Hughesdale, Victoria
Encyclopedia
Hughesdale is a suburb in Melbourne
, Victoria
, Australia
, 18 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district
. Its Local Government Area is the City of Monash
. At the 2006 Census, Hughesdale had a population of 6,503.
Just 2sq km in size, it is the smallest suburb in the City of Monash. Hughesdale is bordered by Poath Road to the west, Dandenong Road to the north, Warrigal Road to the east and North Road to the south.
It is named after for James Vincent Hughes, former mayor of City of Oakleigh
who lobbied heavily for a new station for the area in the mid 1920s.
along the railway line between it and Murrumbeena. In the 1880s, due to the presence of the railway the stretch of land attracted some professionals who established substantial homes on large estates. Many of its earliest homes are part of Oakleigh and Murrumbeena's early history. The original township was laid out around Poath Road with small lanes, some cobbled
in bluestone
.
James Vincent Hughes, mayor of City of Oakleigh from 1924 to 1925 lobbied heavily with the Poath Road Railway Station League for a new railway station for the area. In 1924 the League suggested the station be called "Hugheston", but in February 1925, shortly before the station opened, Victorian Railways
decided its name would be "Hughesdale". A decade later there was a move to rename Poath Road "Hughesdale Road", but this was rejected by the then Caulfield City Council.
Following the opening of railway station on 28 February 1925 and the suburb boomed with a commercial area rapidly springing up near the station along Poath Road and subdivision of sparse land between Murrumbeena and Oakleigh for residential development.
Hughesdale Post Office opened on 12 December 1927.
Rapid industrialisation and expansion of both Melbourne and Oakleigh in the 1940s saw Hughesdale become entrenched as a Melbourne suburb and commuter zone. Hughesdale inherited the modified grid plan
of neighbouring suburbs and the original Victorian era estates were converted to greenfield land
eventually making way for affordable working class housing developments.
With the opening of Chadstone Shopping Centre
in the 1960s, Hughesdale completed its suburban expansion and became the main rail access point for the centre, however it also began a long steep decline in the local commercial area's trading.
Hughesdale was defined as a Neighbourhood Activity Centre in the Melbourne 2030
strategy. This and the formation of a local traders' association which rebranded the commercial area "Poath Road Village" has stimulated a revival in the commercial area. As a result several mixed use buildings of 2 or more storeys have been developed along Poath Road near the railway station. It became a particular popular area with its mix of cafes and boutique shops.
Among other street names are:
presence. Fourteen per cent of those living in the suburb speak only Greek
at home.
Hughesdale is primarily a residential suburb. The majority of the housing stock is detached. All original housing was either detached or semi-detached. Since the 1960s there has been some development of walk-up two storey flats
and flats in specific areas. More recently apartments in taller buildings around the railway station have increased in popularity.
that tends to divide the suburb)while other main roads include Railway Parade and Neerim (connecting Hughesdale with Murrumbeena), North Road and Dandenong Road which is the main route to the Melbourne CBD.
Hughesdale's railway station provides a very popular form of commuter transport. Census figures show that the suburb is ranked 12th out of Melbourne's 328 suburbs in the proportion of employed workers who travel to work by train: one in six use the train to get to work, double the Melbourne average. The railway station is within walking distance to most of the suburb.
The bus routes the main spine of Hughesdale connecting with the railway station to provide inter-modal transport as well as connecting Hughesdale to Chadstone and Westfield Southland shopping centres.
Bicycle transport is also facilitated in Hughesdale with both on-road and segregated bicycle facilities in the form of paths which runs along the railway line between Murrumbeena and Oakleigh and through some of the suburb's parks.
Hughesdale Primary School, No. 4176, opened in 1924 as Oakleigh South State School and was renamed Hughesdale Primary School in 1938. It had a peak enrolment of 1296 in 1953, at which point some classes held 65 students. The school was threatened with closure by the Kennett government
in the 1990s as student numbers fell because of demographic changes, but was saved after a vote at an extraordinary School Council meeting in October 1996. Enrolments have risen steadily since then; in 2005 there were 322 students enrolled.
St Anargiri Greek Orthodox College opened in 1983, primarily to satisfy the educational needs of the Greek community of Melbourne's southeastern suburbs. It was initially a Primary to Year 8 school, with 91 students; today it is registered for Primary to Year 12, with enrolments exceeding 740.
Sacred Heart Girls' College was opened in 1957 by the Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions
, who came from the convent in Highgate
, Perth, Western Australia
. Enrolments for Year 7 are taken from surrounding Catholic Primary Schools. Subject to availability, places are then offered to other students, with preference given to Catholics.
The suburb was also the home of Oakleigh Technical School, at the corner of Poath Rd and North Rd, from 1946 to 1991. The school was demolished in 1993, with the site now occupied by a service station, McDonald's
restaurant and a sports ground.
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
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...
, 18 km south-east 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...
. Its Local Government Area is the City of Monash
City of Monash
The City of Monash is a Local Government Area in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is located in the southeastern suburbs of Melbourne and has an area of 81.0 square kilometres and has a estimated population of 176,069 people...
