Lalor, Victoria

Coordinates: 37°40′01″S 145°01′12″E / 37.667°S 145.020°E / -37.667; 145.020
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lalor
MelbourneVictoria
Darebin Drive in Lalor
Lalor is located in Melbourne
Lalor
Lalor
Location in metropolitan Melbourne
Map
Coordinates37°40′01″S 145°01′12″E / 37.667°S 145.020°E / -37.667; 145.020
Population23,219 (SAL 2021)[1]
Established14 February 1947[2][3]
Postcode(s)3075
Elevation95 m (312 ft)
Area6.4 km2 (2.5 sq mi)
Location17 km (11 mi) N of Melbourne
LGA(s)City of Whittlesea
State electorate(s)Thomastown
Federal division(s)Scullin
Suburbs around Lalor:
Campbellfield Epping Mill Park
Campbellfield Lalor Mill Park
Campbellfield Thomastown Bundoora

Lalor (/ˈlɔːlər/) is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 17 km (11 mi) north of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Whittlesea local government area. Lalor recorded a population of 23,219 at the 2021 census.[4]

Lalor was named in honour of Peter Lalor, a leader of the Eureka Stockade rebellion and later a member of the Victorian parliament. The suburb was named after the Peter Lalor Home Building Co-operative Society. In recent times, the mispronunciations /ˈllɔːr, -lər/ has become predominant, whilst the Federal electorate of Lalor is still predominantly pronounced /ˈlɔːlər/.

The eastern and western borders of Lalor are defined by Darebin Creek and Merri Creek respectively.

History[edit]

Lalor was originally a part of Thomastown.[5][6] In 1945, Leo Purcell, while a patient at a military hospital on the Atherton Tableland, worked out a scheme to provide low-cost homes, that in February 1947 became known as the "Peter Lalor Co-operative Family Scheme", and with a group of ex-servicemen, formed the Peter Lalor Home Building Co-operative Society.[7][8][9] The scheme was sponsored by the ex-servicemen's committee of the central executive of the Victorian Labor Party.[10][11] They chose two hundred and fifty-eight acres east of today's Lalor railway station to be the site of the new developments, and the town planner Saxil Tuxen was hired to design a garden suburb.[12][13]

Lalor Post Office was opened on 1 August 1949.[14]

Although the Co-operative succeeded in beginning a program of house building, under-capitalization resulted in the venture being taken over by the War Service Homes Commission in 1954.[15][16]

Originally built as the Mentone Fire Station, on the corner of Brindisi Street and Mentone Parade in Mentone in 1906, the building was relocated to 24 Vasey Street, Lalor, in 1957, to become the Lalor Fire Station.[17] The Station was opened 30 January 1958, and was closed in 1997, and now served by the Epping Fire Station.[18][19][20]

In 2010, Stockade Park was redeveloped. This site, enclosed by Paschke Crescent and leading to Rochdale Square, marks the location of the Peter Lalor home building co-operative's Stockade — an area that housed the tools and materials for the workers of the Co-operative that built Lalor.[21][22]

Street names[edit]

Many streets in Lalor were named by the Peter Lalor Home Building Co-operative Society after prominent civilian and military figures.[16][23][24][25][26]

Education[edit]

In 1954, Lalor Primary School was opened, reaching an enrolment of 1,000 by 1971, when a further three primary schools were founded.[15][27] Lalor North Primary School was established in 1971.[28] Lalor East Primary School was established in 1972.[29] Lalor West Primary School was opened in 1973 and merged with Lalor Park Primary School in 2011, to form Lalor Gardens Primary School.[30][31]

Lalor Primary School was built on land owned by the Evans family, and held its 50th anniversary in 2004. Several of the surrounding streets are named after members of the Evans family (Evans Street, Ruth Street).

