Maidstone, Victoria

Maidstone is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 8 km north-west from Melbourne's Central Business District. Its local government area is the City of Maribyrnong. At the 2016 census, Maidstone had a population of 9,032.[1]

Maidstone
Melbourne, Victoria
Street in Maidstone
Maidstone
Coordinates37.783°S 144.878°E / -37.783; 144.878
Population9,032 (2016 census)[1]
 • Density2,820/km2 (7,310/sq mi)
Established1840s
Postcode(s)3012
Area3.2 km2 (1.2 sq mi)
Location8 km (5 mi) from Melbourne
LGA(s)City of Maribyrnong
State electorate(s)Footscray
Federal Division(s)Maribyrnong
Suburbs around Maidstone:
Avondale Heights Maribyrnong Maribyrnong
Braybrook Maidstone Maribyrnong
Braybrook West Footscray Footscray

The suburb is predominantly residential although a large chunk of the north-western corner encompasses a private golf club. Maidstone is bounded by Suffolk Street to the south, Ashley Street to the west, along Summerhill Road and Rosamond Road to the east, and along Williamson Road and Rosamond Road to the north and north-east.

History

Maidstone was established in 1858. It was given the name after the town of Maidstone in Kent, in England.

Maidstone was predominantly made up of period weatherboard, brick Art Deco and Californian Bungalow houses constructed between the 1920s and 1940s. Concrete houses built in the late 1940s to house the families of returned servicemen from World War II are also found. From the early 1990s many old factory sites in Maidstone have been turned into new housing estates comprising hundreds of houses and townhouses. Maidstone's recent development boost, good public transport availability and close proximity to the CBD has also seen the median house price escalate dramatically over the past 10 years.

Parks and recreational spaces
  • Shepherd Gardens
  • Maidstone Tennis Club
  • Medway Golf Club (private)
  • Suffolk Triangle Park
  • Drey Park
  • Ulmara Park
  • Chislon Reserve
  • Scovell Reserve Oval
  • Rogers Reserve
  • Dobson Reserve Oval and Playground
  • Cambridge Reserve
  • Magnolia Path
  • Johnson Reserve and Roberta Tennis Club (just south of Maidstone)
  • Martin Reserve Dog Park (south of Maidstone)
  • Shorten Reserve Oval (south of Maidstone)
  • Maribyrnong River

Features
  • Maidstone Tennis Club
  • Maribyrnong River
  • Maribyrnong River Trail
  • Medway Golf Club
  • The Palms Bingo and Club
  • Highpoint Shopping Centre (just north of Maidstone)
  • Footscray Hospital (just east of Maidstone)

Education
  • Maribyrnong College (est 1958), located in Maribyrnong on the border of Maidstone and Maribyrnong.
  • Footscray North Primary School (est 1922), located in Footscray on the border of Maidstone and Footscray.
  • Footscray West Primary School (just south of Maidstone)
  • Dobson Kindergarten
  • North Maidstone Preschool Play Centre
  • Little VIPs Childcare Centre
  • Australian Childcare Diary
  • Explorers Early Learning Maidstone
  • St Vincent's School

Sports and fitness
  • Maidstone United Soccer Club (formally Leros United Soccer Club) (Scovell Reserve)
  • Sunshine George Cross Juniors Soccer Club (Dobson Reserve)
  • Rosamond Bowling Club
  • Rosamond Tennis Club (Footscray North Primary School)
  • Maidstone Tennis Club
  • Maidstone Junior Sporting Club (As above)
  • Footscray United Cricket Club (Scovell Reserve)
  • Rosamond Bowling Club
  • Golfers play at the course of the Medway Golf Club on Omar Street.[2]
  • Genesis Maidstone Gym
  • FIT CENTRE
  • Commercial St Dance Studio
  • Cia Paulista Australia BJJ - Maribyrnong
  • Zoom Fitness 24/7 - Gym (just east of Maidstone)
  • Club Fitbox
  • Phnom Doun Penh Martial Arts Centre

Places of worship
  • Our Lady's Catholic Church is a landmark building established in 1962, located on Ballarat Road.
  • Al-Noor Mosque in Maidstone is the second oldest mosque in Melbourne and one of the oldest in Australia.
  • Hillsong Church
  • New Apostolic Church
  • Maidstone Church of Christ

Transport

Tram route 57 tram provides public transport from Flinders Street station in the city to Cordite Avenue, West Maribyrnong, on the border of Maidstone, while tram route 82 tram provides public transport from Moonee Ponds Junction (Ascot Vale Road / Puckle Street) to Footscray (Leeds Street / Irving Street) passing through Maidstone for a segment of its journey. It is one of very few Melbourne tram routes which do not travel through the Melbourne CBD.

West Footscray and Tottenham train stations are the closest to Maidstone but many residents catch the bus to Footscray station (where trains are more frequent).

A number of different bus routes pass through Maidstone.

The Maribyrnong River Trail connects cyclists to the Footscray Road off-road path and into Docklands and the Melbourne CBD.

Flora and fauna

Many native species exist along the Maribyrnong River. Some species thrive in the area and often journey up and down river from Brimbank Park (5 km up river from Maidstone). The most abundant are;

Notable people
  • Albert Facey - Author of A Fortunate Life and Gallipoli veteran was born in Maidstone in 1894. He would leave Maidstone in 1898. He has a street named after him in the eastern part of Maidstone.

See also
  • City of Sunshine - the former local government area of which Maidstone was a part

References
  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Maidstone (State Suburb)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
  2. Golf Select, Medway, retrieved 11 May 2009
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