Westgarth, Victoria
Encyclopedia
Westgarth is a locality in Melbourne
, Victoria
, Australia
. It is in the Local Government Area of the City of Darebin
. It is situated 4 or 5 km from Melbourne's central business district, just north of Clifton Hill
, and a few hundred metres south of the main part of Northcote
. Merri Creek
forms its western border, and to the east lies Fairfield
.
Westgarth is regarded as part of Northcote
for administrative purposes, although it retains its own geographically distinct commercial centre.
Before European occupation, the area was home to the Wurundjeri
people. Land c.2 km to the south, where Merri Creek
meets the Yarra
, was an early site of colonial contact, briefly home to the Native Police Corps
in 1842, and a school for Aboriginal children until 1851. Land sales occurred in the Northcote area first occurred in 1840, and land was purchased in the area then known as Northcote-by-the-Merri but not immediately developed. Three of the buyers later had streets named after them - Cunningham, Urquhart and Walker. As Northcote, Victoria
developed in the mid-to-late 19th century, Northcote-by-the-Merri became known as Northcote South1. Land was gazetted for development in 1853, but development was relatively slow. All Saints Anglican church dates to 1860 (present building, 1870), and the Bridge Hotel to 1864.
Westgarth's development accelerated - along with that of many other Melbourne suburbs - in the economic boom of the 1880s. As the children of the Gold Rush generation formed their own families, Melbourne's population swelled. The Victorian Parliament reacted by using railway lines to open up new housing areas. The railway line from Clifton Hill
to Alphington
was opened in 1884, and the railway station was linked to Melbourne via a western loop in 1888. A cable tram line down High Street to Clifton Hill was opened in 1886, faltered after the land market collapse of 1892, and opened and closed again until reopening permanently in 1901. Building continued through the Edwardian era and into the 1920s, and in 1925 the Northcote tram was connected right through to the city centre. The present commercial and shopping strip along High St. dates to the early 20th century, and Westgarth Primary School to 1925, when it opened as Westgarth Central School. The suburb won its present name between 1906 and 1910, with the decision to name the railway station after William Westgarth
. The art nouveau Westgarth Theatre, the suburb's best-known landmark, opened in 1920.
The 1960s and 1970s saw an influx of southern European immigrants to the area, in common with other City of Darebin
suburbs. By the 1970s the Westgarth Theatre catered largely to a Greek-speaking cinema audience. Westgarth school photos and class lists from the 1970s are dominated by Greek names and faces. That influence began to fade in the 1980s, with the arrival of a new generation of Westgarth residents with higher incomes and education levels. The process of gentrification
accelerated through the 1990s, fuelled by the suburb's central location, attractive streets and housing stock, and its proximity to pricer inner-city suburbs including Fitzroy
, Clifton Hill
and North Fitzroy. The Westgarth Theatre became an art-house movie venue in 1986 when the Valhalla Cinema
relocated after the demolition of its original premises in Richmond
. Ten years later, it became the Westgarth Cinema. A number of industrial buildings along High St. were converted to residential use in the late 1990s and early first decade of the 21st century. Westgarth Primary School's original building was demolished in 1990 and replaced by an open-plan building.
Today, Westgarth retains its southern European presence, with many children of the 1960s and 1970s immigrant wave now living in the area. But the area also houses a wide variety of other cultural and language groups. Gentrification has brought back some of the children of Melbourne residents who moved to middle and outer suburbs in the 1950s and 1960s. The area is now known for its local artists, and a lesbian community has also been associated with Westgarth for some years. The best-known local resident is the Australian actor Vince Colosimo
.
The Westgarth Cinema remains the centre of the small commercial strip at the southern end of High Street, which is now populated by bohemian fashion outlets, cafes and other retail businesses. The strip remains noticeably less developed than its counterparts in Clifton Hill and Fairfield, arguably due in part to the traffic intensity of the relatively narrow High Street. New development has been rare, although new businesses open every few months and apartments were constructed in 2009. The lack of local retail businesses means most Westgarth residents currently travel to other suburbs for groceries and many other needs. Retaining the "village" feel of Westgarth, against mounting commercial pressures to redevelop Victorian heritage buildings and development sites, was the aim of the now-defunct "Save Westgarth Village" campaign.