Lalor has two Catholic primary schools: St. Luke's Primary School Lalor, established in 1961,[32][33] and St Catherine's Primary School, established in 1983.[34]

Lalor also has three public secondary schools: Lalor Secondary College, previously known as Lalor High School, established in 1963,[35] Peter Lalor College, previously Lalor Technical School, established in 1968, and reopened as the Peter Lalor Vocational College in 2012,[36] and Lalor North Secondary College, previously known as Lalor North High School, established in 1977.[37]

Shopping[edit]

Lalor Shopping Centre viewed from Mann's Road Railway crossing

The Lalor Shopping Centre is located between Station Street and May Road, which parallels High Street—the main thoroughfare through Lalor—on the opposite side of the railway line. The land was previously owned by the Mann family. David Mann and his wife May (née Thomas, of Thomastown), who purchased it in 1920, and carried on dairy farming until it was sold in 1954.[38][39] Retailers consist of many small specialty shops, as well as Coles and Woolworths supermarkets.

The Mann farmhouse, Bella Vista, stood just north of the Lalor Library in May Road.[39][40][41]

Lalor Library in May Road

Lalor Plaza in McKimmies Rd and Lalor Hub in Kingsway Drive are small enclosed shopping malls located respectively in the eastern and western residential areas of the suburb.[39][42]

There are also a number of small shopping strips, including Rochdale Square Shops (named in commemoration of Rochdale, the first town built on co-operative principles), located near the Lalor railway station.

Population[edit]

In the 2021 census, there were 23,219 people in Lalor. 47% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were India 5.1%, Italy 4.7% and Macedonia 4.6%. 31.8% of people spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Arabic 10.6%, Macedonian 7,6%, Vietnamese 6.8%, Italian 6.3% and Greek 5.8%.

The most common responses for religion in Lalor were Catholic 22.7%, Islam 15.4 %, Eastern Orthodox 13.9% and No Religion 16.6%.

Culture[edit]

  • The Whittlesea Community Festival, celebrated since 1998, is held on the third Sunday in March in Lalor at the Whittlesea Public Gardens on Barry Road, regularly attracting more than 15,000 people.[43][44]
  • St Lukes Church holds La Festa di San Donato (The Festival of San Donato) annually in August.[45][46][47][48]

Recreation and leisure[edit]

The main public spaces for active recreation include the City of Whittlesea Gardens, which provides access to the Craigieburn Bypass Trail, Huskisson Avenue Reserve, a favourite spot for picnickers, V.R.Michael Reserve, Partridge Street Reserve, Lalor Reserve and W.A.Smith/Sycamore Reserves along the Darebin Creek, that provides a number of recreational facilities.[49]

Community facilities[edit]

An Lac Hanh Amitabha Hall, a Vietnamese Buddhist temple, is located in the suburb.[50]

Sport[edit]

  • Lalor United Sloga Football Club was established in 1979.

Lalor have had up to three local Australian Rules Football teams competing in the Northern Football League:[51]

Lalor has two tennis clubs:

  • Lalor Tennis Club, established in 1957 in Sydney Crescent, Lalor.
  • West Lalor Tennis Club

Other sports include:

  • The Lalor Bowling Club was established in 1962, and is located on the corner of Sydney Crescent and Gordon Street.[53]
  • The Lalor Stars Cricket Club was established in 1979, and is located at the W.A Smith Reserve in Darebin Drive.[54]
  • Lalor Parkrun was established in 2016, and meets every Saturday at 8am at City of Whittlesea Public Gardens, 158 Barry Road Lalor. Parkrun is a free 5 km timed walk or run put on for the community by the community.[55]
  • The Lalor Running Club was established in 2017, and organises several group runs for all abilities in Lalor and surrounds.[56]

Transport[edit]

Bus[edit]

Eight bus routes service Lalor:

  •  357 : Wollert WestThomastown station via Epping station. Operated by Dysons.[57]
  •  554 : Thomastown station – Thomastown station via West Lalor (clockwise loop). Operated by Dysons.[58]
  •  555 : Pacific EppingNorthland Shopping Centre via Lalor, Thomastown and Reservoir. Operated by Dysons.[59]
  •  556 : Pacific Epping – Northland Shopping Centre via Keon Park station. Operated by Dysons.[60]
  •  557 : Thomastown station – Thomastown station via West Lalor (anti clockwise loop). Operated by Dysons.[61]
  •  559 : Thomastown station – Thomastown station via Darebin Drive (anti clockwise loop). Operated by Dysons.[62]
  •  566 : Lalor – Northland Shopping Centre via Childs Road, Plenty Road and Grimshaw Street. Operated by Dysons.[63]
  •  570 : Thomastown station – RMIT University Bundoora Campus. Operated by Dysons.[64]

Cycling[edit]

The Craigieburn Bypass Trail, which follows the Hume Freeway, runs to the west of the suburb and provides facilities for recreational and commuting cyclists.

Train[edit]

One railway station serves Lalor: Lalor, located on the Mernda line.

Further reading[edit]

  • Johns, Gary (1978), Building a suburb: the Peter Lalor Home Building Co-operative Society / Gary Johns, Melbourne State College

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Lalor (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022. Edit this at Wikidata
  2. ^ "Co-op Home Scheme at Thomastown". The Argus. Melbourne. 14 February 1947. p. 20. Retrieved 12 January 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. ^ "The Premier lends a helping hand". The Argus. Melbourne. 23 June 1947. p. 1. Retrieved 12 January 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. ^ a b Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Lalor (Suburbs and Localities)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 1 July 2022. Edit this at Wikidata
  5. ^ Victorian Places, Lalor, retrieved 3 September 2022
  6. ^ City of Whittlesea, Place Snapshot: Lalor, retrieved 3 September 2022
  7. ^ Victoria Gazette, No. 28.-22 January 1947—Page 198
    NOTICE is hereby given that a society called "The Peter Lalor Home Building Cooperative Society Limited" is registered under the provisions of the above Act. Given under my hand, this sixteenth day of January 1947, A. E. RASMUSSEN, Registrar of Friendly Societies.
  8. ^ "WORTH Reporting". The Australian Women's Weekly. 17 April 1948. p. 18. Retrieved 12 January 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. ^ Key is give and take Archived 5 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Mr McVicar and his brother joined the Peter Lalor Home-Building Co-operative Society, building the home the couple have lived in for 60 years. 8 February 2011, by Melissa Merrett, Whittlesea Leader
  10. ^ "CO-OPERATIVE HOMES FOR EX-SERVICEMEN". The Argus. Melbourne. 13 January 1947. p. 4. Retrieved 13 January 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  11. ^ "Advertising". The Argus. Melbourne. 23 January 1947. p. 12. Retrieved 13 January 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  12. ^ "NEWSREEL PEOPLE... PEOPLE... PLACES... EVENTS". Western Mail. Perth. 15 April 1948. p. 8. Retrieved 12 January 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  13. ^ Thomastown & Lalor Archived 9 April 2013 at the Wayback Machine-WCF Areas-Whittlesea Community Futures
  14. ^ Premier Postal History, Post Office List, retrieved 11 April 2008
  15. ^ a b Lalor-Place-eMelbourne-The Encyclopedia of Melbourne Online
  16. ^ a b Lalor overcame early set-back, 6 September 1977, The Age
  17. ^ Did You Know?: Foundation of the Mentone Fire Brigade Archived 18 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine, The Mentone station on the corner of Brindisi Street and Mentone Parade continued to serve the local community until 1956 when a new building was constructed..
  18. ^ "Thomastown History of - WikiNorthia". Archived from the original on 1 March 2011. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
  19. ^ Epping's new fire brigade captain ready for challenge Archived 29 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine, 4 December 2008, by Saeed Saeed, Whittlesea Leader
  20. ^ $4.3m BUILDING PROGRAM FOR YOUNG DISABLED ADULTS—NAPTHINE, Saturday, 12 April 1997., LALOR. Whittlesea ATSS in Lalor will receive $50,000 towards the refurbishment of a house. Whittlesea ATSS redeveloped the old Lalor Fire Station into a community options day service and will now renovate the fire station house adjacent to expand the day service and cater initially for two consumers.
  21. ^ Stockade Park, Lalor, Fitzgerald Frisby Landscape Architecture
  22. ^ Stockade Reserve Yarra Plenty Regional Library
  23. ^ List of Australians Awarded the Victoria Cross Archived 28 February 2010 at the Wayback Machine, ANZAC Day Commemoration Committee (Queensland)
  24. ^ Lalor, Whittlesea Street Names – WikiNorthia
  25. ^ A Community portrait Lifetimes in the city of Whittlesea, by Robert Pascoe, 2001 page:144 ISBN 0-646-41288-4
