

, worked out a scheme to provide low-cost homes, that in February 1947 became known as the "Peter Lalor Co-operative Family Scheme", and with a group of ex-servicemen, formed the ''Peter Lalor Home Building Co-operative Society''. The scheme was sponsored by the ex-servicemen's committee of the central executive of the Victorian Labor Party. They chose two hundred and fifty-eight acres east of today's

Lalor railway station Lalor railway station is located on the Mernda line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the northern Melbourne suburb of Lalor, and it opened in October 1949 as Rail Motor Stopping Place 77. It was renamed Lalor on 27 August 1952.

to be the site of the new developments, and the town planner Saxil Tuxen was hired to design a

garden suburb The garden city movement was a 20th century urban planning movement promoting satellite communities surrounding the central city and separated with greenbelts. These Garden Cities would contain proportionate areas of residences, industry, and ...

. Lalor Post Office was opened on 1 August 1949. Although the Co-operative succeeded in beginning a program of house building, under-capitalization resulted in the venture being taken over by the War Service Homes Commission in 1954.Lalor
Place-eMelbourne-The Encyclopedia of Melbourne OnlineLalor overcame early set-back
6 September 1977, The Age Originally built as the Mentone Fire Station, on the corner of Brindisi Street and Mentone Parade in Mentone in 1906, the building was relocated to 24 Vasey Street, Lalor, in 1957, to become the Lalor Fire Station. The Station was opened 30 January 1958, and was closed in 1997, and now served by the Epping Fire Station. In 2010, Stockade Park was redeveloped. This site, enclosed by Paschke Crescent and leading to Rochdale Square, marks the location of the Peter Lalor home building co-operative's ''Stockade'' — an area that housed the tools and materials for the workers of the Co-operative that built Lalor.

Street names

Many streets in Lalor were named by the Peter Lalor Home Building Co-operative Society after prominent civilian and military figures.

Education

In 1954, Lalor Primary School was opened, reaching an enrolment of 1,000 by 1971, when a further three primary schools were founded. Lalor North Primary School was established in 1971. Lalor East Primary School was established in 1972. Lalor West Primary School was opened in 1973 and merged with Lalor Park Primary School in 2011, to form Lalor Gardens Primary School. Lalor Primary School was built on land owned by the Evans family, and held its 50th anniversary in 2004. Several of the surrounding streets are named after members of the Evans family (Evans Street, Ruth Street). Lalor has two Catholic primary schools: St. Luke's Primary School Lalor, established in 1961, and St Catherine's Primary School, established in 1983. Lalor also has three public

secondary schools A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

: Lalor Secondary College, previously known as Lalor High School, established in 1963, Peter Lalor College, previously Lalor Technical School, established in 1968, and reopened as the Peter Lalor Vocational College in 2012, and Lalor North Secondary College, previously known as Lalor North High School, established in 1977.

Shopping

The Lalor Shopping Centre is located between Station Street and May Road, which parallels High Street—the main thoroughfare through Lalor—on the opposite side of the

railway line Rail terminology is a form of technical terminology. The difference between the American term ''railroad'' and the international term ''railway'' (used by the International Union of Railways and English-speaking countries outside the United Sta ...

. The land was previously owned by the Mann family. David Mann and his wife May (née Thomas, of

), who purchased it in 1920, and carried on dairy farming until it was sold in 1954.Recollections of Lalor Shopping Centre (1960-1995)
WikiNorthia Retailers consist of many small specialty shops, as well as Coles and Woolworths supermarkets. The Mann farmhouse, ''Bella Vista'', stood just north of the Lalor Library in May Road. Lalor

Lalor Plaza in McKimmies Rd and Lalor Hub in Kingsway Drive are small enclosed shopping malls located respectively in the eastern and western residential areas of the suburb. There are also a number of small shopping strips, including Rochdale Square Shops (named in commemoration of

Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...

, the first town built on

co-operative principles The Rochdale Principles are a set of ideals for the operation of cooperatives. They were first set out in 1844 by the Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers in Rochdale, England and have formed the basis for the principles on which co-operativ ...

), located near the

Population

In the 2016 census, there were 22,594 people in Lalor. 44.6% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were Italy 7.3%, Greece 5.8%, Macedonia 4.9%, and Vietnam 4.3%. 29.2% of people spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Arabic 11.0%, Macedonian 8.5%, Italian 7.9%, Greek 6.8% and Vietnamese 6.5%. The most common responses for religion in Lalor were Catholic 24.3%, Eastern Orthodox 15.0%, Islam 14.4% and No Religion 12.8%.

Culture

* The Whittlesea Community Festival, celebrated since 1998, is held on the third Sunday in March in Lalor at the ''Whittlesea Public Gardens'' on Barry Road, regularly attracting more than 15,000 people. * St Lukes Church holds La Festa di San Donato (The Festival of San Donato) annually in August.

