Vermont South, Victoria

Vermont South Melbourne, Victoria
Morack Road, Vermont South
Vermont South
Coordinates	37.851°S 145.183°E / -37.851; 145.183
Population	11,954 (SAL 2021)
Postcode(s)	3133
Area	6.3 km2 (2.4 sq mi)
Location	26 km (16 mi) from Melbourne
LGA(s)	City of Whitehorse
State electorate(s)	Glen Waverley
Federal division(s)	Deakin
Suburbs around Vermont South: Forest Hill Vermont Wantirna Burwood East Vermont South Wantirna South Glen Waverley Glen Waverley Wantirna South

Vermont South is a suburb of Melbourne, Australia, 26 km (16 miles) east of its Central Business District. It had a population of 11,954 at the 2021 census.

The eastern boundary is Dandenong Creek, which flows from the Dandenong Ranges through to Port Phillip. The suburb was mostly developed in the late 1970s and early 1980s, after developers bought the apple orchards in the area.

History

• 
  1945
• 
  1975
• 
  2024

Pre-Colonisation

Before the first European colonialists, the landscape was thickly timbered bushland, occupied by the Wurundjeri, Indigenous Australians of the Kulin nation, who spoke variations of the Woiwurrung language group. They were hunters and gatherers, camping near the creeks and gullies of the area now known as Bellbird Dell. The creek flowed from immediately north of the Dell, through it and on to join the Dandenong Creek.

Early History

The first settlers, who were woodcutters and charcoal burners, came in the 1850s before land sales. Selectors followed and they marked out, leased and improved allotments, which would enable them to gain freehold titles from the Crown. Temporary wattle and daub huts were erected and later substantial timber cottages.

Apart from some general farming, orchards dominated the landscape until the 1950s and 60s, when the demand for new housing areas led to the subdivision of orchards. Nunawading Council (now Whitehorse Council) began the acquisition of property in 1966, with the purchase of a large block (7.26 hectares; 18 acres) from local orchardist Cecil Rhodes to form Bellbird Dell. Other orchards were purchased for private housing developments.

Vermont South was the location of the Australian Gun Club in the 1960s and 1970s.

Housing Developments

The suburb's first major housing development, the "Burwood Rise" estate, was located between Livingstone and Stanley Roads and around Dalroy Crescent. Developed in stages from 1968 to 1971 by an associate company of Forest Hill Heights, which owned Forest Hill Chase, the project aimed to create over 400 homes for potential customers. The initial purchase of more than 80 acres cost $640,000, with five apple orchardists receiving $8,000 per acre. The estate was originally dominated by display homes, featuring designs by builders such as Tomkin Homes, Williams Quality Homes, Hayes Homes, Glenvill Homes, and Spaceline Homes.

House and land package developments began appearing in the early 1970s. Notable examples include "Vintage Gardens," an estate by Stocks and Holdings established in 1972, with streets named after famous Australian wineries. Another development, "Pioneer Ridge", was created by Macquarie Builders in and around Colonial Drive, Stockmans Drive, and Overland Drive.

In early 1971, the Inge Brothers launched their Granada display village on the southern side of Burwood Highway, showcasing a variety of designs inspired by Spanish architecture. Throughout the 1970s, Burwood Highway continued to be a key area for smaller display villages, featuring two on opposite corners of Fortescue Road and another at the intersection of Terrara Road.

Vermont Park was established as a cluster housing estate in 1977, featuring over fifty individual homes set within a landscaped environment. It includes interconnected pathways and roadways, as well as communal amenities such as a swimming pool and barbecue area.

The Dandenong Valley Authority's decision to barrel the Bellbird Dell creek in 1972 was a response to significant flooding in the area caused by the burgeoning residential subdivisions. This action coincided with the reservation of the site and surrounding land as public open space. The intention was to manage flood risks while preserving the area's ecological and recreational values.

Shopping Centre and Primary School

The Vermont South Shopping Centre was developed by Hanover Holdings Ltd. and officially opened with the suburb's post office on 22nd October, 1974. The centre was established alongside a housing development and was originally going to be called the "Burvale Shopping Town". It followed the 1970 amendment to the Melbourne Metropolitan Planning Scheme, which re-zoned the area for residential use. Mr. Ted Jane, the Town Clerk of Nunawading, played a pivotal role in encouraging the council to create a central "heart" for the area. This initiative led to the designation of the land that now houses the centre.

