Melbourne's outer northern suburbs are considered to be one of Australia's fastest growing corridors. The high population growth occurring in areas 25-35 km from the city centre in the north continues to drive demand for housing and has resulted in this being one of Melbourne's growth hotspots. Melbourne's growing northern metropolitan fringe is changing the character of what was a sleepy, bucolic area with acre lots and larger farms into a densely populated suburbia with town centres, schools, health and educational facilities that are servicing the increasing population.
Pockets of nature and recreational facilities are being preserved, such as this, the parklands around the Yan Yean Reservoir, which is the oldest of Melbourne's water dams.
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| Marshland adjacent to the dam. |
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| Picnic grounds, barbecues and recreational facilities around the reservoir ensure many people visit this beautiful parkland. |
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| A beautiful pink passionflower (Passiflora spp) |
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| Autumn is fungus time! |
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| A striking, large oxalis, which looks more decorative than weed-like... |
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| Beautiful vistas of surrounding farmland from the picnic area of the Yan Yean parklands. |
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| The Yan Yean Reservoir with a total water storage available capacity 30266 megalitres. |
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| Wood-fired barbecues (with wood supplied), two large rotundas and picnic tables are provided. |
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| An Eastern Rosella, of which there are large numbers in the park. |
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| Rose hips add a note of colour in the green-gray of the bushland. |
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| A rather picturesque shed in one of the properties close to the reservoir. Half-acre and acre lots are still to be found in this area, as well as some small farms. |
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| Farmland and farm animals 25 km from the city centre is a wonderful thing to have in a big metropolitan centre like Melbourne... |
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| But for how long more, as the suburban sprawl forces subdivisions of properties. |
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| He was a very friendly horse! |
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| A Galah (Eolophus roseicapilla), also known as the Rose-breasted Cockatoo, is a very common sight in this area. |
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| There is something very serene and relaxing about cows grazing away in paddocks... |
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| And they are such docile-looking creatures! |
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| Some magnificent old gum trees can be seen in great abundance in this area. |
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| The Anzac memorial in Whittlesea, a town about 40 km NE of the city, with a population of about 5,000 people. |
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| Each plane tree planted along the main street in Whittlesea is dedicated to a fallen Anzac who came from this area. |
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| Whittlesea lies outside the urban growth boundaries of the "Melbourne 2030" metropolitan development plan. It is therefore expected to maintain its rural character. |
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| Mill Park Library opened in 2002 at a cost of $8 million, and was the first library in Victoria to be designed on the concept of a hybrid digital/print library. It serves the northern outer suburbs. |
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| This iconic library building on Plenty Road has a spacious children’s library, a fully equipped training room with 12 PCs, an extensive Local History collection and a quiet reading area. |
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| As well as material in English, the library offers community language material in Italian, Greek, Maltese and Chinese. |
People are ambivalent. They want local employment and good public transport where they live, but they don't want to lose the open spaces, the beautiful greenery and the peaceful environs of the Anzac memorial. We can only hope that the character of the Whittlesea area won't disappear under tons of steel and concrete, as the city expands.
ReplyDeleteI am even more ambivalent. I want to have the city's theatres, galleries, cafes and universities within walking distance of my home, but I still want it to be open and green :)
Extremely interesting blog. Enjoyed the posts of lovely autumn blooms, the rural countryside and old historical buildings.
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI love the pictures of the animals!!!!