Northcote, Victoria

Northcote Melbourne, Victoria
Northcote Town Hall
Northcote
Coordinates	37°46′20″S 144°59′58″E / 37.7722°S 144.9994°E / -37.7722; 144.9994Coordinates: 37°46′20″S 144°59′58″E / 37.7722°S 144.9994°E / -37.7722; 144.9994
Population	22,920 (2011)
• Density	3,638/km2 (9,420/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	3070
Area	6.3 km2 (2.4 sq mi)
Location	7 km (4 mi) from Melbourne
LGA(s)	City of Darebin
State electorate(s)	Northcote
Federal Division(s)	Batman
Suburbs around Northcote: Brunswick East Thornbury Thornbury Brunswick East Northcote Fairfield Fitzroy North Clifton Hill Fairfield

Northcote (Australian English pronunciation: /ˈnoːθ.kət/  pronunciation ) is an inner suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km north-east of Melbourne's Central Business District. It is part of the local government area of the City of Darebin. At the 2011 Census, Northcote had a population of 22,920.

The area now known as Northcote is on the traditional lands of the Wurundjeri people. According to the Darebin Historical Encyclopedia, "[w]hite settlers knew the Wurundjeri as the ‘Yarra’ tribe. They were closely associated with the Yarra River and its subsidiaries, with various subgroups of the tribe owning lands at various spots on the course of the Yarra.

The southerly surveyed portion is now Westgarth. It was the area further north of present-day Westgarth which saw settlement and development, particularly around the mansion built by William Rucker on Bayview Street in 1842 (the area now known as Ruckers Hill). Large, expensive houses were built throughout the Victorian gold rush of the 1850s. Lower Plenty Road (or High Street as it is known today) became the central street of Northcote, instead of Westgarth Street as initially proposed. A bridge was built across the Merri Creek in 1858, making access to the area more convenient. Throughout the 1850s, churches, schools, and hotels were built (see Timeline).