Station names on Melbourne's Hurstbridge Line

 Let us get on with it.

This blog will cover every station from Westgarth to Hurstbridge. If you want stations betweens Jolimont and Clifton Hill, check out this article.

Westgarth

Westgarth was named after Westgarth Street, the street that crosses  the rail line to the south of the station. Westgarth is also a locality within the suburb of Northcote. The locality was named after William Westgarth, a Merchant, Politician, and Historian.

1906 Age article notes that Northcote South is a confusing name. It also notes the existance of a 'Middle Northcote', which is currently modern day Northcote Station, as explained here.


Westgarth first opened as 'Westgarth Street', but was renamed to 'Northcote South' in August 1888, referencing the station's location. The name was changed in 1906 due to concerns that the name was causing confusion.

Dennis

Dennis takes its name from William Dennis, a Councillor of the former Northcote City Council. His son, Samuel followed in his footsteps. The name was chosen by the Northcote Council, as the railway commissioners allowed the Council to choose one.

A 1923 Argus extract that talks about the construction of Dennis Station and how the name came about.


Fairfield

The name Fairfield comes from an estate in the area known as Fairfield Park. That estate took its name from Fairfield in Derbyshire, England. Fairfield means beautiful open fields.

Fairfield was originally known as 'Fairfield Park' prior to 1943. Fairfield Park was the original name of the suburb.

Alphington

Alphington is also named after a town in England, this time, the town in question is located in Devon.

Darebin

Named after the nearby Darebin Creek, located west of this station. The name Darebin is believed to have come from an aboriginal word for bird. The bird is the word.

Ivanhoe

Ivanhoe, interestingly enough, was inspired by a novel written by Sir Walter Scott. Not much else to talk about here.

Eaglemont

Eaglemont's name was inspired by the Mount Eagle estate, a development from the nineteenth century. Eaglemont was renowned for its picturesque views, primarily due to its elevated location.

Heidelberg

Taking inspiration from the town in Germany, the name Heidelberg translates to 'goat mountain'. 

Inspiration for Heidelberg in Melbourne.


Rosanna

James Watson, who you might remember from my Sunbury line article, bought some open land north of Heidelberg and proceeded to name the area after his wife, Elizabeth Anna Rose.

Macleod

Macleod has a fairly simple origin, being named after Malcom Macleod, a landowner who purchased in the area.

Watsonia

Much like nearby Macleod, Watsonia is also named after a landowner, this time, the landowner's name was Frank Watson. 

Several sources claim that Watsonia's name during construction was Collina, with no explanation as to why this name was given.

Greensborough

Edward Bernard Green is the inspiration for this name, being a mail contractor in the area. A borough is another word for town.

Montmorency

Named after a farm in the area, which in turn was named after a commune in France, which in turn was named after a particularly prestigious French family.

Eltham

Eltham's name is English in origin, and is derived from the Saxon's terms for both 'old' and 'dwelling'. 

Diamond Creek

Diamond Creek has an official origin and an unofficial origin. The official origin claims that the suburb is named as such because the Diamond Creek that had crystal stones on its creek bed. The unofficial origin, however, notes that the suburb is named after a bull known as Diamond who tried to cross a creek and failed to do so.

Wattleglen

Wattle Glen has a fairly no nonsense name origin. The name comes from the numerous wattle trees in the area. Glen is a synonym for valley. 

'Balee' was the original name given to Wattleglen station prior to 1922, with the name being the original name for the suburb and is an Aboriginal word meaning watery. It should be noted that Wattleglen station is supposed to be written as one word, but most people (including official network maps) write as two.

Hurstbridge 

Hurstbridge comes from Henry Hurst, a man who built a log bridge in the area.

Some articles, such as this one from the Herald, refer to Hurstbridge as Allwood.

 

Hurstbridge, prior to December 1912, the station was known as 'Hurst's Bridge', making the names origin slightly more obvious. Evidence also suggests that station was known as 'Allwood' during construction, due to the suburbs original name, which comes from a property owned by Hurst.

Conclusion

That is all for this week. Make sure to follow me on Instagram and Twitter, and make sure to share this post and tell me in the comments what info I may have missed. Thank you for your continued support of this blog


You can find an index to other name origins here.


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