Melton South

Melton South, a residential suburb, is 35 km north-west of central Melbourne. It is south of the Western Freeway and on the Melbourne to Ballarat railway, with the Melton railway station.

The station was about 1 km from the Melton village on the highway, and looked out on open country with little more than a chaff mill, a railway, post office and the Melton Railway Station primary school (1911). The school was given a new building in 1925, two years after being renamed Melton South.

About 80 years before, pastoral properties were established further south near where the Toolern Vale Creek joins the Werribee River. ‘Exford’ in Exford Road and ‘Strathtulloh’ in Greigs Road West have homesteads originating in the 1840s and are heritage-listed. Melton South’s third notable built feature is a railway viaduct (1880) over the Werribee River, 375 metres long.

Suburban Melton South began in the late 1960s. A Catholic primary school opened in 1979, followed by Melton technical school (1979), Melton Christian college (1985) and the Victoria University of Technology (1987) later Victoria University. (The former technical school, now Staughton College, is next to VU.)

Melton South has several recreation reserves, a large park along Toolern Vale Creek and a shopping centre near the railway station. The station has a large car-parking area for the V Line train service. Tabcorp Park racecourse (2009) and the Melton Golf Range are on the Western Freeway. There is much underdeveloped space in Melton South and several school sites are in development. Melton South primary school had 415 pupils in 2014.

Melton South’s census populations have been: