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Back in 1852, a man named Josiah Morris Holloway bought several bits of land around the Kingston area. He named one of them Two Acre Village. Josiah divided his land into two different 2 acre lots (that’s around 3 footy fields or 8093.71 square metres) and put a track right down the middle, from north to south. The early village became a place where travellers passed through on the way to the Mornington Peninsula. The little track Josiah made would later become Chesterville Road, which is now used to get to Waves Swimming pool.

Once the Cheltenham railway station opened, lots of people came to build houses and start families in the area. It wasn’t until over 100 years later, in 1958, that Cheltenham was officially recognised as a suburb.

Cheltenham Quick Facts below.

  • The suburb is divided between the City of Kingston (part of central ward) and City of Bayside.
  • Cheltenham is a suburb 19 km south east of Melbourne, and has an area of 10.1 km squared.
  • It has 3 golf courses, 2 cemeteries and a number of parks.
  • Cheltenham is bounded by Bay Road in the north, Charman Road and the Frankston railway line in the east, Weatherall Road, Reserve Road and Cheltenham Road in the south, and the Royal Melbourne Golf Club and George Street in the west.
  • The State electorate Cheltenham is in the Mordialloc District, Sandringham District, and Clarinda District.
  • The Federal electorate Cheltenham is in the Division of Hotham and the Division of Goldstein.

Please click on the tabs above to discover all the facts about Cheltenham.

Name origins

In 1853 the Cheltenham Inn opened, one block from the corner of Centre Dandenong Road. Charles Whorral, the owner, was from Cheltenham in England and named the Inn after his hometown. By 1856 the name of the area had changed from Two Acre Village to Cheltenham. From the 1860s to the 1880s travellers from Brighton to the Mornington Peninsula would change coaches at the Exchange Hotel in Cheltenham.

The opening of the railway station in 1881 led to increased housing growth around Charman Road. Cheltenham was recognised as a suburb in 1958.


Plan of two acre village being portion no.55 parish of Moorabbin rearing south one mile. Vale Collection. Image courtesy State Library of Victoria.

Population

  • Census DatePopulation
  • 19111755
  • 19334067
  • 199619,074
  • 200118,846
  • 200619,523
  • 201120,292
  • 201618.830

Events

  • 1855
  • 1857
  • 1864
  • 1865
  • 1867
  • 1872
  • 1879
  • 1881
  • 1886
  • 1891
  • 1892
  • 1899
  • 1908
  • 1925
  • 1926
  • 1930
  • 1933
  • 1946
  • 1951
  • 1959
  • 1976
  • 1968
  • 1981
  • 1993
  • 1995
  • 2005
  • 2006
  • 2010

1855

Beaumaris Wesleyan school opened. This later became Cheltenham Primary School No. 84. The school turned 150 in 2005. It is the fifth oldest school in Victoria. Other names used for the school are Beaumaris Common School no. 84 and State School no. 84 Beaumaris. Access the Kingston Historical website. Access the Cheltenham Primary School website.

Cheltenham School 1898

1857

Cheltenham Post Office opened on Saturday 1 August. Access the Kingston Historical website. A small Methodist chapel opened, on land given by Stephen Charman.

Cheltenham Post Office. Image courtesy State Library of Victoria.

1864

Cheltenham Pioneer Cemetery opened on the 3rd October. By the late 1920's there was no more room in the cemetery. Access the Kingston Historical website.

View of the Old Cheltenham Cemetery. The grave of James Jamison, a Cheltenham pioneer is the white monument to the left of the photograph. Image courtesy of the Kingston Collection.

1865

The first burial at Old Cheltenham Cemetry. For further information, access Old Cheltenham Cemetery: A brief history.

1867

St Matthew's Anglican Church was dedicated on April 14th. Access the Kingston Historical website.

St Matthew’s Church of England, Cheltenham, c1920. Image courtesy Kingston Collection.

1872

Land was put aside to create Cheltenham Park, through a Government Act. Fifty acres were set aside, and around half became the Cheltenham Golf Course in the 1920's. Access the Kingston Historical website.

Cheltenham Park 2006. Photographer Joe Astbury. Courtesy Kingston Collection.

