Glenroy ( ) is a suburb in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, north of Melbourne's

Central Business District A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center 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 wit ...

, located within the

City of Merri-bek The City of Merri-bek () is a Local government areas of Victoria, local government area in metropolitan Melbourne, Australia. It comprises the inner northern suburbs between 4 and 11 kilometres from the Melbourne central business district, Melb ...

local government area. Glenroy recorded a population of 23,792 at the 2021 census. Glenroy is located in the northwest of the City of Merri-bek, and is bounded by the

Western Ring Road The M80 Ring Road (also known simply as the Ring Road or by the names of its constituent parts; the Western Ring Road and the Metropolitan Ring Road) is a partially complete urban freeway ring road around Melbourne, Australia. This article wi ...

in the north, the

Moonee Ponds Creek The Moonee Ponds Creek is a creek and major tributary of the Yarra River running through urban Melbourne, Victoria, Australia from northern to inner suburbs. In 2004 a reporter for ''The Age'' described it as "arguably the most abused tributar ...

in the west, New Road, Victoria Street and Rhodes Parade in the south and West Street, Hilton Street, Box Forest Road and the

Upfield railway line The Upfield line is a commuter railway line in the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Operated by Metro Trains Melbourne, it is the city's fifth-shortest metropolitan railway line at . The line runs from Flinders Street station in centra ...

in the east. Prominent features include the private Northern Golf Club, a major retail district centred on the

Glenroy railway station Glenroy railway station is a commuter railway station located in the northern suburb of Glenroy in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The station opened on 24 January 1887, with the former ground level station closed and demolished in April 2022 ...

and the Northern Memorial Park extension to the Fawkner General Cemetery.

History

The area was originally home to the

Wurundjeri The Wurundjeri people are an Aboriginal peoples, Aboriginal people of the Woiwurrung language, Woiwurrung language group, in the Kulin nation. They are the traditional owners of the Yarra River Valley, covering much of the present location of ...

people of the

Kulin Nation The Kulin nation is an alliance of five Aboriginal nations in the south of Australia - up into the Great Dividing Range and the Loddon and Goulburn River valleys - which shares Culture and Language. History Before British colonisation, the ...

, before British colonisation and settlement of the Melbourne area started in 1835. The Glenroy Estate bounded by the Moonee Ponds Creek, Camp Road, the Northern Golf Club (inclusively) and Rhodes Parade, was purchased in Sydney in 1838 by speculators Hughes and Hosking. The Camerons may have owned it as part of a Run before survey or just leased it from the speculators, and are credited with giving Glenroy its name. However, Donald Angus Kennedy, who bought the estate in the mid-1840s, bestowed the name according to his 1864 obituary in '' The Argus''. Kennedy's mother was Grace (née Cameron). Initial development in the area started with a small settlement around the

North East railway line The North East railway line is a railway line in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. The line runs from Southern Cross railway station on the western edge of the Melbourne Melbourne City Centre, central business district to Albury rail ...

at the end of the 19th century, with the Glenroy Post Office opening on 22 October 1888. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, significant development occurred when organisations such as

Australian National Airways Australian National Airways (ANA) was Australia's predominant aerial carrier from the mid-1930s to the early 1950s. The Holyman's Airways period On 19 March 1932 Flinders Island Airways began a regular aerial service using the Desoutter Mk.I ...

, the War Services Homes Commission and the

Housing Commission of Victoria The Housing Commission of Victoria (often shortened to Housing Commission, especially Colloquialism, colloquially) was a Government of Victoria body responsible for public housing in Victoria, Australia. It was established in 1938, and was aboli ...

developed large areas of Glenroy. Residential development continued rapidly through the 1950s, and a Glenroy East Post Office opened in 1958 (closing in 1977). On 15 December 1994, when the

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 federated state, state, province, division (politica ...

of the

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 d ...

was abolished, suburbs south of the

, including Glenroy, were transferred to the City of Moreland (now

). On 25 August 2023, the 136-year-old Glenroy Post Office closed.

Demographics

In the , there were 23,792 people in Glenroy. 50.8% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were Nepal 7.6%, India 5.2, Italy 3.1%, Pakistan 3.0% and Lebanon 2.3%. 41.6% of people spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Arabic 8.3%, Nepali 7.8%, Italian 4.5%, Urdu 3.8% and Turkish 3.7%. The most common responses for religion were Catholic 23.6%, No Religion 22.5%, Islam 18.7% and Hinduism 10.8%.

Historical census data

* 1891: 224 * 1921: 545 * 1947: 1,135 * 2001: 18,550 * 2006: 18,870 * 2011: 19,664 *

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

: 22,245

Education

* Glenroy College * Glenroy Central Primary School * Glenroy Private * Glenroy West Primary School * Belle Vue Park Primary School * St Thomas More's Primary School * Penola Catholic College: Glenroy Campus (7-8) * Glenroy Specialist School * Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School * Ballerrt Murrup College * Glenroy Private Islamic School * Ilim College: Glenroy Campus

Transport

Bus

Seven

bus routes A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a motor vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van, but fewer than the average rail transport. It is most commonly used in ...

service Glenroy: * : Eltham station –

Glenroy station Glenroy Station is a pastoral lease that operates as a cattle station in Western Australia. It is situated approximately north of Fitzroy Crossing and east of Derby in the Kimberley region. History The property was established in the ear ...

via

Lower Plenty Lower Plenty is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, 16 km north-east from Melbourne's Melbourne City Centre, Central Business District, located within the City of Banyule Local Government Areas of Victoria, loc ...

. Operated by

Dysons Dyson Group of Companies, operating as Dysons, is a bus and coach operator in Victoria, Australia. The oldest of its subsidiary companies is L.C. Dysons Bus Services, which was founded in June 1952 and is based in Bundoora, Victoria, Bundoora ...

