Tecoma ( ) 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 ...
, 35 km east from 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 ...
and 1 km west of
Belgrave, 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 ...
. Tecoma recorded a population of 2,064 at the
2021 census.
[
The suburb is named after the shrub '']Tecoma
''Tecoma'' is a genus of seven species of shrubs or small trees in the trumpet vine family, Bignoniaceae. They are native to the Americas, ranging from the extreme southern United States through Central America and the Antilles south through An ...
'' that grew in the area when the need was identified for a railway station for the timber mill that occupied the site where Tecoma Primary School now stands. The Post Office opened on 7 January 1929, closing in 1976.Sherbrooke Forest
Sherbrooke Forest is a wet sclerophyll forest within Dandenong Ranges National Park, 40 km east of Melbourne, in Victoria, Australia, close to the suburb of Belgrave, Victoria, Belgrave. It lies within an altitude of 220–500 m Height abov ...
to the north. It is historically recognised as a foothill township of the Dandenong Ranges
The Dandenong Ranges (commonly just the Dandenongs) are a set of low mountain ranges in Victoria, Australia, approximately east of the state capital Melbourne. A minor branch of the Great Dividing Range, the Dandenongs consist mostly of rol ...
, an area of cultural significance and biodiversity.
Demographics
In the 2016 census the population of Tecoma was 2,082, 50.2% female and 49.8% male. The median age was 41.
History
Until 1925 Tecoma did not have a separate name, only known as part of Upper Ferntree Gully
Upper Ferntree Gully is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 32 km east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Knox and Shire of Yarra Ranges local government areas. Upper Ferntree Gully recorded a pop ...
, Upwey or as Lower Belgrave. The name arose when the residents of 'Lower Belgrave' persuaded the Victorian Railways to build a railway station there, which got named Tecoma after a plant which grew in the locality.
McDonald's controversy
In 2011 a plan by the multinational fast food
Fast food is a type of Mass production, mass-produced food designed for commercial resale, with a strong priority placed on speed of service. ''Fast food'' is a commercial term, limited to food sold in a restaurant or store with frozen, preheat ...
chain McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese ch ...
to build a 24-hour takeaway restaurant in the main street of Tecoma was met with strong community opposition. The original application for planning approval was rejected by Yarra Ranges Shire Council however McDonald's launched a successful appeal to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal
The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) was formed by the ''Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal Act'' 1998 in the state of Victoria, Australia. As part of the Victorian Justice system the tribunal sits 'below' the Magistra ...
and was granted planning approval in October 2012. Construction began in July 2013 and subsequent community opposition and protest led to widespread media attention. Protests and media attention peaked in the final months of construction leading to the April 2014 opening of the store and included Victoria Police
Victoria Police is the primary law enforcement agency of the Australian States and territories of Australia, state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria. It was formed in 1853 and currently operates under the ''Victoria Police Act 2013''.
, Victor ...
action against the protesters during construction and a large police presence on the opening day of the store.
Gallery
File:Sandells Road Tecoma.jpg, Olden Sandells Road
File:Tecoma1.jpg, Tecoma railway station
See also
* Tecoma railway station
References
{{Shire of Yarra Ranges suburbs
Suburbs of Melbourne
Suburbs of Yarra Ranges