Westmeadows, Victoria
Encyclopedia
Westmeadows is a suburb in Melbourne
, Victoria
, Australia
, 17 km north from Melbourne's central business district
. Its Local Government Area is the City of Hume
. At the 2006 Census, Westmeadows had a population of 5,857.
Mainly a residential suburb, Westmeadows includes the areas east and west of Mickleham Road
. It borders include Yuroke Creek between Johnstone St and Barry Road (the eastern limit), the border with Attwood
(the water pipes path parallel to Toora Drive, Linga St, Kenny St) as well as the Moonee Ponds Creek
east of Mickleham Road (the northern limits) and just before the Cleanaway Landfill (the western limit). The area north of residential Westmeadows (still part of Westmeadows) contains the east-west flight path for the Melbourne Airport
, Tullamarine
. The land under the flight path has been kept undeveloped and is the Broadmeadows Valley Park
. It contains two streams which flow into the Moonee Ponds Creek.
Aboriginal
tribe prior to European settlement, was settled by pastoralists in the 1840s.
Westmeadows contains the original Broadmeadows
village on the Moonee Ponds Creek
, but is now west of the present Broadmeadows. The first Broadmeadows township was laid out by a Government survey in 1850. Ardlie Street was its commercial centre with a hotel (the Broadmeadows Hotel, now Westmeadows Tavern), the police station and the shire office (the District Roads Board Building, opened in 1866).
The first Broadmeadows Post Office opened here on 1 January 1855, was renamed Broadmeadows West in 1955 then Westmeadows in 1963.
The Anglican Church was opened in 1850 a little to the east, a Presbyterian Church was opened in the same decade, the Vicarage for the Anglican Church in 1860 and the St Anne’s Roman Catholic Church in 1867. A school begun in Westmeadows in 1851. However, the present primary school site dates from 1870.
Broadmeadows township and the urban centre began to be moved two kilometres eastwards when the railway line and station were opened in 1872. Shire loyalties clung to the old township until new civic offices were built near the railway station in 1928.
The Housing Commission began the building of a 2,226 ha. estate in the Broadmeadows area in 1949. Not until 1975 did it begin building in the vicinity of the old township, which it called Westmeadows Heights. Between 1975 and 1979 it built over 900 houses in the area.
The Old Coach House (10 Broad St) c.1860's.
Local information suggests the place has been known as the Old Coach House, suggesting a connection with the coaching activities of Cobb & Co. and that it was the site of Grant's Livery Stables in 1850, a stop-over for coaches operating between Melbourne and Broadmeadows. The Coach Service ran daily from the Bush Inn in Burke Street Melbourne, leaving there a 4:00pm and returning at 8:00am the next day (return far 4/-) (Historical Society)
Like most of Melbourne, Westmeadows has a multicultural population. According to the 2001 Census, just over two thirds (68.8%)
of persons in Westmeadows were born in Australia and 24.6% being born overseas. Around one fifth (19.8%) were born overseas in a non-English speaking country. The most common overseas countries of birth were Italy
and the United Kingdom
.
Just over two thirds of persons in Westmeadows (67.8%) speak only English
at home. The most common foreign languages spoken in Westmeadows are Italian
, Turkish
, Arabic
(including Lebanese
), and Greek
.
Most of the working age class of Westmeadows is employed. The unemployment rate is 7.6%, which is slightly lower than the unemployment rate for Hume (8.4%).
] to Moonee Ponds Station, the 484, which runs from Broadmeadows Railway Station to Roxburgh Park Station
and the 500 bus which runs from Broadmeadows to Sunbury Station
via Melbourne Airport
.
. All bus routes through Westmeadows terminate at the station.
Westmeadows Football Club
, an Australian Rules football team, competes in the Essendon District Football League
.
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...
, 17 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 Hume
City of Hume
The City of Hume is a Local Government Area located partially within the metropolitan area of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It includes outer north-western suburbs and a number of rural localities between 13 and 40 kilometres from the Melbourne city centre....
. At the 2006 Census, Westmeadows had a population of 5,857.
Mainly a residential suburb, Westmeadows includes the areas east and west of Mickleham Road
Mickleham Road, Melbourne
Mickleham Road is a secondary road located in Victoria, Australia, north of Melbourne.-Route:Mickleham Road begins at an intersection with Melrose Drive and Broadmeadows Road in Tullamarine, and continues north through the suburbs of Gladstone Park, Westmeadows, Attwood, Greenvale, Yuroke and...
. It borders include Yuroke Creek between Johnstone St and Barry Road (the eastern limit), the border with Attwood
Attwood, Victoria
Attwood is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 20 km north-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Hume. At the 2006 Census, Attwood had a population of 2,916....
(the water pipes path parallel to Toora Drive, Linga St, Kenny St) as well as the Moonee Ponds Creek
Moonee Ponds Creek
The Moonee Ponds Creek is a creek and major tributary of the Yarra River running through urban Melbourne, Victoria, Australia from northern to inner suburbs...
east of Mickleham Road (the northern limits) and just before the Cleanaway Landfill (the western limit). The area north of residential Westmeadows (still part of Westmeadows) contains the east-west flight path for the Melbourne Airport
Melbourne Airport
Melbourne Airport , also known as Tullamarine Airport, is the primary airport serving the city of Melbourne and the second busiest in Australia. It was opened in 1970 to replace the nearby Essendon Airport. Melbourne Airport is the sole international airport of the four airports serving the...
, Tullamarine
Tullamarine, Victoria
Tullamarine is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 17 km north-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area are the Cities of Hume, Brimbank and Moreland. At the 2006 Census, Tullamarine had a population of 6,541....
. The land under the flight path has been kept undeveloped and is the Broadmeadows Valley Park
Broadmeadows Valley Park
Broadmeadows Valley Park is an area of undeveloped land stretching from the northern extents of Meadow Heights to the southern extents of Jacana in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
. It contains two streams which flow into the Moonee Ponds Creek.
History
The Broadmeadows area, home to the WurundjeriWurundjeri
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...
Aboriginal
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....
tribe prior to European settlement, was settled by pastoralists in the 1840s.
Westmeadows contains the original Broadmeadows
Broadmeadows, Victoria
Broadmeadows is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 16 km north from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Hume...
village on the Moonee Ponds Creek
Moonee Ponds Creek
The Moonee Ponds Creek is a creek and major tributary of the Yarra River running through urban Melbourne, Victoria, Australia from northern to inner suburbs...
, but is now west of the present Broadmeadows. The first Broadmeadows township was laid out by a Government survey in 1850. Ardlie Street was its commercial centre with a hotel (the Broadmeadows Hotel, now Westmeadows Tavern), the police station and the shire office (the District Roads Board Building, opened in 1866).
The first Broadmeadows Post Office opened here on 1 January 1855, was renamed Broadmeadows West in 1955 then Westmeadows in 1963.
The Anglican Church was opened in 1850 a little to the east, a Presbyterian Church was opened in the same decade, the Vicarage for the Anglican Church in 1860 and the St Anne’s Roman Catholic Church in 1867. A school begun in Westmeadows in 1851. However, the present primary school site dates from 1870.
Broadmeadows township and the urban centre began to be moved two kilometres eastwards when the railway line and station were opened in 1872. Shire loyalties clung to the old township until new civic offices were built near the railway station in 1928.
The Housing Commission began the building of a 2,226 ha. estate in the Broadmeadows area in 1949. Not until 1975 did it begin building in the vicinity of the old township, which it called Westmeadows Heights. Between 1975 and 1979 it built over 900 houses in the area.
Landmarks
There are many historic buildings and landmarks still surviving in Westmeadows. These include the Shire Offices and the Bluestone Bridge over the Moonee Ponds Creek (built in 1869, part of Fawkner St) which are both on the Register of the National Estate. The original Westmeadows Police Station (no longer in use, since the opening of the Broadmeadows Police Station) and the Westmeadows Gaol are also still standing. The original Anglican church is still being used (presently on Raleigh St).The Old Coach House (10 Broad St) c.1860's.
