The 32.9 kilometre Werribee line runs from Flinders Street station in central Melbourne to Werribee station in the south west, serving 17 stations via Footscray, Newport, and Altona. 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 hour, headways of up to 5–20 minutes are operated with services every 20–30 minutes during off-peak hours.
Part of the line initially opened in 1857 by the Geelong and Melbourne Railway Company. The line was progressively finished within the next two years, allowing trains to travel from Melbourne to Geelong. In April 1885, a short branch was opened off the Werribee line just past Newport to Williamstown Racecourse, and in November 1888, a branch was opened off the Racecourse branch to Altona, terminating at a station named Altona Beach. The construction of these lines played improtant parts in the development of Geelong and Melbourne's west during the 19th and 20th centuries, with the line continuing to be an important asset in the 21st century.
North Melbourne railway station is the junction station for the Craigieburn, Flemington Racecourse, Sunbury, Upfield, Werribee and Williamstown lines. It serves the north-western Melbourne suburb of West Melbourne, and it opened on 6 October 1859. The first railway through the site of North Melbourne station was today's Williamstown line, and the first section of the Melbourne, Mount Alexander and Murray River Railway Company line (to Sunbury), both opened on 13 January 1859. The first passenger station with two platforms was opened on 6 December 1859, and the present six platform station was opened on 9 June 1886.
Kensington is known for its village feel, cafes, and diversity of architecture - including Victorian terraces, cottages, warehouse apartments and new structures in the west of the suburb. The suburb is hilly in sections and contains established tree lined streets.
The suburb is bounded by Racecourse Road to the north, Smithfield Road and the Maribyrnong River to the west, Dynon Road to the south, and Moonee Ponds Creek to the east. Kensington was once home to one of Victoria's major abattoirs and livestock saleyards, an army ordnance depot and a number of factories. The stock yards ceased operation in 1984, prompting significant urban renewal in the area now known as Kensington Banks.
The Maribyrnong River, which begins on the slopes of Mount Macedon and flows to Port Phillip, has played a major role in the occupation and development of western Victoria. Aboriginal tribes have frequented its banks for at least 40,000 years. The river has been part of the rapid developments that have occurred in the last 50 years. The river was known as Saltwater River before its present name came into common usage.
There is a boat landing at Canning Reserve. An unspoilt section of the river takes a wide sweep around the Department of Defence land with its remains of the Explosive Factory. Parklands on either side of the river include Maribyrnong Park and Fairbairn Park where there are boat landings and picnic facilities.
The river flows past Footscray Park with its Scotchman's Hill from where the famous Melbourne Cup can be glimpsed at Flemington Racecourse on the opposite side of the river. Just downstream from Dynon Road Bridge it is possible to board a pleasure boat for a leisurely trip up the river. From here on the river passes through the industrial area of Footscray with its historic jetties and bridges before it joins the Yarra at Fishermans Bend.
Footscray is a bustling, multicultural suburb on the banks of the Maribyrnong River, on the western fringe of the city. While the sense of industry can still be felt in the nearby docks stacked with colourful shipping containers, the heart of Footscray is one filled with Vietnamese soup joints, Ethiopian cafes, bustling markets, expansive public gardens and riverside bike paths, all within view of the city.
Long a working class area due to its close proximity to the factories and warehouses of Melbourne's nearby industrial centre, it is now home to a large concentration of the city's Vietnamese population and increasingly a hub for the growing East African community, home to many immigrants from Ethiopia, Sudan and Eritrea. In fact forty per cent of Footscray's residents were born outside Australia, hailing from 135 countries and speaking more than 80 languages. This ethnic diversity has fostered a vital street culture like no other in Melbourne.
Seddon is an inner-suburb 7 km west of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, lying south of Footscray and north of Yarraville. Formerly a semi-industrial, working-class suburb, in recent years Seddon has experienced rapid gentrification due to its close proximity to the Melbourne City Centre.
Originally known as Belgravia, Seddon was officially declared a suburb in 1906, named after Richard Seddon, the New Zealand Prime Minister from 1893 to 1906, who resided there before he moved to Bendigo and later to New Zealand. The Main streets of Victoria, Charles & Gamon used to accommodate a tram line that ran through the middle of the Seddon Village. It has since been replaced with central garden beds and tree plantings in the middle of the streets.
Seddon street names were named for monarchs. Reading from west to east, Charles intersects with Alfred, Edward, Henry, James, William, Victoria (which runs parallel to Windsor) and terminates at Albert.