1879

Cheltenham Village reached a population of 1000.

Charman Road at the Cheltenham Shopping Centre, c1918. Image courtesy Kingston Collection

1881

The railway line was opened. Access the Kingston Historical website.

Cheltenham Railway Station – Up Side 1982. Image courtesy Leader Collection.

1886

The Protestant Hall was built on the Nepean Highway, between Southland and Chestervlille Roads.

1891

Methodist Homes for Children was established, providing homes for boys and girls aged 4-14. Access the Kingston Historical website.

1892

The House of Mercy opened. It was a mission for poor women. They were taught how to do housework, laundry and sewing. Access the Kingston Historical website.

THE HOUSE OF MERCY, CHELTENHAM. (1907, October 24). Punch (Melbourne, Vic. : 1900 - 1918; 1925), p. 18. Retrieved August 29, 2017, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article175798222

1899

A manual telephone exchange was opened. It had 24 subscribers.

1908

On October 10th, the official opening of the Cheltenham Bowls Club took place in front of 200 people. Acess the Cheltenham Bowls Club Website.

1925

Kingston Heath Golf course opened. At the time, it was the longest course in Australia. Since 1948, international and national tournaments have been held there. Access the Kingston Heath Golf Club Website.

Kingston Heath Golf Course. Image courtesy City of Kingston.

1926

Victoria Golf Club relocated from Fisherman's Bend to its current 128 acre site. On May 14, 1927, then Prime Minister Stanley Bruce struck the first ball.

The Prime Minister Makes Golf History (1927, May 19). Table Talk (Melbourne, Vic. : 1885 - 1939), p. 5. Retrieved August 29, 2017, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article146650316

1930

Cheltenham Golf Club opened.

1933

Cheltenham Memorial Park opened.

1946

Retreat House opened a venue for conferences, workshops and days of prayer.

1951

Our Lady of Assumption School/Church opened with 50 students. It was staffed by Brigidine Sisters Access the Kingston Historical website.

1959

Cheltenham High School opened.

1976

Kingston Heath Primary School opened.

1968

Southland opened, becoming one of Melbourne's major shopping centres. Architects Tomkins, Shaw and Evans included a rooftop garden in their design. Until the mid-1980's, it was owned by Myer Emporium.

Roof-top Garden, Southland Shopping Centre, Cheltenham. Image courtesy Leader Collection.

1981

The Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works made Cheltenham a suburban activity centre. Centres are hubs for public transport.

1993

The 7-storey 1230 Nepean Highway office tower was built. The City of Kingston (council) leased the space before buying the building in 2010.

1995

Le Page Primary School was formed from a merger of Cheltenham North and Cheltenham Heights primary schools.

2005

Council Head offices move to Cheltenham.

Kingston Head office moves to Cheltenham, 2005. Image courtesy City of Kingsto.

2006

In July the revamped Cheltenham Library and H. Shipston Senior Citzens Complex was officially opened.

Cheltenham Community Celebrates Opening of Library and New Community Centre, July 2004. Image courtesy Kingston Yesteryear.

2010

Kingston Heath Soccer Gound had a major redevelpment. The ground is the home of the Bentleigh Greens soccer club. The main pitch has a capacity of 3,300.

Places

Cheltenham Mechanic's Hall

Beginning in the 1850's, this was the main meeting point for social events for almost one hundred years. It was used for visiting speakers, billiards, dances, entertainment, church and local club meetings, a library and even a court house. For further information see the Kingston Historical Website

Cheltenham Mechanics’ Institute, Free Library and Temperance Hall with Billiard Room, 1960. Image courtesy Kingston Collection.

Old Cheltenham Cemetery

The first burial was in 1865 of John Fullerton Hunte. Up to 1917 the Cemetery was known as the Mordialloc and South Moorabbin General Cemetery it was the first one in Melbourne's Bayside area. Many notable people were buried at the cemetery. The cemetery became full in the late 1920's when Cheltenham Memorial Park was opened nearby. For further information Access the Kingston Historical website

Southland Shopping Centre

Southland was first opened in September 1968. Designed by Melbourne architects Tomkins, Shaw & Evans, it was one of Melbourne's major shopping centres. When Southland opened, it was promoted as a 'city' and featured a special roof garden. Local shops in the area were affected, with some closing down in Highett and Moorabbin. Up to the mid-1980's, it was owned by Myer. Expansion began in in 1997 and was completed in 2000. A new addition in 2018 was the Southland Station.

