West Melbourne, Victoria

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West Melbourne Melbourne, Victoria
Victorian terraces in Capel Street
Population:	3037 (2006) [1]
Postcode:	3003
Area:	6.4 km² (2.5 sq mi)
Property Value:	AUD $766,500 [2]
Location:	3 km (2 mi) from Melbourne
LGA:	City of Melbourne
State District:	Melbourne
Federal Division:	Melbourne
Suburbs around West Melbourne: Footscray Kensington North Melbourne Yarraville West Melbourne Melbourne CBD Newport Port Melbourne Docklands

West Melbourne is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km north-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Melbourne. At the 2006 Census, West Melbourne had a population of 3037.

West Melbourne is bounded by Victoria Street and the Footscray Rail line in the North, Footscray Road and the Moonee Ponds Creek and the Yarra River in the south. Peel Street and the Flagstaff Gardens help form the Eastern Boundary, with the Western Boundary defined by the Maribyrnong River and Coode Island, a locality of West Melbourne which is home to Victoria's largest toxic chemical storage facility.

Being largely an industrial area, a significant portion of West Melbourne is occupied by the Port of Melbourne, the Dynon railway yards and the Melbourne Markets. These include the Wholesale Fruit and Vegetable and Fish Markets as well as the National Flower Centre. It also contains a small pocket of residential and commercial properties, consisting of a mixture of Victorian single and double storey terraces and converted warehouses at the north-west corner of the Melbourne CBD. It is also home to the Queen Victoria Market located on corner of Victoria and Peel Streets.

[edit] History

West Melbourne Post Office opened on 1 March 1937 and was replaced by the Queen Vic Market Newsagency office in 1990 which closed in 1996. ^[3]

[edit] Transport

The North Melbourne railway station is actually situated in West Melbourne, opposite the Railway Hotel on Ireland Street. The 401 bus service connects the train station with the Royal Melbourne Hospital and Carlton.

A number of tram routes run along the periphery of the suburb, along Victoria Street, Peel/William Street and LaTrobe Street.

[edit] Culture

[edit] Churches

St James Old Cathedral

• West Melbourne Baptist
• St Mary Star of the Sea Catholic
• St James Old Cathedral (Melbourne's oldest cathedral, built in 1842)
• St Mary's Anglican

[edit] Hotels

• Carron Tavern, Spencer Street
• McMahons Hotel (Moomba Hotel, formerly North West Hotel), Spencer Street
• Railway Hotel, Ireland Street
• Royal Mail Hotel (formerly Maitz), Spencer Street
• Royal Standard Hotel, William Street
• Hotel Spencer, Spencer Street
• Three Crowns Hotel, Victoria Street

[edit] Restaurants

One of the West Melbourne's restaurants

• Citrus Mint
• Kathmandu Cottage
• Warung Agus
• Le Taj
• Wild East
• Amiconi
• Fraus
• Tandoori Dhaba

[edit] Entertainment venues

• Festival Hall
• Witches in Britches
• The Looney Bin

Coode Island viewed from the west

[edit] Localities

[edit] North of the railway lines

The area bounded by Railway Parade and Spencer St has undergone significant change since 2000. While the region has always been mixed industry and residential, the industrial flavour of the area has diminished rapidly, as West Melbourne's population increases. In Dryburgh, Laurens, Ireland, Stanley and Adderley Streets, the majority of the warehouses have been converted to townhouse developments. The development nearby of the Docklands has had a significant impact on the perceived prestige of the area, and it is rapidly losing its status as one of the most affordable precincts with such proximity to the CBD.

[edit] Shopping

West Melbourne lays claim to the southern side of Victoria Street, meaning that a small range of restaurants and shops lie within its boundaries. Otherwise it has no shopping area of its own. However the Direct Factory Outlet development on Spencer St in the CBD, and Errol St North Melbourne sit just outside the boundary of West Melbourne.

[edit] Coode Island

Coode Island is a locality in West Melbourne's industrial zone. It is unusual in that although it is a locality of West Melbourne, with the creation of Melbourne Docklands and Bolte Bridge the area has become completely disonnected from the main area of the suburb.

It is the site of Victoria's major petrochemical storage facility. The area is named after engineer John Coode and retains the "Island" name despite no longer being an island.

Coode Island was created in 1886 when the Yarra River was straightened, in a project devised by John Coode.^[4] A shipping canal was constructed to the south of the existing course of the river through Fishermans Bend, to allow access from the Port of Melbourne to Yarraville. The former course of the river to the north, and associated swamps was then progressively filled in.

By 1909 the area was being used as an animal quarantine station and sanatorium for victims of bubonic plague. By the 1920s the area was inhabited by hermits living in huts and abandoned ships. In 1927 the Larkin Aircraft Supply Company had set up operations on the island, including a factory and aerodrome,^[5] which was used until World War II.

Map of Coode Island after a channel was cut in 1886, diverting the flow of the Yarra River, creating Coode Island.

In 1960 the area began being used for the storage of petrochemicals. In 1968 the Swanson Dock container terminal was constructed, which reduced the size of Coode Island.

On August 21, 1991 lightning struck one of the storage tanks, resulting in the Coode Island explosion. 8.5 million litres of chemicals burned, creating a toxic cloud over nearby residential suburbs, which was fortunately dispersed by high winds.^[6] Proposals were made to move the facility to Point Lillias near Geelong,^[7] but environmental and Aboriginal heritage concerns thwarted the plans. In 2000 the Bracks Government announced that Coode Island would be the site of Victoria's major petrochemical storage facility, with six companies leasing the facility from the Melbourne Port Authority.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• West Melbourne, Victoria is at coordinates 37°48′40″S 144°56′02″E / 37.811°S 144.934°E / -37.811; 144.934Coordinates: 37°48′40″S 144°56′02″E / 37.811°S 144.934°E / -37.811; 144.934
• Local history of West Melbourne
• http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/info.cfm?top=66&pa=779&pg=1386