Croydon, Victoria

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Croydon
Melbourne, Victoria
Population: 22,029 (2006)[1]
Postcode: 3136
Area: 14.3 km² (5.5 sq mi)
Property Value: AUD $365,000 [2]
Location: 31 km (19 mi) from Melbourne
LGA: City of Maroondah
State District: Kilsyth, Warrandyte
Federal Division: Casey
Suburbs around Croydon:
Croydon Hills Croydon North Mooroolbark
Ringwood Croydon Mooroolbark
Ringwood East Croydon South Kilsyth

Croydon is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its Local Government Area is the Maroondah City Council.

Croydon is the host suburb of the Maroondah Festival, which is held yearly in Croydon Park. Performers have included Daryl Braithwaite, Kate Ceberano, Vanessa Amorosi, Paul Kelly, Johnny Diesel, Hunters and Collectors, The Living End, 28 Days, Bodyjar, Frenzal Rhomb, Spiderbait, Kisschasy and even a few international acts, including Sonia Dada.

Swinburne University of Technology has a campus in Croydon, offering TAFE courses and apprenticeship training. Croydon contains one railway station, Croydon, on the Lilydale line. It is also the home of EV's Youth Centre, a long-standing local venue for all-ages live music events. Bass player for 28 Days, Damian Gardiner, grew up in Croydon.

Home to the Croydon Football Club, established in 1906. Nicknamed "The Blues" and playing in the navy blue strip similar to AFL club Carlton FC.

Home ground: Hewish Road, Croydon In Season 2008 Croydon will be playing in EFL Division One.


Contents

[edit] Burnt Bridge

Burnt Bridge is an area within the Melbourne suburb of Croydon, in Victoria, Australia. It is named after the Burnt Bridge Hotel, which was operated by Elizabeth Moore and Lucy Dawson as early as the 1840s, and located along the Lilydale Trail, near the present day junction of Maroondah Highway and Old Lilydale Road. At the time of the hotels existence, the area was grazing land. Hotels in these times usually began as shanties, selling coffee to passing coaches, before gaining their liquor licences.

Although some historians have speculated that the name is derived from the Scottish word 'burn', meaning 'stream', it is more popularly believed to be derived from a canvas toll bridge in the area which was burnt down. The hotel was also known to locals as The Blazing Stump.

[edit] History

Dating back to the 1840's land was first utilised for grazing and the first road cut through the area now known as Croydon was intially known as Sawmill Road, as a sawmill was nearby. Later it became known as Oxford Road, and became Mt Dandenong Road some time in the early 1900's.

Owing to the silvery-white grass and coarsein texture, the area we know as Croydon was first called "white flats."

In 1868 parcels of land were surveyed and the first habitations were constructed out of wattle and daub. These were later rebuilt in timber and the area prospered in sheep, beef and dairy farming. Orchards were soon established and thrived, crops included apples, cherries, pears, peaches and plums. Indeed several street names in and around Croydon, now reflect the impact orchards had on "White Flats"

In 1874 Cobb & Co ran horses and carts to the area (Brushy Creek) In 1882 a single track railway line was constructed through to Lilydale. At the time known as the Warrandyte South Railway Station (since rebuilt as the current station). Travellers would travel by rail to the then unnamed station, and were then faced with a horse & coach ride to Warrandyte, which was not expected by many people.

In the mid 1920's the Lilydale line as it became known was electrified. At various times the railway stations from Ringwood to Lilydale have been rebuilt. Croydon was last rebuilt in the 1990's and has a small but busy bus terminus for several bus lines including Croydon Bus, Invicta and Ventura.

In the early 1920's a monday market began and until the site was redeveloped in the 1980's it included live animals, chickens, birds and other small animals. Since then the site has been subject to several development applications including one for a small cinema complex to be built, which did not eventuate. The site was expanded to include the Aldi supermarket, taking over part of the supermarket carpark on the Kent Avenue side of the block and a few small shops still on Wicklow Avenue.

The origin of the name is English and was proposed by one Mr George Lacey, a resident of the Croydon area in the 1880's approx.

Originally Croydon was part of the Shire of Lillydale. In 1957 A request was submitted for Croydon to leave the Lillydale Shire and become its own entity. Becoming the Shire of Croydon until 1994 when it became part of the City of Maroondah.

Residents have since then seemed to feel slightly agrieved with some actions in the new City and have more than once stated at Council meetings and in the local newspapers over the years that they are 'second cousins to those in Ringwood."

The Croydon area is served by two weekly newspapers The Maroondah Journal and The Maroondah Leader.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). Croydon (State Suburb). 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved on 2007-09-29.
  2. ^ [1], accessed 27 October 2007

Muriel McGivern, A History of Croydon Vols 1 & 2. 1969

[edit] External links

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