History of the Waverley Area |
Updated 6.11.09 |
Before the appearance of the white man the Boonorung Aboriginal tribe occupied the area from the mountains East of Melbourne to the shores of Port Phillip Bay as they hunted throughout the year.
It would appear that the earliest white settlement of the Mulgrave area was in about 1836/37 with Joseph and John Hawdon grazing cattle along the Dandenong Creek.
The City of Waverley grew from the Oakleigh and Mulgrave Roads district which was created by an Act of Parliament in 1857 following the land sales of 1853.
Featured in the logo of the WHS is St. Stephens Church which was established in 1865 and is the oldest church in what was the City of Waverley which has subsequently been absorbed into the City of Monash. See the development of schools in the Waverley Mulgrave district at Schools History.
This is not an exhaustive list! If you have any dates which you feel should be included, please email us.
| 1803 | Charles Robbins sights future Parish of Mulgrave (February 1803) |
| 1837 | Joseph and John Hawdon graze cattle along the "Dandenong Creek" flats |
| 1839 | The Boonoorung people, a nomadic tribe of aborigines, included the present Waverley area in their hunting grounds (before 1939) |
| 1839 | Thomas Napier leases west bank Dandenong Creek, later Bushy Park Run (October 1939) |
| 1840 | John McMillan applies for licence of Scotchman's Creek Run (January 1840) |
| 1840 | Survey of Dandenong Creek, Scotchman's Creek and Kooyong Koot (Gardiner's Creek) (October 1840) |
| 1842 | South Yarra Pound gazetted (later site of Oakleigh) (July 1842) |
| 1846 | John McKean takes over McMillan's lease (Dec 1846) |
| 1850 | Wesleyan Methodists held cottage meetings at Black Flat |
| 1853 | Survey of the Parish of Mulgrave by Eugene Bellairs (April 1853) |
| 1853 | First land sales of country block in Mulgrave (Sep -Oct 1853) |
| 1853 | Dr James Silverman purchases site in what was to become Mt Waverley (Dec 1853) |
| 1854 | Dr James Silverman subdivides and sells first lot of subdivision (Feb - Mar 1854) |
| 1854 | Mulgrave Arms Hotel built (Princes Highway, Oakleigh) |
| 1856 | Common school built at Mulgrave, corner of Wellington and Springvale Roads |
| 1857 | Oakleigh Mulgrave Roads Board Constituted Road District of Oakleigh - Mulgrave gazetted (January 1857) |
| 1858 | |
| 1859 | Mulgrave Common School established (cnr Springvale & Wellington Rds) |
| 1860 | First road board elected (June 1860) |
| 1865 | St Stephen's Church of England, Mount Waverley built, first service (23.7.1865) |
| 1866 | Judge Sir Redmond Barry buys land at
Syndal Wesleyan Church, Black Flat Oakleigh Mechanics Institute |
| 1867 | |
| 1868 | |
| 1869 | St Matthews Church of England, Mulgrave,
built Wesleyan Church, Black Flat, establishes church school |
| 1871 | Road district becomes a Shire (Dec 1871) |
| 1874 | Act of Parliament phases out all toll gates on public land |
| 1875 | Warrigal Road State School opened |
| 1876 | |
| 1877 | Oakeligh township moves south, closer to Railway |
| 1878 | |
| 1879 | Melbourne-Gippsland railway link (via Oakleigh) completed (March 1879) |
| 1880 | Black Flat brick schoolhouse First stone metal road constructed in Glen Waverley |
| 1881 | |
| 1882 | |
| 1883 | |
| 1885 | First Postmaster appointed - Black Flat's school master |
| 1888 | Reticulated gas in Oakleigh Oakleigh Times commenced publication Mt Waverley Methodist Church opened |
| 1888 | First Shire offices completed in Oakleigh (October 1888) |
| 1890 | Waverley-Oakleigh railway opened |
| 1890 | Melbourne and Metropolitan water supply installed |
| 1891 | Borough of Oakleigh severed from Shire of
Oakleigh (13 Mar 1891) Mulgrave Presbyterian Church FTG Rd, Wheelers Hill built |
| 1892 | |
| 1893 | Gold discovered at Black Flat G V Blackburne of Tally-Ho purchased Dr Hewlett's place "Letcombe" |
