Eltham Suburb Overview
Eltham) is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 20 km north-east from Melbourne’s Central Business District. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Nillumbik. At the 2011 Census, Eltham had a population of 18,162.
Eltham is one of the ‘ green wedge ‘ areas that provide relatively undeveloped, accessible environments within the Melbourne suburban region. These green wedge areas are under constant pressure from developments such as road and freeway expansions, but Eltham has managed to retain many tree-lined streets and leafy reserves. However, the character of the suburb is changing rapidly, with increased road traffic and higher-density housing becoming more common.
Eltham is known for its tourist attractions, including the artists colony Montsalvat and the Diamond Valley Railway, the largest ridable miniature railway in Australia.
Eltham developed around what is now Main Road from the 1840s. A reserve for a village at the junction of the Diamond Creek and Yarra River is shown on maps around 1848. By 1851 the first Crown allotments were being subdivided and sold, along with a private subdivision developed by T. M. Holloway, known as Little Eltham. At this time, the town’s centre was located around the intersection of Pitt Street and Main Road.
The arrival of the railway line in 1902 drew business further north along Main Road to the current town centre.
In February 1855 Hungarian immigrant Sigismund Wekey purchased 211 acres in what was then Eltham, through ‘The Victoria Vineyard and Garden Fruit Company’, of which he was the manager, with a vision of starting a wine industry in the new settlement near Melbourne.
In March 1855, Wekey held a meeting at the Bulleen Hotel and called for shareholders, “each according to his means
A plan, backed by a group of Melbourne businessmen, who would form the ‘Templestowe Bridge Committee’, attracted the necessary shareholders and the project was underway. ‘Colonial Architect’ of the day, James Balmain, did the design as a private commission, the engineers and builders were Allott & Greenwood. The foundation stone, laid by John Hodgson M.L.C., on 18 August 1855, concealed a manuscript giving details of the people at the ceremony.
Meantime Wekey conceived a plan for another bridge at Studley Park, to improve and shorten the trip to the City even further. By 21 September 1855, the plan for this second bridge was underway.
Unfortunately in January 1856 the Victoria Vineyard and Garden Fruit Company was forced to sell its land. The sale was to Mr King for ?8 English Pounds an acre – the land had been acquired originally for ?4.60 English Pounds an acre – but Wekey had been confident it would soon be worth ?18-20 English Pounds per acre. The company was wound up shortly afterwards.
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