Manor

Established in the early 2000s Manor Lakes is a suburb southwest of Melbourne. It’s a planned community. Manor Lakes wasn’t always its own suburb. Until March 2016 it was part of Wyndham Vale. The area has a rich history. Long before European settlement the Wathwaurong people lived there. They lived on the land for over 25000 years. Then came European squatters. Explorers Hamilton Hume and William Hovell visited in 1824. John Helder Wedge surveyed the land for John Batman. This land was included in a controversial treaty. The treaty was with Indigenous chiefs in 1835. The land was described as ‘Fine Open Plains’. This fertile land was perfect for farming sheep. A wool boom followed. The land was claimed by the Crown and sold to Europeans. The Scottish Chirnside brothers became significant landowners. They owned Werribee Park. Manor Lakes sits on part of their 20000 acre Lollypop estate. The village of Wyndham became Werribee in 1884. The area saw a shift from pastoralism to farming crops like wheat and hay. The Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works bought land establishing a sewerage filtration system. After World War I returned servicemen settled there. Many struggled with farming. Italian immigrants established market gardens. The 1970s saw increased housing development. Wyndham became a Metropolitan Growth Area. Manor Lakes grew from a housing estate. Now it has schools a shopping centre a library and sporting facilities. It’s connected to Melbourne by a new train station. Manor Lakes is a vibrant community. It is a testament to the evolving history of this land. It shows a blend of Indigenous history European settlement and modern development. The suburb continues to grow. It offers a blend of history and modern convenience. It’s a planned community but it reflects a long and complex past.