Boronia, Victoria
Encyclopedia
Boronia is a suburb in Melbourne
, Victoria
, Australia
, 29 km east from Melbourne's central business district
. Its Local Government Area is the City of Knox
. At the 2006 Census, Boronia had a population of 20,447.
The area was originally occupied by the Wurundjeri
, Indigenous Australians
of the Kulin
nation, who spoke variations of the Woiwurrung
language group.
from the Westernport and Yarra Yarra tribes, hunting during the summer months in the Dandenong Ranges and its foothills. The Wurundjeri
people of the Kulin
nation are the acknowledged traditional custodians of the land on which Boronia and all of City of Knox
is located (source: Knox City Council publication).
In its early days of European settlement, Boronia was predominantly an orchard, flower growing and farming area.
Boronia was named in 1915 by local councillor A. E. Chandler (prior to this, Boronia was considered part of Bayswater
). Chandler named the suburb Boronia after the plant, boronia, which grew on his property at The Basin
. The plant was discovered by Ferdinand von Mueller
, an Austria
n botanist who came to Australia during the colonial period.
Boronia railway station opened in 1920, leading to an influx of residents, and Boronia Post Office opened on 1 October 1920. A further influx occurred in the 1960s and 1970s.
Boronia's most impressive historical building is Miller Homestead. Originally built in 1888 for John Miller, who was originally from Bayswater, London
, and the first president of the Shire of Fern Tree Gully (from which City of Knox separated in 1963) and Justice of the Peace
. The original property included stables and horse training facilities and was over 77 acres (311,608.2 m²) in size. The property was sub-divided in 1971. Miller homestead is classified by the National Trust of Australia
(Vic).
Boronia is a tree-lined suburb with views of the National Park and the city of Melbourne (from the foothills themselves). There are also nature reserves and extensive bike paths/lanes. Boronia includes sections of the Dandenong Ranges foothills and thus possesses many hills itself. It has the beautiful, natural, green backdrop of the hills and Dandenong Ranges National Park
. Knox City Council have endeavoured to protect this green backdrop to Melbourne by developing pro-environment planning guidelines.
For years, Boronia had been split in two by a railway line and a bottleneck railway crossing across the two main thoroughfares—Boronia and Dorset Roads. In the mid 1990s, Vicroads
proposed the reconstruction the Boronia and Dorset Roads intersection with the railway line being located underground and a new railway station built in a concrete cutting—ending the separation of the two halves of the suburb and uniting Boronia. The new tunnel and intersection opened in 1998 with the land which the railway used to occupy (housing the Country Fire Authority
, railway station and large playground/park) being converted into a new shopping centre and carpark.
Women's Group, Probus Clubs
, Country Women's Association
, VIEW Club, Scouts
and various church groups that build community and or provide meals such as St Paul's Anglican, Boronia Road Uniting Church, Mountain District Vineyard, Boronia Church of Christ, St Joseph's Catholic Church.
).
The suburb has an Australian Rules football team, The Boronia Hawks, competing in the Eastern Football League
. The club is based at Tormore Reserve which is a cricket ground in the summer months as the home ground of the Boronia Cricket Club.
Other activities include Boronia Bowls Club, health and fitness centres, netball clubs, An Internet Cafe that people go to play LAN games, swimming schools/clubs, martial arts schools, pool club, bike paths and numerous small parks and playgrounds, Boronia weightlifting club and calisthenics schools. Knox Basketball stadium is one of several venues utilised by the Knox Basketball League
, claimed to be the largest Basketball League in Australia. There is also a library and a radio-control car club and raceway in the basketball stadium precinct. A new Dance and Cheerleading school was opened in February 2008.
The other two shopping precincts in Boronia are Boronia Village and Dorset Square (including Boronia Mall). There is also Dorset Arcade and Chandler Arcade, both run by the Boronia Chamber of Commerce. Boronia is currently being targeted by Knox City Council for rejuvenation in consultation with resident interest groups—major works are intended for the Dorset Square retail and entertainment precinct during 2008.
Dorset Calisthenics College is also run in Boronia.
