Laverton, Victoria
Encyclopedia
Laverton is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, 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...

, 17 km south-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 are the Cities of Hobsons Bay
City of Hobsons Bay
The City of Hobsons Bay is a Local Government Area in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It comprises the south-western suburbs between 6 and 20 km from the Melbourne city centre....

 and Wyndham
City of Wyndham
The City of Wyndham is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia, located in the outer south-western suburbs of Melbourne, between Melbourne and the regional city of Geelong. It has an area of and at the 2006 Census Wyndham had a population of 112,695....

. At the 2006 Census, Laverton had a population of 4508.

History

Laverton history starts in 1886, when sale of land in the suburb was promoted by Staples Wise and Company. The first station to be opened beyond Newport
Newport, Victoria
Newport is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 7 km south-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Hobsons Bay. At the 2006 Census, Newport had a population of 11,244.-History:...

 on the way to Geelong was Laverton Station
Laverton railway station, Melbourne
Laverton is a railway station in Melbourne, Australia, located in the suburb of Laverton, on the Werribee railway line. Laverton is classed as a Premium station and is in Metcard Zones 1+2 overlap.Laverton is a terminus for some morning services to Werribee....

, in the same year. Laverton Post Office opened on 9 April 1888.
Today Aircraft station
Aircraft railway station, Melbourne
Aircraft is a railway station in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located in the suburb of Laverton, on the Werribee railway line. An unmanned station, it is in Metcard Zone 2...

 is nearby, named from the Williams RAAF base, opened in 1921, seven years after a base was established at Point Cook
Point Cook, Victoria
Point Cook is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 25 km south-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Wyndham. At the 2006 Census, Point Cook had a population of 14,162, now it is estimated that the population of Point Cook is 32,167...

.

In the 1950s a second primary school was built in Laverton, having over 900 students in 1966. Two more primary schools and a high school were established around this time. There is a police station near the railway station.

In 1997 Port Phillip Prison, the main maximum security prison in Victoria, was opened in neighbouring Truganinia.

Royal Australian Air Force bases

Laverton was the home to RAAF Base Laverton. The base is no longer used for operational flying. In 2008 the base became part of the new suburb of Williams Landing
Williams Landing, Victoria
Williams Landing is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 17 km south-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Wyndham....

. For administrative purposes it is now merged with the former RAAF Base Point Cook as RAAF Base Williams. Point Cook is home to the RAAF Museum
RAAF Museum
RAAF Museum is the official museum of the Royal Australian Air Force, the second oldest air force in the world, located at RAAF Williams Point Cook. The museum displays aircraft of significance to the RAAF from its inception as the Australian Flying Corps to the present...

, where visitors can see many different types of historical RAAF aircraft.

Scouts

Laverton is home to the 1st Laverton Air Scout group which began in approximately 1952. In the past, it was an active 'Air Scout' Group given the local RAAF base. The group currently has Joey Scouts, Cub Scouts and Scouts. It meets in a hall on Railway land near the Laverton Railway Station. This hall is also used by local sports clubs.

Laverton also has the 2nd Laverton Scout group, this group includes gardening for children as part of it activities.

Sport

The suburb has an Australian Rules football team competing in the Western Region Football League
Western Region Football League
The Western Region Football League is an Australian rules football semi-professional league, based in the western suburbs of Melbourne, for both seniors and juniors.-History:The league was formed in 1931, as the Footscray District Football League...

.

Golfers play at the course of the RAAF Williams Golf Club.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK