City of Hobsons Bay

City of Hobsons Bay Victoria
Location within Melbourne metropolitan area
Population	87,486(2009)
• Density	1,346/km2 (3,486/sq mi)
Established	June 1994
Area	65 km2 (25.1 sq mi)
Mayor	Peter Hemphill
Council seat	Williamstown North Ward
Region	Metropolitan Melbourne
State electorate(s)	Altona, Williamstown
Federal division(s)	Gellibrand, Lalor
Website	[[1] City of Hobsons Bay]
LGAs around City of Hobsons Bay: Brimbank, Wyndham Maribyrnong Melbourne Wyndham City of Hobsons Bay Melbourne, Port Phillip Wyndham Port Phillip Port Phillip

Hobsons Bay council chambers in Altona.

The City of Hobsons Bay is a Local Government Area located within the metropolitan area of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It comprises the south-western suburbs between 6 and 20 kilometres from the Melbourne city centre.

It was founded on June 22, 1994 during the forced amalgamations of local councils by the Kennett Government, formed by the merger of the City of Williamstown and City of Altona, as well as the suburb of South Kingsville from City of Footscray. It was named after Hobsons Bay, which itself was named after Captain William Hobson. The city has an area of 65 square kilometres, and at the 2006 Census Hobsons Bay had a population of 81,451.

Education

Tertiary

Victoria University has a campus in the suburb of Newport, which focuses on automotive, metal fabrication, building and electrical trades. The Newport campus hosts the Centre for Curriculum Innovation and Development.

Libraries

The library, run by the council has five branches: Altona, Altona Meadows, Altona North, Newport and Williamstown. Reflecting the multiculturalism of the community, the library service has a large amount of material in eight different languages.

The Environment Resource Centre is located in Altona library and provides the community access to resources concerning the environment, including initiatives and environmental groups in Hobsons Bay.

Transport

File:Williamstown-beach-station-entrance.jpg

Entrance to Williamstown Beach railway station.

Suburban railway

Hobsons Bay has seven train stations on the Werribee railway line, in Metcard Zones 1 and 2. These stations are Spotswood, Newport, Seaholme, Altona, Westona, Laverton and Aircraft. Previously on this line were the stations of Mobiltown, Paisley, and Galvin.

Williamstown railway line is a shuttle service which is entirely located in Hobsons Bay. It departs the Werribee railway line at Newport and visits the stations of North Williamstown, Williamstown Beach, and Williamstown.

Buses

Twelve separate bus services operate in Hobsons Bay.

• Route 232: Altona North to Queen Victoria Market (via West Gate Freeway)
• Route 411: Laverton, Altona Meadows, Altona to Footscray (via Millers Road)
• Route 412: Laverton, Altona Meadows, Altona to Footscray (via Mills Street)
• Route : Laverton to Werribee Plaza (via Broadwalk Boulevard)
• Route 414: Aircraft railway station to Footscray
• Route 415: Laverton, Altona to Williamstown (via Civic Parade)
• Route : Aircraft railway station to Hoppers Crossing (via The Strand)
• Route 432: Newport to Yarraville
• Route 471: Williamstown to Sunshine (via Newport railway station and Altona Gate Shopping Centre)
• Route 472: Williamstown to Moonee Ponds (via Footscray)
• Route 903: Altona to Mordialloc (via Essendon) SmartBus service

Freeways

The interchange between the West Gate Freeway, Western Ring Road and Princes Freeway lies in the north-west of Hobsons Bay.

From Hobsons Bay, the West Gate Freeway provides access to the Melbourne CBD and eastern suburbs (over the iconic West Gate Bridge), the Princes Freeway provides access to outer south-western suburbs and Geelong, while the Western Ring Road leads to the northern suburbs and Melbourne Airport.

Suburbs

Main street of Altona.

• Altona
• Altona Meadows
• Altona North
• Brooklyn (shared with City of Brimbank)
• Laverton (shared with City of Wyndham)
• Newport
• Seabrook
• Seaholme
• South Kingsville
• Spotswood
• Williamstown
• Williamstown North

Sister cities

• Anjo, Aichi, Japan
• Shire of Buloke, Victoria, Australia (friendship alliance)

See also

• List of Melbourne suburbs

External links

• City of Hobsons Bay
• Metlink local public transport map
• Link to Land Victoria interactive maps
• The Times - publisher of Hobsons Bay Times.