The Lilydale line is the city's sixth-longest metropolitan railway line at 37.8 kilometres. Sections of the Lilydale line opened as early as 1859, with the line fully extended to Lilydale by 1882. The line was built to connect Melbourne and Ringwood with the rural towns of Croydon, Mooroolbark, and Lilydale, among others. The line from Richmond to Hawthorn was opened initially to a temporary terminus at Pic Nic, just short of the Yarra River, in September 1860, and to Hawthorn in April 1861. It was extended to Camberwell in April 1882, then to Lilydale in early December of that same year. The Level Crossing Removal Project has announced the removal of all nine remaining level crossings on the Lilydale line, to be completed in stages from 2016 to 2025.
The line runs from Flinders Street station in central Melbourne to Lilydale station in the eas. The line operates for approximately 19 hours a day (from approximately 5:00 am to around 12:00 am) with 24 hour service available on Friday and Saturday nights. During peak hours, headways of up to 15 minutes are operated, with services every 20–30 minutes during off-peak hours.
The underground City Loop is at the centre of Melbourne's busy suburban railway system. It's quite an unusual design, being made up of four completely independent single track tunnels, some of which change direction half way through the day. From Flinders Street station, trains travel across the Flinders Street Railway Viaduct to Southern Cross Station. Upon leaving Southern Cross, trains travel underground through Flagstaff. Melbourne Central and Parliament stations, emerging from the underground loop at East Melbourne.
Although the Melbourne Cricket Ground is arguably one of the two most important cricket grounds in the world, it is much more than a cricket ground to the people of Melbourne. It is one of the great icons of this city, and even Australia. By the 1950's, Melbourne's reputation as the sports capital of Australia was so firmly entrenched that it was a foregone conclusion that the city would host the 1956 Olympic Games and that the MCG would be the Games' main stadium.
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is home to the Australian Sports Museum (above). Dedicated to Australian sport, there are exhibits for sports such as cricket, Australian rules football, the Summer and Winter Olympic Games, tennis, rugby league, rugby union, soccer, basketball, boxing and netball. The Australian Sports Hall of Fame is also located within the museum along with the Australian Racing Museum and the Melbourne Cricket Club Museum.
The adjoining MCC Museum features exhibitions relating to the history of the Melbourne Cricket Club. On 6 October 2010, the Australian Racing Museum was absorbed into the Australian Sports Museum, which has now resulted in horse racing standing alongside other prominent Australian sports.
Best known for its bargain designer and seconds shopping along Bridge Road and Swan Street, vibrant Richmond is also the place to go for Greek or Vietnamese food, languid all-day breakfasts and great live music. Though a number of designer and seconds shop have moved out of the area in recent times, there are still plenty there to please the bargain hunter. Church Street is the place to go for designer furniture and objets d'art.
Bars and live music thrive in Richmond, the Corner Hotel being one of Melbourne's most famous intimate live-music venues, hosting big-name bands alongside obscure newcomers. Just across Swan Street, Dizzy's Jazz Club is known for its quality acts. Sip a cocktail in refined surrounds at Der Raum, or celebrate the hops and tour the Carlton and United Breweries' brewhouse in Abbotsford.
Nearby Victoria Street, or Little Saigon, in North Richmond, is the heart of Melbourne's Vietnamese community. Wander among the long stretch of eateries, bakeries, butchers, fishmongers and grocers and grab a bite along the way. Don't expect white linen tablecloths and hovering waiters - Victoria Street is about the hustle and bustle of fast, fresh and exceptional Asian food at a bargain price.
East Richmond station, which services the suburb of Cremorne, opened as Church Street Station on 24 September 1860 on the Melbourne and Suburban Railway Company’s new railway line to Hawthorn, one of Melbourne’s earliest suburban rail services.
Its location at the city end of Melbourne's busiest group of railway lines means that a large number of services pass through the station, but only a limited number stop there, largely because of its proximity to Richmond station, a few hundred metres away in Swan Street.
Services to and from Lilydale and Belgrave do not normally stop at East Richmond. Glen Waverley trains stop there in the off-peak, but trains to and from Glen Waverley in peak hours do not. Most services to and from Alamein, Blackburn and Ringwood stop there.