  26. ^ A Country Viewpoint-John Waghorn, Lalor, Victoria., 30 August 2005, ABC Rural Bush Telegraph
  27. ^ Lalor Primary School Archived 17 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine-School Profile
  28. ^ "Lalor North". lalornorthps.vic.edu.au.
  29. ^ "Lalor East Primary School". Lalor East Primary School.
  30. ^ "Lalorgardens Primary School Website". lalorgardensps.vic.edu.au.
  31. ^ Farewell to Lalor West school Archived 8 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine, 17 November 2009, by Mark Smith] Whittlesea Leader
  32. ^ "St. Luke's Primary School Lalor". Archived from the original on 2 June 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
  33. ^ History of the parish Archived 1 September 2006 at the Wayback Machine, St Luke's Parish Web Site
  34. ^ "St Catherines Primary School – Lalor West".
  35. ^ "Lalor Secondary College".
  36. ^ "Peter Lalor Vocational College - VCAL years 10-12". Peter Lalor Vocational College.
  37. ^ "Lalor North College". lalornthsc.vic.edu.au.
  38. ^ lalor. "Home".
  39. ^ a b c Recollections of Lalor Shopping Centre (1960-1995)-WikiNorthia
  40. ^ "Hours and Locations » Lalor | Yarra Plenty Regional Library". Archived from the original on 15 July 2011. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
  41. ^ "ca1930.. Mann's Farmhouse, Lalor". Item held by Yarra Plenty Regional Library Service - Whittlesea Local History Digitisation Project. 20 June 2006.
  42. ^ Lalor Hub shops left in lurch Archived 12 July 2012 at archive.today, 13 October 2009, by Mark Smith – Whittlesea Leader
  43. ^ Whittlesea, Mernda, Doreen Star, Community Celebrates Archived 11 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine, 15 March 2007. Retrieved 25 April 2011
  44. ^ City of Whittlesea Community Festival Archived 8 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine, When: Third Sunday in March, Come See Whitlesea
  45. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 March 2012. Retrieved 15 January 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  46. ^ "Lalor | Star Wallan, Kilmore, Broadford | Star News Group". Archived from the original on 31 December 2012. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
  47. ^ "San Donato's Day a | Star Wallan, Kilmore, Broadford | Star News Group". Archived from the original on 30 December 2012. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
  48. ^ La festa di San Donato, City of Whittlesea, Melbourne, Australia
  49. ^ "Lalor parks". Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
  50. ^ "THÀNH VIÊN GIÁO HỘI". The Unified Vietnamese Buddhist Congregation of Australia - New Zealand. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  51. ^ Full Points Footy, Northern Football League, archived from the original on 9 March 2009, retrieved 15 April 2009
  52. ^ "WLFC Home Page -". SportsTG.
  53. ^ "Australia Community Guide and Business Directory". communityguide.com.au.
  54. ^ "Lalorstarscc.com". Archived from the original on 1 August 2015. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
  55. ^ "Lalor parkrun - Lalor parkrun". parkrun.com.au.
  56. ^ "Lalor Running Club". lalorrunningclub.com.au.
  57. ^ "357 Wollert West - Thomastown Station via Epping Station". Public Transport Victoria.
  58. ^ "554 Thomastown via West Lalor (clockwise loop)". Public Transport Victoria.
  59. ^ "555 Epping - Northland via Lalor & Thomastown & Reservoir". Public Transport Victoria.
  60. ^ "556 Epping Plaza SC - Northland SC via Keon Park". Public Transport Victoria.
  61. ^ "557 Thomastown via West Lalor (anti clockwise loop)". Public Transport Victoria.
  62. ^ "559 Thomastown via Darebin Drive". Public Transport Victoria.
  63. ^ "566 Lalor - Northland via Plenty Road & Childs Road & Grimshaw Street". Public Transport Victoria.
  64. ^ "570 Thomastown - RMIT Bundoora". Public Transport Victoria.

Sources[edit]

Images from the National Archives of Australia:

External links[edit]