Anders Park/Triangle Footscray, revisited

This site was visited a few years ago (see details of that visit here) and has remains impressive with extra amenities added since that time due to concerted and dedicated community input.

One corner. Interesting vista.

Napier Crescent Reserve, Montmorency Vic

As you can see from google maps, there is not too much to say about this reserve. At the time of our visit a school student was walking through it - observable use, so rare in internal reserves, is worth mentioning. 

Kirwana Reserve, Montmorency, Vic

The local history of Montmorency, once again quoting Yeoman, tells us that Kirwana Grove was originally called Hogan Avenue, and that it was changed to avoid confusion with nearby Hoban Avenue; Edmond Hogan was a Victorian (Labor) Premier from mid-1927 to most of 1928, and from the very end of 1929 to 1932. This reserve can be seen on google maps here. 

Belmont Reserve, Montmorency Vic

Though I have long been aware of the group of internal reserves at Montmorency, I have to say that one of the most intriguing things about them has been the lack of information available. Whereas there are many similar groupings around Australia and elsewhere in the world, it is remarkable how little publicity exists for what was apparently called the Panorama (or Panorama Heights) Estate, designed by the surveying firm Woodcock and McCormack commissioned by the land developer John Quinn & Co.

The estate was, it would seem, pegged out in 1929-30 and there is a small amount of discussion in the (very local) press over whether it would be a wooden or brick area – that is, whether local government would insist that housing be made from the latter, or accede to construction with the former. Wooden housing is, of course, cheaper and the estate may have sold more quickly with such relaxed building rules, but on the other hand, brick attracted a wealthier class of people. The recent history of Montmorency (Maureen Jones’ Montmorency: the farm on the Plenty, 2015), quoting local historian Russell Yeoman, tells us that ‘the sale of the land and house building proceeded very slowly and much vacant land remained in the 70s.’ (p. 141).

Beyond this, there is relatively little to say about the Panorama Estate, or for that matter its designers. Woodcock and McCormack were not known as innovative ‘town planning’ surveyors, although the firm was responsible for one rather delightful design – a ‘flower petal’ (or teardrop?) shaped park in the southern Melbourne suburb of Rosebud.

It is worth noting that some – not all – of the internal reserves provided herein were designed around land too steep to build on. Just to clarify, there seems to be no explanation or rhetoric surrounding their rationale.

You can see this reserve on google maps here.

Pedersen Way Reserve - North Section, Montmorency, Vic

View this reserve on google maps here.

(July 2018: this is one of the most visited pages of this blog, for no reason that I can fathom. I would certainly appreciate anyone who comes here looking for something leaving a message explaining why they came, and whether they found what they wanted, because - while it's interesting to me - I don't really get the extreme interest!)

Olympic Avenue Reserve, Montmorency, Vic

I will write in greater detail what little I know about these internal reserves in the Melbourne suburb of Montmorency in coming days. In the meantime, you can view this reserve on google maps here and observe these pictures of one of them - which has one unusual feature, that one of its entryways adjoins a small shopping centre. The naming of Olympic Avenue is of course a relic of the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games.