Covering only about a square kilometre, until 1999 Cremorne existed only as a locality in the larger suburb of Richmond., which explains why its railway station is not called Cremorne, but East Richmond. Cremorne's charm is in its rather chaotic mix of uses and the unique character resulting from being 'walled in' by main roads and railways on all sides. There are industrial icons such as Bryant and May and Rosella factories, and the Nylex Clock, side by side with Victorian cottages, modern townhouses, offices and light industries.
Cremorne takes its name from the Cremorne Gardens, an amusement park that occupied a riverfront location in the western half of Cremorne for a period in the mid 19th century. Cremorne was established as six allotments of crown land in 1839 only 5 years after the subdivision of Melbourne's CBD by John Batman. Originally it was used for farming estates, with large villas reminiscent of English estates. It was subdivided in linear strips running from Swan Street to the Yarra River. Cremorne Gardens occupied a river-front location in the western half of Cremorne. The Gardens closed in 1863 and the land was sold for housing and an asylum.
Currently Cremorne has been coined as 'Australian Silicon Valley' due to a concentration of tech industries such as Seek, Disney, Carsales in the precinct.
Half of the Burnley area is public space and ground occupied by the Burnley campus of the Victorian College of Agriculture and Horticulture. The area was named after William Burnley, pioneer land purchaser in Richmond, local councillor and parliamentarian.
In 1838 the area approximating Burnley's present open space lying in a loop of the Yarra River was reserved as the Survey Paddock. The Horticultural Society of Victoria was granted 12 ha. in the Survey Paddock in 1862 for experimental gardens, mainly for acclimatization of exotic fruits, vegetables and flowers. The site was taken over by the State Department of Agriculture in 1891. The balance of the Survey Paddock became Richmond Park, containing the Picnic railway station, east of the present Burnley station, as the entry to a landscaped pleasure ground.
6 kilometres east of Melbourne's central business district situated in the City of Boroondara, Hawthorne is generally regarded to be one of Melbourne's surviving bastions of post-Gold Rush expansion and today, one of Melbourne's most affluent and influential suburbs. Land values in the region are among the country's highest, with streets such as Hawthorn Grove, in the prestigious Grace Park Estate, straddling the suburb's northern boundary and Yarra Park's Coppin Grove in the west, located closer to the Yarra River have been arguably the most sought after with properties commanding prices to match.
Hawthorn is particularly noted for the number, range and quality of its restaurants, many of which reflect the strong ethnic diversity of the region. There are also many nightclubs and hotels in the suburb.
The station serves the nearby Hawthorn campus of Swinburne University of Technology, and is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register. The name of this station recalls Glenferrie Road, a major shopping strip, with two supermarkets, all major banks and many chain and specialty stores. Glenferrie Road itself was named after a property which was purchased by solicitor Peter Ferrie in 1840, who later named the property Glen Ferrie. Glenferrie station opened on 3 April 1882, when the railway line from Hawthorn was extended to Camberwell.
Known for grand, historic residences and tranquil, leafy streets, Camberwell is commonly regarded as one of Melbourne's most prestigious and exclusive suburbs. A feature of Camberwell is the Burke Road shopping strip, which stretches north, approximately 600 m from Camberwell Junction, where three tram routes converge—the 70, 72, and 75. Halfway up the shopping strip is Camberwell railway station, which services the Belgrave, Lilydale, and Alamein train lines. East Camberwell, Riversdale, Willison, and Hartwell stations also lie within the suburb's boundaries.
Camberwell received its name as a result of an early settler being reminded of the way three roads intersected in the south London district of Camberwell. This intersection is now known as Camberwell Junction.
East Camberwell, Hartwell, Riversdale and Willison are four officially named neighbourhoods, within the general area of the railway stations of the same name. The southern areas of the Prospect Hill Precinct (from the south side of Prospect Hill Road to Riversdale Road) were developed for the Riversdale Estate, Kasouka Estate and Gladstone Park Estates from the late nineteenth century. The Kasouka Estate was created in 1891 and included Kasouka Road, Trafalgar, Prospect Hill and Riversdale Roads. Kasouka Road has a high level of visual cohesion and is dominated by Victorian and Edwardian period villas.