, with Boronia High School (later named Tormore Secondary College) closing in 1991.
group) are located in Boronia. The Boronia and The Basin Community Newspaper (BBCN) is also produced and distributed locally by volunteers and focuses on local stories and history, including feature articles on immigrants' stories and local businesses. The community newspaper is produced on a monthly basis.
Church of Boronia (pictured), Jehovah's Witnesses
of Bayswater and Boronia, Christadelphian
Hall of Boronia, Knox Community Baptist
Church, Martin Luther Home for the Aged, Tenrikyo Melbourne Shinyu Church and St Joseph's
Catholic
Church.
Wadi Street, Boronia is also the location of the first Templer Community Church Hall in Australia. Built in 1957 entirely by local volunteer Templers
, the building, with its unusual belltower and the attached nine-pin bowling alley, has been assessed by the Heritage Council in 2003 as "culturally significant" and placed on the Register of Heritage Victoria.
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...
, 29 km 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 Knox
City of Knox
The City of Knox is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia, located in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. It has an area of and has a estimated population of 155,969 people.-History:...
. At the 2006 Census, Boronia had a population of 20,447.
The area was originally occupied 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...
, Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
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...
nation, who spoke variations 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,...
language group.
History
Prior to European settlement, Boronia and surrounding suburbs were often visited by AboriginesIndigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
from the Westernport and Yarra Yarra tribes, hunting during the summer months in the Dandenong Ranges and its foothills. 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...
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...
nation are the acknowledged traditional custodians of the land on which Boronia and all of City of Knox
City of Knox
The City of Knox is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia, located in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. It has an area of and has a estimated population of 155,969 people.-History:...
is located (source: Knox City Council publication).
In its early days of European settlement, Boronia was predominantly an orchard, flower growing and farming area.
Boronia was named in 1915 by local councillor A. E. Chandler (prior to this, Boronia was considered part of Bayswater
Bayswater, Victoria
Bayswater is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 28 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Knox. At the 2006 Census, Bayswater had a population of 10,738.-History:...
). Chandler named the suburb Boronia after the plant, boronia, which grew on his property at The Basin
The Basin, Victoria
The Basin is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 31 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Knox...
. The plant was discovered by Ferdinand von Mueller
Ferdinand von Mueller
Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, KCMG was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist.-Early life:...
, an Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n botanist who came to Australia during the colonial period.
Boronia railway station opened in 1920, leading to an influx of residents, and Boronia Post Office opened on 1 October 1920. A further influx occurred in the 1960s and 1970s.
Boronia's most impressive historical building is Miller Homestead. Originally built in 1888 for John Miller, who was originally from Bayswater, London
Bayswater
Bayswater is an area of west London in the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea to the west . It is a built-up district located 3 miles west-north-west of Charing Cross, bordering the north of Hyde Park over Kensington Gardens and having a population density of...
, and the first president of the Shire of Fern Tree Gully (from which City of Knox separated in 1963) and Justice of the Peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
. The original property included stables and horse training facilities and was over 77 acres (311,608.2 m²) in size. The property was sub-divided in 1971. Miller homestead is classified by the National Trust of Australia
National Trust of Australia
The Australian Council of National Trusts is the peak body for community-based, non-government organisations committed to promoting and conserving Australia's indigenous, natural and historic heritage....
(Vic).
Boronia is a tree-lined suburb with views of the National Park and the city of Melbourne (from the foothills themselves). There are also nature reserves and extensive bike paths/lanes. Boronia includes sections of the Dandenong Ranges foothills and thus possesses many hills itself. It has the beautiful, natural, green backdrop of the hills and Dandenong Ranges National Park
Dandenong Ranges National Park
Dandenong Ranges National Park is in Victoria, Australia, 38 km east of Melbourne.Because the park is located in an urban area, the park has a long history of major problems with feral and roaming animals...
. Knox City Council have endeavoured to protect this green backdrop to Melbourne by developing pro-environment planning guidelines.
For years, Boronia had been split in two by a railway line and a bottleneck railway crossing across the two main thoroughfares—Boronia and Dorset Roads. In the mid 1990s, 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. ...
proposed the reconstruction the Boronia and Dorset Roads intersection with the railway line being located underground and a new railway station built in a concrete cutting—ending the separation of the two halves of the suburb and uniting Boronia. The new tunnel and intersection opened in 1998 with the land which the railway used to occupy (housing the Country Fire Authority
Country Fire Authority
Country Fire Authority, or CFA, is the name of the fire service that provides firefighting and other emergency services to all of the country areas and regional townships within the state of Victoria, Australia, as well as large portions of the outer suburban areas and growth corridors of Melbourne...