The Westgarth Cinema was one of the last two remaining single-screen venues in Melbourne, until being redeveloped in 2006. After several years of uncertainty about its commercial survival, the family owners finally sold it to Palace Cinemas in 2005, while retaining ownership of the building. Although many original features have been preserved, it is now a popular multiplex with a 300-seat cinema downstairs and two 100-seat cinemas upstairs.
The train line through Westgarth station is now part of the Hurstbridge line, following an easterly route into the city. A second, proximate station on the Epping line, Rushall
, is accessed via a pedestrian and cyclist bridge over the Merri Creek
(the bridge connects through to an east-west cycle route along Linear Park, one of the nicest such parks in Melbourne). The High Street tram line is now Melbourne tram
route 86. Upgrading the tram will occur between 2009 and 2011, with some possible effects on congestion and parking, noted in Council consultation and in community campaigns on these transport proposals.
The Jika Jika Community centre is the main meeting place for local events and activities.
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...
. It is in the Local Government Area of 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...
. It is situated 4 or 5 km from Melbourne's central business district, just north of Clifton Hill
Clifton Hill, Victoria
Clifton Hill is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 4 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. The border between Clifton Hill and Fitzroy North is Queens Parade and Smith Street. Merri Creek defines the eastern border of Clifton Hill. Its Local Government Area is...
, and a few hundred metres south of the main part of Northcote
Northcote, Victoria
Northcote is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 7 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Darebin...
. 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...
forms its western border, and to the east lies Fairfield
Fairfield, Victoria
Fairfield is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area are the Cities of Darebin and Yarra...
.
Westgarth is regarded as part of Northcote
Northcote, Victoria
Northcote is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 7 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Darebin...
for administrative purposes, although it retains its own geographically distinct commercial centre.
History
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. Land c.2 km to the south, where 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...
meets the Yarra
Yarra River
The Yarra River, originally Birrarung, is a river in east-central Victoria, Australia. The lower stretches of the river is where the city of Melbourne was established in 1835 and today Greater Melbourne dominates and influences the landscape of its lower reaches...
, was an early site of colonial contact, briefly home to the Native Police Corps
Native Police Corps
An Australian Native Police Corps was first established in 1842 in the Port Phillip District of the Australian colony of New South Wales...
in 1842, and a school for Aboriginal children until 1851. Land sales occurred in the Northcote area first occurred in 1840, and land was purchased in the area then known as Northcote-by-the-Merri but not immediately developed. Three of the buyers later had streets named after them - Cunningham, Urquhart and Walker. As Northcote, Victoria
Northcote, Victoria
Northcote is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 7 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Darebin...
developed in the mid-to-late 19th century, Northcote-by-the-Merri became known as Northcote South1. Land was gazetted for development in 1853, but development was relatively slow. All Saints Anglican church dates to 1860 (present building, 1870), and the Bridge Hotel to 1864.
Westgarth's development accelerated - along with that of many other Melbourne suburbs - in the economic boom of the 1880s. As the children of the Gold Rush generation formed their own families, Melbourne's population swelled. The Victorian Parliament reacted by using railway lines to open up new housing areas. The railway line from Clifton Hill
Clifton Hill, Victoria
Clifton Hill is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 4 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. The border between Clifton Hill and Fitzroy North is Queens Parade and Smith Street. Merri Creek defines the eastern border of Clifton Hill. Its Local Government Area is...
to Alphington
Alphington, Victoria
Alphington is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 7 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area are the Cities of Darebin and Yarra. At the 2006 Census, Alphington had a population of 4,483...
was opened in 1884, and the railway station was linked to Melbourne via a western loop in 1888. A cable tram line down High Street to Clifton Hill was opened in 1886, faltered after the land market collapse of 1892, and opened and closed again until reopening permanently in 1901. Building continued through the Edwardian era and into the 1920s, and in 1925 the Northcote tram was connected right through to the city centre. The present commercial and shopping strip along High St. dates to the early 20th century, and Westgarth Primary School to 1925, when it opened as Westgarth Central School. The suburb won its present name between 1906 and 1910, with the decision to name the railway station after William Westgarth
William Westgarth
William Westgarth was a Scottish-born merchant, historian, statistician and politician in Australia.-Early life:...
. The art nouveau Westgarth Theatre, the suburb's best-known landmark, opened in 1920.
