St Helena ( ) 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 ...

, 21 km north-east from 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 Banyule The City of Banyule is a local government area in Victoria, Australia in the north-eastern suburbs of Melbourne. It was created under the Local Government Act 1989 and established in 1994 as an amalgamation of former councils. It has an area of ...

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 ...

. St Helena recorded a population of 2,890 at the 2021 census.

History

St Helena was settled by Anthony Beale, who had previously lived on the island of

Saint Helena Saint Helena () is a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote volcanic tropical island west of the coast of south-western Africa, and east of Rio de Janeiro in South America. It is one of three constitu ...

in the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

, working as the paymaster for the British East India Company. When St Helena reverted to British Government control in 1836, Beale retired and moved to England for three years with his wife and sixteen children. In the 1830s, he travelled to the Port Phillip district of New South Wales, travelling via

Van Dieman's Land Van Diemen's Land was the colonial name of the island of Tasmania used by the British during the European exploration of Australia in the 19th century. A British settlement was established in Van Diemen's Land in 1803 before it became a sepa ...

, where his son Onesophorous drowned in the Tamar River. In 1841, Beale took up a large pastoral lease on the

Plenty River The Plenty River is a perennial river of the Port Phillip catchment, located in the north-eastern Greater Melbourne region of the Australian state of Victoria. Course and features The Plenty River rises in the forested slopes of Mount Disappoin ...

, including the area that is now known as St Helena. The Beales' cottage was called St Helena, after which the area become known. After the death of Anthony Beales's wife, Katherine Rose, Beale built the Rose Chapel in their front garden in memory of her. Anthony and Katherine Beale, along with some of their children, are among those buried in the adjoining graveyard. The chapel and three acres of land were given to the Church of England, and it was consecrated as St Katherine's Church by the Bishop of Ballarat in 1842. Although it was burned by a bushfire in 1957, architectural drawings of it had recently been made, and the chapel was rebuilt. It is still in use today.History of St Katherine's Church. Information booklet. St Katherine's Anglican Church, St Helena, Victoria Australia. Major residential development began during the mid to late 1980s.

Amenities

St Helena Marketplace is a shopping centre consisting of 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 and smaller retailers such as

Bakers Delight Bakers Delight is an Australian-owned multinational bakery franchise chain, with franchisors in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States. There are 20 stores in New Zealand, including 13 in Auckland alone. History Bakers Delight w ...

, pharmacy, and fast food eateries. At the same location is Myhealth St Helena. Schools within St Helena are

St Helena Secondary College St Helena Secondary College is a co-educational state secondary school in Eltham North, Victoria, Australia. The school is situated within the City of Banyule local council area. St Helena Secondary College has an enrolment ceiling (maximum n ...

, Glen Katherine Primary School, Holy Trinity Primary School and Plenty Valley International

Montessori School The Montessori method of education involves children's natural interests and activities rather than formal teaching methods. A Montessori classroom places an emphasis on hands-on learning and developing real-world skills. It emphasizes indepen ...

. There are a few medical clinics in St Helena and a Veterinary clinic. Public library service is provided 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 ...

. The nearest library is Diamond Valley Library, Greensborough.

Government areas

*Local government: Beale Ward in the City of Nillumbik. *Victorian State electorate:

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 ...

, represented by

Vicki Ward Vicki Ward (born 30 June 1969) is an Australian politician. She has been a Labor Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly since November 2014, representing the Legislative Assembly seat of Eltham. She has been Parliamentary Secretary ...

MP. *Federal electorate:

Jagajaga The Division of Jagajaga is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Victoria. It is located in the north-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, and lies north of the Yarra River. It covers an area of approximately 104 square kilometres and co ...

, represented by

Jenny Macklin Jennifer Louise Macklin (born 29 December 1953) is an Australian former politician. She was elected to federal parliament at the 1996 federal election and served as the deputy leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 2001 to 2006, unde ...

MP.

Sport

St Helena is represented in basketball by the St Helena Saints Basketball Club, who play in the Diamond Valley Basketball Association. The club trains at St Helena Secondary basketball stadium. There are no other sporting teams that represent St Helena. However, Anthony Beale Reserve, which is in St Helena, is the home ground of the Greensborough Junior Football Club.

References

External links