| 1894 | |
| 1895 | |
| 1896 | |
| 1897 | Shire of Oakleigh changed to the Shire of Mulgrave (19 Feb 1897) |
| 1898 | Methodist Church established at corner of Charles St and High Street Rd |
| 1899 | Opening of the horticultural hall "Horty Hall" Mount Waverley (Sept 1899) |
| 1900 | |
| 1901 | |
| 1902 | |
| 1903 | |
| 1904 | |
| 1905 | Mount Waverley Post Office named Glen Waverley, formerly Black Flat, township gazetted (Jan 1905) Glen Waverley township officially gazetted (May 1905) Mount Waverley post office officially named (July 1905) |
| 1906 | Mount Waverley Primary School opened |
| 1907 | Referendum to select Mulgrave Shire council location (FTG Rd chosen) |
| 1908 | First football match at Glen Waverley reserve |
| 1909 | Glen Waverley Mechanics Institute opened
August 1909 Avenue of Honour planted in High Street Rd (from Reservoir to Lawrence Rd) |
| 1910 | |
| 1911 | |
| 1912 | |
| 1913 | Oakleigh Borough divided into three Wards
(30 May 1913) St Leonards RC Church south of Waverley Rd built |
| 1914 | Red Cross Branch formed in Waverley district |
| 1915 | |
| 1916 | St Stephens Church enlarged |
| 1917 | |
| 1918 | |
| 1919 | Loan obtained for building of Mount Waverley Co-operative Cool Store |
| 1920 | First Mulgrave Council meeting in new Shire Offices - Notting Hill (Dec 1920) |
| 1921 | Oakleigh Council Chambers Atherton Rd Oakleigh connected to sewerage system St Paul's CofE, Waverley Rd, Glen Waverley built |
| 1922 | Melbourne-Oakleigh-Dandenong railway
electrified Burnley - Darling railway electrified Browns Stores operates in High Street Rd, Mount Waverley Oakleigh RSL |
| 1923 | |
| 1924 | |
| 1925 | Hughesdale railway station opened |
| 1926 | Electricity mains connected in Waverley district |
| 1927 | Borough of Oakleigh declared a City, (28
April, proclaimed 2 Aug 1927) Mount Waverley reservoir begun Railway survey party establishes camp near where railway now passes under Stephensons Rd |
| 1928 | East Oakleigh (now Huntingdale) railway station opened |
| 1929 | |
| 1930 | Railway line (Electrified) East Malvern - Glen Waverley opened by Lord Somers (Mon 5 May 1930) |
| 1931 | |
| 1932 | |
| 1933 | |
| 1934 | |
| 1935 | |
| 1936 | |
| 1937 | |
| 1938 | |
| 1939 | |
| 1940 | |
| 1941 | |
| 1942 | Volunteer Defence Corps (VDC) formed from local men, to assist war effort |
| 1943 | |
| 1944 | |
| 1945 | |
| 1946 | Tuhan's Boundary Store, SE corner
Waverley and Warrigal Rds, demolished for road widening Nicholas buys site of Aspro factory NE corner of Waverley and Warrigal Rds |
| 1947 | |
| 1948 | Public Housing in Jordanville |
| 1949 | Severance of part of South and Centre Ridings and annexed to Oakleigh 15 Dec 1949 |
| 1950 | Glen Waverley RSL formed |
| 1951 | Mt Waverley Infant Welfare Centre opens |
| 1952 | Chadstone Church of Christ in Waverley Rd was built in 12 hours |
| 1953 | Railway line to Glen Waverley duplicated,
allowing direct runs to Melbourne instead of
single-carriage shuttle service Glen Waverley Infant Welfare Centre opens |
| 1954 | Foundation stone for Corpus Christi Roman Catholic Seminary (now the Police Academy) laid |
| 1955 | Opening of Mulgrave Municipal Offices, Springvale Road (August) |
| 1956 | May Rd and Hewlett Rd became Blackburn Rd Mulgraves's first naturalisation ceremony St Leonards RC Church moved to north of Waverley Rd |
| 1957 | Chadstone (Birrahlee) Infant Welfare Centre opens |
| 1958 | 3 position Signalling on Railway: Mount
Waverley - Syndal (Sunday 7 Sept 1958) Mt Waverley - Syndal Railway duplicated (Sun 7 Sept 1958) Mt Waverley Shopping Centre Glen WaverleyMechanics Institute burned down Monash University created by Act of Parliament |
| 1959 | Further severance of South Riding
(October) Mt Waverley Nth Post Office opened |
| 1960 | |
| 1961 | Shire of Mulgrave proclaimed the City
of Waverley on 14 April 1961. Population approx.
