Essendon - Melbourne Suburb

The iconic suburb of Essendon is the place I have been calling home since the last 10-years and feel a deep connection with the place. It has always been home since I got out of University and started the life of a responsible adult.

Essendon offers close proximity to the Melbourne CBD and is only about 12-km north-west of the CBD. The City of Moonee Valley is Essendon’s local government area.

Essendon and the banks of the Maribyrnong River were originally inhabited by the Wurundjeri clan of the Woiwurrung speaking people of the Kulin Aboriginal nation. In 1803 Charles Grimes and James Fleming were the first known European explorers into the Maribyrnong area. Essendon was named after the village of Essendon in Hertfordshire, England. In 1851 the gold rush opened up the Moonee Ponds District with miners travelling along Mount Alexander Road to Castlemaine. The Essendon Post Office opened on 18 August 1856.

A vast majoring, 73%, of people in Essendon were born in Australia. The remaining fraction was made up by people born in India, Italy, England, China and New Zealand. 73.5% of people only spoke English at home. Other languages spoken at home included mainly Italian, Greek, Mandarin, Hindi and Cantonese.

Essendon boasts of a bundle of reputable schools and colleges around that have produced a lot of intelligent and successful individuals. Schooling in Essendon ranges all the way from child-care centres that help in early development of kids to some amazing Private and government colleges that help building careers for thousands of students every year. The high focus on education here is distinctive. The Lawther Hall Anglican Grammar School was amongst the top 20 schools in all of Melbourne’s suburb last year. Other notable schools and colleges are Essendon Primary School, St Columba’s College, Essendon Keilor College and St Bernard’s College just to name a few.

Essendon, along with its close proximity to the Melbourne CBD, also has a wide and greatly efficient public network. The Craigieburn train line offers stops at Essendon, Glenbervie and Strathmore that lead to various different parts of Essendon. Getting to the train stations is also very convenient due to the ample amount of bus routes and the tram line. The tram route 59 runs along Mount Alexander Road and Keilor Roads terminating at Airport West at one end and in the heart of Melbourne CBD at the other. The suburb is bordered on the south west by the Maribyrnong River Trail, and on the east and north by the Moonee Ponds Creek Trail. Both are used by commuting and recreational cyclists. Catching public transport to and from this suburb is extremely easy and convenient. Essendon also offers easy access to the city and the Airport via the famous CityLink, which can get you to these places in no time. Essendon also boasts of an Airport of its own offering interstate commute at reasonable prices.

Essendon, being one of the fastest developing suburbs around Melbourne, offers a very balanced mix of apartments in multi-storey buildings and houses with ample amount of space. There is always an option available to suit your need. Being one of the rapidly growing suburbs of Melbourne, property values are always on the rise which makes for an amazing option for investment ensuring a decent return. With the rise in apartment buildings and thus increase in the supply, the rental costs are not extra-ordinarily high and are in line with the market. You get what you pay for. Proximity to the CBD, an amazing culture, abundance of space - all makes up for the cost involved.

Essendon, as a whole, expanding in to Essendon North, Essendon West, Essendon Fields and the Essendon Airport area offers a lot of space and various kinds of businesses and thus providing ample amount of employment opportunities. Jobs available in Essendon range from working in a vibrant café to working at the Airport. I have worked at a few cafes, bakeries and restaurants in Essendon and have always managed to earn a decent living to support myself. Employment culture in Essendon is very relaxed and happy whilst being professional and polite at the same time.

Essendon has a strong café culture, night-life and lots of eateries around. It boasts of multiple cafes offering all-day breakfast where you can enjoy a nice weekend brunch and catch up with friends. An entire strip on Keilor Road in Essendon provides access to lots of food joints offering delicious cuisines from all different parts of the world. Essendon has multitudes of accessible supermarkets, petrol stations, convenience stores. Essendon is also home to the huge Direct Factory Outlet (DFO) and the large Home Maker centre that cater to all your needs. Essendon, being home to a large majority of younger crowd who are health conscious, offers a range of high-class gyms and fitness centres. There are different leisure activities available all around. Essendon also boasts of vast areas of parks and gardens that are maintained to a very high standard. These make for a great place to hang out for kids and adults.