Mill Park, Victoria
Encyclopedia
Mill Park is a suburb in Melbourne
, Victoria
, Australia, 23 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district
. Its Local Government Area is the City of Whittlesea
. At the 2006 Census, Mill Park had a population of 31,642.
Mill Park's boundaries are South Morang
and Epping
to the north, Plenty
and the Blossom Park and Rivergum estates to the east, Bundoora
and Thomastown
to the south and Lalor
to the west.
The Mill Park property specialised in horse breeding into the next century and the Findon Harriers continued there until 1930. Mill Park's rural landscape was largely unaltered until the 1960s, apart from the opening of a quarry in 1964. Following is an article on how the quarry came about.
Following on from residential development in Bundoora
, subdivisions occurred in the 1970s and a kindergarten, pre-school centre and shopping complex were built by the end of the decade. The shopping centre has several historic place names: The "Stables Shopping Centre" and Redleap Avenue commemorate the solidly built Redleap racing stables on the Miller property and the Plough Hotel commemorates the Plough Inn which formed a nucleus village in the Mill Park area during the 1850s.
The street "Mill Park Drive" is a large oval ring, which was once a horse racing track. Many of the streets pay homage to past race horses, such as Eaglet, Whernside, Studley & Redleap.
During the 1980s Mill Park underwent rapid residential development, with State and church primary schools (Mill Park Primary School, Saint Francis Primary School). Mill Park Post Office opened on 1 August 1983.
There are several neighbourhood reserves, and three large ones in the west of Mill Park. A freeway reservation runs north-south, parallel to Mill Park's western boundary along Darebin Creek
. The east of Mill Park extends to pollution-control wetlands which border the Plenty River
. The area is serviced by two main shared paths; the Hendersons Road Drain Trail
and the Darebin Creek Trail
. The extreme north boundary is the discontinued railway from Epping
to Yan Yean
.
The continued rapid residential expansion spawned a state secondary college (Mill Park Secondary College) and recreational facilities and the RMIT
Bundoora East Campus is inside Mill Park's border.
The Mill Park Secondary College, was opened in 1992, starting out with year 7 students only, in 1993 the year 7 enrollments doubled. By 1994 there were 1000 students attending the college, and it was clear that the Campus would not physically support many more students. Therefore the Senior Campus was built on Civic Drive in Epping, and was operational in time for the original year 7 students of 92 to attend year 11 in 1996. The Senior Campus originally taught year 11 & 12 Students only(VCE), However since Term 3, 2005, Year 10 Students now attend the Senior Campus.
Shopping in Mill Park consists of The Stables Shopping Centre- located on Childs Road, Plenty Valley Shopping Centre located off of McDonalds Road, which has now completed a large expansion. Mill Park Plaza located on the corner of Plenty Road & Development Boulevard close to the edge of the suburb of South Morang
. Mill Park is not short of fast food restaurants, with McDonalds, Hungry Jacks
, KFC
and Domino's pizza
all within proximity of one another. Mill Park is also the home of other Bistro restaurants including Shuga, Kitchen Ku and La Porchetta
.
Mill Park Plaza - is a Shopping Strip containing a variety of retail and consumer based outlets, including the Bank of Queensland
, TAB
, Shuga Restaurant, GJ Gardiner Homes, Aquaswim Swimming School and the Buzykids Indoor/Outdoor Children's Playcentre.
University Hill has also opened on Plenty Road opposite RMIT Bundoora campus, and with a Coles supermarket and plenty of eateries and other specialist shops available, this also provides the residents of Greater Mill Park with far more shopping options than ever before.
Mill Park boasts both Private and state Primary Schools in the form of St Francis Primary School, Mill Park Heights, Plenty Parklands, Findon and Mill Park Primary Schools. Mill Park is also home to Mill Park Secondary College
, with both its Junior and Senior campuses within its regions.
The Mill Park Library built in 2002 is a vastly modern and spacious building designed by Oaten Stanistreet Architects and used liberally by the residents of Mill Park and other suburbs alike.
team, competes in the Northern Football League and are based at Redleap Reserve behind the Stables Shopping Centre.
Mill Park serves as the northern suburbs home of softball. Northern District Softball Association is based in Mill Park Reserve on Morang Drive and is the only softball association in the area, the next closest being Fawkner Park based Melbourne Softball Association. N.D.S.A offers softball to all ages and abilities and has sent several players to State and National teams. Any Saturday in summer can see the park alive with children and adults alike.
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia, 23 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district
Melbourne city centre
Melbourne City Centre is an area of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. It is not to be confused with the larger local government area of the City of Melbourne...
