THOMASTOWN, VICTORIA

'Thomastown' is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is quite well known for sharing its area with Westgarthtown, a historical settlement. Its Local Government Area is the City of Whittlesea.

Contents

History and Development

Thomastown Today

External links

History and Development

Thomastown came into existence in 1848 when the Thomas family bought the land north of Melbourne for market gardening. Two years later, William Westgarth bought land north of Thomas' holding, which he made way for German settlers. The Thomastown area attracted lots of farmers and horse-racing until the World War II. In 1889, the Epping Railway Line opened and milk production and distribution grew during the 1930s when a German dairying family formed the Pura Dairy, ultimately to expand into Preston and became Metropolitan Dairies Pty. Ltd. In 1947, a housing co-operative was formed 2 km. north in the suburb of Lalor. It wasn't long before residential development began at Thomastown. While German settlers already call this area home, more settlers moved in, mostly Italians, Greeks and Macedonians. In 1961, a primary school opened, followed by a secondary college and another primary school, Thomastown West Primary School.

Thomastown Today

There is a strip shopping centre in High Street parallel to the railway station but little other shopping east of west of there. Thomastown Secondary College is situated on Main Street, adjacent to Thomastown West Primary School, the local recreational centre and Thomastown Library. Edgars Creek and the Edgars Creek Trail runs along a linear park which is next to a reserve with ovals. Thomastown East has a grid street configuration, predating the later configuration in Thomastown West which protects residential streets from through traffic. On the south of Thomastown there are numerous factories and an electricity terminal station, near the Metropolitan Ring Road. There is also the Hume Freeway near Thomastown West. One of the more famous features of Thomastown is the Bostik factory, located close to the edge of the suburb on the Keon Park end. It is also the home of the Calibre Sports Pistol Club.

External links

★ Australiank Places - Thomastown

★ Westgarthtown - Historical site situated in Thomastown