Coburg, Victoria
Encyclopedia
Coburg is a suburb in Melbourne
, Victoria
, Australia
, 8 km north from Melbourne's central business district
. Its Local Government Area is the City of Moreland
, although a handful of properties on Coburg's Eastern boundary are located in the City of Darebin
. At the 2006 Census, Coburg had a population of 23,772.
Coburg's boundaries are Gaffney Street and Murray Road in the north, Elizabeth Street and Merri Creek
in the east, Moreland Road in the South and Melville Road, Devon Avenue, Sussex Street and West Street in the west. Coburg is designated one of 26 Principal Activity Centres
in the Melbourne 2030
Metropolitan Strategy.
, but also with a substantial Muslim
population.
Prior to European occupation, the area around Coburg and Merri Creek
was occupied by the Woiwurrung-speaking Wurundjeri
of the Kulin
Nation. The Wurundjeri had a religious relationship to their land, participating in corroborees and sacred ceremonies on Merri Creek.
Coburg was first surveyed by Robert Hoddle
in 1837 - 1838, and he recorded that a Mr Hyatt had a sheep station and hut on the east bank of the Merri Creek, near present Outlook Road. Hoddle marked out a 327 acre (1.3 km²) village reserve with two roads for the district: Bell Street West and Pentridge Road, later called Sydney Road
. In 1840 the place was named Pentridge by a surveyor called Henry Foot who lived and worked near Merri Creek. It was named after the birthplace of Foot's wife: Pentridge
, Dorset
, England
.
Dr Farquhar McCrae, a wealthy surgeon, purchased 600 acres (2.4 km²) in the area which he called Moreland. In 1841 he also bought land called 'La Rose' in what is now known as Pascoe Vale South
. The house he built in 1842 or 1843 is now known as Wentworth House, and is the oldest known private dwelling in Victoria still standing on its original site and the fifth oldest building in Victoria.
In 1842 the first inn, The Golden Fleece, was built on Sydney Road just north of Page Street. Twenty one farms were in the area by 1849. With the Victorian gold rush
in the 1850s the population of the area grew rapidly. In 1858 water mains from Yan Yean were connected and the first local paper, the Brunswick and Pentridge Press, was started. In 1859 the Pentridge District Road Board was formed to get roads built in the area, the start of local government for the area.
Quarrying of bluestone
began in the area 1850s, and by 1875 there were 41 quarries in Coburg. In December 1850 16 prisoners were moved from an overcrowded Melbourne Gaol
to a stockade at Pentridge. Prisoners at what came to be called HM Prison Pentridge
were immediately put on "hard labour" by breaking up bluestone for road surfaces. In 1867 a public meeting was called to change the name of the district, as residents were stigmatised and embarrassed at living in a suburb principally known for its gaol, Pentridge Prison. Robert Mailer of Glencairn suggested that the suburb name be changed to Coburg, inspired by the impending visit to the colony of the Duke of Edinburgh, who was a member of the royal house of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
. The government agreed with the proposal and the change was made in March 1870.
The Post Office opened on 1 August 1853 and was renamed Coburg in January 1870.
Sydney Road
attracted numerous hotels and commercial premises in the 1860s. Friendly societies soon formed: Manchester Unity (1863), Druids
(1867), Rechabites
(1868) and a St. Patrick's Society in (1870). Coburg became a shire in 1875.
The Upfield railway line opened in 1884, and the Coburg railway station was built in 1888. In February 1889 the horse tram service began along Sydney Road. Electric trams started in service in 1916.
By 1899 there were 6000 people in the district. Coburg was gazetted as a borough in 1905 with Thomas Greenwood becoming Coburg's first mayor. The Public Hall built in 1869 was extended in 1909, but was still inadequate for the growing city. The new Town Hall was built and opened in 1923, with further extensions in 1928.