. Its Local Government Area is the City of Whittlesea
City of Whittlesea
The City of Whittlesea is a Local Government Area located in the outer northeastern suburbs of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The city covers an area of , and has an estimated population of 155,113 people.-History:...
. At the 2006 Census, Mill Park had a population of 31,642.
Mill Park's boundaries are South Morang
South Morang, Victoria
South Morang is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 23 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Whittlesea...
and Epping
Epping, Victoria
Epping is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 22 km north from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Whittlesea...
to the north, Plenty
Plenty, Victoria
Plenty is a locality within Greater Melbourne beyond the Melbourne metropolitan area Urban Growth Boundary 20 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Nillumbik. At the 2006 Census, Plenty had a population of 986.Plenty is a...
and the Blossom Park and Rivergum estates to the east, Bundoora
Bundoora, Victoria
Bundoora is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 16 km north from the Melbourne central business district. Its Local Government Area are the cities of Banyule, Darebin and Whittlesea. At the 2006 Census, Bundoora had a population of 24,018....
and Thomastown
Thomastown, Victoria
Thomastown is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 17 km north from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Whittlesea...
to the south and Lalor
Lalor, Victoria
Lalor is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north of Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Whittlesea. At the 2006 Census the suburb had a population of 19,561...
to the west.
History and development
The area is named after the Mill Park property owned by Henry "Money" Miller (1809-1888). He bred racehorses and conducted a range of dairy and grazing activities, sufficient to occupy 65 persons housed in a village on the property. The Findon Hounds and the Findon Harriers Hunt Club - a name connected with Miller's residence - Findon in Kew, were at Mill Park.The Mill Park property specialised in horse breeding into the next century and the Findon Harriers continued there until 1930. Mill Park's rural landscape was largely unaltered until the 1960s, apart from the opening of a quarry in 1964. Following is an article on how the quarry came about.
Prior to 1957, the land today known as Yellow Gum Park where the quarry is located was part of the historic "Clear Hill" property, which stretched from the Plenty River east to Oatland Road. These lands were predominantly used for dairy farming along with grazing and minor cropping.
As a result of severe bushfires during 1957, the Clear Hill estate was subdivided into smaller allotments. The portion now known as Yellow Gum Park was purchased by Reid Quarries Pty Ltd who quarried the area to produce materials that were used in the construction of many of Melbourne's early 'Sky Scrapers'. Quarrying operations commenced during 1959 and Boral Australia took over the site in the 1960s. The plant was closed in the early 1970s because of ground water seeping into the quarry hole. The ground water seepage has produced the lake which many locals know as "Blue Lake".
Following on from residential development in Bundoora
Bundoora, Victoria
Bundoora is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 16 km north from the Melbourne central business district. Its Local Government Area are the cities of Banyule, Darebin and Whittlesea. At the 2006 Census, Bundoora had a population of 24,018....
, subdivisions occurred in the 1970s and a kindergarten, pre-school centre and shopping complex were built by the end of the decade. The shopping centre has several historic place names: The "Stables Shopping Centre" and Redleap Avenue commemorate the solidly built Redleap racing stables on the Miller property and the Plough Hotel commemorates the Plough Inn which formed a nucleus village in the Mill Park area during the 1850s.
The street "Mill Park Drive" is a large oval ring, which was once a horse racing track. Many of the streets pay homage to past race horses, such as Eaglet, Whernside, Studley & Redleap.
During the 1980s Mill Park underwent rapid residential development, with State and church primary schools (Mill Park Primary School, Saint Francis Primary School). Mill Park Post Office opened on 1 August 1983.
There are several neighbourhood reserves, and three large ones in the west of Mill Park. A freeway reservation runs north-south, parallel to Mill Park's western boundary along Darebin Creek
Darebin Creek
Darebin Creek is a creek that runs through the northern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is the main watercourse of the Darebin Valley and a major tributary of the Yarra River...
. The east of Mill Park extends to pollution-control wetlands which border the Plenty River
Plenty River
The Plenty River is a tributary of the Yarra River in Victoria, Australia. Originating in the forested slopes of Mount Disappointment, the Plenty River is the source of Melbourne's first major water supply in the form of the Yan Yean Reservoir....
. The area is serviced by two main shared paths; the Hendersons Road Drain Trail
Hendersons Road Drain Trail
The Hendersons Road Drain Trail is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians, which follows Hendersons Road Drain in the outer northern suburbs of Mill Park, Epping and South Morang in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
and the Darebin Creek Trail
Darebin Creek Trail
The Darebin Creek Trail is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians which follows Darebin Creek in the inner and outer northern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
. The extreme north boundary is the discontinued railway from Epping
Epping, Victoria
Epping is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 22 km north from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Whittlesea...
to Yan Yean
Yan Yean, Victoria
Yan Yean is a locality in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 38 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Whittlesea and Shire of Nillumbik.Yan Yean is home to Yan Yean Reservoir...
