Perhaps you have driven through Westmeadows without realizing its historical significance. Westmeadows, a suburb 16 km north-west of Melbourne’s CBD, holds stories from the 1840s. It sits within the City of Hume. In 2021, Westmeadows had a population of 6,502.
Westmeadows began as the original Broadmeadows Village. This was near Moonee Ponds Creek. The government surveyed and laid out the first Broadmeadows township in 1850. Ardlie Street became its heart. It included the Broadmeadows Hotel now the Westmeadows Tavern, a police station, and the Shire office. The District Roads Board Building opened in 1866. The first Broadmeadows Post Office opened in 1855. It was renamed Broadmeadows West in 1955. Then it became Westmeadows in 1963.
In the 1850s, the Anglican Church opened. A Presbyterian Church followed. The Vicarage for the Anglican Church appeared in 1860. St Anne’s Roman Catholic Church arrived in 1867. A school started in Westmeadows in 1851. The primary school site we see now dates from 1870.
The railway shifted the urban center in 1872. The Broadmeadows township moved two kilometers east with the new railway and station. Shire loyalties remained with the old township. New civic offices near the railway station were built in 1928.
In 1949, the Housing Commission started building an estate in Broadmeadows. This covered 2,226 hectares. The commission began building near the old township in 1975. They called it Westmeadows Heights. Between 1975 and 1979, over 900 houses were built.
Westmeadows has historic buildings and landmarks. The Shire Offices and the Bluestone Bridge over Moonee Ponds Creek still stand. The bridge was built in 1869 and is part of Fawkner Street. Both are on the Register of the National Estate. The original Westmeadows Police Station and the Westmeadows Gaol are also still there. The original Anglican church is still in use on Raleigh Street.
The Old Coach House on 10 Broad Street dates back to the 1860s. It may have been connected to Cobb & Co.’s coaching activities. It was possibly the site of Grant’s Livery Stables in 1850. Coaches operating between Melbourne and Broadmeadows stopped here. The Coach Service ran daily. It left the Bush Inn in Bourke Street Melbourne at 4:00 pm. It returned at 8:00 am the next day.
Today, Westmeadows is multicultural. According to the 2021 census, 71.7% of residents were born in Australia. 28.3% were born overseas. The most common countries of birth were Italy and the United Kingdom. Most people speak English at home. Other languages include Italian, Turkish, Arabic and Greek.
Westmeadows offers sports and recreation. The Westmeadows Football Club competes in the Essendon District Football League. The Westmeadows Cricket Club and the Westmeadows Tennis Club are also popular. Willowbrook Reserve hosts the football and cricket clubs. Westmeadows Reserve near Ardlie Street has another oval. Westmeadows Heights Reserve includes a cricket oval and soccer fields.
Westmeadows is serviced by several bus routes. These routes connect to Broadmeadows station on the Craigieburn line. Routes include the 477, 484, SmartBus 901, SmartBus 902, and Night Bus 959.