Famed for its leafy green boulevards and substantial, opulent historic residences, Canterbury is one of Melbourne's most expensive and exclusive suburbs. Canterbury is the home to many of Victoria's oldest and most prestigious private schools, including Camberwell Grammar School, Camberwell Girls Grammar School and Strathcona Baptist Girls Grammar School. Other schools include Camberwell High School, Canterbury Girls' Secondary College and Canterbury Primary School. The main shopping area in Canterbury is around the railway station and includes shops in Canterbury Road, as well as Maling Road. Larger shopping centres nearby include Burke Road in Camberwell and Whitehorse Road in Balwyn.
Chatham railway station is located on the Lilydale and Belgrave lines in Victoria, Australia. It serves the eastern Melbourne suburb of Surrey Hills, and it opened on 1 April 1927. It was named after nearby Chatham Road.
Union railway station, on the Belgrave and Lilydale lines, serves the eastern Melbourne suburb of Mont Albert, Victoria, Australia. Union is a premium status below ground station featuring three platforms, two on an island platform and one side platform. It opened on 22 May 2023 after the closure of Mont Albert and Surrey Hills stations. It was built as part of the Level Crossing Removal Project. The staion's name was selected both to represent the unity of the two stations (Mont Albert and Surrey Hills) and for the nearby Union Road shopping village.
14 kilometres east of the city's Central Business District, Box Hill was founded as a township in the 1850s, and grew over the following century into a small city with its own CBD, its own municipality in the former City of Box Hill, and its own suburbs, including Box Hill North and Box Hill South. In the 1950s, Box Hill was absorbed into Melbourne as part of the eastward expansion of the metropolis. Today, Box Hill is notable for its large Chinese community, being one of the largest in Melbourne, and is home to the city's tallest high-rise buildings outside the CBD.
A major transportation hub for Melbourne's eastern suburbs, Box Hill is home of one of the city's busiest train stations, located beneath Box Hill Central. It is also served by the route 109 tram and numerous bus routes.
Laburnum railway station serves the eastern Melbourne suburb of Blackburn. Opened on 13 July 1958, the station was named after the locality of Laburnum, itself named after the shrub of the same name. Laburnum was once known for having a sign reading "Toot Toot – drive slowly" under the railway bridge which crosses Laburnum Street, as the street was both narrow and had a sharp bend at that point.
Drivers would often sound their car horns, as instructed by the sign, to warn oncoming, but possibly unseen, traffic that might be approaching the narrow underpass. Infuriated neighbours would frequently attempt to remove the sign by painting over it, but to no avail; the local council would restore the sign every time. When the station was rebuilt following the 2007 grade separation, the road underpass was substantially widened, so the sign was deemed unnecessary and was removed. A plaque commemorating the sign and describing its history was erected, although it too has since been removed.
The origin of the name of the Melbourne suburb of Blackburn is not certain, but may have been after an early settler or James Blackburn, who designed Yan Yean Reservoir. It lies within the City of Whitehorse, in Melbourne's eastern suburbs. A large part of Blackburn is of historical significance, as it was built around the artificial Blackburn Lake in 1889, now known as Blackburn Lake Sanctuary, with the lake in the middle of the sanctuary. This was a popular day trip destination by train in the late nineteenth century. Some Australian artists painted in the bush around the Blackburn and Box Hill areas.
18 km east of Melbourne's Central Business District, Nunawading station opened almost six years after the railway line from Camberwell was extended to Lilydale. Like the suburb itself, the name of the station is from an Indigenous word, numphawading, meaning ceremonial ground or battlefield. The settlement immediately adjacent to the station was originally named after Tunstall, England, famous for its potteries. The opening of the Tunstall railway station contributed to the growth of brick and clay industries, with orchards soon following. Tunstall Post Office opened on 1 February 1889 and was renamed Nunawading in 1945.
The period following World War II saw a housing boom in the area, as residential blocks began to replace orchards. Whitehorse Road is the site of the largest retail strip for bulkgoods in Melbourne. The City of Whitehorse has named this strip the Mega Mile, in an attempt to provide brand recognition for retailers. Nunawading is home to a large Pacific Brands clothing factory and a brick factory. The suburb was formerly home to the Winlaton Youth Training Centre, the Wobbies World amusement park, and the Melbourne studios of Network 10 television, where the soap opera Neighbours was filmed.
