Most people don’t know my suburb. It’s not Oakleigh or Murrumbeena. Nor is it Chadstone or East Bentleigh. It’s nestled between them and easily overlooked.
When I explain to someone where Hughesdale is, 15 kilometres south-east of Melbourne’s CBD, the first thing people usually say is “Oh, I think I’ve driven around it”. We are bordered on three sides by Dandenong, Warrigal and North Roads, all major routes for commuters, tradies and truck drivers as well as shoppers heading to Chadstone Shopping Centre.
Perhaps we residents of Hughesdale are lucky that few seem to know about our quiet pocket of around 8000 people. It recently came in sixth on an analysis of Melbourne’s most “liveable” suburbs – well ahead of all those neighbours – so maybe that will change?
For a long time, Hughesdale was a suburb not of Melbourne, but of Oakleigh, dating back to the late 19th century when it was a country town. This explains why we have gorgeous early 20th-century cottage strips in Carlisle Crescent, and Calembeena and Moorookyle Avenues that wouldn’t look out of place in Yarraville or Prahran.
On the map, you can see traces of two early failed railway lines to Hughesdale – the abortive Rosstown Railway running east from Elsternwick, and the Outer Circle Line that carved a diagonal route from Fairfield to today’s Boyd Park. But trains did arrive, and have been key to the area’s growth, first in the late 19th century and then again in the years between the wars, when the area became known as Hughesdale after former Oakleigh mayor James Hughes.
Today the city is only 20 minutes away on the new trains, running at least every 10 minutes for most of the day. Thanks to the new Metro Tunnel opening this year, they will soon run direct to Swanston Street. This no doubt contributes to our liveability rating and is why Hughesdale residents are among Melbourne’s greatest users of trains.
I moved here from Sydney in 2008, joining my wife, Carolyn, in the suburb where her family has a history going back more than 100 years. It was an easy switch. Living near Sydney Harbour and taking ferries to work had been magic, but once I discovered the beautiful parks, gardens and streetscapes here in Hughesdale, I was sold. We also have easy access to the bay at Brighton to the west, and Mentone to the south, and it’s simple to jump on any of the local bus routes, like the 630 or the 903, and find somewhere pleasant to walk and picnic without having to drive.
Hughesdale may have seceded from Oakleigh, but two of its schools retained the name. Oakleigh Technical School closed as part of the 1990 selloffs, but its playing grounds became Argyle Reserve, home to many happy off-leash dogs and Monash Villarreal, which has the unusual distinction of being directly affiliated with a Spanish La Liga soccer team. Oakleigh Grammar maintains its historic connection to St Anargiri Greek Orthodox Church. We also have Sacred Heart Girls’ College, which now extends beyond its 1954 modernist building designed by Frederick Romberg during his celebrated partnership with Sir Roy Grounds and Robin Boyd.
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