Station Names for Melbourne Showgrounds and Flemington Racecourse

September is the month that the Melbourne Show takes place.


During any year that is not 2020, there would be an event called the Melbourne Show, occurring every September. Because the show is such a popular event for the city, the dormant Showgrounds station, located on the part-time Flemington Racecourse line, would be open, helping those from the south and the east get to the show without too much hassle.

Welcome to part 5 of my Melbourne Train Station names series! This part is pretty short, only covering two stations. Anyway, let us dive right in.


Showgrounds

Named after the Melbourne Showgrounds located to the north of the station, what more should I say? The use of the name showgrounds is really only used in the UK (where they are called Showground), Australia, and New Zealand.

Flemington Racecourse

Flemington Racecourse station's name comes from the racecourse of the same name, located roughly east of the station. The name Flemington comes from two possible sources. The first source of the name comes from landowner James Watson, who you might remember from my blog about the Sunbury line. Watson's wife, Elisabeth Rose, worked at the Flemington estate in Scotland. The second comes from Robert Fleming, who owned a butchery on the site that is now the racecourse. Flemington comes from the word Fleming, which is just a term used to describe someone from Flanders, Belgium.

Google Street view of Flemington Racecourse platform. How great is this feature?



Conclusion

Hope you enjoyed this short article about the Showgrounds and the Racecourse! There will definitely be something bigger next week! As always, leave a comment, share, nd follow my Twitter @strangemelbour1.

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