Bundoora, Victoria

Bundoora Melbourne, Victoria
Historic Bundoora Homestead and Art Gallery
Bundoora
Coordinates	37°41′42″S 145°03′50″E / 37.695°S 145.064°E / -37.695; 145.064Coordinates: 37°41′42″S 145°03′50″E / 37.695°S 145.064°E / -37.695; 145.064
Population	25,709 (2011 census)
• Density	1,710/km2 (4,440/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	3083
Area	15 km2 (5.8 sq mi)
Location	16 km (10 mi) from Melbourne
LGA(s)	City of Darebin City of Banyule City of Whittlesea
State electorate(s)	Bundoora
Federal Division(s)	Batman Jagajaga Scullin
Suburbs around Bundoora: Lalor Mill Park Plenty Thomastown, Reservoir Bundoora Watsonia, Watsonia North Kingsbury Heidelberg West Macleod

Bundoora is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 16 km north of Melbourne's Central Business District. Its local government areas are the Cities of Banyule, Darebin and Whittlesea. At the 2011 Census, Bundoora had a population of 25,709.

Bundoora is the headquarters of La Trobe University, Bundoora Campus. Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) also has a campus situated in Bundoora.

The word Bundoora is derived from "Kelbundoora", the name of a 19th-century Wurundjeri tribesman.

The Bundoora area was originally inhabited by the Kurnaj-berring tribe of the Wurundjeri clan. Prior to European settlement, there were several large wetlands that were utilised by members of the Kurnaj-berring tribe.

Europeans first arrived in the Bundoora area, known at the time as the Parish of Keelbundora, in 1835. The land for surveyed in 1837 by William Wedge-Drake to allow for the sale of land. The land has previously been owned by members of the Port Phillip Association such as John Batman, who grazed their sheep there without regard for the Wurundjeri clan. The land was subsequently auctioned in Melbourne in 1838 with Bundoora being sectioned off into two areas of approximately 400 hectares. The land was purchased by well-off individuals and land speculators who resold the land within a few months, this time in blocks of 40 to 120 hectares (100 to 300 acres). It was primarily used for sheep grazing and grain production.

Bundoora Post Office opened on 1 October 1863.

In 1899 John Matthew Vincent Smith, a well known horse breeder, purchased a 242-hectare (600-acre) property known as "Bundoora Park". The property was used to raise racing horses. A competition was held in the same year to design a homestead for the property. Sydney Herbert Wilson, who designed the Malvern Town Hall, claimed the prize of 50 pounds. The Bundoora Homestead remains a significant example of Queen Anne style Federation architecture.