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Montrose 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 ...
, 33 km east 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
Shire of Yarra Ranges The Shire of Yarra Ranges, also known as Yarra Ranges Council, is a local government area in Victoria, Australia, located in the outer eastern and northeastern suburbs of Melbourne extending into the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges. It has ...
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 ...
. Montrose recorded a population of 6,900 at the . Montrose varies in altitude from about 91 m to 324 m above sea level. Montrose covers an area of . Montrose is situated at the foothills of
Mount Dandenong Mount Dandenong, sometimes styled as Mt. Dandenong, is a township and suburb of the Greater Melbourne area in Victoria, Australia, east of the Melbourne central business district (CBD), located within the local government area of the Shire of ...
.


History

European settlers initially referred to the area of Montrose as South Mooroolbark, and used the land for farming during the late 1800s. The town was also informally called ''Double Pitts'' after the double-handed
saw pit A saw pit or sawpit is a pit over which timber is positioned to be sawed with a long two-handled saw, usually a whipsaw, by two people, one standing above the timber and the other below. It was used for producing sawn planks from tree trunks, ...
method used in the local timber industry. The settlement was renamed to Montrose in 1892 by local landowner James Walker, whose son had a store on Colchester Road,
Kilsyth Kilsyth (; ) is a town and civil parishes in Scotland, civil parish in North Lanarkshire, roughly halfway between Glasgow and Stirling in Scotland. The estimated population is 10,380. The town is famous for the Battle of Kilsyth and the religi ...
named Rose Mont. A post office was opened in December 1898, and closed in July 1994. During the late 1800s and early 1900s, Montrose was used extensively for orchards, partly due to its high rainfall. In 1911 the population of Montrose was only 133. However, residential development increased in the 1920s, providing accommodation for tourists and permanent residents. The Montrose Public Hall was funded by the local community and opened in July 1914, on the eve of
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. A monument for World War I was constructed in 1921, which also became a memorial for
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 ...
in 1947. The population of Montrose boomed after World War II, resulting in many more young families. An infant health centre was opened in 1949. A bushfire in 1961 destroyed 23 houses. By the 1970s Montrose had become part of the sprawl of suburbs extending into the Dandenongs. In 2024, the (peak-hour) congested roundabout to the town was removed.


Education

Montrose incorporates two government primary schools:
Montrose Primary School
located on Leith Road and established in 1880 (previously called Mooroolbark South Primary School and Double Pitts School)
Billanook Primary School
located on Sheffield Road and established in 1980


Recreation


Montrose Recreation Reserve

The Montrose Recreation Reserve is home to several sporting clubs and a scout group, and provides a range of facilities including a playground and barbecues. The reserve is a popular destination for families and features a playground largely made from a recycled plastic as well as some artwork by local artists.


Sporting clubs

Montrose also has a range of sporting clubs:
Montrose Tennis Club
adjacent to Montrose Recreation Reserve
Montrose Netball Club
located next to the Montrose Football Club
Montrose Social Soccer Club
based at Keith Hume Fraser Reserve
Montrose Football Club
home to the Montrose Demons which compete in the Eastern Football League
Montrose Cricket Club
based at Montrose Recreation Reserve and home to the Montrose Wolves *Montrose Calisthenics Club


Community groups


Montrose Coterie Group
* Montrose & District Lions Club * Montrose Senior Citizens
Montrose CFA

Montrose Environmental Group


Transport

The closest railway station is Mooroolbark railway station on the
Lilydale line The Lilydale line is a commuter railway line on the Railways in Melbourne, Melbourne metropolitan railway network serving the city of Melbourne in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. Operated by Metro Trains Melbourne, the line is colou ...
, approximately 5.7 km from Montrose.
Telebus A Telebus, Dial-a-bus, or Dial-a-ride service is a bus service that operates in a mode partway between a normal scheduled bus service and a taxi; it is a form of demand responsive transport. Telebuses typically have a scheduled route, but passeng ...
services operate in the area, and passengers can request to be picked up or dropped off from home.


Churches


Church of Christ Montrose

Montrose Spiritualist Church

Montrose Uniting Church


Notable people

Kevin Heinze was a pioneering presenter of gardening on television in Australia. He hosted a gardening program for
ABC Television ABC Television most commonly refers to: *ABC Television Network of the American Broadcasting Company, United States, or *ABC Television (Australian TV network), a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Australia ABC Television or ABC ...
titled ''Sow What'', which was mostly shot on location at his one-hectare home garden in Montrose, from 1967 to 1988. Heinze died on 1 September 2008, aged 80. In 2005 the garden was donated to the local shire council for public use. Montrose was home to the museum of the Australian author
May Gibbs Cecilia May Gibbs Order of the British Empire, MBE (17 January 1877 – 27 November 1969) was an Australian children's author, illustrator, and cartoonist. She is best known for her gumnut babies (also known as "bush babies" or "bush fairies"), ...
who created the Gumnut Babies series.


References

{{Shire of Yarra Ranges suburbs Suburbs of Melbourne Suburbs of Yarra Ranges