Ashburton, Victoria

Ashburton Melbourne, Victoria
High Street, Ashburton
Ashburton
Population:	7,173 (2006)[1]
Postcode:	3147
Coordinates:	37°52′01″S 145°4′59″E / 37.86694°S 145.08306°E / -37.86694; 145.08306Coordinates: 37°52′01″S 145°4′59″E / 37.86694°S 145.08306°E / -37.86694; 145.08306
Area:	2.9 km² (1.1 sq mi)
Location:	12 km (7 mi) from Melbourne
LGA:	City of Boroondara
State electorate:	Burwood
Federal Division:	Higgins
Suburbs around Ashburton: Glen Iris Glen Iris Burwood Malvern Ashburton Ashwood Malvern East Malvern East Chadstone

Ashburton is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 12 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district.^[2] Its Local Government Area is the City of Boroondara. At the 2006 Census, Ashburton had a population of 7173.

History

SE11 sorting code removed

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.^{[citation needed]}

There was controversy in June 2007 when potential ALP candidate Barbara Norman called the suburb almost Kath and 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 a 89 year old Ashburton resident Walter Hughes, was kicked and punched to death in broad daylight near Alamein Station.^[6]

Education

Ashburton has three primary schools, Solway Primary School, Saint Michael's Parish School and Ashburton Primary School. Solway Primary School is located on Winton Road, St Michael's on High Street, and Ashburton PS on Fakenham Rd.

Recreation

Ashburton hosts the following recreational interests:

• Ashburton Pool and Recreation Center 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 Willows Cricket Club^[9]
• Ashburton Bowls Club^[10]

See also

• City of Camberwell - the former local government area of which Ashburton was a part.

References

External links

• Australian Places - Ashburton