Lake Reserve is a popular picnic spot on the Merri Creek
. The land was purchased in 1912 and a weir was constructed in 1915 to form a lake contained by basaltic outcroppings. The reserve was immensely popular, with diving boards, wading pools, kiosk and gardens, and continues to be a favourite picnic spot, also accessed by the Merri Creek Trail
.
After World War I
there was significant development east of Sydney Road, with the former East Coburg Primary School opening in 1926, and a Coburg East Post Office opening in 1929 (closing in 1975).
A Coburg West Post Office opened in 1936 and closed in 1979.
Coburg High School, (now demolished) stood opposite the Coburg Town Hall, and was once one of the few selective double sex High Schools in Melbourne and was also highly regarded.
In 1994 the 135-year-old City of Coburg ceased to exist when it merged with Brunswick
to become the new City of Moreland
.
.
Three tram lines service the area. Tram route 19
travels along Sydney Road
from the terminus at Bakers road, North Coburg
to Flinders Street Station
in the city. While the scheduled service is 6–15 minutes apart it is frequently late due traffic congestion on Sydney Road. Tram route 1
tram service travels from the terminus at Bell Street, Coburg, along Nicholson Street, then Lygon Street
Brunswick East
, Swanston Street
past Flinders Street Station
to South Melbourne
, while Tram route 8
travels from the tram depot on Moreland Rd, joining the number 1 route at the intersection of Moreland Rd and Nicholson St. While the number 1 turns to South Melbourne at the Arts Centre, the number 8 continues along St Kilda Rd to Toorak
. Tram route 55
from Domain Road south of the city centre serves the western part of Coburg via Melville Road, terminating at Bell Street.
Cyclists have access to many on-road bike lanes as well as the Upfield Bike Path
and the Merri Creek Trail
.
There are also buses and they all serve either the North West or the North.
Route 527 is a very popular service as it serves Preston which is an attraction for food and retail outlets in the north and is only a short 10-15 minute bus trip from Bell Street near Sydney Road.
(10-12). Local residents are campaigning for a general entry High School (years 7-12) to be opened by 2014. Kangan Institute operates two campuses in Coburg.
Australian rules football
club in the Victorian Football League
; the suburb also is home to 2 Essendon District Football League
clubs - West Coburg FC
and Northern Saints FC. Coburg also has basketball, cricket, tennis, baseball, swimming, table tennis, track cycling and soccer clubs. One of the oldest sporting clubs in the area is the Coburg Harriers Athletic Club which has been established for over 100 years.
commercial area, the Moreland City Council
civic centre precinct on Bell Street including the Coburg City Hall
, the John Fawkner Hospital on Moreland Road, and Lake Reserve on Merri Creek
. The suburb's most famous landmark is HM Prison Pentridge
, which has recently been redeveloped into a housing estate. Land prices have risen considerably since 2001 with The Grove long regarded the most prestigious street in the suburb.
significance listed on the Victorian Heritage Register
:
Coburg also has a number of places protected by Heritage Overlay
controls in the Moreland planning scheme.
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...
, 8 km north 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 Moreland
City of Moreland
The City of Moreland is a Local Government Area located within the metropolitan area of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It comprises the inner northern suburbs between 4 and 10 kilometres from the Melbourne city centre....
, although a handful of properties on Coburg's Eastern boundary are located in the City of Darebin
City of Darebin
The City of Darebin is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia, located in the northern suburbs of Melbourne. It has an area of , and as of 2009, has a population of 139,608...
. At the 2006 Census, Coburg had a population of 23,772.
Coburg's boundaries are Gaffney Street and Murray Road in the north, Elizabeth Street and Merri Creek
Merri Creek
The Merri Creek is a waterway in southern parts of Victoria, Australia which flows through the northern suburbs of Melbourne. It begins in Wallan north of Melbourne and flows south for 70km until it joins the Yarra River at Dights Falls...
in the east, Moreland Road in the South and Melville Road, Devon Avenue, Sussex Street and West Street in the west. Coburg is designated one of 26 Principal Activity Centres
Activity centre
Activity centre is a term used in urban planning and design for a mixed-use urban area where there is a concentration of commercial and other land uses...