. At the 2006 Census, Hughesdale had a population of 6,503.
Just 2sq km in size, it is the smallest suburb in the City of Monash. Hughesdale is bordered by Poath Road to the west, Dandenong Road to the north, Warrigal Road to the east and North Road to the south.
It is named after for James Vincent Hughes, former mayor of City of Oakleigh
City of Oakleigh
The City of Oakleigh was a Local Government Area located about southeast of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The city covered an area of , and existed from 1891 until 1994.-History:...
who lobbied heavily for a new station for the area in the mid 1920s.
History
Hughesdale began, not as a Melbourne suburb, but as a suburban area of OakleighOakleigh, Victoria
Oakleigh is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia and is located 14 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Monash. At the 2006 Census, Oakleigh had a population of 6,876....
along the railway line between it and Murrumbeena. In the 1880s, due to the presence of the railway the stretch of land attracted some professionals who established substantial homes on large estates. Many of its earliest homes are part of Oakleigh and Murrumbeena's early history. The original township was laid out around Poath Road with small lanes, some cobbled
Cobblestone
Cobblestones are stones that were frequently used in the pavement of early streets. "Cobblestone" is derived from the very old English word "cob", which had a wide range of meanings, one of which was "rounded lump" with overtones of large size...
in bluestone
Bluestone
Bluestone is a cultural or commercial name for a number of dimension or building stone varieties, including:*a feldspathic sandstone in the U.S. and Canada;*limestone in the Shenandoah Valley in the U.S...
.
James Vincent Hughes, mayor of City of Oakleigh from 1924 to 1925 lobbied heavily with the Poath Road Railway Station League for a new railway station for the area. In 1924 the League suggested the station be called "Hugheston", but in February 1925, shortly before the station opened, Victorian Railways
Victorian Railways
The Victorian Railways operated railways in the Australian state of Victoria from 1859 to 1983. The first railways in Victoria were private companies, but when these companies failed or defaulted, the Victorian Railways was established to take over their operations...
decided its name would be "Hughesdale". A decade later there was a move to rename Poath Road "Hughesdale Road", but this was rejected by the then Caulfield City Council.
Following the opening of railway station on 28 February 1925 and the suburb boomed with a commercial area rapidly springing up near the station along Poath Road and subdivision of sparse land between Murrumbeena and Oakleigh for residential development.
Hughesdale Post Office opened on 12 December 1927.
Rapid industrialisation and expansion of both Melbourne and Oakleigh in the 1940s saw Hughesdale become entrenched as a Melbourne suburb and commuter zone. Hughesdale inherited the modified grid plan
Grid plan
The grid plan, grid street plan or gridiron plan is a type of city plan in which streets run at right angles to each other, forming a grid...
of neighbouring suburbs and the original Victorian era estates were converted to 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...
eventually making way for affordable working class housing developments.
With the opening of Chadstone Shopping Centre
Chadstone Shopping Centre
Chadstone Shopping Centre is a super regional shopping centre located in the inner south-eastern suburb of Malvern East in the city of Melbourne, Australia...
in the 1960s, Hughesdale completed its suburban expansion and became the main rail access point for the centre, however it also began a long steep decline in the local commercial area's trading.
Hughesdale was defined as a Neighbourhood Activity Centre in the Melbourne 2030
Melbourne 2030
The Metropolitan Strategy Melbourne 2030 is a Victorian Government strategic planning policy framework for the metropolitan area of Greater Melbourne, intended to cover the period 2001-2030. During this period the population of the metropolitan area is expected to grow by a million people to over 5...
strategy. This and the formation of a local traders' association which rebranded the commercial area "Poath Road Village" has stimulated a revival in the commercial area. As a result several mixed use buildings of 2 or more storeys have been developed along Poath Road near the railway station. It became a particular popular area with its mix of cafes and boutique shops.
Street Names
Many street names in the suburb were named after notable British train stations. These include Rugby Rd, Euston Rd, Crewe Rd, Swindon Rd, Paddington Rd, Clapham Rd, Bletchley Rd, Willesden Rd, Carlisle Cr, Preston Rd, Skipton Rd, Dalston Rd, Camden Rd, Earlstown Rd.Among other street names are:
- Corr St: Named after E.J. Corr, Oakleigh mayor, 1907-8 and 1916–17;
- Darling St: Named after Sir Charles Henry DarlingCharles Henry DarlingSir Charles Henry Darling KCB was a British colonial governor.He was born at Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, the son of Major-General Henry Darling and nephew of General Sir Ralph Darling....
, Governor of Victoria, 1863–1866; - Hotham St: Named after Sir Charles HothamCharles HothamSir Charles Hotham, KCB, RN was Lieutenant-governor and, later, Governor of Victoria, Australia from 22 June 1854 to 10 November 1855.-Early life:...
