Essendon, Victoria

History

Essendon and the banks of the Maribyrnong River were originally inhabited by the Wurundjeri clan of the Woiwurrung speaking people of the Kulin nation.

In 1803, Charles Grimes and James Fleming were the first known European explorers into the Maribyrnong area.

Essendon was named after the village of Essendon in Hertfordshire, England. Richard Green, who arrived in Victoria in the 1850s and settled near Melbourne, was a native of Essendon, Hertfordshire, where his father Isaac Green was either owner or tenant of Essendon Mill, and he bestowed the name of his native village on the district in which he had made his new home.

In 1851, the gold rush opened up the Moonee Ponds District with miners travelling along Mount Alexander Road to Castlemaine.

Essendon Post Office opened on 18 August 1856.

In 1862, 169 residents sought the formation of the Borough of Essendon and Flemington.

On 9 January 1871, the Victorian Railways services began between Essendon and Melbourne, following an unsuccessful private railway operating from 1860 until 1864.

In the 1880s, the local Council resisted industrial development in the form of cattle saleyards and brickworks, out of concern for pollution of the Maribyrnong River. Instead it embarked on a program to create, in its upper reaches, a playground for rowers, fishermen and swimmers.

In 1890, a large mansion was built in the town. It was designed by eminent architect R.A. Lawson and built at a cost of £35,000. Originally known as Earlsbrae Hall, it was the home of Collier McCracken, a member of a local brewing family. The building now houses Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School.

In 1906, the North Melbourne Electric Tramway and Lighting Company opened its electric tramway system linking Essendon with the city. The company also supplied electric power to the neighbouring suburbs from its power station on Mount Alexander Road, near the intersection with South Street.

Traditional ownership

The formally recognised traditional owners for the area in which Essendon is located are the Wurundjeri people. The Wurundjeri people are represented by the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation.

Demographics

In the , a population of 21,420 was recorded for Essendon.

• 86 (0.4%) respondents identified as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.
• 72.1% of the population were born in Australia. Other countries of birth commonly recorded were India (3.0%), Italy (2.4%), England (1.8%), China (1.3%), and New Zealand (1.3%).
• The most common ancestries recorded were English (26.6%), Australian (23.7%), Italian (16.3%), Irish (13.6%) and Scottish (8.2%).
• 72.8% of people spoke only English at home. Other languages commonly spoken at home included Italian (4.3%), Greek (2.4%), Mandarin (1.7%), Vietnamese (1.4%), and Arabic (1.1%).
• The most common responses recorded for religion were Catholic (37%), 'No Religion, so described' (32%), Eastern Orthodox (5.2%), Anglican (4.9%), and 'not stated' (4.6%).
• The median weekly household income in Essendon was recorded as $2,132.

Transport

The number 59 tram provides public transport along Mount Alexander and Keilor Roads to the city.

Train services are available from Essendon station on Rose Street, Glenbervie station on Glass Street, and Strathmore station on Woodland Street, all located on the Craigieburn railway line.

Bus services are also available from Essendon railway station with several routes ending at the station or continuing through to Moonee Ponds.

The suburb is bordered on the south west by the Maribyrnong River Trail, and on the east and north by the Moonee Ponds Creek Trail. Both are used by commuting and recreational cyclists.

Politics

The seat of Essendon, in the Victorian Legislative Assembly, is based on the suburb. The current state member is Danny Pearson, for the Australian Labor Party.

Schools

State

• Aberfeldie Primary School, Doone Street, Aberfeldie
• Essendon Primary School, Raleigh Street, Essendon
• Essendon North Primary School, Keilor Road, North Essendon
• Buckley Park College, Cooper Street, Essendon
• Essendon Keilor College, Buckley Street, Essendon (Senior Campus)

Private

• St. Therese's Primary School, Edward Street, Essendon

• St. Columba's College, Leslie Road, Essendon

• St. Bernard's College, Rosehill Road, Essendon

• Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School, Raleigh Street, Essendon (Junior School (boys) P-6 and kindergarten campus)

• Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School, Leslie Road, Essendon

• Ave Maria College, Vida Street, Aberfeldie

Sport

Essendon is home of the Essendon Football Club (the Bombers), an Australian rules football club which is a member of the Australian Football League. Essendon is one of the most successful football teams in Australia, having won 16 premierships in the VFL/AFL.

The Essendon District Football League is one of the most successful suburban football competitions in Melbourne and in the zone days, fed many players into elite level competition.

Climate

Essendon features a moderate oceanic climate (Cfb) with warm summers and cool, damp winters. It features 50.5 clear days annually—more than Melbourne CBD's 46 days. |Jan record high C = 45.8 |Feb record high C = 47.3 |Mar record high C = 40.7 |Apr record high C = 35.2 |May record high C = 26.7 |Jun record high C = 22.6 |Jul record high C = 21.9 |Aug record high C = 24.4 |Sep record high C = 30.3 |Oct record high C = 36.4 |Nov record high C = 41.5 |Dec record high C = 44.4 |year record high C = 47.3 |Jan record low C = 5.7 |Feb record low C = 5.3 |Mar record low C = 3.7 |Apr record low C = 0.6 |May record low C = 0.1 |Jun record low C = -3.3 |Jul record low C = -2.6 |Aug record low C = -2.4 |Sep record low C = -1.6 |Oct record low C = -0.3 |Nov record low C = 2.2 |Dec record low C = 4.0 |year record low C = -3.3

Other

Essendon is the birthplace of the singer Judith Durham, who went to Essendon Primary School.

There are also several churches in Essendon, of various denominations. Baptist churches within the area including the Essendon Community Baptist Church, the International Baptist Church and the Aberfeldie Baptist Church. The closest mosque to Essendon is the Glenroy Sunnah Mosque. Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church in Diaspora is located in Buckley Street Essendon; nearby the Association of Ukrainians in Victoria (AUV) has its head office in Russell Street Essendon.

References

References

1. {{Census 2021 AUS
2. Henry Bateson, [http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11735813 "How Essendon got its Name"], ''The Argus'', 3 Feb 1934
3. Phoenix Auctions History [http://www.phoenixauctions.com.au/cgi-bin/wsPhoenix.sh/Viewpocdwrapper.p?SortBy=VIC&filter=Essendon Post Office List - Essendon]. Retrieved 21 March 2021
4. Keith Turton, "Centenary of the Opening of the Government Railway between Melbourne and Essendon" [[Australian Railway History. ''Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin'']], January 1971 pp10-23
5. "Railpage.org.au Melbourne's Tram History".
6. link. (24 April 2012)
7. "Map of formally recognised traditional owners". Aboriginal Victoria.
8. "Wurundjeri". Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation.
9. "Aberfeldie Primary School site".
10. "Essendon Primary School - Follow The Gleam".
11. "Essendon North Primary School - Home".
12. "Home".
13. "Home".
14. "St Therese's School".
15. "St Bernard's College Essendon".
16. "Home".
17. "Private Girls School in Essendon | Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar".
18. "Girls Catholic College Essendon".