To further the concept of the “heart”, the council persuaded the Education Department to purchase the 20 acres of land immediately to the north of the proposed Centre for school purposes. In 1974 the council made a submission to the Minister of Education for a “joint development with the Education Department in the provision of community facilities in Vermont South”. A public meeting was convened at the Vermont South Special School on March 26th, 1976. From this meeting the Vermont South Planning Group was established. The inaugural meeting of the Livingstone Primary School Interim Committee was held on April 26th, 1976, at the Vermont South Special School. A committee was formed with representatives from the Education Department and Parkmore Primary School. By October 1976, this committee saw its task completed. Work commenced on the school on April 12th 1977, and the concrete was poured in mid-May. By July 21st 1978 all Grades had moved in, and the official opening was held on March 31st 1979 by John Richardson, Member for Forest Hill.

Landmarks

Pin Oak Court (also known as Ramsay Street)

Pin Oak Court in Vermont South is the filming location for "Ramsay Street" in the Australian soap opera Neighbours. A Neighbours tour bus operates on a regular basis, which is popular with UK backpackers.

Vermont South is the home of the Nunawading Motorross Track, just off Burwood Highway. Behind the motocross track are bush walk trails connecting to Dandenong Creek and a spectacular lookout. The lookout is located at the peak of a man-made hill, which is the remains of the former City of Nunawading Tip that was closed in the 1970s. These walking/bike trails (Dandenong Creek Trail) connect to the greater bike trails of eastern Victoria, including the Mount Dandenong National Park and Nortons, Napier and Jells Parks. Sportlink is also a landmark.

The Burvale Hotel is named after its location at the intersection of Springvale Road and Burwood Highway

Commercial areas

The Vermont South Shopping centre is located on the Burwood Highway, which contains anchor stores with a variety of small retails shops. There are adjoining retail outlet franchises and a variety of smaller businesses that trade in fast food and miscellaneous services.

On the south side of Burwood Highway is the head office and laboratories of the former Australian Road Research Board, now ARRB Group Ltd. This property has now sold majority of its land to developers, where a retirement village has been constructed.

At the end of 2005, the largest Bunnings Warehouse in the world was built in Vermont South. The Australian Lifestyle television program, Better Homes and Gardens, filmed a special at this location.

Transport

The Government of Victoria extended tram route 75 from its former terminus at Burwood East to the Vermont South Shopping Centre in 2005. In addition to the tram, a Transit Bus Link has been added, which travels down Burwood Highway to Westfield Knox Shopping Centre.

This transit bus, named the "Knox Transit Link" runs up to 21 hours per day, in conjunction with the route 75 tram timetable, making a "seamless connection" to and from the tram.

An upgrade in November 2007 saw the introduction of an hourly Sunday service and buses running until 9pm 7 days a week.

Bus routes 732, 736, 742 and 902 also service Vermont South. All four bus routes operate seven days.

732: Box Hill to Upper Ferntree Gully

736: Mitcham to Blackburn

742: Ringwood to Chadstone Shopping Centre

902 SmartBus: Chelsea to Airport West

Route 732 duplicates the Knox Transit Link section entirely, however it does not have the extended-hours operation of the Knox Transit Link.

Routes 736 and 742 run past Vermont South Shopping Centre and the tram terminus, with both routes sharing bus stops in Hanover Rd.

Route 902 runs along Springvale Rd along the western extremity of Vermont South.

Parks and reserves

Local parks in Vermont South include Billabong Park, Charlesworth Park, Terrara Park, Tyrol Park and the Dandenong Valley Metropolitan Park (west of Dandenong Creek).

Bellbird Dell is a natural park, located in the north of the suburb. It is a 1.4 km (1500 yard) linear park with an area of 17.5 hectares (43 acres), named after the bellbirds that can be heard in the park. The majority of the park is thick bush, however, there are walking trails, wetlands and ornamental lakes. Open grassed areas are provided with picnic tables. For walkers 'The Dell' offers short or long strolls but dogs must be on a leash, as the main pathways are shared with cyclists. Birds and frogs can be seen and heard here and, in spring, there are wildflowers. Victoria's floral emblem, the pink heath (Epacris impressa), can be seen growing wild within the remnant areas.

Hanover Reserve in Vermont South has a playground for children, as well as accessible swings. A pocket guide to Walking and Wheeling in Whitehorse has been produced highlighting some of the parks and walking trails in the municipality.

Education

• Emmaus College – Years 7-12 Campus
• Vermont South Special School
• Weeden Heights Primary School – Established in 1980
• Livingstone Primary School
• Holy Saviour Primary School
• Barriburn Pre-School, Birralee Pre-School Association, Terrara Pre-School Association,
• Vermont South Children's Services Centre

Clubs and facilities

Vermont South Club

Vermont South Club offers Tennis, Darts & Bowls. $1 million redevelopment works began at Vermont South Club on 3 October 2007. The redevelopment for the Bowling Clubhouse extended capacity from 60 people to 120 people. Other changes proposed include improving disabled access, toilet, shower and kitchen facilities.