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...
Metropolitan Strategy.
People
According to 2006 Census data, 23,722 people live in Coburg, with the population having increased in the past 5 years after steady decline over 20 years until 2001. The suburb is highly culturally diverse with above average proportion of citizens born overseas and a high proportion of citizens who speak a language other than English at home.Religion
Religious affiliation is very high in Coburg with two thirds of citizens declaring themselves to be ChristianChristian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
, but also with a substantial Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
population.
History
Merri Creek
The Merri Creek is a waterway in southern parts of Victoria, Australia which flows through the northern suburbs of Melbourne. It begins in Wallan north of Melbourne and flows south for 70km until it joins the Yarra River at Dights Falls...
was occupied by the Woiwurrung-speaking 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...
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. The Wurundjeri had a religious relationship to their land, participating in corroborees and sacred ceremonies on Merri Creek.
Coburg was first surveyed by Robert Hoddle
Robert Hoddle
Robert Hoddle was a surveyor of Port Phillip in the 1830s, and the creator of the Hoddle Grid, the street grid system upon which inner city Melbourne is based. He was also an accomplished artist and depicted scenes of the Port Philip region as well as New South Wales...
in 1837 - 1838, and he recorded that a Mr Hyatt had a sheep station and hut on the east bank of the Merri Creek, near present Outlook Road. Hoddle marked out a 327 acre (1.3 km²) village reserve with two roads for the district: Bell Street West and Pentridge Road, later called Sydney Road
Sydney Road, Melbourne
Sydney Road is a major urban arterial in the northern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.-Geography:...
. In 1840 the place was named Pentridge by a surveyor called Henry Foot who lived and worked near Merri Creek. It was named after the birthplace of Foot's wife: Pentridge
Pentridge
Pentridge is a village in north east Dorset, England, situated on Cranborne Chase on the A354 road ten miles north east of Blandford Forum and twelve miles south west of Salisbury. The village has a population of 215...
, Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Dr Farquhar McCrae, a wealthy surgeon, purchased 600 acres (2.4 km²) in the area which he called Moreland. In 1841 he also bought land called 'La Rose' in what is now known as Pascoe Vale South
Pascoe Vale South, Victoria
Pascoe Vale South is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 9 km north from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Moreland...
. The house he built in 1842 or 1843 is now known as Wentworth House, and is the oldest known private dwelling in Victoria still standing on its original site and the fifth oldest building in Victoria.
In 1842 the first inn, The Golden Fleece, was built on Sydney Road just north of Page Street. Twenty one farms were in the area by 1849. With the Victorian gold rush
Victorian gold rush
The Victorian gold rush was a period in the history of Victoria, Australia approximately between 1851 and the late 1860s. In 10 years the Australian population nearly tripled.- Overview :During this era Victoria dominated the world's gold output...
in the 1850s the population of the area grew rapidly. In 1858 water mains from Yan Yean were connected and the first local paper, the Brunswick and Pentridge Press, was started. In 1859 the Pentridge District Road Board was formed to get roads built in the area, the start of local government for the area.
Quarrying of 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...
began in the area 1850s, and by 1875 there were 41 quarries in Coburg. In December 1850 16 prisoners were moved from an overcrowded Melbourne Gaol
Melbourne Gaol
The Old Melbourne Gaol is a museum and former prison located in Russell Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It consists of a bluestone building and courtyard, and is located next to the old City Police Watch House and City Courts buildings...
to a stockade at Pentridge. Prisoners at what came to be called HM Prison Pentridge
HM Prison Pentridge
HM Prison Pentridge was an Australian prison built in 1850 in Coburg, Victoria. The first prisoners arrived in 1851. The prison officially closed on 1 May 1997....
were immediately put on "hard labour" by breaking up bluestone for road surfaces. In 1867 a public meeting was called to change the name of the district, as residents were stigmatised and embarrassed at living in a suburb principally known for its gaol, Pentridge Prison. Robert Mailer of Glencairn suggested that the suburb name be changed to Coburg, inspired by the impending visit to the colony of the Duke of Edinburgh, who was a member of the royal house of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
The House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha is a German dynasty, the senior line of the Saxon House of Wettin that ruled the Ernestine duchies, including the duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha....
