Melbourne - Box Hill

Box Hill is near the state capital of Melbourne and has the honour of housing a famous art community from 1885 to 1888. Many of Australia's most popular artists came to that area to learn from each other and paint the landscape of the town. Today Box Hill has become an outlying suburb.

Australian Landscape Artist, Tom Roberts came to Box Hill after he experimented with impressionist painting in France and Spain. He loved the Australian rural environment and wanted to find a place where he could paint to his hearts content. He and another artist friend named Frederick McCubbin did not appreciate the way students were being taught how to paint landscapes and they decided to go to Houston's Farm in Box Hill to experiment with different techniques. Several other artists joined them. After awhile tourists began to come to see what the artist group was up. This disrupted their peace and quite so the group moved on.

The area's first settler was named Arundel Wright who built a house on some land he came across in 1838. The land he squatted upon was eventually sold and he was forced to leave. The stone from his chimney was used to make the Pioneer's Memorial that is currently in front of the town hall.

The city centre was built up in 1854 and the name of the area was picked in 1860 and was given the same name as an area in Surrey England, the area the postmaster came from. Some say it was actually named after the type of plant that grew in the area called box eucalyptus. The area was slow in growth until the railway was built through town in 1882 making it much easier to travel to Melbourne. A farmers and livestock market was founded in 1895 and was placed close to the rail station and from that day on Box Hill was known for being a commercial shopping area.

Today there is a statue of a horse that stands upon a large pedestal where Whitehorse Road passes through the main shopping precinct. Box Hill has adopted the horse statue as a symbol of its city and it appears in the coat of arms. The temperance movement was a popular platform in the 1800's and both the Presbyterians and Methodists took up the cause with great zeal. Box Hill was known for being an area that supported this movement with much vitality and in fact, there was no liquor sold in the area until 1966.

During the 1950's many shopping centres were opened in Box Hill including Myer Eastland and the nearby Doncaster Shoppingtown. In the 1960's more parking was added by placing the railway line underground. Other stores followed and the area today enjoys the title of the second largest office and retail area outside of the city of Melbourne. There is a large variety of restaurants and cafes some of which serve the best ethnic cuisine in all of Australia.

Box Hill Indoor Sports Centre is a place many go to see games in town. You can see soccer, volleyball and cricket games. The local population loves sports and they have several football leagues, an archer club, and Australian football club. Box Hill Athletic Club has been around since 1932 and was active in the 1956 Olympic Games that were held in Melbourne. Box hill is home to a wonderful golf course that will challenge the beginner and the seasoned golfer. There is an indoor outdoor pool called 'Aqualink', several basketball courts, a gym and tennis courts. You can always find a game at the baseball diamond and football oval. Outdoor sports are a major force in Box Hill.

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