“Fancy a bit of history mixed with a charming English connection?” I ask. We’re standing in Upwey. Upwey is a residential suburb southeast of Melbourne. It’s surrounded by hills.
Upwey wasn’t always Upwey. Until the late 1800s it lacked its own identity. Back then it was known as Mast Gully. This name came from masts cut in a local gully around 1850. You can still find Mast Gully Creek and Mast Gully Road as reminders.
The Scoresby village settlement scheme played a role. In the 1890s, the area was divided into ten-acre blocks. This scheme extended north to Ferny Creek.
Now for the Upwey name. Three sisters named Tullidge bought a homestead in 1897. They named it Upwey. This was after their home village Upwey in England by the River Wey. The sisters convinced the Victorian Railways. They wanted a stopping place near their house. So the railway stop became Upwey. The name caught on. Soon the Upwey Church of England was built nearby.
The Upwey post office was built in 1911. It was part of a new store. By 1918 Upwey had a Progress Association hall and a fire brigade. Upwey’s fire brigade was actually the first in the hills. It was formed in 1918.
The Union Church held its annual gathering in Upwey during the 1920s. It was called the Convention. These open-air preachings went on until 1950. Then the Convention moved to Belgrave Heights.
More weekenders were built in Upwey. A bowling green opened in 1929. Upwey Primary School opened in 1934. A higher elementary school followed three years later. In 1945 it became a high school.
Upwey’s population grew rapidly. This was partly because of wartime evacuees. They decided to stay after the war. Weekenders became permanent residents.
Even bushfires threatened Upwey in 2009.
Upwey’s shopping center sits near the railway station. It’s set back from the Burwood Highway. You’ll find two recreation reserves here. Also, there is an Anglican church built in stages. The Burrinja community centre is located on the site of the former Sherbrooke shire offices.
Upwey has grown from a small settlement. It is now a thriving suburb with a strong community. It is a place connected to both local history and a little piece of England.