Local information suggests the place has been known as the Old Coach House, suggesting a connection with the coaching activities of Cobb & Co. and that it was the site of Grant's Livery Stables in 1850, a stop-over for coaches operating between Melbourne and Broadmeadows. The Coach Service ran daily from the Bush Inn in Burke Street Melbourne, leaving there a 4:00pm and returning at 8:00am the next day (return far 4/-) (Historical Society)
Demographics
The estimated population for Westmeadows, according to the 2001 Census, was 6,374.Like most of Melbourne, Westmeadows has a multicultural population. According to the 2001 Census, just over two thirds (68.8%)
of persons in Westmeadows were born in Australia and 24.6% being born overseas. Around one fifth (19.8%) were born overseas in a non-English speaking country. The most common overseas countries of birth were Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Just over two thirds of persons in Westmeadows (67.8%) speak only English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
at home. The most common foreign languages spoken in Westmeadows are Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
, Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
(including Lebanese
Lebanese Arabic
Lebanese or Lebanese Arabic is a variety of Levantine Arabic, indigenous to and spoken primarily in Lebanon, with significant linguistic influences borrowed from other Middle Eastern and European languages, and is in some ways unique from other varieties of Arabic...
), and Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
.
Most of the working age class of Westmeadows is employed. The unemployment rate is 7.6%, which is slightly lower than the unemployment rate for Hume (8.4%).
Bus routes
There are three bus routes that operate around Westmeadows. These bus routes are the 477, which runs from Broadmeadows Railway StationBroadmeadows railway station, Melbourne
Broadmeadows is a railway station in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located in the suburb of Broadmeadows, on the Craigieburn railway line. Broadmeadows is classed as a Premium Station and is in Metcard Zone 2.-Facilities:...
] to Moonee Ponds Station, the 484, which runs from Broadmeadows Railway Station to Roxburgh Park Station
Roxburgh Park railway station
Roxburgh Park is a suburban railway station located on the Craigieburn railway line on Thomas Brunton Parade in Roxburgh Park, Victoria, Australia...
and the 500 bus which runs from Broadmeadows to Sunbury Station
Sunbury railway station, Melbourne
Sunbury is a railway station in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located in the township of Sunbury, on the Melbourne - Bendigo railway. The station is staffed during daylight hours for most train services until approximately 8pm, and is in Metcard and myki Zone 2...
via Melbourne Airport
Melbourne Airport
Melbourne Airport , also known as Tullamarine Airport, is the primary airport serving the city of Melbourne and the second busiest in Australia. It was opened in 1970 to replace the nearby Essendon Airport. Melbourne Airport is the sole international airport of the four airports serving the...
.
Train Station
The closest station is the Broadmeadows railway stationBroadmeadows railway station, Melbourne
Broadmeadows is a railway station in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located in the suburb of Broadmeadows, on the Craigieburn railway line. Broadmeadows is classed as a Premium Station and is in Metcard Zone 2.-Facilities:...
. All bus routes through Westmeadows terminate at the station.
Sporting clubs
Westmeadows is represented by the following teams in their respective leagues:Westmeadows Football Club
Westmeadows Football Club
The Westmeadows Football Club is an Australian rules football club located 19 km north west of Melbourne in the suburb of Westmeadows and is affiliated with the Essendon District Football League....
, an Australian Rules football team, competes in the 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...
.
- CricketCricketCricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
- Westmeadows Cricket Club
- TennisTennisTennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
Sporting grounds
Westmeadows has many sporting grounds. It has an Australian Football oval in Willowbrook Reserve which is home to the Westmeadows Football Club and the Westmeadows Cricket Club. There is another Australian Rules/Cricket oval (with nets) in the Westmeadows Reserve near Ardlie Street. The Westmeadows Heights Reserve includes another Cricket oval (with nets) and two Soccer fields. The Westmeadows Tennis Club has 6 courts and is also located in Willowbrook Reserve.See also
- City of BroadmeadowsCity of BroadmeadowsThe City of Broadmeadows was a Local Government Area located about north of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The city covered an area of , and existed from 1857 until 1994.-History:...
- the former local government area of which Westmeadows was a part.