Murrumbeena is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 13 km south-east of Melbourne's central business district. Its local government area is the City of Glen Eira. At the 2011 Census, Murrumbeena had a population of 8,592.
Murrumbeena is a small suburban area with extensive parklands and primarily Federation and Interwar architectural character.
Toponomy
The name "Murrumbeena" derives from the Aboriginal word "mirambeena". It may have meant "land of frogs", "moss growing on decayed wood" or it may be a derivative from the name of an Aboriginal elder. The evidence for any of these etymologies is uncertain. The name was officially adopted when the railway station opened in 1879.
History
The main street of Murrumbeena is Neerim Road, which bends to cross the railway lines and has a strip shopping centre extending to Murrumbeena Road nearby the railway station. Trading at the shopping centre suffered greatly with the opening of Chadstone Shopping Centre nearby, however it has seen a recent revival, particularly of street cafes and apartment building.
Transport
The main roads running through Murrumbeena are Dandenong Road, Neerim Road and Murrumbeena Road.
Murrumbeena railway station is a suburban railway station providing regular services to the city and along the Pakenham and Cranbourne lines.
The Neerim Road level crossing was identified by the RACV in 2010 as one of the worst for traffic congestion in metropolitan Melbourne.
In 2016, the ALP Andrews Government announced a SKYrail elevated rail bridge project to remove the level crossings. This has been met by controversy, following community consultations in 2015 with plans for an “under road, cut and cover” trench design, similar to designs for Springvale Rd (Nunawading), Bourke Rd (Glen Iris), North Rd (Ormond), McKinnon Rd, (McKinnon) and Centre Rd (Bentleigh).
Local residents claim the SKYrail project is poorly designed and imprudent. It is understood that the 'No Sky Rail' association are vehemently opposed to the 'Sky Rail' proposal however have acknowledged and fully support the need for new rail infrastructure, preferring a 'Cut & Cover' option.
In the first phase of implementation, the proposal calls for two elevated concrete bridge-like structures approximately 14 – 20 metres high and spanning more than three kilometers from Grange Rd Caulfield to Hughesdale. A subsequent second phased project, will add a third and fourth track to the south side of the current tracks. This will allow increased metro, country and freight services across Victoria's busiest rail passage.
The SKYrail project is exempt from regular planning laws including an environmental impact study. Some residents are reported to have extensive overshadowing of their properties. The Level Crossing Removal Authority (LXRA) charged with the first phase of the SKYrail project, have advised that there will be no compensation or property acquisition to impacted property owners.
According to reports, the groups tendering for the proposal, each submitted the two versions. Despite being similarly costed it appears that the Andrews Government rejected a ‘Cut & Cover’ option. Ironically the preferred tender is reported to be the 'Lend Lease' Consortium and the losing 'Cut & Cover' tender which was more economical submitted by 'John Holland' was rejected. It should be noted that the preferred tender in 'Lend Lease' Consortium was also the same company that was compensated for the East West link contract "ripped up" by the Andrews Government. Interestingly Victorians voted 85.8% against the cancellation of the East West Link project that the Andrews Government effectively paid 440 Million dollars to not build a road.
Housing
Outside of the main street, Murrumbeena is a mix of predominantly single-family detached homes with small pockets of walk-up flats of up to two stories developed since the 1960s. The predominant style of the buildings in the shopping strip, station and surrounding homes are Federation and Interwar which include many magnificent examples of single story Art Deco designs.
The SKYrail project will significantly change the character of the suburb. For full information on the integration of the SKYrail project into the larger scheme of providing 600,000 additional residences using multi-level development and super malls, refer to “Dovey & Woodcock” report ‘Intensifying Melbourne’.
Schools
Murrumbeena High School originally occupied a large parcel of land on the corner of Murrumbeena Road and North Road across the road from Duncan McKinnon Reserve. (801 North Rd, Murrumbeena 3163)
Sport
The suburb has an Australian Rules football team competing in the Southern Football League with a history that can be traced back to the formation of the Murrumbeena Junior Football Club in 1918. They have junior and senior sides. It has a lawn bowls club situated in Gerald Street which fields two teams in the Bowls Victoria Pennant competition.
Sporting clubs
Notable people
The potter Merric Boyd (1888–1959) established a studio in Murrumbeena and produced his own distinctive style of Art Nouveau ceramics. Through the Boyds, Murrumbeena played host to other well-known artists including John Perceval, Sidney Nolan, Hatton Beck, and Peter Herbst.
Arthur Boyd (1920–1999) was one of the leading Australian painter of the late 20th Century.
Mark Trevorrow, the creator of Bob Downe, the camp safari-suit wearing comic and singer was born and raised in Murrumbeena.
Musician Nick Cave grew up in the suburb, and TISM played their first show at the Murrumbeena athletics track club rooms.
Paralympic swimming medallist Phillip Tracey was from the suburb.
Many Australian Rules footballers including Robert Flower from 1973 until 1987, Tom Flower, Ray Carr, Mark Mitchell, Howard Hollow and Ken Jungworth who all played with Melbourne Demons went to school or came from Murrumbeena Football Club and also grew up in the suburb.
Bill Shorten, the Member for Maribyrnong in the Australian Parliament, grew up in Neerim Rd, Murrumbeena and attended Mass at the Good Shepherd Convent, on the current site of Chadstone Shopping Centre. He is the Leader of the Australian Labor Party and Leader of the Opposition in the Australian House of Representatives.