, railway station and large playground/park) being converted into a new shopping centre and carpark.
Community groups
There are numerous community and service groups in Boronia including Lions Club, Rotary Club, Returned and Services League (RSL), YWCAYWCA
The YWCA USA is the United States branch of a women's membership movement that strives to create opportunities for women's growth, leadership and power in order to attain a common vision—to eliminate racism and empower women. The YWCA is a non-profit organization, the first of which was founded in...
Women's Group, Probus Clubs
Probus Clubs
The Probus Club movement was formed in the United Kingdom in 1965. Often sponsored by Rotary International, Probus Clubs cater for the interests of retired or semi-retired professional or business people. Each club is autonomous...
, Country Women's Association
Country Women's Association
The Country Women’s Association of Australia is the largest women's organisation in Australia. It has 44,000 members across 1855 branches. Its aims are to improve the conditions for country women and children and to try to make life better for women and their families, especially those women...
, VIEW Club, Scouts
Scouting in Victoria
Scouting and Guiding in Victoria, a State of Australia, is predominantly represented by the state branch of Scouts Australia and Girl Guides Victoria, a member of Girl Guides Australia.-Scouts Australia - Victorian Branch:...
and various church groups that build community and or provide meals such as St Paul's Anglican, Boronia Road Uniting Church, Mountain District Vineyard, Boronia Church of Christ, St Joseph's Catholic Church.
Sport and leisure
Amenities include Knox Leisureworks (a swimming pool and exercise centre run by the YMCAYMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
).
The suburb has an Australian Rules football team, The Boronia Hawks, competing in the Eastern Football League
Eastern Football League (Australia)
The Eastern Football League is an Australian rules football League, based in the eastern suburbs of metropolitan Melbourne....
. The club is based at Tormore Reserve which is a cricket ground in the summer months as the home ground of the Boronia Cricket Club.
Other activities include Boronia Bowls Club, health and fitness centres, netball clubs, An Internet Cafe that people go to play LAN games, swimming schools/clubs, martial arts schools, pool club, bike paths and numerous small parks and playgrounds, Boronia weightlifting club and calisthenics schools. Knox Basketball stadium is one of several venues utilised by the Knox Basketball League
Knox Basketball Inc
Knox Basketball was established in 1945 to provide youth from the City of Knox with a sporting and social infrastructure to develop and promote personal, team and social skills in a sporting environment. Founded by Alf Stevens, Alice Jago and Heather Kemp it began as an after school competition...
, claimed to be the largest Basketball League in Australia. There is also a library and a radio-control car club and raceway in the basketball stadium precinct. A new Dance and Cheerleading school was opened in February 2008.
Retail
Boronia Junction, a relatively new shopping centre, was completed over 2000–2001. Boronia Junction includes AMF bowling, a number of restaurants and a hairdresser. There has been a cinema in Boronia for many decades (although not continuously). Metro Cinemas opened in 2005 (in the former Village cinemas complex in Dorset Square). Boronia boasts over 11 restaurants including Indian, Thai, Malaysian, Chinese and Italian cuisine.The other two shopping precincts in Boronia are Boronia Village and Dorset Square (including Boronia Mall). There is also Dorset Arcade and Chandler Arcade, both run by the Boronia Chamber of Commerce. Boronia is currently being targeted by Knox City Council for rejuvenation in consultation with resident interest groups—major works are intended for the Dorset Square retail and entertainment precinct during 2008.
Dorset Calisthenics College is also run in Boronia.
Education
There are a number of kindergartens located in Boronia. There are also four primary schools in Boronia: Boronia Primary, Boronia Heights Primary, Boronia West Primary and St Joseph's Catholic Primary school. There is one secondary school: Boronia Heights CollegeBoronia Heights College
Boronia Heights College is a public secondary school in Boronia, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.It has formerly had the names of Boronia Technical School and Boronia Heights Secondary College.-External links:**...
