Welcome from the Parkville Association

By Rob Moore - President

Firstly, I am thrilled that the decision has been made to have a news medium that covers Parkville.

For those of you not aware, Parkville is on the northern edge of the CBD. With a population of 7500, the majority of whom live in South and North Parkville, it is known for the beautiful treelined streets and heritage-listed terraced houses. With the first house built in 1873, Parkville will celebrate its sesquicentenary in 2023. Parkville also, of course, houses the University of Melbourne, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Royal Women’s Hospital, the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre, University High School and  hosts the headquarters of CSL. We are very lucky to have Royal Park as part of the suburb which during lockdown was well-used by our residents. With 181 hectares of parkland there are many special areas to visit. I will talk about this in more depth in a later issue. The Zoo is also an important part of Parkville and waking up in the morning to roaring lions and monkeys is part of life in North Parkville. 

Now for a little about the history of the Parkville Association, which was born out of the threat in 1967 to resume most of Levers Reserve and demolish surrounding homes to build the main hospital. An even greater threat would have seen the area between Story and Morrah streets demolished for a further takeover by the government. Several members who started the fight to preserve Parkville are still residents in the area. South Parkville became the first classified area in Australia including being included in the State Historic Register. The Parkville Association also gained heritage listing for Royal Parade. Sadly, many historic mansions along Royal Parade had already been demolished prior to this!

Today we are forever grateful for the wonderful team that kept our suburb intact, the association has a very strong membership and we are fortunate to have many life members that have been residents for more than 50 years. Our focus has turned to community (while still maintaining heritage) and that spirit prevails across the whole of Parkville. During the COVID lockdown, groups looked after the elderly and it always amazes me the smiling faces and great conversations that take place over a coffee at the Parkville Store or Naughtons – our historical pub on Royal Parade!

Parkville of course also enjoys close proximity to the city and Carlton and many of us exercise around Princes Park. In just under five years the first trains will leave Parkville Station and later of course we will have a direct link to Melbourne Airport. As you can see I love the area and have great pride having lived here for many years. There is nowhere else in Melbourne with the peace of a village so close to the city and major education, research and healthcare precincts.

I look forward to keeping all readers up to date over the next few issues. Again, well done on this great initiative! •