Moonee Ponds
The combination of large Late Victorian and Federation housing, a high-end shopping strip and the palm-lined Maribyrnong River has made Moonee Ponds one of the inner west's most sought-after addresses. Moonee Ponds is a well-established inner north-western suburb of Melbourne, 7 km from the city centre, surrounded by the suburbs of Brunswick, Essendon and Ascot Vale. Originally a semi-rural district, Moonee Ponds began developing into a populous suburb during the late 1800s, with a large collection of historic buildings remaining today as a legacy of its past. Examples of this include the Anglican Church which was opened in 1859 and the former town hall complex (now the Clocktower Centre) which was originally built in 1880, both of which are located close to the junction of Mt Alexander Road and Pascoe Vale Road.Moonee Ponds Junction is the centre of the suburb, with buses, trams and trains all converging in the area. The Clocktower Centre is nearby. Puckle Street is the main shopping street and there are many shops and cafes along its length. At its eastern end is Moonee Ponds Junction and at its western end is Moonee Ponds train station. Moonee Ponds Central Shopping Centre has many stores including Kmart, Aldi, The Coffee Club, Man to Man, Dick Smith Electronics, EB Games and Smiggle, Moonee Ponds Sewing
Getting there: Moonee Ponds Station is located at the western end of Puckle Street, on the Craigieburn railway line. Bus 467 runs from the station to Aberfeldie. At the eastern end of Puckle Street is Moonee Ponds Junction. Tram number 82 terminates at the junction and Tram number 59 stops there. There is a bus interchange at the junction (called Moonee PondsInterchange) where many bus routes terminate (routes 404, 472, 475, 476, 477, 478, 479, 483, 501, 504, 506 and 508).
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Beginning a short distance from Moonee Ponds Station, Ardmillan Road is a hilly street, peaking near the train line. It was voted "Most Attractive Street" a few decades ago by the City of Essendon (now Moonee Valley City Council), and hasn't lost any of its appeal. Park Street ticks all the boxes: the location of one of Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School's campuses; one grand heritage home after another; old leafy trees and well-maintained nature strips; long sweeping driveways and a position high on the hill. It has always been regarded by the locals as the blue ribbon trophy street. Park Street, as the name would suggest, is in close proximity to two parks: the Australian bush-style Clarinda Park at the lower end, and its bigger, more ostentatious sister Queens Park at the other end, across Mount Alexander Road. Queens Park is a small retreat from nearby busy streets. It is a popular park with a rose garden, a sunken garden, an outdoor heated pool, fountain, lake, gazebos and cafe. Queens Park is the site at which explorers Burke and Wills first stopped on their epic journey in 1860 through the inland of Australia.
The Clocktower Centre was originally constructed as the Essendon Mechanics' Institute, which was later purchased by the State of Victoria to become the Essendon Town Hall. Today it is primarily used as a large theatre. As well as serving for some international, interstate and local functions, the centre has a number of conference rooms. It is named after its prominent clock tower.
The Boathouse is a fantastic sprawling restaurant, bar and cafe owned by Masterchef judge Gary Mehigan situated on the banks of the Maribyrnong River at Maribyrnong Park. The restaurant spans an indoor area with lots of pram access and a large wooden deck overlooking the river and parklands. On weekends it pays to book a table but the outdoor area is strictly for walk-ins so you can take your chances. Just note that in winter there are gas heaters which light up the outdoor area but it can still be pretty chilly. Locatioon: 7 The Boulevard, Maribyrnong Park, Moonee Ponds. Ph (03) 9375 2456
Tina Arena spent a large part of her early life growing up in Moonee Ponds. Moonee Ponds is where Barry Humphries' fictional housewife-megastar Dame Edna Everage originally lived. She is always named as Moonee Ponds' most famous resident but the wealthy riverside suburb is awash with the familiar and famous, particularly footballers and politicians, who are often spied in Puckle Street. Moonee Ponds has also been home to the odd gangster and family, including Judy Moran and her late son Jason, who was gunned down at a local Auskick match after leaving his Moonee Ponds home.
Maribyrnong River at West Essendon
The Maribyrnong River Trail is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians, which follows the Maribyrnong River through the north western suburbs of Melbourne. The path, often on both sides of the river, follows the meandering of the Maribyrnong River through a valley cut in the basaltic plateau in Keilor East at Brimbank Park, then across a floodplain to its entry into the Yarra River at Docklands. Combined with the Taylors Creek Trail this trail makes for an easy ride linking together the Footscray Road off-road path, Docklands and the Melbourne City Centre.
Starting at the north end of Brimbank Park, the gravel trail winds its way through the trees along the valley on the east side of the Maribyrnong River and the western end of the park. It passes under the towering EJ Whitten Bridge. Near the bridge base a steep path loops up to the same level as the bridge platform, where it connects to the Western Ring Road Trail. The path then proceeds through fantastic riverside parkland alongside suburbs such as North Sunshine and Maidstone before reaching Canning Reserve in Avondale Heights.
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The Moonee Valley Racecourse is one of Melbourne's four horse racing tracks. Located six kilometres from the Melbourne CBD, it is the home of the Moonee Valley Racing Club. The track is roughly rectangular, with a circumference of 1,805 m and a finishing straight of 173 metres which is the shortest in Australia. Racing takes place in an anti-clockwise direction, as it does on all Victorian tracks. A 965m harness racing track located inside the turf track was the main metropolitan track for harness racing in Victoria for a number of years. Every October the Moonee Valley Racecourse hosts Australasia's richest weight-for-age horse-racing championship, the W.S. Cox Plate. Contested over a distance of 2,040 metres, the race is for three-year-olds and over. The racecourse can be reached via the route 59 tram from Elizabeth Street in Melbourne city centre. Moonee Ponds railway station is a ten minute walk from the racecourse and is located on the Craigieburn railway line.
Moonee Valley Racecourse was established in 1883 by William Samuel Cox, who purchased a farm belonging to John F. Feehan for the purpose of establishing a racetrack. Being entirely freehold land owned by a private club, this separates Moonee Valley from other Melbourne racecourse such as Caulfield and Flemington. Expansion of the racecourse facilities occurred in the 1960s, funded by compensation for land acquired for the construction of the adjacent Tullamarine Freeway.
