Blackburn, Victoria


Blackburn is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, east of Melbourne's Central Business District. Its local government area is the City of Whitehorse. At the 2011 Census, Blackburn had a population of 12,796. At the 2016 Census, Blackburn had a population of 13,940.
The origin of the name Blackburn is not certain, but may have been after an early settler or James Blackburn, who designed Yan Yean Reservoir. It lies within the City of Whitehorse, in Melbourne's eastern suburbs.
Blackburn is bounded in the west by Middleborough Road, in the north by Springfield Road, in the east by an irregular line along streets to the east of Blackburn Lake Sanctuary - known as the Bellbird area - and in the south by Canterbury Road.

History

Europeans first settled the area of Blackburn in the 1841s. The area was densely wooded, though orchards and small farms were soon developed. In 1861 the Traveller's Rest Hotel was built on the current site of the Blackburn Hotel. Blackburn Creek Post Office opened on 10 January 1876 and was renamed Blackburn in 1883.
During the land boom of the 1880s, brickworks and quarries were established in the area. Blackburn railway station was built in 1882. A primary school was established in 1889.
Though the area near the railway station was subdivided in the 19th Century, development was slow and most houses in the suburb were not built until after the Second World War.
A large part of Blackburn is of historical significance, as it was built around the artificial Blackburn Lake in 1889, now known as Blackburn Lake Sanctuary, with the lake in the middle of the sanctuary. This was a popular day trip destination by train in the late nineteenth century. Some Australian artists painted in the bush around the Blackburn and Box Hill areas. Of these, Roberts and McCubbin are the best known. The area is protected by strict planning controls restricting development and has retained a village atmosphere.

Demographics

In the 2011 census the population of Blackburn was 12,796, approximately 51.1% female and 48.9% male.
The median/average age of the people in Blackburn is 40 years of age.
70.8% of people living in the suburb of Blackburn were born in Australia. The other top responses for country of birth were 3.6% England, 3.6% China, 2.4% India, 1.4% New Zealand, 1.3% Malaysia, 0.7% Hong Kong, 0.7% Korea, Republic of, 0.6% Germany, 0.6% Italy, 0.6% Sri Lanka, 0.6% Vietnam, 0.5% South Africa, 0.4% Scotland, 0.4% Netherlands.
78.8% of people living in Blackburn speak English only. The other top languages spoken are 4.4% Language spoken at home not stated, 3.9% Mandarin, 2.3% Cantonese, 1.2% Other, 1.0% Punjabi, 1.0% Greek, 0.9% Italian, 0.6% Other, 0.6% Korean.
The religious makeup of Blackburn is 29.3% No religion, 21.3% Catholic, 12.6% Anglican, 9.2% Religious affiliation not stated, 6.1% Uniting Church, 4.0% Baptist, 2.5% Christian, nfd, 2.3% Presbyterian and Reformed, 2.3% Buddhism, 2.0% Eastern Orthodox.
The median individual income is $667 per week and the median household income is $1508 per week.
The median rent in Blackburn is $335 per week and the median mortgage repayment is $2000 per month.
In the 12-month period to January 2020 Blackburn reported a median house price of A$1.03 million for a three bedroom house.

Facilities

The major shopping hub of Box Hill is two train stops away, while three buses connect Blackburn to Forest Hill. It shares its postcode with Blackburn North and Blackburn South.
Blackburn contains two railway stations, Laburnum and Blackburn, on the Belgrave and Lilydale lines, the former of which services the locality of Laburnum, in the western part of the suburb. Blackburn is also home of the 1st/8th Blackburn Scout Group and .
Blackburn enjoys three significant bushland parks: the Blackburn Lake Sanctuary, the park which follows Gardiners Creek, and Cootamundra Walk.

Sport

There are many sporting clubs for all ages:
There are six schools in Blackburn: , , , Old Orchard Primary School and Blackburn High School.

Notable residents