, with Boronia High School (later named Tormore Secondary College) closing in 1991.
Politics and Representation
Boronia contained seven polling booths at the 2010 federal election—six in the electorate of La Trobe and one in Aston. Usually something of a "bellwether" area (that is, fairly competitive and indicative of general voting patterns), the combined results of Boronia's seven booths produced a primary vote result of 41.5% Labor, 41.7% Liberal, and 11.1% Greens. Despite the narrow lead of the Liberal candidate on first preferences, the two-party result after preferences was 53.2% Labor and 46.8% Liberal.Newspaper
The offices of Knox Leader weekly local newspaper (part of the News CorporationNews Corporation
News Corporation or News Corp. is an American multinational media conglomerate. It is the world's second-largest media conglomerate as of 2011 in terms of revenue, and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009, although the BBC remains the world's largest broadcaster...
group) are located in Boronia. The Boronia and The Basin Community Newspaper (BBCN) is also produced and distributed locally by volunteers and focuses on local stories and history, including feature articles on immigrants' stories and local businesses. The community newspaper is produced on a monthly basis.
Places of worship
There are a number of groups providing for the local community. These include St Paul's Anglican Church, Boronia Uniting Church, Boronia Church of Christ, The Potter's Church, Vineyard Church, Wesleyan MethodistWesleyan Methodist Church of Australia
The Wesleyan Methodist Church of Australia is a Christian denomination with its origins in Wesleyan Methodism. It is the organizational name for The Wesleyan Church in Australia.-Background and formation:...
Church of Boronia (pictured), Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The religion reports worldwide membership of over 7 million adherents involved in evangelism, convention attendance of over 12 million, and annual...
of Bayswater and Boronia, Christadelphian
Christadelphians
Christadelphians is a Christian group that developed in the United Kingdom and North America in the 19th century...
Hall of Boronia, Knox Community Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
Church, Martin Luther Home for the Aged, Tenrikyo Melbourne Shinyu Church and St Joseph's
Saint Joseph
Saint Joseph is a figure in the Gospels, the husband of the Virgin Mary and the earthly father of Jesus Christ ....
Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
Church.
Wadi Street, Boronia is also the location of the first Templer Community Church Hall in Australia. Built in 1957 entirely by local volunteer Templers
Templers (religious believers)
Templers are members of the Temple Society , a German Protestant sect with roots in the Pietist movement of the Lutheran Church. The Templers were expelled from the church in 1858 because of their millennial beliefs. Their aim was to realize the apocalyptic visions of the prophets of Israel in the...
, the building, with its unusual belltower and the attached nine-pin bowling alley, has been assessed by the Heritage Council in 2003 as "culturally significant" and placed on the Register of Heritage Victoria.
Notable former residents
- Timothy SpanosTimothy SpanosTimothy Spanos is an Australian film director.Spanos has made four feature films in Australia that have become cult movie hits in the USA and Europe. His first film, Prisoner Queen, was about an actress who is diagnosed with leukemia and her son who believes he is living in the television series...
, award winning filmmaker grew up in Boronia, and recently made a feature film called "Boronia Boys". - Davey LaneDavey LaneDavid Lane, also known as Davey Lane , is an Australian musician, lead guitarist of You Am I , and frontman of The Pictures...
, guitarist of rock band You Am IYou Am IYou Am I are an Australian alternative rock band, fronted by vocalist/guitarist and main songwriter Tim Rogers. They were the first Australian band to have three albums successively debut at #1 on the ARIA Charts, and are renowned for their live performances.-History:Tim Rogers formed the first...
, grew up in Boronia. - Comedian Shane BourneShane BourneShane Bourne is an Australian stand-up comedian, actor and a television host.-1980's / 1990's:...
attended Boronia High School has also made references to growing up in Boronia before it was a bona fide suburb. - TV personality Ian Turpie attended Boronia High School in the early 1960s.
- Boronia was the residence of several members of the folk-pop band The TrianglesThe TrianglesThe Triangles are an indie pop band from Melbourne, Australia.Eleanor Horsburgh, Julie Conway, Katherine Simpson , Matt Gormann and Robert Simpson met as school friends in Boronia, a suburb of Melbourne. They began playing together in 2003 and collaborated on writing songs that mixed elements of...
.