. The government agreed with the proposal and the change was made in March 1870.
The Post Office opened on 1 August 1853 and was renamed Coburg in January 1870.
Sydney Road
Sydney Road, Melbourne
Sydney Road is a major urban arterial in the northern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.-Geography:...
attracted numerous hotels and commercial premises in the 1860s. Friendly societies soon formed: Manchester Unity (1863), Druids
Neo-Druidism
Neo-Druidism or Neo-Druidry, commonly referred to as Druidism or Druidry by its adherents, is a form of modern spirituality or religion that generally promotes harmony and worship of nature, and respect for all beings, including the environment...
(1867), Rechabites
Independent Order of Rechabites
The Independent Order of Rechabites was a Friendly Society founded in England in 1835 as part of the temperance movement to promote total abstinence from alcoholic beverages. Always well connected in upper society and involved in financial matters, it gradually transformed into a financial...
(1868) and a St. Patrick's Society in (1870). Coburg became a shire in 1875.
The Upfield railway line opened in 1884, and the Coburg railway station was built in 1888. In February 1889 the horse tram service began along Sydney Road. Electric trams started in service in 1916.
By 1899 there were 6000 people in the district. Coburg was gazetted as a borough in 1905 with Thomas Greenwood becoming Coburg's first mayor. The Public Hall built in 1869 was extended in 1909, but was still inadequate for the growing city. The new Town Hall was built and opened in 1923, with further extensions in 1928.
Lake Reserve is a popular picnic spot on the Merri Creek
Merri Creek
The Merri Creek is a waterway in southern parts of Victoria, Australia which flows through the northern suburbs of Melbourne. It begins in Wallan north of Melbourne and flows south for 70km until it joins the Yarra River at Dights Falls...
. The land was purchased in 1912 and a weir was constructed in 1915 to form a lake contained by basaltic outcroppings. The reserve was immensely popular, with diving boards, wading pools, kiosk and gardens, and continues to be a favourite picnic spot, also accessed by the Merri Creek Trail
Merri Creek Trail
The Merri Creek Trail is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians, which follows the Merri Creek through the northern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.-Following the Path:...
.
After World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
there was significant development east of Sydney Road, with the former East Coburg Primary School opening in 1926, and a Coburg East Post Office opening in 1929 (closing in 1975).
A Coburg West Post Office opened in 1936 and closed in 1979.
Coburg High School, (now demolished) stood opposite the Coburg Town Hall, and was once one of the few selective double sex High Schools in Melbourne and was also highly regarded.
In 1994 the 135-year-old City of Coburg ceased to exist when it merged with Brunswick
Brunswick, Victoria
Brunswick is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km north from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Moreland...
to become the new City of Moreland
City of Moreland
The City of Moreland is a Local Government Area located within the metropolitan area of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It comprises the inner northern suburbs between 4 and 10 kilometres from the Melbourne city centre....
.
Commerce
The main commercial activity in Coburg is the precinct between Coburg railway station and Sydney Road. Coburg doesn't have an enclosed shopping mall, though it does have four shopping arcades on the west side of Sydney Road. Coburg's main commercial precinct comprises about 250 shops, a small indoor market, several supermarkets and discount stores such as Dimmeys arranged around large, ground level car parks. In the 1990s the Victoria Street pedestrian mall was revamped with native trees and bluestone paving and has become an extremely popular place for locals to congregate and enjoy excellent cheap coffe. While Coburg shopping centre is very busy during the day, its modest number of restaurants, cafes and bars means that it can be quiet in the evenings. The commercial strip of Sydney Road is continuous from Coburg's southern neighbour Brunswick, but it has a very different character, having so far remained ungentrifiedGentrification
Gentrification and urban gentrification refer to the changes that result when wealthier people acquire or rent property in low income and working class communities. Urban gentrification is associated with movement. Consequent to gentrification, the average income increases and average family size...