Recreation and leisure

The main public spaces for active recreation include the City of Whittlesea Gardens, which provides access to the

Craigieburn Bypass Trail __NOTOC__ The Craigieburn Bypass Trail (also known as the Galada Tamboore Pathway), is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians in the outer northern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. In 2008 it was given the local name of the Gala ...

, Huskisson Avenue Reserve, a favourite spot for

picnic A picnic is a meal taken outdoors ( ''al fresco'') as part of an excursion, especially in scenic surroundings, such as a park, lakeside, or other place affording an interesting view, or else in conjunction with a public event such as preceding ...

kers, V.R.Michael Reserve, Partridge Street Reserve, Lalor Reserve and W.A.Smith/Sycamore Reserves along the

, that provides a number of recreational facilities.

Community facilities

An Lac Hanh Amitabha Hall, a Vietnamese Buddhist temple, is located in the suburb.

Sport

* Lalor United Sloga Football Club was established in 1979. Lalor has three local Australian Rules Football teams competing in the

Northern Football League The Northern League is a men's football league in north east England. Having been founded in 1889, it is the second-oldest football league in the world still in existence after the English Football League. It contains two divisions; Division ...

: * Lalor Bloods * Lalor Stars * West Lalor Dragons, established in 1973. Lalor has two tennis clubs: * Lalor Tennis Club, established in 1957 in Sydney Crescent, Lalor. * West Lalor Tennis Club Other sports include: * The Lalor Bowling Club was established in 1962, and is located on the corner of Sydney Crescent and Gordon Street. * The Lalor Stars Cricket Club was established in 1979, and is located at the W.A Smith Reserve in Darebin Drive. * Golfers play at the course of the Lalor Golf Club on Gillwell Road. * Lalor Parkrun was established in 2016, and meets every Saturday at 8am at City of Whittlesea Public Gardens, 158 Barry Road Lalor. Parkrun is a free 5 km timed walk or run put on for the community by the community. * The Lalor Running Club was established in 2017, and organises several group runs for all abilities in Lalor and surrounds.

Transport

Bus

Eight

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 Lalor: * : Wollert West – Thomastown station via Epping station. 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 ...

. * : Thomastown station – Thomastown station via West Lalor (clockwise loop). Operated by Dysons. * :

Pacific Epping Pacific Epping is a shopping centre in Epping, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia. It opened in May 1996. It is located on the corner of High Street and Cooper Street, away from Epping railway station, Melbourne, and approximately no ...

–

Northland Shopping Centre Northland Shopping Centre is a major shopping centre in Preston, approximately 11 km north of the Melbourne Central Business District in Victoria. It is the largest predominantly single-level shopping centre in Melbourne. It has more than 33 ...

via Lalor,

and

Reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

. Operated by Dysons. * : Pacific Epping – Northland Shopping Centre via Keon Park station. Operated by Dysons. * : Thomastown station – Thomastown station via West Lalor (anti clockwise loop). Operated by Dysons. * : Thomastown station – Thomastown station via Darebin Drive (anti clockwise loop). Operated by Dysons. * : Lalor – Northland Shopping Centre via Childs Road,

Plenty Road Plenty Road is a major urban arterial road in the north-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Plenty Road begins at the intersection of High Street and Dundas Street in Preston, travelling through the north eastern suburbs of Reser ...

and Grimshaw Street. Operated by Dysons. * : Thomastown station –

RMIT University RMIT University, officially the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology,, section 4(b) is a public research university in Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city ...

Bundoora Campus. Operated by Dysons.

Cycling

The

, which follows the

Hume Freeway Hume Highway, inclusive of the sections now known as Hume Freeway and Hume Motorway, is one of Australia's major inter-city national highways, running for between Melbourne in the southwest and Sydney in the northeast. Upgrading of the route f ...

, runs to the west of the suburb and provides facilities for recreational and commuting cyclists.

Train

One

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

serves Lalor:

, located on the Mernda line.

References

Sources

Lalor – Post Office and related history
Item barcode: 1349800, Series number: B5846, Contents date range: 1901 – 198, Physical format: Paper files and documents. Images from the

National Archives of Australia The National Archives of Australia (NAA), formerly known as the Commonwealth Archives Office and Australian Archives, is an Australian Government agency that serves as the national archives of the nation. It collects, preserves and encourages ...

:
Men unloading tiles from a Peter Lalor Co-operative truck in Melbourne, Victoria
(1940s)
Lalor Post Office
(Years identified: 1958, 1968), Image no. : B5919, 1103, Barcode : 9719680

The house in Lalor, Melbourne being handed to Mr and Mrs Charles Scicluna by the Maltese Emigration Attaché Mr JJ Tabone. Image no. : A12111, 1/1968/21/2, Barcode : 7427419

External links

*

��''The Encyclopedia of Melbourne Online''
Lalor Traders Association Inc.
{{City of Whittlesea suburbs Suburbs of Melbourne Suburbs of the City of Whittlesea