City of Banyule


The City of Banyule is a local government area in Victoria, Australia in the north-eastern suburbs of Melbourne. It was created under the Local Government Act 1989. Former councils affected included the City of Heidelberg, the former Shire of Diamond Valley and former Shire of Eltham. It has an area of and lies between 7 and 21 km from central Melbourne. In 1994 it had a population of 116,000. In June 2018 Banyule had a population of 130,237. The Yarra River runs along the City's south border while the west is defined by the Darebin Creek.
The area was originally occupied by the Wurundjeri, Indigenous Australians of the Kulin nation, who spoke variations of the Woiwurrung language group.
The City was named after the Indigenous Australian term Banyule or "Banyool", and was originally the name of a locality within the former City of Heidelberg before being adopted as the name of the new Council during the amalgamation of local government areas in Victoria. It was formed in December 1994 from the merger of the City of Heidelberg with parts of the Shires of Diamond Valley and Eltham.
The City also has some significant heritage within its boundaries. Significant buildings listed on the Victorian Heritage Register include:
There are a number of housing estates designed by leading early 20th Century architects Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin and by property developer Albert Victor Jennings, some of the most significant art deco buildings in Melbourne, and the world's first Olympic athletes' village.
Banyule is the birthplace of the Heidelberg School of Art, which was formed when a group of artists, including Tom Roberts, Arthur Streeton, Frederick McCubbin, Walter Withers, Charles Conder and others moved to a shack on Mount Eagle and began painting the landscape in a uniquely Australian way during the late 1880s.
The City moved their main offices from Ivanhoe to Greensborough in 2017 with council meetings remaining at the old Heidelberg Town Hall for historical reasons.

Wards and councillors

The current councillors of the City after the elections in November 2016 are:

Suburbs

Notable people

Facilities

Ivanhoe Library, Rosanna Library and Watsonia Library are operated by Yarra Plenty Regional Library. A mobile library service to West Heidelberg is also operated by Yarra Plenty Regional Library.
Heidelberg Historical Society is a varied group of people with a shared interest in understanding and preserving the history of Heidelberg and surrounding suburbs.
is a community group which advocates for the green spaces of Banyule and beyond.