.
Transport
The stations of Moreland and Coburg service the south of Coburg, while Batman and Merlynston service the north. These stations are all located on the Upfield railway line.Three tram lines service the area. Tram route 19
Melbourne tram route 19
Tram route 19 is a public transport service in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It runs from Flinders Street in the city centre to North Coburg in the northern suburbs. It runs through the suburbs of Melbourne, Parkville, Brunswick, Coburg, and Coburg North...
travels along Sydney Road
Sydney Road, Melbourne
Sydney Road is a major urban arterial in the northern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.-Geography:...
from the terminus at Bakers road, North Coburg
Coburg North, Victoria
Coburg North is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 10 km north from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Moreland. At the 2006 Census, Coburg North had a population of 6064....
to Flinders Street Station
Flinders Street Station
Flinders Street Station is the central railway station of the suburban railway network of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is on the corner of Flinders and Swanston Streets next to the Yarra River in the heart of the city, stretching from Swanston Street to Queen Street and covering two city...
in the city. While the scheduled service is 6–15 minutes apart it is frequently late due traffic congestion on Sydney Road. Tram route 1
Melbourne tram route 1
Tram route 1 is a public transport service in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It runs from the terminus at Nicholson Street and Bell Street in East Coburg to the corner of Victoria Avenue and Beaconsfield Parade in Albert Park....
tram service travels from the terminus at Bell Street, Coburg, along Nicholson Street, then Lygon Street
Lygon Street, Melbourne
Lygon Street is a street in inner northern Melbourne, Australia running through the suburbs of Carlton, Carlton North, Princes Hill and Brunswick East. Lygon Street's name has become synonymous with Italian restaurants and cafés located in the Carlton part of the street...
Brunswick East
Brunswick East, Victoria
Brunswick East is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km north from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Moreland. At the 2006 Census, Brunswick East had a population of 7,410....
, Swanston Street
Swanston Street, Melbourne
Swanston Street is a major thoroughfare in the centre of Melbourne, Australia. It is historically one of the main streets of central Melbourne, laid out in 1837 as part of the Hoddle Grid, the layout of major streets that makes up the central business district...
past Flinders Street Station
Flinders Street Station
Flinders Street Station is the central railway station of the suburban railway network of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is on the corner of Flinders and Swanston Streets next to the Yarra River in the heart of the city, stretching from Swanston Street to Queen Street and covering two city...
to South Melbourne
South Melbourne, Victoria
South Melbourne is an inner city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2 km south from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area are the Cities of Port Phillip and Melbourne...
, while Tram route 8
Melbourne tram route 8
Tram route 8 is a public transport service in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It runs from Toorak to Moreland through the suburbs of Carlton and South Yarra...
travels from the tram depot on Moreland Rd, joining the number 1 route at the intersection of Moreland Rd and Nicholson St. While the number 1 turns to South Melbourne at the Arts Centre, the number 8 continues along St Kilda Rd to Toorak
Toorak, Victoria
Toorak is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 5 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district located on a rise on the south side of a bend in the Yarra River. Its Local Government Area is the City of Stonnington...
. Tram route 55
Melbourne tram route 55
Tram route 55 is a public transport service in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It runs from the corner of Bell Street and Melville Road in West Coburg to the Domain Road Interchange - Domain Road and St Kilda Road east of the city....
from Domain Road south of the city centre serves the western part of Coburg via Melville Road, terminating at Bell Street.
Cyclists have access to many on-road bike lanes as well as the Upfield Bike Path
Upfield bike path
The Upfield Bike Path is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians, which follows Upfield railway line through the inner northern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
and the Merri Creek Trail
Merri Creek Trail
The Merri Creek Trail is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians, which follows the Merri Creek through the northern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.-Following the Path:...