45,000 Monash University opens in Clayton |
| 1962 | VFL purchases 272 acres in Mulgrave for a
football stadium Syndal Infant Welfare Centre opens Pinewood Infant Welfare Centre opens Mt Waverley Youth Centre opens |
| 1963 | Glen Waverley station moved back west
beyond Kingsway Library Committee formed Essex Heights Infant Welfare Centre opens |
| 1964 | East Malvern - Mt Waverley railway
duplicated (Sunday 28 June 1964) 3 position signalling on Railway: East Malvern - Mt Waverley (Sunday 28 June 1964) Syndal - Glen Waverley railway duplicated (Sunday 29 Nov 1964) 3 position signalling on Railway: Syndal - Glen Waverley (Sunday 29 Nov 1964) Mt Waverley West Post Office opened |
| 1965 | Waverley Municipal Pool opened |
| 1966 | Melway No 1 produced in a Mt Waverley
garage Dollars and Cents (14.2.66) Wellington Infant Welfare Centre opens |
| 1967 | The Glen Shopping Centre opened. Cooinda Primary School opens Postcodes began in Australia |
| 1968 | Mt Waverley library completed Jordanville Youth Centre opens Mt Waverley Sth Post Office opened |
| 1969 | |
| 1970 | VFL Park opened (April 1970) Brandon Park Shopping Centre opened |
| 1971 | |
| 1972 | Roman Catholic Seminary and 40 acres
passed to the Victoria Police College Brandon Park Infant Welfare Centre opened |
| 1973 | Work commenced on Mulgrave (now Monash)
Freeway Mulgrave Freeway - Springvale Rd to Jacksons Rd opened temporarily for football crowds (26 Aug.73 Chadstone Church of Christ (built in 12 hours in 1952) is moved a few metres across the site to allow new building First McDonalds Restaurant in Victoria opens (12 Sep 73) at High Street Rd and Springvale Rd Mt Waverley Sth P.O. closed |
| 1974 | Monash Freeway - Stud Rd to Jacksons Rd
opened Jell's Park started Metrication of measurements Southern Youth Centre opened |
| 1975 | Monash Freeway - Stephensons Rd bridge |
| 1976 | Monash Freeway - Blackburn Rd to Springvale Rd opened |
| 1977 | Monash Freeway - Blackburn Rd to Forster
Rd opened Waverley Gardens Shopping Centre opened Methodist, Presbyterian & Congregational churches combine as the Uniting Church Mt Waverley West Post Office. closed |
| 1978 | Mt Waverley Community Centre opened |
| 1979 | Monash Freeway - Forster Rd to Huntingdale Rd opened |
| 1980 | |
| 1981 | |
| 1982 | |
| 1983 | Mt Waverley Nth Post Office closed |
| 1984 | New Waverley City Council offices opened
on 22 Nov by The Governor of Victoria, Rear Admiral Sir
Brian Murray and the Mayor D.C. McIntosh, J.P. Glen Waverley Police Station opened 20 June (by Hon C.R.T. Mathews MLA Minister for Police & Emergency Services) |
| 1985 | |
| 1986 | |
| 1987 | |
| 1988 | First sod turned for building of Arts Centre at Jells Rd and Ferntree Gully Rd |
| 1989 | Oakleigh Municipal Offices renovated |
| 1990 | |
| 1991 | Mt Waverley Reservoirs roofed over. |
| 1992 | |
| 1993 | Ashwood Primary School closes Jordanville Primary School closes Jordanville Technical School closes |
| 1994 | Commissioners brought in to manage
Waverley City and City of Oakleigh Women's Sports centre at Jell's Park opens Mimosa Primary School closes Cooinda Primary School closes |
| 1995 | |
| 1996 | City of Waverley and City of Oakleigh amalgamate to form City of Monash. |
| 1997 | |
| 1998 | Novotel Hotel, and Century Walk,
Springvale Rd, Glen Waverley opened Oakleigh Police move to old Municipal Building site |
| 1999 | |
| 2000 | Rail Crash at Holmesglen (26 July 2000) |
| 2001 | Monash Federation Centre opened |
| 2002 | Monash Aquatic Centre opened |
| 2003 | Brandon Park Secondary College closed |
| 2004 | |
| 2005 | Heritage Steam Train service Darling to Glen Waverley to mark the 75 years since opening |
| 2006 | Eastlink construction commences Madeline's Restaurant opened in Jell's Park |
| 2007 | "Once There Was
Jordanville" published. Official launch 14
November 07 Heritage Steam rail service Darling to Glen Waverley |
| 2008 | Eastlink Toll Road opens 29.6.08 Sandoz/Clarient Factory in Warrigal Rd Demolished New Oakleigh Motors Buildings on FTG Rd (Near Stephensons Rd) demolished Oakleigh Swimming Pool rebuilding starts |
| 2009 | Heritage Steam rail service Darling to
Glen Waverley (June) Works begins on undergroundng of the Springvale Rd rail crossing at Nunawading. Road diversions in place Connex Rail service ends in Nov 30. MTR takes over Melbourne's Rail service 1 Nov. Mt Waverley Primary School extensively renovated. |
| 2010 | |
| 2011 | |
| 2012 |