Stations names on Melbourne's Ringwood Line

Yes, you read that right, for this blog post we are only covering stations between Richmond and Ringwood, with the Lilydale and Belgrave branch lines coming in on a later date.

Anyways, let us get this over with.

Richmond

The name of Richmond was taken from Richmond Hill in London. The place in London seems to have its name originate from France, although this is unverifiable.

Richmond was originally known as 'Swan Street', which is the street located south of the station.

East Richmond

Is this a real station?

The easternmost of the 4 Richmond stations, as well as being directly east of the main Richmond station. 

East Richmond was originally known as 'Church Street' prior to January of 1867. Church Street is the road located east of the station.

Burnley

Burnley is actually named after Burnley Street, the road that crosses the line west of the station. The street's name itself has a simple origin, being named after Councillor William Burnley. He was also a Merchant and a director of an Insurance Company.

Burnley Station was known as 'Burnley Street' prior to 1882, making the name's origin more obvious.

Pic Nic (Closed)

1937 Argus article talking about Pic Nic station. The station had been closed for quite a while by this point.

Little is known about this particular station, but it can be presumed that the name references the fact that the station was a good place for Pic Nics, as many articles from the time when the station was open noted that it was an excellent spot for recreation and leisure.

 

Hawthorn

The origin of the name seems to come from a visitor who compared bush land to Hawthorne flowers in England.

Glenferrie

Named after nearby Glenferrie Road, which passes under the line just west of the station. 

Between the stations opening in April 1882, and up until September of that same year, Glenferrie was known as 'Glenferrie Road'.

Auburn

Much like the station to the west of it, Auburn is also named after a road, Auburn Road, to be exact. The road and station's name were inspired by either an Auburn House located on Goodall Street (as opposed to the Aged Care Centre of the same name located on Camberwell Road), or by Auburn Lodge, which was located south of Burwood Road.

Auburn was known as 'Auburn Road' in its first five months of operation.

Camberwell

Camberwell is named after the Camberwell Inn (later known as the Camberwell Hotel) located near what is now known as the Camberwell Junction. The owner of the Inn (George Easterway) noted that the converging of roads at the Camberwell Junction reminded him of Camberwell Green in London, and decided to name the Inn after the Green. It is difficult to know what Camberwell in London is named after, although it is believed to be named after an ancient well that Briton's used.

East Camberwell

East Camberwell's name is a reference to its location in relation to Camberwell's main station.

Canterbury

Named after the former Governor of Victoria third Viscount Canterbury. He seems to have been quite popular in the state despite lacking a notably memorable personality.

Chatham

Named after Chatham Road, a road located north-west of the station. Chatham's name is distinctly British, much like many other roads in the Surrey Hills area (and most of the nearby area as well).

Surrey Hills

Surrey Hills' elevated location and the county of Surrey in England are what gives this suburb its name. Surrey is derived from an Old English term meaning 'southern region'. While the name fits the county (located in the south-west of England) it does not fit the suburb as well, considering that it is located in Melbourne's east.

Surrey Hills and Mont Albert stations will be replaced by a brand new station soon.

Mont Albert

Mont Albert has a fairly interesting name origin. The station is named after Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's consort at the time. The 'Mont' part of the name is far more intriguing however, as that part of the name is quite literally a typo! 

It is believed that the station was actually supposed to be known as 'Mount Albert' due to its high elevation. However, the Victorian Railways did not quite get the memo, as a typo lead to the station being written as 'Mont Albert'. This name stuck. Evidence of the use of the Mount Albert name can be seen in this news article.

Box Hill

Box Hill is named after Box Hill in England. The Postmaster proposed the name likely because the area in England was located near his birth place. Box Hill in Surrey, England was named after the Box shrubs that are native to the area.

Laburnum

Named after Laburnum Street, which runs east of the station.

Blackburn

Blackburn is named after James Blackburn, designer of the Yan Yean Reservoir. His probably the reason why Melbourne's water tastes so good!

Nunawading

Nunawading is believed to be the corruption of the aboriginal word 'Numphawading', which means 'ceremonial ground' or 'battlefield'.

 

'Transfer - But No Move' a 1945 hearld article detailing Tunstall station's name changing to 'Nunawading' in a fairly interesting way.

Nunawading station and parts of Nunawading were originally known as 'Tunstall' prior to 1945, with the name coming from a town in England. Tunstall in England is fairly well known for its pottery and Tunstall in Melbourne was known for its production of clay and brick, so the name made sense at the time.

Mitcham

Named after either a property called Mitcham Grove, or a property called Mitcham Heights. Either way, the name of both these properties was most likely inspired by the town of Mitcham, in the county of Surrey, in England. Mitcham comes from an Old English word meaning 'large settlement'.

Heatherdale

Named after Heatherdale Road, the road that passes over the line immediately west of the station. Heatherdale is also the name of a locality in the area.

Ringwood

While Ringwood's name origin is uncertain, the suburb is most likely named after the town of Ringwood in New Forest, England. Ringwood likely comes from the Old English word, 'Rimucwuda', with 'rimuc' presumably meaning 'boundary' or 'ring', while 'wuda' is a term meaning 'wood'.

Conclusion

That is all for now! Tune in next week for the origins of Lilydale's station names! Make sure to follow Twitter @strangemelbour1 and Instagram @strangemelbourneman.

You can find an index to other station name origins here.