Located near Yarraville railway station on Anderson and Ballarat Streets, Yarraville is renowned in Melbourne for its unique character, architecture and quality of village life. Anderson and Ballarat Streets, in the heart of the Yarraville Village, are lined with refurbished 19th century buildings with neighbourhood cafés, restaurants and boutique shops.
This village atmosphere is anchored by the restored Sun Theatre and the adjacent Sun Bookshop, a prominent landmark in the Yarraville community with its unique art deco architecture and its 6 cinemas. Notable examples of Edwardian and Victorian architecture can be found in Yarraville.
The Yarraville Village is home to many award winning restaurants and cafes. A reflection of Melbourne's multicultural nature, Yarraville offers an array of world cuisine styles including Greek, Italian, Modern Asian, Indian, Cambodian, Thai, Chinese and Modern Australian. Retail shops in the village provide an eclectic shopping experience, from books to the work of a local artist, to quality clothes, shoes, gifts, jewellery, wines, gourmet foods, and a record shop.
Spotswood, an inner-western suburb of Melbourne, is 7 km south-west of Melbourne's central business district. The suburb is bounded generally by the Geelong railway line in the west, the West Gate Freeway in the north, the Yarra River in the east Burleigh Street in the south,. Most of the suburb's residences are located in the area to the north and west of the railway station. Spotswood was named after J.S. Spottiswoode (shortened Spotswood), one of the first farmers who owned much of the area in the 1840s.
Spotswood was the setting of the eponymous Australian film, Spotswood, made in 1990-1991, released in 1992, starring Anthony Hopkins, Toni Collette, Bruno Lawrence and Russell Crowe, as a minor character. Most of the scenes in Spotswood were shot in the suburb, but the Moccasin factory is fictional and doesn't exist in Spotswood; the factory scenes in the movie were shot in the old sewage pumping station.
Spotswood is home to Scienceworks, the Victorian Science Museum. Scienceworks is near the old sewage pumping station of Spotswood, constructed in 1897. Movie lovers with a keen eye for detail will recognise this location as the police headquarters in Mad Max, and for the Academy award-winning short film Harvie Krumpet. Location: 2 Booker Street, Spotswood.
The inner suburb of Newport is 7 km south-west of the Melbourne central business district, approximately 10 minutes by car from Melbourne via the West Gate Freeway or 20 minutes by train from Flinders Street. Like many of Melbourne's inner suburbs, Newport is home to people of a diverse mix of ethnic, social and economic backgrounds.
The Yalukit-willam people of the Boon-wurrung Country are the traditional owners of land known as Newport, with a well researched connection to the area beyond 30,000 years. First contact came with European sealers (1803–1834) and followed a pattern of violence typical across Australia at the time. In 1835 the arrival of John Batman saw a treaty established and a period of relative peace until develop began and the indigenous peoples were increasingly denied ownership and access to their lands.
Greenwich Reserve and The Strand are Newport's connection to the Bay. Mansions and modest apartments compete for uninterrupted views of the Melbourne CBD along The Strand, while Greenwich Reserve offers access to the Yarra River and Port Phillip Bay via The Warmies Boat Ramp and includes a large picnic area, playground, baseball field and the Sandy Point Conservation Area. A sealed cycle track runs along the river front, which is also a popular fishing spot.
Newport Lakes Park is a bushland oasis created from a former blustone quarry. The park is 33 hectares in size and has been extensively revegetated using native plants, with over 200 species of plants and 85 species of birds recorded here. The park has a picnic area, toilets, drinking taps and free electric barbecues. Dogs may be exercised in the Pavey's Park and Picnic Area, the north west area of the park and in the Arboretum.
On the eastern side of Champion Road is the home of the Newport Railway Museum operated by the Australian Railway Historical Society, on the south-east corner of the Newport Workshops. It is a short walk from the North Williamstown railway station. The Museum features the largest collection of Victorian Railways steam locomotives. Other exhibits include electric and diesel locomotives, suburban and country passenger carriages, guards vans, a selection of freight wagons and numerous railway artefacts.
The suburb of Seaholme is 12 km south-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Hobsons Bay local government area. The suburb is a bayside enclave within the larger suburb of Altona, bounded in the west by Millers Road and in the north by the Altona Coastal Park.
13 km south-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, Altona is a large suburb consisting of low density residential in the south-eastern half and mixed industry in the north-western half. A feature of the suburb is Altona Beach, which is one of only two swimming beaches in the western suburbs (the other being Williamstown Beach). On 20 February 1911, J. J. Hammond flew the first cross country flight between towns in Australia from Altona Bay to Geelong in Victoria, and on 23 February, also at Altona Bay, he undertook the first powered passenger flight in Australia.
