Population 12,944 (2011) LGA(s) City of Boroondara Balwyn Mont Albert North Postal code 3103 | Postcode(s) 3103 State electorate(s) Box Hill
Kew Area 5.6 km² Federal division Division of Kooyong | |
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Location 10 km (6 mi) from Melbourne | ||
Balwyn (/ˈbɔːlwərn/) is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 10 km east of Melbourne's Central Business District. Its local government area is the City of Boroondara. At the 2011 Census, Balwyn had a population of 12,944.
Contents
Map of Balwyn VIC 3103, Australia
Well known for its high quality family lifestyle and many leafy streets, Balwyn is among Melbourne's most exclusive and desirable suburbs.
Balwyn in the north is separated from Balwyn North by Belmore Road, bounded in the west by Burke Road, in the south by an irregular line along Mont Albert Road, Northcote Avenue and Whitehorse Road and in the east by a line some distance to the east of Union Road.
Whitehorse Road runs east-west along the ridgeline through the centre of Balwyn. Balwyn Road runs north-south from Koonung Creek Reserve (adjacent to the Eastern Freeway) to Canterbury Road.
The south west part of Balwyn was excised as the suburb of Deepdene in 2010.
History
Balwyn was part of Henry Elgar's Special Survey of 8 square miles (21 km2) in 1841, which was subdivided into small farms and grazing runs.
In the late 1850s Andrew Murray, commercial editor and political writer for The Argus newspaper, bought land on the hill overlooking Canterbury Gardens. He named his house Balwyn from the Gaelic bal and the Saxon wyn, meaning 'the home of the vine'. Balwyn Road and the district were named after it. The house was located on the site that is now part of Fintona Girls' School.
In 1868 the Balwyn Primary School was opened in Balwyn Road, about 100 metres north of Whitehorse Road. It was moved to the present site, south of Whitehorse Road, in 1880, opposite Murray's property. Balwyn's first town centre was near the intersection of Balwyn and Whitehorse Roads, containing a few shops, a blacksmith and the athenaeum or mechanics' institute. Anglican services began in 1868 and the St. Barnabas church, Balwyn Road, was opened in 1872.
Balwyn Post Office first opened on 26 August 1874, in a rural area, closed in 1894, then reopened in 1920. It faced a second closure on 11 February 2011 but due to a campaign by local residents and the intervention of the Federal Member, Josh Frydenberg, the service was reopened.
The Outer Circle railway line, with a station at Deepdene, opened in 1891, was closed in 1893, re-opened in 1900 then finally closed to passenger traffic in 1927.
The electric tram system was extended along Cotham Road to terminate at Burke Road, Deepdene, on 30 May 1913. The line was extended along Whitehorse Road, through Balwyn to terminate at Union Road, Mont Albert, on 30 September 1916.
The Balwyn Cinema, currently operated by Palace Cinemas, first opened as a single screen theatre in 1930. It was later converted into a multiplex in the 1990s, but the foyer was recently restored, uncovering the original 1930's tiled floor. It currently also serves as the head office of Palace Cinemas.
Balwyn's status as an affluent suburb has seen middle to upper-middle-class families from suburbs such as Kew and Brighton transfer to the area to take advantage of the suburb's relatively large block sizes and proximity to some of Victoria's best private schools including those in the neighbouring suburbs of Canterbury and Kew. Some of the initial development of the suburb occurred along the Whitehorse Road tramline, along which the Wade handbag and the Jarvis Walker fishing rod factories were once located. The suburb's main shopping area is located around the intersection of Whitehorse Road and Balwyn Road.
Apart from the significant religious establishments of the suburb, a considerable number of local, almost village churches, sprang up post World War II, one example of which was the Deepdene Methodist Church. Now defunct, the church was adopted by the Rev Dr A. H. Wood upon his retirement as Principal of the Methodist Ladies' College in Kew. Wood made an indelible contribution to the suburb through his role at the church.
Today
Balwyn is consistently ranked as one of Melbourne's 10 most exclusive suburbs. The heritage-protected Reid Estate is especially noted - an area of Balwyn between Mont Albert Road and Whitehorse Road developed in the interwar period and graced with numerous mansions, many of which are of architectural significance. Balwyn is also home to the exquisite Maranoa Gardens, a native garden developed by citizens. The suburb has been immortalised by the Skyhooks single named after the suburb, 'Balwyn Calling', while The Age newspaper once described the suburb as "arguably Melbourne's most loved".
Sport
The suburb has an Australian Rules football team, The Balwyn Tigers, competing in the Eastern Football League. . It also has a cricket team the Balwyn Cricket Club
Transport
The 109 tram line runs from Port Melbourne to Box Hill via Balwyn's Whitehorse Road precinct. The 302 bus runs from Box Hill to the Eastern Freeway through Belmore Road, Balwyn, as well as the 304 bus that runs from Doncaster Secondary College to the Eastern Freeway, also through Belmore Road.
Liveability
Balwyn features a number of relaxed eateries such as Snow Pony, Scarvelli Cafe, Mr Hendricks, Town and Country, Thanks a Latte, Michel's Patisserie and Laurent. Balwyn's top restaurants include Colombo's Family Restaurant, Sofia's, Arthur Radley, Augello's, The Turkish Tea House, Postino, Stefan's Charcoal Grill, Starfish Grill and Jazz Ria. Palace Cinema also features a newly renovated bar and cafe.
The Whitehorse Road shopping strip includes many amenities such as a Woolworths supermarket, a public library, a news agency, fruit shops, McDonald's, Domino's, organic grocer Apples and Sage, ANZ, Commonwealth and Bendigo Banks, several hairdressers, day spas, general practitioners and optometrists, as well as fashion retailers.
Balwyn also has three petrol stations: United Petroleum, Caltex Woolworths Petrol and Coles Express.