Wendouree, Victoria
Encyclopedia
Wendouree is a large suburb on the north western rural-urban fringe of the City of Ballarat
, in Victoria
, Australia
. It is the most populated suburb in urban Ballarat with a total of 10,752 inhabitants counted at the 2006 Census.
Wendouree is Ballarat's second most important commercial area outside of the CBD, including Stockland Wendouree, the largest indoor shopping mall
in urban Ballarat and a mix of residential offices, home centres and light industry.
The suburb includes the locality of Wendouree Village (Wendouree West) which was formerly a suburb in its own right.
with large showrooms and stores including Harvey Norman, Freedom Furniture, Spotlight and Rebel Sport.
Learmonth Street is a major industrial and office park area with the headquarters of Berklee Limited and Gekko Systems, PETstock as well as regional offices for VicRoads
and Telstra
.
A smaller convenience shopping village exists in the centre of Wendouree at Harold Street.
The former St Mary's Redemptorist Monastery was converted into apartments around 2001.
, and the Wendouree campus of Ballarat Secondary College
. Wendouree also has a primary school Wendouree Primary School.
s and supermarkets including K-Mart, a 15 aisle Coles
, and a 17 aisle Woolworths and about 100 specialty stores. The shopping centre was built in 1978 as 'Wendouree Village'.
service.
Wendouree railway station, opened in 2009, is located in the south western edge of the suburb. Trains traveling between Ballarat and Ararat
stop here. The single platform station is not manned.
.
estate, although up to 64% of homes and land have been sold into private ownership since 1952. The suburb was originally planned in 1949 to relieve an acute post war housing shortage resulting from Ballarat's post war baby boom and rapid intake of post war immigrants. The estate originally consisted of 750 prefabricated timber and concrete single story cottages that were primarily built between 1952 and 1962.
Wendouree West Post Office opened on 3 February 1955 as the suburb developed and was renamed Wendouree Village in 1992.
Early plans envisaged an estate that was to be an urban planning model, however development and infrastructure was considerably slower with many homes not being serviced with sewerage and sealed roads until the late 1950s. During the 1950s an aggressive and active community development committee was established, and elements of this committee still remain today promoting the ongoing development of the community and the estate. During the 1970s a further 500 more substantial brick veneer houses were built and sold privately to many of the early residents and settlers. In the mid 1950s a small shopping centre, public play grounds, a kindergarten and other amenities were established. By the late 1970s the population of the suburb peaked at approximately 5,000.
The area is presently undergoing a significant redevelopment program with the removal of many of the early prefabricated cottages and the construction of retirement units and modern private and government sector housing. Some 300 of the original houses are to be retained and many have already undergone extensive renovation and modernisation in order to keep the social and historical character of the area intact. The Primary school was demolished in early 2007 and construction has commenced on a new civic hub that will consist of a new primary school (Amalgamating both the original primary school and Yuille Park Primary School), public meeting centre and adult training facilities as well as an upgrade of the original shopping centre.
City of Ballarat
The City of Ballarat is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia around Ballarat. It is located in the western part of the state. It has an area of 740 square kilometres. In 2001 it had a population of 81,000...
, in 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...
. It is the most populated suburb in urban Ballarat with a total of 10,752 inhabitants counted at the 2006 Census.
Wendouree is Ballarat's second most important commercial area outside of the CBD, including Stockland Wendouree, the largest indoor shopping mall
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
in urban Ballarat and a mix of residential offices, home centres and light industry.
The suburb includes the locality of Wendouree Village (Wendouree West) which was formerly a suburb in its own right.
Commercial and industrial areas
Extending north of Howitt Street Wendouree has a large commercial area along Howitt and Gilles Street which includes Stockland indoor shopping mallShopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
with large showrooms and stores including Harvey Norman, Freedom Furniture, Spotlight and Rebel Sport.
Learmonth Street is a major industrial and office park area with the headquarters of Berklee Limited and Gekko Systems, PETstock as well as regional offices for VicRoads
VicRoads
VicRoads or the Roads Corporation of Victoria is a statutory corporation which is the state road and traffic authority in the state of Victoria, Australia. It is responsible for maintenance and construction of the state arterial road network, as well as driver licensing and vehicle registration. ...
and Telstra
Telstra
Telstra Corporation Limited is an Australian telecommunications and media company, building and operating telecommunications networks and marketing voice, mobile, internet access and pay television products and services....
.
A smaller convenience shopping village exists in the centre of Wendouree at Harold Street.