The 1960s and 1970s saw an influx of southern European immigrants to the area, in common with other 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...
suburbs. By the 1970s the Westgarth Theatre catered largely to a Greek-speaking cinema audience. Westgarth school photos and class lists from the 1970s are dominated by Greek names and faces. That influence began to fade in the 1980s, with the arrival of a new generation of Westgarth residents with higher incomes and education levels. The process of gentrification
Gentrification
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...
accelerated through the 1990s, fuelled by the suburb's central location, attractive streets and housing stock, and its proximity to pricer inner-city suburbs including Fitzroy
Fitzroy, Victoria
Fitzroy is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Yarra. Its borders are Alexandra Parade , Victoria Parade , Smith Street and Nicholson Street. Fitzroy is Melbourne's...
, Clifton Hill
Clifton Hill, Victoria
Clifton Hill is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 4 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. The border between Clifton Hill and Fitzroy North is Queens Parade and Smith Street. Merri Creek defines the eastern border of Clifton Hill. Its Local Government Area is...
and North Fitzroy. The Westgarth Theatre became an art-house movie venue in 1986 when the Valhalla Cinema
Valhalla Cinema, Melbourne
The Valhalla Cinema was a repertory and arthouse movie theatre in Melbourne, Australia. Noted for audience participation films, it was named for Valhalla, the "Hall of the slain" in Norse mythology.-History:...
relocated after the demolition of its original premises in Richmond
Richmond, Victoria
Richmond is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Yarra...
. Ten years later, it became the Westgarth Cinema. A number of industrial buildings along High St. were converted to residential use in the late 1990s and early first decade of the 21st century. Westgarth Primary School's original building was demolished in 1990 and replaced by an open-plan building.
World War II
A partially excavated tunnel and bunker is located in Westgarth on the north bank of Merri Creek about 30 metres downstream from where a trail crosses the stream near the southwest corner of Oldis Gardens and East Street. The tunnel entrance is locked and it is reported that it lies under a high pressure gas pipeline.Westgarth today
Today, Westgarth retains its southern European presence, with many children of the 1960s and 1970s immigrant wave now living in the area. But the area also houses a wide variety of other cultural and language groups. Gentrification has brought back some of the children of Melbourne residents who moved to middle and outer suburbs in the 1950s and 1960s. The area is now known for its local artists, and a lesbian community has also been associated with Westgarth for some years. The best-known local resident is the Australian actor Vince Colosimo
Vince Colosimo
Vincenzo Colosimo is an Australian AFI Award winning stage, television and screen actor. He has worked in both Australia and the United States.-Personal life:...
.
The Westgarth Cinema remains the centre of the small commercial strip at the southern end of High Street, which is now populated by bohemian fashion outlets, cafes and other retail businesses. The strip remains noticeably less developed than its counterparts in Clifton Hill and Fairfield, arguably due in part to the traffic intensity of the relatively narrow High Street. New development has been rare, although new businesses open every few months and apartments were constructed in 2009. The lack of local retail businesses means most Westgarth residents currently travel to other suburbs for groceries and many other needs. Retaining the "village" feel of Westgarth, against mounting commercial pressures to redevelop Victorian heritage buildings and development sites, was the aim of the now-defunct "Save Westgarth Village" campaign.
The Westgarth Cinema was one of the last two remaining single-screen venues in Melbourne, until being redeveloped in 2006. After several years of uncertainty about its commercial survival, the family owners finally sold it to Palace Cinemas in 2005, while retaining ownership of the building. Although many original features have been preserved, it is now a popular multiplex with a 300-seat cinema downstairs and two 100-seat cinemas upstairs.
The train line through Westgarth station is now part of the Hurstbridge line, following an easterly route into the city. A second, proximate station on the Epping line, Rushall
Rushall railway station
Rushall railway station was a station on the South Staffordshire Line. It was opened in 1849. It was the first station to fall on the line, closing in 1909...
, is accessed via a pedestrian and cyclist bridge over 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 bridge connects through to an east-west cycle route along Linear Park, one of the nicest such parks in Melbourne). The High Street tram line is now Melbourne tram
Trams in Melbourne
The Melbourne tramway network is a major form of public transport in Melbourne, the capital city of the state of Victoria, Australia. , the network consisted of of track, 487 trams, 28 routes, and 1,773 tram stops. It was therefore the largest urban tramway network in the world, ahead of the...
route 86. Upgrading the tram will occur between 2009 and 2011, with some possible effects on congestion and parking, noted in Council consultation and in community campaigns on these transport proposals.
The Jika Jika Community centre is the main meeting place for local events and activities.