Sustainability street hub activities

Sustainability Street hubs have been operating in Blackburn, Box Hill, Vermont South and most recently Wattle Hill. Participating communities are guided through a process where they learn about sustainability and how to share practical sustainable principles and actions with others, as well as how to organise themselves as a group in implementing an event/project. The six-month training period is organised around four stages, called mulch (learn), sow (plan), grow (do) and harvest (teach).

Sportlink multipurpose indoor sports facility

A new $8 million, multi-purpose netball stadium was opened in Hanover Road on 7 February 2009. Sharelle McMahon gave a speech and umpired a community netball match for the occasion. It provides for netball, basketball, indoor soccer, badminton and volleyball games, and is already home to local clubs.

To celebrate the opening milestone event, a 'Come and Try Day' was held at Sportlink Vermont South, with the chance to see the new development, watch sports demonstrations and take part in fun activities. Sportlink, which features four indoor and four outdoor courts, includes a multipurpose room, community room, café, first aid room and change rooms. It includes netball, basketball, volleyball, badminton and many more. Planning for this facility started in 2006, with community consultation conducted in November 2006.

Vermont South skateboard ramp

Located at Lookout Trail Park, on the corner of Morack Road and Burwood Highway. The ramp features a vertical half pipe that is suitable for advanced skaters and is built to international standards.

Soccer

The Whitehorse United Soccer Club is located in Vermont South. The men's team won the State League 4 East competition in 2017 and currently compete in the State league 3 south-east competition. The Women's team compete in the newly formed Victorian Premier League Women, having been promoted in 2018 (champions) and 2019.

Other clubs and facilities include:

• Vermont South Tennis Club
• Vermont South Cricket Club
• Whitehorse School of Physical Culture (formerly Vermont South School of Physical Culture)
• Morack Golf Course
• Holy Saviour Tennis Club
• Livingstone Netball Club
• Hi-Lites Netball Club
• Lions Club of South Vermont Inc.

Churches

• Vermont South Evangelical Church
• Holy Saviour Catholic Church
• Anglican Church of the Holy Name of Jesus
• Evangelical Church

Services

Vermont South Metropolitan Fire Brigade (South Vermont Fire Station No. 28) is located at 721 Highbury Road, on the corner of Springvale Road. This Brigade moved from 535 High Street Road, Mount Waverley in 1999. The building has won a design award.

The Vermont South Community House is one of nine community and neighbourhood houses that provide courses and activities for all age groups within the City of Whitehorse. Vermont South Community House was established in 1976 as a sustainable community organisation to share information and advocate on behalf of the community. The Community House was the winner of the 2008 Whitehorse Sustainability Awards.

• Whitehorse Manningham Regional Library – Vermont South Campus. The Whitehorse Manningham Regional Library Corporation holds over 421,000 items, which includes books, magazines, audio cassettes, language kits, videos, compact discs, electronic games, sheet music and large print books. Joining the library is free. The library also loans books, talking books, videos, CDs, and CD-Roms in Chinese.
• Vermont Village
• Whitehorse Recycling and Waste Centre processes and manages green waste. It is located at 638-640 Burwood Highway (corner of Morack Road).

Statistics

Population of Vermont South:

• 2001 Census: 11,655
• 2006 Census: 11,485
• 2011 Census: 11,416
• 2016 Census: 11,678

Infrastructure

Sewerage

In 1966 the Metropolitan & Melbourne Board of Works (MMBW) put forth a plan to construct numerous "package" sewage treatment plants in the valleys of Dandenong Creek and its tributaries. The project aimed to provide adequate sewerage to the catchment before the Dandenong Valley Trunk sewer (DVT) could supersede the purification works. One of these facilities was to be established in Vermont South aiming to cater to the increasing population in the area. The proposal aligned with a surge in developer enthusiasm attributed to significant population growth in adjacent suburbs. By 1970, it was evident that the tranquil orchards of Vermont South would soon be subdivided to tackle the housing demand.

In prior decades, Vermont South had primarily depended on septic systems to handle it's wastewater. A topographical restraint precluded the area from being served by The Board's existing gravitational sewerage system. Moreover, with the Dandenong Valley Trunk Sewer not slated for completion until the early 1980s, there was an immediate requirement to establish a temporary treatment plant for the region. The site, north of Burwood Highway between Morack Road and Dandenong Creek, had been chosen by The Board in the early 1970s. The John Holland group was awarded the contract to assemble the plant, which began discharging treated wastewater in the early months of 1974. The construction process involved the excavation and leveling of the adjacent terrain and the reconfiguration of a nearby stream once dammed for orchard irrigation.

