Bellfield (near Heidelberg)

Bellfield is a residential suburb 9 km north-east of central Melbourne. It was gazetted as a separate suburb in 2000 and before then it was part of Heidelberg West. It is east of the Darebin Creek and its other boundaries are Bell Street, Waterdale Road and Banksia Street.

Bellfield was part of the State Housing Commission estate in Heidelberg West during the 1950s. Before then there had been scattered housing, and as Ivanhoe West expanded a primary school was opened in 1951. Named Bellfield, the school was on the southside of Banksia Street and began with temporary Bristol buildings for classrooms. Its enrolments were 755 (1955) and 922 (1958). On the opposite side of Banksia Street (in Bellfield), Heidelberg High School opened in 1956.

Bellfield has two large parklands: Ford Park (the home of Bellfield Cricket Club) and a linear reserve along Darebin Creek with an oval and tennis courts. There are also a kindergarten and a community centre.

Heidelberg High School became part of LaTrobe College, with a subsequent merger with Banksia Secondary College to form Banksia Latrobe Secondary College in 2008. The primary school became a special development school. Fire damaged the disused Banksia Secondary College on Perkins Avenue in 2012.

Bellfield’s census populations have been:

At the 2011 census the residents' religious affiliations included:

At the 2011 census the median income of residents was 70% of the Victorian median and 27.2% of families were single-parent (Victoria, 15.5%).