Melton3337

Melton is an urban area within metropolitan Melbourne, Australia located 35 km west from the capital’s central business district. It is the administrative centre of the City of Melton local government area and its most populous centre. At June 2018 Melton had an estimated urban population of 68,765,^[1] and has grown steadily with an average annual rate of 4.88% year-on-year for the five years to 2018.^[1] It is considered part of the Greater Melbourne metropolitan area and is included in the capital’s population statistical division.^[3]

Melton began as a small town before being declared a satellite suburb in 1974, separated from Melbourne’s urban area by a green wedge. Since the 1990s it has experienced rapid suburban growth into surrounding greenfield land and has become a commuter town in the Melbourne-Ballarat growth corridor. Changes to Melbourne’s urban growth boundary passed by the state government in 2010 effectively relinquish its satellite city status as it is planned to become part of Melbourne’s future conurbation.^[4]

It is named after Melton Mowbray in the United Kingdom.

History

Melton was first settled by squatters establishing sheep runs in the area in the 1830s and a small settlement benefited from traffic passing through it on the way to the Ballarat gold fields during the Victorian Gold Rush. The post office opened on 1 March 1856.^[5]

The area was declared a satellite city in 1974 and a green belt existed between it and the urban area of Melbourne until the late 1990s.

Arts and culture

Many live performances are held at the Melton Civic Centre, on High Street, and also at the Tabcorp Park racing complex, on Ferris Road, Melton South.

Each year the Djerriwarrh Festival is held in the city in November. The festival includes a street parade down High Street, two-day market stalls, and the Lions Club Carnival, held in the Police Paddock on High Street.