, Governor of Victoria, 1854–1855; - Paget St: Named after local resident and hotelier Charles Edwin Paget (d. 1936)
Demographics and housing
With more than one in three residents born outside Australia, the suburb has a strong GreekGreeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
presence. Fourteen per cent of those living in the suburb speak only Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
at home.
Hughesdale is primarily a residential suburb. The majority of the housing stock is detached. All original housing was either detached or semi-detached. Since the 1960s there has been some development of walk-up two storey flats
Apartment
An apartment or flat is a self-contained housing unit that occupies only part of a building...
and flats in specific areas. More recently apartments in taller buildings around the railway station have increased in popularity.
Transport
The main transport in Hughesdale is the private vehicle. The road spine is Poath Road (which has a level crossingLevel crossing
A level crossing occurs where a railway line is intersected by a road or path onone level, without recourse to a bridge or tunnel. It is a type of at-grade intersection. The term also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way or reserved track crosses a road in the same fashion...
that tends to divide the suburb)while other main roads include Railway Parade and Neerim (connecting Hughesdale with Murrumbeena), North Road and Dandenong Road which is the main route to the Melbourne CBD.
Hughesdale's railway station provides a very popular form of commuter transport. Census figures show that the suburb is ranked 12th out of Melbourne's 328 suburbs in the proportion of employed workers who travel to work by train: one in six use the train to get to work, double the Melbourne average. The railway station is within walking distance to most of the suburb.
- 624 KewKew, VictoriaKew is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Boroondara. At the 2006 Census, Kew had a population of 22,516....
– OakleighOakleigh, VictoriaOakleigh is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia and is located 14 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Monash. At the 2006 Census, Oakleigh had a population of 6,876....
via Auburn RS, Caulfield RS, Chadstone SC, Holmesglen RS (every day). Operated by Driver Bus Lines. - 625 ElsternwickElsternwick, VictoriaElsternwick is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 9 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Glen Eira...
– Chadstone SCChadstone Shopping CentreChadstone Shopping Centre is a super regional shopping centre located in the inner south-eastern suburb of Malvern East in the city of Melbourne, Australia...
via Ormond RS, Oakleigh RS (every day). Operated by Driver Bus Lines. - 767 Box HillBox Hill, VictoriaBox Hill is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 14 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Whitehorse. At the 2006 Census, Box Hill had a population of 8,616....
– Southland SC via Deakin University, Chadstone SC (every day). Operated by Ventura Bus LinesVentura Bus LinesVentura is a privately owned bus and coach operator in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Today the largest private Melbourne bus company, and operates a number of bus routes under contract from the Victorian State Government. The company purchased National Bus Company for A$45 million, and the Mount...
.
The bus routes the main spine of Hughesdale connecting with the railway station to provide inter-modal transport as well as connecting Hughesdale to Chadstone and Westfield Southland shopping centres.
Bicycle transport is also facilitated in Hughesdale with both on-road and segregated bicycle facilities in the form of paths which runs along the railway line between Murrumbeena and Oakleigh and through some of the suburb's parks.
Education
Hughesdale has three schools – Hughesdale Primary School, Sacred Heart Girls' College and St Anargiri Greek Orthodox College.Hughesdale Primary School, No. 4176, opened in 1924 as Oakleigh South State School and was renamed Hughesdale Primary School in 1938. It had a peak enrolment of 1296 in 1953, at which point some classes held 65 students. The school was threatened with closure by the Kennett government
Jeff Kennett
Jeffrey Gibb Kennett AC , a former Australian politician, was the Premier of Victoria between 1992 and 1999. He is currently the President of Hawthorn Football Club. He is the founding Chairman of beyondblue, a national depression initiative.- Early life :Kennett was born in Melbourne on 2 March...
in the 1990s as student numbers fell because of demographic changes, but was saved after a vote at an extraordinary School Council meeting in October 1996. Enrolments have risen steadily since then; in 2005 there were 322 students enrolled.
St Anargiri Greek Orthodox College opened in 1983, primarily to satisfy the educational needs of the Greek community of Melbourne's southeastern suburbs. It was initially a Primary to Year 8 school, with 91 students; today it is registered for Primary to Year 12, with enrolments exceeding 740.
Sacred Heart Girls' College was opened in 1957 by the Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions
Congregation of Our Lady of the Missions
The Congregation of Our Lady of the Missions is a Roman Catholic religious congregation of women. They were founded in Lyons, France in 1861 by Euphrasie Barbier. The Congregation's presence is felt worldwide...
, who came from the convent in Highgate
Highgate, Western Australia
Highgate is an inner suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the City of Vincent and north of the CBD. Highgate was named for the village of Highgate in Kent, England...
, Perth, Western Australia
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
. Enrolments for Year 7 are taken from surrounding Catholic Primary Schools. Subject to availability, places are then offered to other students, with preference given to Catholics.
The suburb was also the home of Oakleigh Technical School, at the corner of Poath Rd and North Rd, from 1946 to 1991. The school was demolished in 1993, with the site now occupied by a service station, McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
restaurant and a sports ground.