.
The continued rapid residential expansion spawned a state secondary college (Mill Park Secondary College) and recreational facilities and the RMIT
RMIT University
RMIT University is an Australian public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. It has two branches, referred to as RMIT University in Australia and RMIT International University in Vietnam....
Bundoora East Campus is inside Mill Park's border.
The Mill Park Secondary College, was opened in 1992, starting out with year 7 students only, in 1993 the year 7 enrollments doubled. By 1994 there were 1000 students attending the college, and it was clear that the Campus would not physically support many more students. Therefore the Senior Campus was built on Civic Drive in Epping, and was operational in time for the original year 7 students of 92 to attend year 11 in 1996. The Senior Campus originally taught year 11 & 12 Students only(VCE), However since Term 3, 2005, Year 10 Students now attend the Senior Campus.
Modern Mill Park
Modern Mill Park consists of both the traditional Mill Park land and the expanding neighbourhood of Mill Park Lakes, located to the Northeast.Shopping in Mill Park consists of The Stables Shopping Centre- located on Childs Road, Plenty Valley Shopping Centre located off of McDonalds Road, which has now completed a large expansion. Mill Park Plaza located on the corner of Plenty Road & Development Boulevard close to the edge of the suburb of South Morang
South Morang, Victoria
South Morang is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 23 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Whittlesea...
. Mill Park is not short of fast food restaurants, with McDonalds, Hungry Jacks
Burger King
Burger King, often abbreviated as BK, is a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The company began in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida-based restaurant chain...
, KFC
KFC
KFC, founded and also known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, is a chain of fast food restaurants based in Louisville, Kentucky, in the United States. KFC has been a brand and operating segment, termed a concept of Yum! Brands since 1997 when that company was spun off from PepsiCo as Tricon Global...
and Domino's pizza
Domino's Pizza
Domino's Pizza, Inc. is an international pizza delivery corporation headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America. Founded in 1960, Domino's is the second-largest pizza chain in the United States and has over 9,000 corporate and franchised stores in 60 countries and all 50 U.S....
all within proximity of one another. Mill Park is also the home of other Bistro restaurants including Shuga, Kitchen Ku and La Porchetta
La Porchetta
La Porchetta /por'ket:a/ is a restaurant franchise in Australia, New Zealand, and Indonesia which has become one of the most successful Italian restaurants in these nations....
.
Mill Park Plaza - is a Shopping Strip containing a variety of retail and consumer based outlets, including the Bank of Queensland
Bank of Queensland
Bank of Queensland , one of the oldest financial institutions in Queensland, Australia, is a retail bank with a network of almost 270 branches, including 152 in Queensland, 52 in New South Wales, 23 in Victoria and 34 in Western Australia. Following the Home Building Society and Pioneer mergers,...
, TAB
TAB
TAB may refer to:* TAB , a Romanian amphibious armored personnel carrier* Tactical Advance to Battle, a British Army term for a Loaded march....
, Shuga Restaurant, GJ Gardiner Homes, Aquaswim Swimming School and the Buzykids Indoor/Outdoor Children's Playcentre.
University Hill has also opened on Plenty Road opposite RMIT Bundoora campus, and with a Coles supermarket and plenty of eateries and other specialist shops available, this also provides the residents of Greater Mill Park with far more shopping options than ever before.
Mill Park boasts both Private and state Primary Schools in the form of St Francis Primary School, Mill Park Heights, Plenty Parklands, Findon and Mill Park Primary Schools. Mill Park is also home to Mill Park Secondary College
Mill Park Secondary College
Mill Park Secondary College is located in, Victoria, Australia with its Junior Campus located in Mill Park and its senior campus is located in Epping. Built in the early years of the 1990s for the residents of Mill Park, however the population growth grew and a Senior campus was in around 1997....
, with both its Junior and Senior campuses within its regions.
The Mill Park Library built in 2002 is a vastly modern and spacious building designed by Oaten Stanistreet Architects and used liberally by the residents of Mill Park and other suburbs alike.
Sport
Mill Park Football Club, an Australian Rules footballAustralian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
team, competes in the Northern Football League and are based at Redleap Reserve behind the Stables Shopping Centre.
Mill Park serves as the northern suburbs home of softball. Northern District Softball Association is based in Mill Park Reserve on Morang Drive and is the only softball association in the area, the next closest being Fawkner Park based Melbourne Softball Association. N.D.S.A offers softball to all ages and abilities and has sent several players to State and National teams. Any Saturday in summer can see the park alive with children and adults alike.
External links
- Yellow Gum Park (Parks Victoria)