Caroline Springs, Victoria
Encyclopedia
Caroline Springs is a suburb in Melbourne
, Victoria
, Australia located 25 km west from Melbourne's central business district
on Kororoit Creek. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Melton
. At the 2006 Census, it had a population of 10,880.
Developed on greenfield land
since 1999 by Delfin under the direction of Vic Urban, the Post Office opened on 8 August 2005. At the north of the suburb is a town square (commonly known as CS Square) including a moderately large shopping centre and a man-made lake known as Lake Caroline.
It is a fast growing suburb and Delfin anticipate the population to be in excess of 25,000 people by 2015.
group opened in August, 2009. A new hotel & entertainment complex named WestWaters \ on the edge of Lake Caroline, is now open.
Kororoit Creek
runs through the centre of the suburb. The creek has been home to healthy populations of native animals for thousands of years, including Tiger snake, Eastern Blue-tongued Lizard
, Common snakeneck turtle
, Eastern brown snake
and Kangaroos
. Unfortunately due to development over the past 15 years, these species are now rarely seen in the area.
Due to development of large lakes and wetlands, species of frogs have reclaimed the area. The Common Eastern Froglet
, Eastern Banjo Frog
and even the now endangered Growling Grass Frog
have been seen and heard in the new lakes, wetlands and in Kororoit Creek
. Many species of birds are also returning to the creeks and lakes. There are also a few kangaroos, several located in the endangered grassland bordered by Holland Way and College Street. These can usually be seen from the steel board walk or 4m viewing platform.
It is expected that the Kororoit Creek Trail will eventually be linked up to Caroline Springs providing cyclists with an off-road path all the way to Sunshine and onto the Melbourne CBD.
and is a largely car-dependent community. It was planned under the concepts of street hierarchy
and has just one main arterial, Caroline Springs Boulevard, which feeds into both the Deer Park Bypass and Western Highway
in the south and connects to Melbourne via either the Western Ring Road or the Princes Highway
.
Caroline Springs is one of a number of new train stations proposed under the Victorian Transport Plan
. Construction of Caroline Springs railway station is still on hold by the government.ref>
is due to open at the Mercure Hotel in late 2010.
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia located 25 km west from Melbourne's central business district
Melbourne city centre
Melbourne City Centre is an area of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. It is not to be confused with the larger local government area of the City of Melbourne...
on Kororoit Creek. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Melton
Shire of Melton
The Shire of Melton is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia, located in the outer western suburbs of Melbourne. The Shire comprises several settled urban areas, the main one being the township of Melton, which lies at the western end of the Shire...
. At the 2006 Census, it had a population of 10,880.
Developed on greenfield land
Greenfield land
Greenfield land is a term used to describe undeveloped land in a city or rural area either used for agriculture, landscape design, or left to naturally evolve...
since 1999 by Delfin under the direction of Vic Urban, the Post Office opened on 8 August 2005. At the north of the suburb is a town square (commonly known as CS Square) including a moderately large shopping centre and a man-made lake known as Lake Caroline.
It is a fast growing suburb and Delfin anticipate the population to be in excess of 25,000 people by 2015.
Developments
A $40 million dollar 5 star hotel owned by the Mercure HotelsMercure Hotels
Mercure Hotels are a brand of hotels run by French multinational corporation Accor.Most Mercure hotels are positioned between Ibis and Novotel in the Accor estate. There is also a five star branch of Mercures known as Grand Mercures...
group opened in August, 2009. A new hotel & entertainment complex named WestWaters \ on the edge of Lake Caroline, is now open.
Flora and fauna
Kororoit Creek
Kororoit Creek is a major waterway of over 80 km in length in the north-west and western parts of Melbourne. Its headwaters are north of Sunbury at 400m above sea level in ordovician geology...
runs through the centre of the suburb. The creek has been home to healthy populations of native animals for thousands of years, including Tiger snake, Eastern Blue-tongued Lizard
Eastern blue-tongued lizard
The Eastern Blue-tongued Lizard is a subspecies of large skink which is common throughout Eastern Australia, often found in bushland and suburban areas where conditions are suitable...
