Heidelberg Melbourne, Victoria |
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Austin Hospital dominates the Heidelberg skyline (as viewed from Westerfolds Park)
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Coordinates | 37°45′07″S 145°04′12″E / 37.752°S 145.07°ECoordinates: 37°45′07″S 145°04′12″E / 37.752°S 145.07°E | ||||||||||||
Population | 5,714 (2011 census) | ||||||||||||
• Density | 2,120/km2 (5,480/sq mi) | ||||||||||||
Established | 1838 | ||||||||||||
Postcode(s) | 3084 | ||||||||||||
Area | 2.7 km2 (1.0 sq mi) | ||||||||||||
Location | 13 km (8 mi) from Melbourne | ||||||||||||
LGA(s) | City of Banyule | ||||||||||||
State electorate(s) | Ivanhoe | ||||||||||||
Federal Division(s) | Jagajaga | ||||||||||||
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Heidelberg is a suburb of Melbourne, Australia, 13 km north-east of Melbourne's central business district. Its local government area is the City of Banyule. At the 2011 Census, Heidelberg had a population of 5,714.
Once a large town on Melbourne's fringe, Heidelberg was absorbed into Melbourne as part of the latter's northward expansion after World War II. Heidelberg once had its own historic Central Business District including its own municipality in the former City of Heidelberg.
It was named after the German city of Heidelberg.
The land at Heidelberg was sold by crown auction in 1838, making it one of the earliest rural allotments; Melbourne was founded only three years earlier. By 1840, Warringal had been established as a surveyed township, the name referring to an Aboriginal term for eagle's nest. Eventually, Warringal was changed to Heidelberg by a land agent, after the German city of Heidelberg. Following anti-German sentiment during World War I, the Heidelberg City Council proposed to change the name Heidelberg (e.g. to Gerogetown) but following public debates, the name Heidelberg remained.
When it was settled, Heidelberg was reached by track from Melbourne via North Fitzroy, and in 1841 the Heidelberg Road Trust was formed. As a form of Local Government, it preceded the Melbourne Town Council. By the late 1840s, the road had a toll bar at Merri Creek, and a macadamised surface. It became a tourist attraction, enhancing Heidelberg's reputation as a desirable place for views, excursions and rural estates. Cattle overlander Joseph Hawdon built his gothic Banyule Homestead in 1846, overlooking the Yarra Valley.
The Post Office opened on 19 October 1853 as Warringal, and was renamed Heidelberg in 1865. Heidelberg was proclaimed a Shire on 27 January 1871.