History
Wendouree Post Office opened on 17 February 1871.The former St Mary's Redemptorist Monastery was converted into apartments around 2001.
Education
Wendouree is home to Ballarat Grammar SchoolBallarat Grammar School
Ballarat and Queens Anglican Grammar School is an independent, Anglican Church school located at Wendouree , Victoria, 123 km west of Melbourne.-History:...
, and the Wendouree campus of Ballarat Secondary College
Ballarat Secondary College
Ballarat Secondary College is a multi-campus college, formed in 1994 through the amalgamation of three existing secondary Colleges, Ballarat East Secondary College , Wendouree Secondary College and Midlands Secondary College .-Barkly Senior Campus:It has a senior...
. Wendouree also has a primary school Wendouree Primary School.
Stockland Wendouree
Stockland Wendouree is a regional indoor shopping mall with department storeDepartment store
A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
s and supermarkets including K-Mart, a 15 aisle Coles
Coles Supermarkets
Coles Supermarkets is an Australian supermarket chain owned by Wesfarmers. It has 741 stores nationally Coles Supermarkets is an Australian supermarket chain owned by Wesfarmers. It has 741 stores nationally Coles Supermarkets is an Australian supermarket chain owned by Wesfarmers. It has 741...
, and a 17 aisle Woolworths and about 100 specialty stores. The shopping centre was built in 1978 as 'Wendouree Village'.
Transport
The suburb is serviced by busBus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
service.
Wendouree railway station, opened in 2009, is located in the south western edge of the suburb. Trains traveling between Ballarat and Ararat
Ararat, Victoria
Ararat is a city in south-west Victoria, Australia, about west of Melbourne, on the Western Highway on the eastern slopes of the Ararat Hills and Cemetery Creek valley between Victoria's Western District and the Wimmera...
stop here. The single platform station is not manned.
Education
Wendouree West Primary School is an eight classroom primary school (Numbered '4071' on the Victorian State Schools Register) was opened in 1957. The school was later expanded with the addition of four classrooms during the early 1960s. In 1972 the Primary School was awarded for having the best maintained school ground in the State of Victoria with extensive plantings of flower beds and native trees. In 1975 a library, art room and multi-function hall complex was built at the expense of the removal of many of the best native flower and rose beds. In 1977 the primary school population peaked at 437 children (aged five to twelve). This number decreased significantly with the establishment of the temporary Yuille Park Primary school to the north in 1981.Sport
Wendouree has a large number of sporting facilities including Wendouree Oval, the Sports & Events Centre and also home to Eureka Stadium, home of the North Ballarat Football ClubNorth Ballarat Football Club
North Ballarat Football Club, nicknamed The Roosters, is an Australian rules football club based at Northern Oval in Ballarat. The club is locally known as the Roosters and plays in the Victorian Football League are current competition premiers and one of only four clubs based outside of Melbourne...
.
Wendouree Village
Wendouree Village (also known as Wendouree West) was established in the early 1950s as a Housing Commission of VictoriaHousing Commission of Victoria
The Housing Commission of Victoria was a State Government body responsible for public housing in Victoria, Australia...
estate, although up to 64% of homes and land have been sold into private ownership since 1952. The suburb was originally planned in 1949 to relieve an acute post war housing shortage resulting from Ballarat's post war baby boom and rapid intake of post war immigrants. The estate originally consisted of 750 prefabricated timber and concrete single story cottages that were primarily built between 1952 and 1962.
Wendouree West Post Office opened on 3 February 1955 as the suburb developed and was renamed Wendouree Village in 1992.
Early plans envisaged an estate that was to be an urban planning model, however development and infrastructure was considerably slower with many homes not being serviced with sewerage and sealed roads until the late 1950s. During the 1950s an aggressive and active community development committee was established, and elements of this committee still remain today promoting the ongoing development of the community and the estate. During the 1970s a further 500 more substantial brick veneer houses were built and sold privately to many of the early residents and settlers. In the mid 1950s a small shopping centre, public play grounds, a kindergarten and other amenities were established. By the late 1970s the population of the suburb peaked at approximately 5,000.
The area is presently undergoing a significant redevelopment program with the removal of many of the early prefabricated cottages and the construction of retirement units and modern private and government sector housing. Some 300 of the original houses are to be retained and many have already undergone extensive renovation and modernisation in order to keep the social and historical character of the area intact. The Primary school was demolished in early 2007 and construction has commenced on a new civic hub that will consist of a new primary school (Amalgamating both the original primary school and Yuille Park Primary School), public meeting centre and adult training facilities as well as an upgrade of the original shopping centre.