.
There are also buses and they all serve either the North West or the North.
Route 527 is a very popular service as it serves Preston which is an attraction for food and retail outlets in the north and is only a short 10-15 minute bus trip from Bell Street near Sydney Road.
Educational facilities
Coburg has a variety of primary and secondary educational facilities. There is a special developmental school, four government primary schools (Coburg North PS, Coburg PS, Coburg West PS, Moreland PS), three Catholic primary schools and a Maronite Christian primary school. Australian International Academy (previously known as King Khalid Islamic College) is a private Islamic school providing primary and secondary education. There is no government general entry secondary school (post year 6), although there are other schools including St. Joseph's College (7-12) and Coburg Senior High SchoolCoburg Senior High School
Coburg Senior High School is a school in Coburg, an inner northern suburb of Melbourne, Australia. Opened in 2007, the school caters to years 10, 11 and 12, with year 10 students taking some VCE subjects....
(10-12). Local residents are campaigning for a general entry High School (years 7-12) to be opened by 2014. Kangan Institute operates two campuses in Coburg.
Sport
The suburb is home to the Coburg TigersCoburg Tigers
Coburg Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club based in Coburg, a northern suburb of Melbourne, and currently playing in the Victorian Football League. Coburg have an alignment in place with the AFL's Richmond Football Club which saw the Coburg club change its...
Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
club in the Victorian Football League
Victorian Football League
The Victorian Football League which evolved from the former Victorian Football Association , taking its new name as from the 1996 season, is the premier Australian rules football league in Victoria The Victorian Football League (VFL) which evolved from the former Victorian Football Association...
; the suburb also is home to 2 Essendon District Football League
Essendon District Football League
The Essendon District Football League is an Australian rules football league based in the north-west suburbs of Melbourne, which was established in 1930.The EDFL consists of 24 senior clubs, 10 clubs in A Grade and 14 clubs in B Grade...
clubs - West Coburg FC
West Coburg Football Club
The West Coburg Football Club is an Australian rules football club located 8 km north west of Melbourne in the suburb of Coburg. The club was founded in 1927, and fields seniors and juniors in the Essendon District Football League....
and Northern Saints FC. Coburg also has basketball, cricket, tennis, baseball, swimming, table tennis, track cycling and soccer clubs. One of the oldest sporting clubs in the area is the Coburg Harriers Athletic Club which has been established for over 100 years.
Landmarks and notable places
Major features of the area include the Sydney RoadSydney Road, Melbourne
Sydney Road is a major urban arterial in the northern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.-Geography:...
commercial area, the Moreland City Council
City of Moreland
The City of Moreland is a Local Government Area located within the metropolitan area of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It comprises the inner northern suburbs between 4 and 10 kilometres from the Melbourne city centre....
civic centre precinct on Bell Street including the Coburg City Hall
Coburg City Hall
The Coburg City Hall, formerly the Town Hall of the City of Coburg, is located on Bell Street, Coburg, Melbourne, Australia.The original building, built by Cockram & Cooper Builders and designed by C.R. Heather A.R.V.I.A., consisted of a white dome and two wings , and was officially opened on 1...
, the John Fawkner Hospital on Moreland Road, and Lake Reserve on Merri Creek
Merri Creek
The Merri Creek is a waterway in southern parts of Victoria, Australia which flows through the northern suburbs of Melbourne. It begins in Wallan north of Melbourne and flows south for 70km until it joins the Yarra River at Dights Falls...
. The suburb's most famous landmark is HM Prison Pentridge
HM Prison Pentridge
HM Prison Pentridge was an Australian prison built in 1850 in Coburg, Victoria. The first prisoners arrived in 1851. The prison officially closed on 1 May 1997....
, which has recently been redeveloped into a housing estate. Land prices have risen considerably since 2001 with The Grove long regarded the most prestigious street in the suburb.