"A purification plant site for Nunawading could be located just to the north of Burwood Highway and between Morack Road and the Dandenong Creek. This plant cannot be justified on the present level of development, although it will be required at some time prior to 1980." - MMBW & SRWSC, 1970, Sewerage of the Valleys of Dandenong and Brushy Creeks, Joint Report.

The purification process initiated with the raw influent passing through a mechanical filter (bar screen) before being pumped into circular activated sludge units. Here, highly concentrated microorganisms were introduced to the sewage to break down organics and eliminate nutrients. The liquid was subsequently retained in an oxidation basin for approximately 30 days at average flow, followed by the extraction of suspended solids. The tertiary stage of treatment involved chlorination in a chlorine contact basin to attain the required water quality standards. The treated effluent was then released into the nearby Dandenong Creek, authorised by the EPA (Environmental Protection Authority). A flood detention pond was positioned directly north of the oxidation basin to hold excess influent in wet weather events. A control building located near the main entrance accommodated a pumping station, site office, and laboratory. Chemical storage was handled in a separate, isolated shed at the south end of the complex. The facility was designed to accommodate additional components through a second stage of construction, though it's unclear if these upgrades ever eventuated.

"Completion of the Trunk Sewer as far as Ringwood by 1978 would avoid construction of the second stage of the Nunawading Purification Plant and of major additional work at the Ringwood Pumping Station, estimated to cost $1,400,000." - MMBW & SRWSC, 1970, Sewerage of the Valleys of Dandenong and Brushy Creeks, Joint Report.

Establishment of the Terrara Road Branch Sewers as far as the Bellbird Dell parklands allowed the reticulation of numerous subdivisions west of the golf course, namely the ambitious Vintage Gardens estate. Dozens of other developments were sewered as additional sections of the branch were laid, including the Vermont South Shopping Centre precinct and the Barnsdale Forest, Vermont Views, Vermont Park, and Morack Forest residential estates. A smaller branch also fed sewage to the plant from the Carrington Heights and Wingwood Close estates. Upper sections of the branch sewered some homes north of the Healesville Freeway Reserve in the suburb of Vermont (not to be confused with Vermont South), including properties along Jolimont Road and in the Trove Park and Uplands subdivisions. Most of Vermont had already been connected to the Ringwood Outfall Sewer (RIO) and Gardiners Creek Main Sewer (GCM) by this point. By 1980, the plant was sewering an area of around 880 acres. Due to the topography of the region, not all of Vermont South was connected to the Morack Road site. Properties south of Burwood Highway and west of Livingstone Road were generally connected to the Waverley / Shepherd Road Plant, commissioned in 1972. In 1982, The Board of Works completed construction on the Nunawading Branch Sewer - connecting the tributaries of the Morack Road plant to the Dandenong Valley Trunk Sewer and subsequently the Eastern Treatment Plant, bypassing the treatment works at Vermont South. The branch also sewered developments along Mountain Highway in Wantirna South such as the Castlefield Ridge, Stratford Square, Oak Tree Ridge, Cambridge Gardens, Wantirna Park, and Woodlands estates.

"Work was done on a number of main and relieving sewers to be connected into the Dandenong Valley Trunk Sewer. Included was the Nunawading Branch Sewer, which will allow the closing down of the Nunawading Regional Purification Plant."

"Completion of the Dandenong Valley Trunk Sewer between Scoresby and Wantirna in May 1982 enabled the Knox Regional Purification Plant to be closed down, and brought closer the closing down of the Nunawading Regional Purification Plant and Ringwood Pumping Station.

- MMBW, 1981/1982 Annual Report.

The City of Nunawading acquired the plant shortly after it was decommissioned. Primary remediation works saw the dismantlement of the activated sludge units, draining of the oxidation & secondary sedimentation basins, backfilling of the chlorine contact basin, demolition of the chemical storage shed, and removal of the underground pipework. The pumping station & control building were later flattened for a reconfiguration of the Morack Public Golf Course, completed by 2006. Dozens of native trees have since been planted on the site and the contaminated soil from the golf course earthworks was used to backfill the oxidation and emergency storage basins. An artificial lake now occupies the area where the site office and pumping station once stood. As of 2023, all that remains are the partially-backfilled clarifiers, a section of the original perimeter fence, and various obscure concrete structures.

Water supply

The Vermont South Pumping Station, designated by the Board of Works as Pumping Station No. 72, was commissioned at the Burwood Rise estate in 1974 to maintain pressure within the suburb's water supply reticulation, which was rapidly expanding at the time of it's inception. Yarra Valley Water has operated the site since the Board was abolished in 1992.

See also

• City of Nunawading – Vermont South was previously within this former local government area.