Belgrave, Victoria

Encyclopedia : B : BE : BEL : Belgrave, Victoria

Belgrave is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located 35 kilometers east of Melbourne. It is in the Local Government Area of the Shire of Yarra Ranges. Its Postcode is 3160.

Most of the commercial district of Belgrave is located on Main Street, which is at the end of Burwood Hwy. There are also shops on Bayview Road, which is located just across the rail bridge.

Contents

1 History
2 Business
3 Tourism
4 Social Scene
5 Schools
6 Recreation & Government Buildings
7 Local Media
8 External links

History

Belgrave fell within the pastoral run of early pioneer James Clow. The initial settlement was built in the area now known as Tecoma. The area now known as Belgrave was settled as the railway line was established. The township was named after the property of local councillor E. W. Benson, itself probably named after the town of Belgrave in Leicestershire, England. Timber was an early principal industry in Belgrave.

A narrow-gauge railway was constructed in 1900, with the station in Belgrave initially called Monbulk. The town became a transport hub for the surrounding areas of Monbulk, Kallista, Olinda, and The Patch. When the railway was restored in 1962, Belgrave was opened up to the tourism industry. Melbourne crime lord Squizzy Taylor made visits to The Chalet tearooms.

Business

Belgrave has many galleries and bookshops. There is a Safeway supermarket, three Hairdressing Salons, a Building Design (drafting) service, two pharmacies, a butcher, a dry cleaner, two bakeries, a video store, a newsagency, several health food and organic supply stores, two banks (the Commonwealth Bank and the Bendigo Bank) as well as a public library; these all help to make Belgrave a convenient place to live. It also has a very active Traders Association.

Tourism

Its best known attraction is the heritage narrow gauge, steam-operated Puffing Billy Railway, which was restored in 1962. It is also the terminus of the Belgrave Train Line.

Nearby Attractions include The 1000 Steps and Sherbrooke Falls and there is much, much more to see in the area.

Social Scene

Belgrave has a cinema called the Cameo Theatre, which has recently been restored to its original 1930s glory. The complex features six cinemas, with Cinema 1 dating back to the 1930s. There is also an outdoor theatre at the rear of the building, which is open only during the summer months (December to March). Patrons of the outdoor theatre hear the sound through radio headphones while sitting on deckchairs The Reel Cafe, which is off the lobby of the theatre, provides meals from breakfast through to dinner as well as coffee breaks for anytime of day.

Belgrave has a busy night scene, with several major pubs and bars, Ruby's Lounge, Bells Tavern, The Scarab Bar and The Aztec (on Bayview Road). There is an Indian restaurant, a Thai restaurant, several pizza shops, a noodle shop, a Subway store, a hot chicken shop, organic cafe (Earthly Pleasures) and two fish and chip shops. Sometimes on Thursday or Friday nights, fire-twirlers and percussionists perform on Bayview Road, many of whom can be met inside The Aztec Bar.

There is also a healthy music scene with many exiting live acts performing at Ruby's Lounge. Ruby's (formerly the Lazy River) has become a hotspot to see many of Australia's most popular artists who include Motorace, Pete Murray, Cat Empire, Magic Dirt, Kate Ceberano and Mark Lizotte aka Diesel. Aside from just hosting well known performers, Aztec Bar and Ruby's host many open mike nights where amateur artists can perform. Street buskers can be found almost every day and there is also a recording studio.

Schools

Belgrave has two local schools, both managed by the Catholic church.

Catholic Primary School : St Thomas More's - Located near the Belgrave Library and adjacent to St. Thomas More's Catholic Church.
Catholic Girls Secondary School : Mater Christi College - Located on Bayview Road.

There are many other schools in the area surrounding Belgrave. As Belgrave only has 1 Catholic Girls School and 1 Catholic Primary School, some people may choose to send their children to another local school.

Here are the closest.

Other local Primary Schools are:

Selby Primary School - Located just off Belgrave-Gembrook Rd in Selby approximately 3kms from Belgrave.
Upwey South Primary School - Near Burwood Hwy in Upwey.
Upwey Primary School - Located on Burwood Hwy in Upwey.
Tecoma Primary School - Located on Burwood Hwy in Tecoma.
Belgrave South Primary School - Located on Belgrave-Hallam Rd in Belgrave South.
Kallista Primary School - Located on Monbulk Rd in Kallista.

Other local Secondary Schools are:

Emerald Secondary College - Located on Belgrave-Gembrook Rd just out of Emerald.
Upwey High School - Located on Burwood Hwy in Upwey.
Monbulk College - Located on David Hill Rd just out of Monbulk.
Catholic Boys Secondary School : St. Josephs College - Located just off Burwood Hwy on Brenock Park Drive (former Lysterfield Rd) in Ferntree Gully, adjacent to the Safeway supermarket.

See Education in Australia for further information.

Recreation & Government Buildings

Belgrave has a state of the art Police Station, which acts as the base for all police stations in the Dandenong Ranges Region. There is also the [Belgrave Volunteer Fire Brigade] on Bayview rd, which has been serving the community for over 80 years. It is also home to the Dandenong Ranges Fire Brigades Group HQ, which manages all major fires within the Dandenong Ranges.

There is a Centrelink office on the high side of Main Street. The closest Shire of Yarra Ranges office is in Upwey on Main Street.

The Belgrave Town Park, just below the police station, opened on 30 July 2005. It provides a fine view over the town as well as a public space for events such as the annual Christmas carols. Just off the Belgrave-Hallam Road is the Belgrave outdoor swimming pool and a playground.

Local Media

Belgrave's local newspapers are The Free Press Leader and The Mail and its local radio station is 3MDR on 97.1FM.

External links

Melbourne suburbs near Belgrave (Shire of Yarra Ranges)
Upwey	Sherbrooke	Kallista
Tecoma	Belgrave	Selby
Lysterfield	Belgrave Heights	Belgrave South

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