Ashburton, Victoria
| Ashburton Melbourne, Victoria | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 High Street, Ashburton | |||||||||||||
  Ashburton | |||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 37°52′1″S 145°4′59″E / 37.86694°S 145.08306°ECoordinates: 37°52′1″S 145°4′59″E / 37.86694°S 145.08306°E | ||||||||||||
| Population | 7,586 (2011 census)[1] | ||||||||||||
| • Density | 2,620/km2 (6,780/sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 3147 | ||||||||||||
| Area | 2.9 km2 (1.1 sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Location | 12 km (7 mi) from Melbourne | ||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | City of Boroondara | ||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Burwood | ||||||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Higgins | ||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
Ashburton is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 12 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District.[2] Its local government area is the City of Boroondara. At the 2011 census, Ashburton had a population of 7,586.
History
Ashburton Post Office opened on 15 December 1927, some time after the rail line was electrified in 1924. A Solway office in the south of the suburb was open from 1954 until 1978.[3]
Today
Ashburton features a retail area around High Street, has two train stations (Ashburton and Alamein) and contains a branch of the Boroondara Library.
The suburb contains student housing (operated by the Ashburton Baptist Church) due to its proximity to the Holmesglen Institute of TAFE, Monash University (Caulfield and Clayton campuses), Deakin University (Burwood campus) and Swinburne University (Hawthorn campus). The Ashburton Baptist, Catholic and Anglican Churches also run the Ashburton Asylum Seeker Support Group.
There was controversy in June 2007, when potential ALP candidate Barbara Norman called the suburb "almost Kath & Kim country".[4] She was referring to Ashburton to being like the fictional suburb of Fountain Lakes, in the ABC Television's show Kath and Kim.
There has been moves by the Victorian Government in 2009 to close small Police stations, such as Ashburton's.[5] Fears that it would lead to a spike in crime worsened among the community[5] when an 89-year-old Ashburton resident was kicked and punched to death in broad daylight near Alamein Station.[6]
Education
Ashburton is served by three primary schools: St Michael's Parish School is a Catholic co-ed primary school located on High Street. Solway Primary School and Ashburton Primary School are government primary schools located on Winton Road and Fakenham Road respectively.
Recreation
Ashburton hosts the following recreational interests:
- Ashburton Pool and Recreation Centre (YMCA)
- Solway Basketball Club - Fields teams for boys and girls from under 8s to under 18s. Competitions are held at the Waverley Basketball Stadium and acts as a feeder club for representative basketball club Waverley Falcons.[7]
- Auskick at Watson Park
- Ashburton United Soccer Club
- Ashburton Women's Soccer Club[8]
- Ashburton United Junior Football Club (The Ashy Redbacks)
- Ashburton Young Cricketers (AYC) Cricket Club[9]
- Ashburton Willows Cricket Club[10]
- Ashburton Bowls Club[11]
See also
- City of Camberwell - the former local government area of which Ashburton was a part
References
- ↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Ashburton (State Suburb)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 18 July 2012.
- ↑ http://www.postcodes-australia.com/areas/vic/hawthorn/ashburton
- ↑ Premier Postal History, Post Office List, retrieved 22 May 2013
- ↑ "almost Kath and Kim country"
- 1 2
- ↑ http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/women-charged-with-murder-of-elderly-ashburton-man/story-e6frf7jo-1225767219465
- ↑ http://www.solwaybasketball.com.au/
- ↑ http://ashburtonwsc.org.au/
- ↑ http://www.ayc-cricket.com
- ↑ http://ashburtonwillows.com
- ↑ http://www.ashburtonbowls.com/