Station Names on Melbourne's Craigieburn Line

Next up, we have the Craigieburn Line, an interesting line that's a tad underrated in my unprofessional opinion. It has interesting stations and a whole batch of name origins. Some of them are interesting, others not so much.

To be specific, this article covers the 15 stations on the Craigieburn line that are after North Melbourne station.

Anyway, I should stop blubbering on about nothing, Let us dive right in!




Kensington

In my Williamstown line article I talked briefly about South Kensington, but never mentioned where the Kensington part of the name came from. Well. for those of you who were wondering, Kensington is named after the London suburb of the same name. Kensington in London had major significance, with Kensington Palace being the birthplace of Queen Victoria. Kensington is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word 'Chenesitun', which references a family known as 'Chensei'.

Newmarket

Newmarket is named after the Newmarket Saleyards that existed between Epsom and Racecourse roads between 1856 and 1987. The origin of Newmarket is not very interesting, it was a market that was new (for a short time).
Newmarket Saleyards in 1945.


Ascot Vale

Ascot Vale is named after the Ascot Racecourse in England, with the name being chosen because of its proximity to the Flemington Racecourse (the former Ascot Racecourse in Melbourne opened after the suburb began development). Ascot comes from a term meaning 'eastern cottage'.

Moonee Ponds

Moonee Ponds is believed to have come from the word 'Moonee Moonee'. Sources from the past and present don't seem to agree on what 'Moonee Moonee' means exactly. Suggestions included a letter to the editor sent to the Argus claiming that 'Moonee Moonee Ponds' the name meant 'a creek with small flats', and a claim that the name was an aboriginal word meaning 'lizard'. There was also suggestions that the name originated from a person, either Wurundjeri-Willam native corps member Monee Monee, or settler John Moonee.
'Name of Moonee Ponds', letter to the editor by Historical Society of Victoria, 1934. 


The 'ponds' part of the name is easier to explain, it just references the fact that the Moonee Ponds Creek sometimes became a chain of ponds when it was dry.

Essendon

The name Essendon comes from a village in Hertfordshire, England. The 'essen' part of the name is a  corruption of the word 'esne' which is an Old English term for 'servant'.

Glenbervie

Glenbervie seems to have come from Glenbervie in Scotland, which got its name from being a village located in a Glen near the river Bervie.
Man Decapitated at Glenbervie, 1928.


Strathmore

Strathmore is named after a valley of the same name, which is located in Scotland, and was the birthplace of settler Thomas Napier. The name was first used in Melbourne in 1936, where it was given to a church in the area. Strath is a word meaning 'valley'. It should be noted that the station is located in Essendon, not Strathmore.

Prior to 1955 the station was known as 'North Essendon', referencing the fact that it is the northernmost station in the Essendon area.

Pascoe Vale

Pascoe Vale was named after John Pascoe Fawkner, a man who lived an interesting including being an Explorer, a Councillor, and a land owner. He also started up a newspaper called the Port Phillip Patriot and Melbourne Advertiser, which lasted for a few years in the nineteenth century. This will not be the first time you hear about Fawkner in this blog.
Pascoe Vale Station in the 1966 Melways, Gaffney Street to the right of the line is notorious for its steep incline.



Vale, as explained earlier, is the shortened form of valley, which makes a lot of sense considering how steep some of the streets just east of the railway line are (and trust me, the hills are brutal).

Oak Park

Oak Park was the name given to a property in the area. It was originally owned by Fawkner, although the property was not known as 'Oak Park' until a new person took over it. Oak Park was not a suburb until 2003, although the name has been in use as a locality name since the 1950s.

Glenroy

Glenroy is named after a pastoral run that in turn, was named after Glen Roy, an area in Scotland. Glen Roy means 'red glen', and a glen is another word for Valley

Jacana

Jacana is not named after the suburb (it wasn't even a suburb until 1999), but rather it comes from Jacana Avenue, which is fair bit away from the railway station. A Jacana is a type of bird native to Australia.

Broadmeadows

Broadmeadows' name is thought to have come from a hotel in the area (with the hotel now being known as the Westmeadows Tavern). Broadmeadows is a pretty good description of the area at the time, with the area being huge swathes of grassland prior to development.

A Broad Meadow. Credit: Shutterstock.com


Coolaroo

The commonly accepted origin for Coolaroo is that it is an aboriginal word meaning 'brown snake'.

Roxburgh Park

Roxburgh Park is named after a farm that was owned by Thomas Brunton. This farm was named after Bruntons house in Scotland.


Somerton railway station used to be located near Roxburgh Park station. It closed in the 1950s. Somerton's name origins are very sketchy, although it is likely that the suburb is named after a property in the area.

Craigieburn

Craigieburn's name is Gaelic in nature, with 'Craigie'  being Gaelic for 'crag' or 'rock', while 'burn' is Gaelic for 'water', so Craigieburn is technically named 'Rocky Creek'.
'Craigieburn Wants', a 1910 Argus article detailing someone calling for improved train services to Craigieburn.

Conclusion

That is really it for the Craigieburn line! As always, make sure to share this article if you found it interesting, and comment on this blog telling me how I should improve! Any feedback is always appreciated!

Sources

1945.Melbourne
Ainmean-Aite.scot
Australian Dictionary of Biography
Dictionary.com
EMelbourne.net
Encyclopedia Britannica
JewishAustralia.com
Moonee Valley City Council
Oxford Refernce
Parks Australia
Theodora.com
ToMelbourne.com.au
Trove
Vicsig
Victorian Places
Visitangus.com
VR History
Wongm


Location: Craigieburn VIC 3064, Australia

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