Heritage Places
Coburg has a number of places of heritageCultural heritage
Cultural heritage is the legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or society that are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations...
significance listed on the Victorian Heritage Register
Victorian Heritage Register
The Victorian Heritage Register lists places of cultural heritage significance to the State of Victoria, Australia. It has statutory weight under the Heritage Act 1995 which establishes Heritage Victoria as the permit authority...
:
- Murray Road Coburg And Urquhart Street Coburg
- H2042 Baby Health Care Centre, Elm Grove Coburg
- H0689 Cottage, 82 Bell Street Coburg
- 1 Booth St Coburg
- H1198 Bridge Over Merri Creek, Murray Road Coburg
- H1709 Infant Building And Shelter Shed, Primary School No.484, 484 Bell Street Coburg
- H1297 The Grange, 39 Belgrave Street Coburg
- H0959 Holy Trinity Anglican Church Complex, 520 Sydney Road Coburg
- Bush Reserve, 227a Bell Street Coburg
- H0375 Glencairn, 6 Craigrossie Avenue And 3 Wattle Grove Coburg
- H1948 Arundel, 42 Ross Street Coburg
- H1290 Former Bates Building, 400-404 Sydney Road Coburg
- H0962 Uniting Church Second Wesleyan Methodist Chapel, 512 Sydney Road And Corner Bell Street Coburg
- H1446 Bridge, Newlands Road (Over Merri Creek) Coburg
- H1551 Hm Prison Pentridge, Sydney Road And Champ Street And Murray Road And Urquhart Street Coburg
- H0952 Upfield Railway Line Precinct, Brunswick, Parkville And Coburg
- H0139 The American Cottage, 21 Station Street Coburg
Coburg also has a number of places protected by Heritage Overlay
Heritage Overlay
A Heritage Overlay or HO is one of a number of planning scheme overlays contained in the Victorian Planning Provisions, for use in planning schemes in Victoria, Australia...
controls in the Moreland planning scheme.
Notable people from Coburg
- Raelene BoyleRaelene BoyleRaelene Ann Boyle, AM, MBE, , Australian athlete, represented Australia at three Olympic Games as a sprinter, winning three silver medals. In 1998, Boyle was named one of 100 National Living Treasures by the National Trust of Australia.-Early life:Boyle was born on 24 June 1951, the daughter of...
- Ted EganTed EganEdward Joseph Egan AO is an Australian folk musician, and was a public servant who served as Administrator of the Northern Territory from 2003 to 2007.-Early life:...
- Phil ClearyPhil ClearyPhilip Ronald Cleary is an Australian commentator on politics and sport, particularly Australian rules football, and a former independent politician elected at the 1992 Wills by-election.-Football playing career:...
- Sydney LucasSydney LucasSyd Maurice Lucas was, at age 108, one of three remaining British Tommies of World War I , although the war ended before he was sent to fight. He was born in Leicester, England, and conscripted into the British Army's Sherwood Foresters while a teenager in August 1918...
- Rod QuantockRod QuantockRod Quantock is an Australian stand-up comedian and writer. He is known for his peculiar style of stand-up comedy, which is often politically driven, as well as being the face of bed retailer Capt'n Snooze for many years...
- Dean JonesDean Jones (cricketer)Dean Mervyn Jones AM is a retired Australian cricketer, and is presently a coach. He also worked as a media commentator.-Career:...
born in Coburg - Angry AndersonAngry AndersonGary Stephen "Angry" Anderson AM is an Australian rock singer, television presenter/reporter, actor and conservative political activist. He is best known as the vocalist with the hard rock band Rose Tattoo since 1976 but he is also recognised for his acting roles and his charity work...
- Jock McHaleJock McHaleJames Francis "Jock" McHale, was an Australian rules football player and coach for the Collingwood Football Club in the Victorian Football League in a marathon career that extended from 1903 to 1949....