, Common snakeneck turtle
Common snakeneck turtle
The eastern long-necked turtle , also known as the eastern snake-necked turtle, common snake-necked turtle or common long-necked turtle, has as its most distinctive feature its extremely long neck. In some cases, this turtle's neck can be as long as its carapace...
, Eastern brown snake
Eastern brown snake
The eastern brown snake , often referred to as the common brown snake, is a species of genus Pseudonaja. This snake is considered the second most venomous land snake based on its value in mice. It is native to Australia, New Guinea and Indonesia.-Description:Adult eastern brown snakes are highly...
and Kangaroos
KangaROOS
KangaROOS are an American brand of sneaker originally produced from 1979 through the 1980s, with a later revival that continues in present. They were notable for having a small zippered pocket on the side of the shoe, large enough for a small amount of loose change, keys, or more recently,...
. Unfortunately due to development over the past 15 years, these species are now rarely seen in the area.
Due to development of large lakes and wetlands, species of frogs have reclaimed the area. The Common Eastern Froglet
Common Eastern Froglet
The Common Eastern Froglet is a very common, Australian ground-dwelling frog, of the family Myobatrachidae.-Distribution:...
, Eastern Banjo Frog
Eastern Banjo Frog
Limnodynastes dumerilii is a frog species from the family Myobatrachidae. The informal names for this species, and its subspecies, include...
and even the now endangered Growling Grass Frog
Growling Grass Frog
The Growling Grass Frog , also commonly known as the Southern Bell Frog, Warty Swamp Frog and erroneously as the Green Frog is a species of ground dwelling tree frog is native to South eastern Australia; ranging from southern South Australia along the Murray River though Victoria to New South...
have been seen and heard in the new lakes, wetlands and in Kororoit Creek
Kororoit Creek
Kororoit Creek is a major waterway of over 80 km in length in the north-west and western parts of Melbourne. Its headwaters are north of Sunbury at 400m above sea level in ordovician geology...
. Many species of birds are also returning to the creeks and lakes. There are also a few kangaroos, several located in the endangered grassland bordered by Holland Way and College Street. These can usually be seen from the steel board walk or 4m viewing platform.
It is expected that the Kororoit Creek Trail will eventually be linked up to Caroline Springs providing cyclists with an off-road path all the way to Sunshine and onto the Melbourne CBD.
Transport
Its main form of transport is the automobileAutomobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
and is a largely car-dependent community. It was planned under the concepts of street hierarchy
Street hierarchy
The street hierarchy is an urban design technique for laying out road networks that exclude automobile through-traffic from developed areas. It is conceived as a hierarchy of roads that embeds the link importance of each road type in the network topology...
and has just one main arterial, Caroline Springs Boulevard, which feeds into both the Deer Park Bypass and Western Highway
Western Highway
Western Highway may refer to:*Western Highway, Victoria in Australia*Western Highway...
in the south and connects to Melbourne via either the Western Ring Road or the Princes Highway
Princes Highway
The Princes Highway extends from Sydney to Port Augusta via the coast through the states of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, a distance of 1941 km or 1898 km via the former alignments of the highway ....
.
Caroline Springs is one of a number of new train stations proposed under the Victorian Transport Plan
Victorian Transport Plan
The Victorian Transport Plan is a now defunct transport planning framework for the state of Victoria, Australia announced on Monday 9 December 2008 by then Premier of Victoria, John Brumby...
. Construction of Caroline Springs railway station is still on hold by the government.ref>
Health
Local health services in the Town Centre include Modern Medical health clinic and Life Physiotherapy. A new medical 'Super Clinic' owned by the controversial Dr. Geoffrey EdelstenGeoffrey Edelsten
Geoffrey Walter Edelsten is an Australian medical entrepreneur. He was the first private owner of a major Australian football team when he bought the Sydney Swans Football Club in 1985. Edelsten was formerly a general practitioner, but was deregistered in New South Wales in 1988 and also in...
is due to open at the Mercure Hotel in late 2010.