Sometimes, slow development has its benefits. Such is the case in Heidelberg. It’s just 11km from the Melbourne CBD but has a special charm all its own.
The first sales of Crown land took place in the Heidelberg area in the 1840s but the railway into the city didn’t arrive until 1888, which stifled Heidelberg’s early residential growth.
The lack of services and cheap housing attracted artists like Tom Roberts, Frederick McCubbin, Arthur Streeton, Tom Roberts and others to gather in the district and take advantage of the country scenery and expansive Yarra Valley views to form the Heidelberg School of painters.
Heidelberg also became a vital part of Victoria’s health system with the opening of the Austin Hospital in 1882. The precinct around it now also houses the Mercy Hospital for Women and the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute.
Over time, Heidelberg became one of our city’s stunning “garden” middle suburbs. Although some high-density development has crept in, it’s still pretty as a picture with a warm and friendly atmosphere in Burgundy Street, its bustling main street.
Five things to do in Heidelberg
The Burley Griffin estates – Husband-and-wife team Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin are most famous for designing Canberra, but a sample of their handiwork can be found just down Lower Heidelberg Road in the neighbouring suburb of Eaglemont in the Mount Eagle and Glenard estates. Cruise Outlook Drive, Summit Drive, Lower Heidelberg Road, The Eyrie, Maltravers Road, Glenard Drive, Mossman Drive and The Boulevard for amazing architecture and wide, curving streets that make the most of the natural landscape.
Heide – Just over the river from Heidelberg, spend a day at the Heide Museum of Modern Art, a former dairy farm owned by arts benefactors John and Sunday Reed that became a haunt for emerging artists including Sidney Nolan, Joy Hester, Albert Tucker and John Perceval, now acknowledged as artistic greats. These days, it is home to many paintings and other works along with a sculpture park on Heidi’s 6.5 hectares of heritage listed gardens. It’s one of Melbourne’s lesser known artistic gems, one you don’t want to miss.
Parks – While traffic hums down nearby Rosanna Road, it’s easy to forget you’re in a big city in the Warringal Parklands, which has large stands of deciduous trees, bushy areas, wetlands, the family-friendly Possum Hollow playground and sports grounds including an oval that was the location for the fairground scene in the 2006 classic children’s film Charlotte’s Web. Next door is the Banyule Flats reserve. It has a variety of vegetation including natural wetlands that are home to at least 153 bird species. Both are accessible by bike via the Main Yarra Trail.
The Pieman’s Son – Hungry? Don’t miss The Pieman’s Son, in Bell Street Heidelberg Heights. Pat Cremean, the son of Boscastle Pies founder Terry Cremean, does wonders with pastry and locally sourced ingredients to make pies that will knock your socks off. Don’t forget to order a delicious cake for dessert.
The Old England Hotel – The OE, as the locals call it, has been a Heidelberg institution since 1848 and is one of Victoria’s oldest pubs. It was the favoured watering hole for Heidelberg School painters and travellers. While it’s been renovated and expanded over the years, it’s still packed with old world charm. It features bars, a dining room, a ground floor al fresco area, a rooftop terrace bar and the historic 1848 Bluestone Lounge.
