Essendon, Victoria
Encyclopedia
Essendon is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
, 10 km north-west from Melbourne's central business district
. Its Local Government Area is the City of Moonee Valley
. At the 2006 Census, Essendon had a population of 18,213.
It is bounded in the west by Hoffmans Road , in the north by Keilor Road and Woodland Street, in the east by Moonee Ponds Creek
, and in the south by Buckley Street (except for a small section further south bordering Moonee Ponds).
Essendon and the banks of the Maribyrnong River
were originally inhabited by the Wurundjeri
clan of the Woiwurrung
speaking people of the Kulin
Aboriginal nation.
In 1803 Charles Grimes and James Fleming were the first known European explorers into the Maribyrnong area.
In 1851 the gold rush opened up the Moonee Ponds District with miners travelling along Mount Alexander Road to Castlemaine.
Essendon Post Office opened on 18 August 1856.
In 1862 169 residents sought the formation of the Borough of Essendon and Flemington.
On 9 January 1871, Victorian Railways services began between Essendon and Melbourne, following an unsuccessful private railway operating from 1860 until 1864.
In the 1880s, the local council resisted industrial development in the form of cattle saleyards and brickworks, out of concern for pollution of the Maribyrnong River
. Instead it embarked on a program to create, in its upper reaches, a playground for rowers, fishermen and swimmers.
In 1890, a large mansion was built in the town. It was designed by eminent architect R.A. Lawson
and built at a cost of £35,000. Originally known as Earslbrae Hall, it was the home of Collier McCracken, a member of a local brewing family. The building now houses Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School
.
In 1906 the North Melbourne Electric Tramway and Lighting Company opened its electric tramway
system linking Essendon with the city. The company also supplied electric power to the neighbouring suburbs from its power station on Mount Alexander Road, near the intersection with South Street.
tram provides public transport along Mount Alexander and Keilor roads to the city.
Train services are available from Essendon, Glenbervie, and Strathmore railway stations on the Craigieburn railway line.
Bus services are also available from Essendon railway station with several routes ending at the station or continuing through to Moonee Ponds.
The suburb is bordered on the south west by the Maribyrnong River Trail
, and on the east and north by the Moonee Ponds Creek Trail
. Both are used by commuting and recreational cyclists.
is based on the suburb. The current state member is Justin Madden
for the Australian Labor Party
.
Private
(the Bombers) an Australian rules football
club which is a member of the Australian Football League
. Essendon is one of the most successful football teams in Australia, having won 16 premierships in the VFL/AFL.
The Essendon District Football League
is one of the strongest suburban football competitions in Melbourne and in the zone days, fed many players into elite level competition.
, best known as "The Crocodile Hunter,", singer Judith Durham
and many famous business men.
There are also several churches in Essendon, of various denominations. Baptist churches within the area including the Essendon Community Baptist Church, the International Baptist Church and the Aberfeldie Baptist Church.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, 10 km north-west from Melbourne's central business district
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
. Its Local Government Area is the City of Moonee Valley
City of Moonee Valley
The City of Moonee Valley is a Local Government Area located within the metropolitan area of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It comprises the north-western suburbs between 3 and 13 kilometres from the Melbourne city centre...
. At the 2006 Census, Essendon had a population of 18,213.
It is bounded in the west by Hoffmans Road , in the north by Keilor Road and Woodland Street, in the east by Moonee Ponds Creek
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...
, and in the south by Buckley Street (except for a small section further south bordering Moonee Ponds).
History
Maribyrnong river
The Maribyrnong River rises about 50 km north of Melbourne, Victoria , near Mount Macedon. It flows generally southward and combines with the Yarra River to flow into Port Phillip....
were originally inhabited by the Wurundjeri
Wurundjeri
The Wurundjeri are a people of the Indigenous Australian nation of the Woiwurrung language group, in the Kulin alliance, who occupy the Birrarung Valley, its tributaries and the present location of Melbourne, Australia...
clan of the Woiwurrung
Woiwurrung
Woiwurrung is an Indigenous Australian language spoken by some of the Kulin Nation clans, the Wurundjeri people, of Central Victoria, from Mount Baw Baw in the east to Mount Macedon, Sunbury and Gisborne in the west.The Woiwurrung clans inhabited the Yarra River, called Birrarung in Woiwurrung,...
speaking people of the Kulin
Kulin
The Kulin nation, was an alliance of five Indigenous Australian nations in Central Victoria, Australia, prior to European settlement. Their collective territory extended to around Port Phillip and Western Port, up into the Great Dividing Range and the Loddon and Goulburn River valleys. To their...
Aboriginal nation.
In 1803 Charles Grimes and James Fleming were the first known European explorers into the Maribyrnong area.
In 1851 the gold rush opened up the Moonee Ponds District with miners travelling along Mount Alexander Road to Castlemaine.
Essendon Post Office opened on 18 August 1856.
In 1862 169 residents sought the formation of the Borough of Essendon and Flemington.
On 9 January 1871, Victorian Railways services began between Essendon and Melbourne, following an unsuccessful private railway operating from 1860 until 1864.
In the 1880s, the local council resisted industrial development in the form of cattle saleyards and brickworks, out of concern for pollution of the Maribyrnong River
Maribyrnong river
The Maribyrnong River rises about 50 km north of Melbourne, Victoria , near Mount Macedon. It flows generally southward and combines with the Yarra River to flow into Port Phillip....
. Instead it embarked on a program to create, in its upper reaches, a playground for rowers, fishermen and swimmers.