20 km east from Melbourne's Central Business District, Mitcham was named after Mitcham Grove, a farm property that was owned by William Slater, who grew roses and herbs for perfumes and remedies. From its settlement in the 1860s, the Mitcham area was generally used for orchards, brickmaking and pottery. However, since the 1950s post war expansion, Mitcham has become a suburban area. The main shopping precinct is centred on the intersection of Whitehorse Road and Mitcham Road and features a supermarket, cafes, fast food outlets and specialty shops.
Heatherdale is a neighbourhood of Mitcham, in Melbourne's eastern suburbs, centred on the Heatherdale railway station, on the Lilydale and Belgrave railway lines. Heatherdale station opened on 7 September 1958, and was named after the locality of the same name, itself named after Heatherdale, a farm that was owned by William Witt.
29 km east of Melbourne's Central Business District, Ringwood village emerged in the mid to late 19th century, following the 1850s land sales. Before this, Ringwood was used primarily for agriculture. The post office opened on 2 August 1875, in the then rural area. Ringwood has been the site of a Cadbury chocolate factory since the company's acquisition of MacRobertson Chocolates in 1967. The factory is the company's second largest in Australia and produces chocolate bars, such as Cherry Ripe and Boost, and Easter eggs.
Ringwood has many parks and reserves, most notably Ringwood Lake, an 8.5-hectare park is used for various recreational activities which includes a lake with bridge, sound shell, mining history display, playground, picnic shelters, barbecues and a bushland walking circuit.
Ringwood East is an unstaffed status, ground structure station featuring two platforms on one island platform. The station opened on 18 May 1925, with the current single story station structure provided in 1975. On 30 June 1984, the current island platform was provided, as part of the duplication of the line between Ringwood and Croydon. In that same year, boom barriers were provided at the Dublin Road level crossing, located nearby in the up direction of the station.
Owing to the coarse silvery-white grass, the area now known as Croydon was first called "White Flats". The Lacey family from Essex, England named the area Croydon after Mrs Lacey's home town. They preferred this to Mr Lacey's home town, Steeple Bumpstead. The Lacey family has a street named after them near the Main St. shopping precinct. Orchards were soon established and thrived. Crops included apples, cherries, pears, peaches and plums. Street names in and around Croydon now reflect the impact orchards had on the settlement.
In 1874, Cobb & Co. ran horses and carts to the area, also known as Brushy Creek. n 1882, a single rail track was constructed through to Lilydale. When opened on 1 December 1882. the station was called Warrandyte. Travellers would travel by rail to "Warrandyte" station and were then faced with a horse and coach ride to Warrandyte, some 10 km north, which was not well received by the vast majority of travellers, believing the Yarra River was close by. On 1 August 1884 it was renamed Croydon railway station.
37 km East of Melbourne's central business district, Mooroolbark is located within the Shire of Yarra Ranges local government area. The Parish of Mooroolbark was surveyed in 1855, with a township originally called Brushy Creek standing where North Croydon is today. The name "Mooroolbark" was to be popularised with eventual European settlement in the late 19th century. A rural hub developed around the train station, which opened in 1887 and offered rail access to Melbourne.
Situated in the Yarra Valley 34 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district, Lilydale it began as a town within the former Shire of Lillydale and is also notable as the burial site of Dame Nellie Melba (Lilydale Cemetery). It is both a residential area of metropolitan Melbourne and an industrial area on the city's rural-urban fringe.
Lilydale sits on Woiwurrung territory, traditionally part of the Kulin Nation. Lillydale township was surveyed in 1860 by Clement Hodgkinson. The Post Office opened on 1 September 1860 as Brushy Creek, and was renamed Lillydale in 1861 and Lilydale around 1872. Lilydale station is the terminus for the Lilydale railway line offering half hourly metropolitan rail services. It was rebuilt in November 2021 as part of the Level Crossing Removal Project, with the railway line being raised above Maroondah Highway. The original 1882 station building has been preserved in its original location, with the current station and bus interchange located on the opposite side of the highway.
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