City of Darebin Heritage Study Volume 1 Draft Thematic

VOLUME 2: THEMATIC ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY• Places associated with land speculators, pastoralists and immigrant groups;• Places associated with formation of new communities such as churches, cemeteries andcommunity buildings.• Places associated with the establishment of early transport networks.Boom, bust and recovery (c1870s – c1910s)The land speculation, which began in the 1850s gathered pace in the 1870s and 1880s. Theurban boundaries were pushed out as people sharing in the general prosperity sought newresidential lands in which to build homes. Darebin had many acres of vacant land, held byspeculators waiting for the right time to sell, however, the area was disadvantaged by a lack ofgood transport facilities. Even so, the boom took hold in Darebin, where many estates weresubdivided and offered for sale, using creative marketing techniques. Industries wereestablished, transport networks developed and expanded and civic institutions were established.The development of railways and the first cable tram networks, in particular, had a significantinfluence upon the pattern of settlement that extended northward in a narrow band along thekey routes of St Georges Road, the Whittlesea railway and High Street. The 1890s halteddevelopment for over a decade, butSignificant places associated with the era of Boom, bust and recovery include:• Places associated with the ‘boom and bust’ speculative development in the late nineteenthcentury, such as working class cottages, middle class villas and ‘boom-style’ mansions;• Places associated with failed speculative subdivisions, which illustrate how far suburbandevelopment expanded prior to the 1890s depression;• Places associated with the establishment and development of rural, extractive andmanufacturing industries in Darebin;• Places associated with the establishment of Melbourne’s first water supply;• Places associated with the establishment and development of Darebin and Melbourne’sroad network;• Places associated with the establishment and development of the public transport network,and that illustrate its influence upon suburban development;• Places associated with the early development of local retail centres, particularly along HighStreet;• Places associated with the establishment of local government authorities;Becoming cities – the interwar suburban boom (c.1910s – c1950s)After the interruption caused by World War One, Darebin entered perhaps its most significantphase of development. Northcote had been proclaimed a city by 1914, and Preston followedsuit by 1926. This was the era of ‘Garden Suburb’ housing estates that were constructed alongkey transport routes including the expanding tram network, which was developed first by theFitzroy-Northcote-Preston Tramway Trust and later by the Melbourne and MetropolitanTramways Board who established their depot and workshops at Preston in 1924. This includedsome of the first ‘public’ housing estates in Victoria, which were developed by War ServiceHomes Commission from 1919-20 and the Housing Commission of Victoria (1938 onwards).High Street developed into a major shopping centre. During this time, the rural seclusion ofthe northern parts of Darebin and its large undeveloped areas continued to various health andwelfare institutions seeking rural land near the city. Darebin became home to a number ofmajor health institutions that brought people in from the wider community for care andtreatment. This included the repatriation of returned servicemen.143