Wicklow Hill

Gazing up Wicklow Hill, can you picture Croydon as “White Flats”? That’s what it was called before the railway arrived in 1882, thanks to the abundance of wildflowers. Wicklow Hill played a key role in Croydon’s transformation. The original station, called Warrandyte Station, was suggested to be renamed Croydon by a local landowner, Gregory Lacey, after his wife’s English hometown. Wicklow Hill stands as a silent witness to this history. At 67 Wicklow Avenue, near the base of Wicklow Hill, once stood a guesthouse. It housed holiday-makers and a young WWI veteran named George Holder. He took his evening meals there while establishing an orchard just over the hill. Sadly, the guesthouse was demolished in 1999 and now Wicklow Medical Centre stands in its place. However, the hill still remembers Holder’s footsteps as he climbed it daily. Over on Maroondah Highway, where McDonald’s now stands, was part of George Holder’s orchard. Before McDonald’s, a drive-in theatre occupied the site. Wicklow Hill also overlooks the land once owned by Richard Kelly. He purchased 100 acres in 1889. This land stretched from the highway, over Wicklow Hill itself, and beyond the railway line to Mount Dandenong Road. His homestead, “Wicklow Hills,” was located on what is now The Terrace on the southern slope. Wicklow Hill provided a vantage point for Kelly, overlooking his extensive orchard. His son, Franklin Kelly, envisioned Alto Avenue winding its way over Wicklow Hill to the main highway. He named it Alto Avenue, referencing the high altitude. Wicklow Hill thus shaped the development of the Wicklow Hills Estate. In 1920, Franklin offered 70 allotments for sale, stretching north to south. Homes began appearing in the 1920s, marking a new era for Wicklow Hill and its surroundings. Today, Wicklow Hill still offers glimpses into Croydon’s past. As you stand here, you are connected to the footsteps of early settlers, the growth of a community, and the enduring presence of this quiet, watchful hill.