In 1890, a large mansion was built in the town. It was designed by eminent architect R.A. Lawson
Robert Lawson (architect)
Robert Arthur Lawson was one of New Zealand's pre-eminent 19th century architects. It has been said he did more than any other designer to shape the face of the Victorian era architecture of the city of Dunedin...
and built at a cost of £35,000. Originally known as Earslbrae Hall, it was the home of Collier McCracken, a member of a local brewing family. The building now houses Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School
Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School
Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School, most often referred to simply as Lowther Hall, is an independent, Anglican, day school for girls, located in Essendon, an inner suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
.
In 1906 the North Melbourne Electric Tramway and Lighting Company opened its electric tramway
Trams in Melbourne
The Melbourne tramway network is a major form of public transport in Melbourne, the capital city of the state of Victoria, Australia. , the network consisted of of track, 487 trams, 28 routes, and 1,773 tram stops. It was therefore the largest urban tramway network in the world, ahead of the...
system linking Essendon with the city. The company also supplied electric power to the neighbouring suburbs from its power station on Mount Alexander Road, near the intersection with South Street.
Transport
The number 59Melbourne tram route 59
Tram route 59 is a public transport service in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It runs from the intersection of Flinders Street and Elizabeth Street in the city centre to Airport West in the north western suburbs....
tram provides public transport along Mount Alexander and Keilor roads to the city.
Train services are available from Essendon, Glenbervie, and Strathmore railway stations on the Craigieburn railway line.
Bus services are also available from Essendon railway station with several routes ending at the station or continuing through to Moonee Ponds.
The suburb is bordered on the south west by the Maribyrnong River Trail
Maribyrnong River Trail
The Maribyrnong River Trail is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians, which follows the Maribyrnong River through the north western suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
, and on the east and north by the Moonee Ponds Creek Trail
Moonee Ponds Creek Trail
The Moonee Ponds Creek Trail is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians, which follows the Moonee Ponds Creek through the northern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.-Following the path:...
. Both are used by commuting and recreational cyclists.
Politics
The seat of Essendon in the Victorian Legislative AssemblyVictorian Legislative Assembly
The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the Parliament of Victoria in Australia. Together with the Victorian Legislative Council, the upper house, it sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Melbourne.-History:...
is based on the suburb. The current state member is Justin Madden
Justin Madden
Madden was 206 cm tall, and one of the tallest men ever to play Australian Rules football, and his potential in this area was fully utilized by Carlton, who used him as their main ruckman. Over the next fifteen seasons, Madden became a mainstay of the Carlton side, and one of the most...
for the Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
.
Schools
State- Aberfeldie Primary School
- Essendon Primary School
- Essendon North Primary School
- Buckley Park CollegeBuckley Park CollegeBuckley Park College is a medium sized, public secondary school located in Essendon, Victoria, Australia. It has around 900 students from year 7 - 12. Its motto 'Build Your Wings' is featured on every student's uniform.- Campus & Facilities :...
- Essendon Keilor CollegeEssendon Keilor CollegeEssendon Keilor College was founded in 1992 from the amalgamation of Queens Park Secondary College , Essendon High School, Niddrie High School and Keilor Heights Secondary College....
(Senior Campus)
Private
- St. Therese's Primary School
- St Columba's CollegeSt. Columba's College, MelbourneSt. Columba's College is a private, all-female Roman Catholic secondary school in the Melbourne suburb of Essendon.-History:After taking responsibility for St Monica's School in Moonee Ponds in 1896, Mother Ursula Bruton purchased the property at 139 Buckley Street to provide secondary education...
- St. Bernard's College
- Penleigh and Essendon Grammar SchoolPenleigh and Essendon Grammar SchoolPenleigh and Essendon Grammar School is an independent, Uniting Church, co-educational school, with campuses located in Essendon, Moonee Ponds and Keilor East in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
(P-6 campus) - Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar SchoolLowther Hall Anglican Grammar SchoolLowther Hall Anglican Grammar School, most often referred to simply as Lowther Hall, is an independent, Anglican, day school for girls, located in Essendon, an inner suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
Sport
Essendon is home of the Essendon Football ClubEssendon Football Club
The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
(the Bombers) an Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
club which is a member of the Australian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
. Essendon is one of the most successful football teams in Australia, having won 16 premierships in the VFL/AFL.
The Essendon District Football League
Essendon District Football League
The Essendon District Football League is an Australian rules football league based in the north-west suburbs of Melbourne, which was established in 1930.The EDFL consists of 24 senior clubs, 10 clubs in A Grade and 14 clubs in B Grade...
is one of the strongest suburban football competitions in Melbourne and in the zone days, fed many players into elite level competition.
Other
Essendon is the birthplace of conservationist and television personality Steve IrwinSteve Irwin
Stephen Robert "Steve" Irwin , nicknamed "The Crocodile Hunter", was an Australian television personality, wildlife expert, and conservationist. Irwin achieved worldwide fame from the television series The Crocodile Hunter, an internationally broadcast wildlife documentary series which he co-hosted...
, best known as "The Crocodile Hunter,", singer Judith Durham
Judith Durham
Judith Durham, OAM is an Australian jazz singer and musician who became the lead vocalist for the Australian popular folk music group The Seekers in 1963. She left the group in mid-1968 to pursue her solo career...
and many famous business men.
There are also several churches in Essendon, of various denominations. Baptist churches within the area including the Essendon Community Baptist Church, the International Baptist Church and the Aberfeldie Baptist Church.
Climate
See also
- City of EssendonCity of EssendonThe City of Essendon was a Local Government Area located about northwest of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The city covered an area of , and existed from 1861 until 1994.-History:...
- the former local government area of the same name. - Essendon AirportEssendon AirportEssendon Airport is located at Essendon, in Melbourne's northern suburbs, Victoria, Australia. It is located next to the Tullamarine Freeway on , from the Melbourne Central Business District and from Melbourne Airport.-History:...