Seddon, Victoria
Encyclopedia
Seddon is a suburb 7 km west of Melbourne
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...

 lying between Footscray
Footscray, Victoria
Footscray is a suburb 5 km west of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its Local Government Area is the City of Maribyrnong. At the 2006 Census, Footscray had a population of 11,401....

 and Yarraville
Yarraville, Victoria
Yarraville is a suburb 6 km west of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its Local Government Area is the City of Maribyrnong. At the 2006 Census, Yarraville had a population of 12,726....

. Its Local Government Area is the City of Maribyrnong
City of Maribyrnong
The City of Maribyrnong is a Local Government Area located within the metropolitan area of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It comprises the inner western suburbs between 5 and 10 kilometres from the Melbourne city centre...

. At the 2006 Census, Seddon had a population of 4651. Formerly a working-class suburb, in recent years Seddon has experienced rapid gentrification due to its close proximity to the Melbourne city centre.

History

The suburb was earlier known as Belgravia but is now called Seddon after Richard Seddon
Richard Seddon
Richard John Seddon , sometimes known as King Dick, is to date the longest serving Prime Minister of New Zealand. He is regarded by some, including historian Keith Sinclair, as one of New Zealand's greatest political leaders....

, the New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

 Prime Minister from 1893 to 1906, who resided there before he moved to Bendigo
Bendigo, Victoria
Bendigo is a major regional city in the state of Victoria, Australia, located very close to the geographical centre of the state and approximately north west of the state capital Melbourne. It is the second largest inland city and fourth most populous city in the state. The estimated urban...

 and later to New Zealand. The Belgravia Hotel, at 236 Nicholson Street, Footscray still carries Seddon's original name.

Seddon Post Office opened on 29 September 1908 and closed in 1976. Seddon West Post Office opened in 1924 and remains open. Seddon's postcode is the same as Footscray's - 3011.

Today

Seddon is sometimes considered part of neighbouring Footscray
Footscray, Victoria
Footscray is a suburb 5 km west of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its Local Government Area is the City of Maribyrnong. At the 2006 Census, Footscray had a population of 11,401....

, however, while central Footscray is one of the main shopping and transport hubs for Melbourne's western suburbs Seddon, in contrast, is quiet, leafy and residential. Over recent years Seddon has experienced gentrification with many long time blue collar residents being replaced by professionals from a higher socio-economic background. As a result of this a food culture has emerged with Seddon playing home to some of the best cafes and restaurants in the western suburbs of Melbourne. A booth in Seddon also recorded the highest vote for the Australian Greens
Australian Greens
The Australian Greens, commonly known as The Greens, is an Australian green political party.The party was formed in 1992; however, its origins can be traced to the early environmental movement in Australia and the formation of the United Tasmania Group , the first Green party in the world, which...

 in the seat of Gellibrand
Division of Gellibrand
The Division of Gellibrand is anAustralian Electoral Division in Victoria. The division was created in 1949 and is named for Joseph Gellibrand, a pioneer settler of the Melbourne area...

 in the 2010 Federal Election, a clear sign of changing demographics.

Seddon's railway station is on the Werribee and Williamstown railway lines of the Melbourne train network
Railways in Melbourne
The Melbourne rail network is operated by Metro Trains Melbourne under franchise from the Government of Victoria. The network is based on a commuter rail model centred on the Melbourne Central Business District and Flinders Street Station, rather than a rapid transit model, with a focus on...

.

Sport and activities

The Seddon Cricket Club has its home ground in Yarraville Gardens.

Seddon also shares its Australian Rules football team, Yarraville-Seddon, with neighbouring Yarraville. The team competes 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...

.

Opposite Seddon station is the 5th Footscray Scout Group. With programs for children aged 6 to 15, the group is part of Scouts Australia, and meets in a historic hall built in the 1930s.

See also

  • City of Footscray
    City of Footscray
    The City of Footscray was a Local Government Area located about west of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The city covered an area of , and existed from 1859 until 1994.-History:...

     - the former local government area of which Seddon was a part.
  • Seddon railway station
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