Coal mining formed the basis of the local economy from 1908 to 1919. However, this was brought to an end in 1930 when open cut mining was developed in the Latrobe Valley. Following the Second World War Altona received a large influx of immigrants, primarily from the Mediterranean, Central Europe and a smaller number from the Middle East.
On 24 June 2010, Altona became home to Australia's first female prime minister, Julia Gillard, a then resident of Altona. Gillard was voted in by the governing Australian Labor Party to replace Kevin Rudd as its leader, making her Australia's 27th Prime Minister.
Westona railway station serves the suburb of Altona. Westona is a crossing loop in the middle of a 10-kilometre-long section of single track between Altona Junction and Laverton. Westona station opened on 21 January 1985, when the railway line from Altona was extended. The direction in which trains cross at Westona is unusual for Melbourne, in that they pass each other on the left, rather than passing on the more common right.
The suburb of Laverton was established in 1886. It was home to the RAAF Base (RAAF Williams), and covers 148 ha in the suburb of Laverton. Laverton was originally established to support the greater rate of flying and maintenance activities after the formation of the RAAF in 1921. Many homes in the surrounding area were colloquially called the “cabbage patch”, in reference to the boom of young families after the return of soldiers from WWII.
Laverton is home to the Melbourne Ballpark state baseball stadium, which hosts several national events each year, including home games of the Melbourne aces who compete in the Australian Baseball League.
Aircraft railway station serves the western Melbourne suburb of Laverton, and opened on 7 March 1925 as Aviation Siding. It was renamed Aircraft Siding on 10 May 1927, and Aircraft on 19 March 1963. The station's name refers to Laverton base and airfield, established by the Royal Australian Air Force on 1 March 1926. It is the third oldest RAAF base in Australia. Home to No 1 Aircraft Depot between 1926 and 1994, Laverton has also housed flying units, Support and Training Command Headquarters, No 6 RAAF Hospital and training and administrative functions. The airfield was officially closed in 1996 and subsequently sold for suburban housing development.
Replacement of the railway crossing with a bridge at Aircraft station was finished in 2019 and future potential works to reroute traffic from and to Point Cook Road, which is predominantly used by city bound Point Cook residents travelling by vehicle.
Williams Landing railway station, which serves the western Melbourne suburb of Williams Landing, was opened on 28 April 2013. Like the suburb itself, the station was named after the nearby RAAF Williams base, itself named after Sir Richard Williams, an RAAF Chief of Air Force, and the Director General of Civil Aviation between 1946-1955.
Located on the urban fringe, from the Princes Highway to the growing suburbs of Tarneit and Truganina, Hoppers Crossing stretches northwards some 24 km south-west of Melbourne's Central Business District. The area is rich and diverse in its Aboriginal history and was inhabited by the Boonwurrung and Wathaurong People who belong to the Kulin Nation.
The locality of Hoppers Crossing was named after Elizabeth Hopper, who was a gatekeeper of the level crossing over the railway line now called the Werribee line. Her duty was to close and re-open a set of large wooden level crossing gates whenever a train passed through. She and her husband, Stephen Hopper (1832–1908), a railway ganger for 33 years, lived nearby with their eleven children. Stephen Hopper was also a labourer, who had arrived in Victoria in 1856 from a village in Dover, England. The name was in common usage by 1910.
Princes Highway (and railway line) midway between Geelong and Melbourne (the latter is 32 km away via the westgate Bridge), Werribee was established as an agricultural settlement in the 1850s, originally named Wyndham and was renamed Werribee (derived from the aboriginal name meaning "backbone" or "spine") in 1904. Since the 1990s Werribee has experienced rapid suburban growth into surrounding greenfield land, and becoming a commuter town in the Melbourne-Geelong growth corridor. Werribee Park Shuttle Service operates daily return trips from central Melbourne to Werribee Park, Werribee Open Range Zoo, Point Cook RAAF Museum and Point Cook Homestead.
Of the attractions to which most visitors come to see, the former estate of wealthy pastoralist Thomas Chirnside, known as Werribee Park, and the Werribee Open Range Zoo, are the most well known. Werribee Park Shuttle Service operates daily return trips from central Melbourne to Werribee Park, Werribee Open Range Zoo, Point Cook RAAF Museum and Point Cook Homestead.
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