. * : Eltham station – Glenroy station via Greensborough. Operated by Dysons.514 Eltham - Glenroy via Greensborough
Public Transport Victoria * : Gowrie station –

Northland Shopping Centre Northland Shopping Centre is a major shopping centre in Preston, Victoria, Preston, approximately 11 km north of the Melbourne central business district in Victoria, Australia. It is the largest predominantly single-level shopping centre in ...

via Murray Road. Operated by

Ventura Bus Lines Ventura Bus Lines is a large bus and coach operator in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, operating a fleet of more than 950 buses on 141 bus routes. History Early history Ventura was founded in December 1924 by Henry Cornwall. The name and co ...

. * : Glenroy station –

Coburg Coburg ( , ) is a Town#Germany, town located on the Itz (river), Itz river in the Upper Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany. Long part of one of the Thuringian states of the Ernestine duchies, Wettin line, it joined Bavaria by popular vote only ...

via Boundary Road and

Sydney Road Sydney Road (in its northernmost part also known as the Hume Highway) is a major urban arterial in the northern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Geography Sydney Road starts at the northern end of Royal Parade at the boundary of Par ...

. Operated by Dysons. * : Glenroy station – Gowrie station via Gowrie Park. Operated by Dysons. * : Roxburgh Park station – Pascoe Vale station via Meadow Heights, Broadmeadows and Glenroy. Operated by Dysons. *

Night Bus Night service, sometimes also known as owl service, is a mode of public transport service operated during the night hours. As an intermediate approach – between providing full service around the clock and stopping services altogether – it p ...

: Brunswick station – Glenroy station via West Coburg (operates Saturday and Sunday mornings only). Operated by Ventura Bus Lines.951 Brunswick Station - Glenroy Station via West Coburg
Public Transport Victoria

Cycling

The Moonee Ponds Creek Trail and the

Western Ring Road Trail __NOTOC__ The M80 Trail (previously known as the Western Ring Road Trail) is a shared-use Bike path, path for cycling, cyclists and pedestrians that Bridge, bridges the northern suburbs and follows the Western Ring Road, Western Ring Road/Metropo ...

provide facilities for recreational and commuting cyclists.

Road

Prominent road infrastructure is also provided, with

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, Victoria ...

running through the east of the suburb and the

forming the suburb's northern boundary. Other arterials within the suburb include Daley Street, Glenroy Road, Hilton Street, Plumpton Avenue, and Widford Street.

Train

Glenroy is served by three

railway stations A train station, railroad station, or railway station is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight, or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track, and a station building providing such a ...

at which Metro Trains operate services to and from the

Melbourne CBD The Melbourne central business district (colloquially known as "the City" or "the CBD", and gazetted simply as Melbourne) is the city centre of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. As of the 2021 census, the CBD had a population of 54,941, and is ...

. Glenroy and Jacana stations are located on the

Craigieburn line The Craigieburn line is a commuter railway line in the city of Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. Operated by Metro Trains Melbourne, it is the city's seventh shortest metropolitan railway line at . The line runs from Flinde ...

in the west of the suburb, whilst Gowrie station is located on the Upfield line, which forms part of the suburb's eastern boundary.

Sport

Glenroy Football Club Glenroy Football Club is an Australian rules football club located 14 km north of Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by po ...

, an

Australian rules football 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 Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

team, competes in the

Essendon District Football League The Essendon District Football League (EDFL) is a semi-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 competi ...

. The club was founded in 1946. * Golfers play at the course of the Northern Golf Club on Glenroy Road. * Glenroy is home to The Glenroy Cricket Club, established in 1895, who compete in the Victorian Turf Cricket Association (VTCA). In 2004/05 they merged with the Glenroy Amateur Cricket Club (established 1972). The club shares their home ground with the Glenroy Football Club and is located on the north-east corner of the Northern Golf Club, on Glenroy Road.

Landmarks and notable places

The following places in Glenroy are listed in the

Victorian Heritage Register The Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) lists places deemed to be of cultural heritage significance to the State of Victoria, Australia. It has statutory weight under the Heritage Act 2017. The Minister for Planning is the responsible Minister. ...

:
H0128 Gowrie, 63-65 Gowrie Street, Glenroy
The following places are covered by Heritage Overlay controls in the Merri-bek Planning Scheme: * HO205 2 Churchill Street, Glenroy – House * HO209 127 Glenroy Road, Glenroy – House * HO210 139 Glenroy Road, Glenroy – House * HO211 149 Glenroy Road, Glenroy – "Minnawarra" * HO212 9 Grandview Street, Glenroy – House * HO213 Hartington Street (cnr Melbourne Avenue), Glenroy – Electricity Substation * HO222 34 Finchley Avenue, Glenroy * HO223 Plumpton Avenue, Glenroy – Former St. Matthew's church, c. 1908 * HO225 6 Salisbury Street, Glenroy – "Taringa" * HO226 21 South Street, Glenroy – Kingsley College (Huningtower) * HO230 11 Tudor Street, Glenroy – "Buangor" * HO234 92 Wheatsheaf Road, Glenroy – Shop * HO235 139 Wheatsheaf Road, Glenroy – Shop and dwelling * HO236 32 Widford Street (cnr Melbourne Avenue), Glenroy – "Wiseman House" * HO237 73 Plumpton Avenue, Glenroy – Dwelling

Notable former residents

* Bobbie Lewis — Jockey * The Janoskians — Pop music group * The Crawford family — Murder victims

References

Australian Places – Glenroy
{{City of Merri-bek suburbs Suburbs of Melbourne Suburbs of the City of Merri-bek