Melton, Victoria

Melton Melbourne, Victoria
Aerial view of Melton urban area
Melton
Coordinates	37°41′0″S 144°35′0″E / 37.68333°S 144.58333°E / -37.68333; 144.58333Coordinates: 37°41′0″S 144°35′0″E / 37.68333°S 144.58333°E / -37.68333; 144.58333
Population	59,500 (2015)
• Density	223.77/km2 (579.6/sq mi)
Established	1862
Postcode(s)	3337–3338
Area	265.9 km2 (102.7 sq mi) (2011 urban)
Location	35 km (22 mi) from Melbourne
LGA(s)	City of Melton
State electorate(s)	Melton
Federal Division(s)	Gorton
Suburbs around Melton: Melton West Kurunjang Toolern Vale Melton West Melton Plumpton Brookfield Melton South Melton South

Melton is an urban area within metropolitan Melbourne, Australia located 35 km west from the capital's central business district. It is the administrative centre of the City of Melton local government area and its most populous centre. At June 2015 Melton had an estimated urban population of 59,500. Melton is considered part of the Greater Melbourne metropolitan area and is included in the capital's population statistical division.

Melton began as a small town before being declared a satellite city in 1974, separated from Melbourne's urban area by a green wedge. Since the 1990s it has experienced rapid suburban growth into surrounding greenfield land and has become a commuter town in the Melbourne-Ballarat growth corridor. Changes to Melbourne's urban growth boundary passed by the state government in 2010 effectively relinquish its satellite city status as it is planned to become part of Melbourne's future conurbation.

It is named after Melton Mowbray in the United Kingdom.

Melton was first settled by squatters establishing sheep runs in the area in the 1830s and a small settlement benefited from traffic passing through it on the way to the Ballarat gold fields during the Victorian Gold Rush. The Post Office opened on 1 March 1856.

The area was declared a satellite city in 1974 and a green belt existed between it and the urban area of Melbourne until the late 1990s.

Melton is located on flat, largely featureless, former volcanic plains.

To the south-east of Melton Township is Mount Cottrell, a blast-shield volcano, and to the north-east of the township is Mount Kororoit. These two volcanoes are some of the easternmost volcanoes on the Victorian Volcanic Plain which extends to the South Australian border.