Roof-top Garden, Southland Shopping Centre, Cheltenham. Image courtesy Leader Collection.

People

Fairlie Taylor

Fairlie Taylor, born Addie Fairlam in 1887, became well-known in Cheltenham. She helped in the family’s estate agency and auctioneering business. With a love of learning, she returned to school at 16 years old - having left at 11 - and then trained as teacher. It was at the teacher’s training college that she was given the nickname ‘Fairlie’.Travelling all over the state as a teacher, she married Ben Taylor in 1920, and had a daughter, Bronwyn, in 1921.After a break from teaching, when she and her husband tried farming, she returned to Presbyterian Ladies’ College and became well-known for her imaginative programs at the school library and was consulted, due to her success, by many educators. She moved to Methodist Ladies College before retiring in 1953.She was awarded the British Empire Medal for services to education in 1976. She moved to Armidale, NSW, and died in July 1983. For further information, access the Kingston Historical website

Fairlie Taylor. Kingston Collection Image Courtesy, Betty Kuc

Le Page Family

The Le Page family were early settlers in Cheltenham. They were market gardeners, and each generation participated greatly in the local community. Some of their original land is now Le Page Gardens Park. Pagewood Park Estate was built on 6.6 hectates of land that was sold to B. M. Terry in the 1970s. Le Page Primary School opened in 1995. Access the Kingston Historical website.

Three Councillors, Everest LePage shows his son, Frank, a portrait of his grandfather. Image courtesy Leader Collection.

Michael Gleeson

Michael Gleeson was the head teacher at Cheltenham State School for 10 years, between 1918 and 1928. He arrived when the school was struggling with discipline and leadership, and turned this around.Michael came from Dunedin in New Zealand. Visit the Kingston Historical Website.

Charles Whorral

Charles arrived in Australia as a convict in 1833. He was sentenced to transportation for life for stealing sheep. Charles later opened a small, two-room hotel on the corner of Centre Dandenong and Schnapper Point roads. Charles Whorral named the Inn after his home town in England, Cheltenham. The inn became a popular meeting place, and the area eventually became known as Cheltenham. Access the Newsletter of Cheltenham and Regional Cemeteries Inc.

Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, United Kingdom, Europe. image courtesy Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest..

Charman Family

Mary and Stephen Charman bought 160 acres in Moorabbin, which they called 'Spring Grove'. The land was bound by what is now Charman and Balcombe Roads.The land was worked as a market garden, growing marigolds, which were sold to pharmacists for making medicines. Their first home was made of wattle and daub. It was later replaced with a weatherboard cottage. Charman Road is named after the family Visit the Kingston Historical Website.

Charman Rd, Cheltenham. Image courtesy City of Kingston.

Fun Facts

The council did not allow Cheltenham tennis club to play tennis on a Sunday. The club eventually shut down in 1939. Kingston Historical Website.

Postcard - Group of Women & Men with Tennis Raquets, Walhalla, Victoria, 1905-1920. Image courtesy Museums Victoria Collection.

In 1925, students at Cheltenham school were allowed to help the fire brigade put out a fire in Cheltenham Park. Kingston Historical Website.

Outside the Cheltenham Fire-station 1926.

The design of Southland received the Victoria Award in 1969 beating the National Gallery of Victoria.
When the railway line was opened there were no station buildings.
In the early 1900’s, mail was delivered on horseback.
In 1926, the Council suggested daily cleanliness inspection of the nails and hands of pupils at Cheltenham school.
There was a fairy house at 1331 Nepean Highway created by Mrs Stella Hawks from the early 1940s to 1960s. It was a tourist attraction and had figures such as the Old Woman in the Shoe and Humpty Dumpty. There was also a rockery fence which was a good place to sit. Kingston Historical Website.

The Melbourne Hunt club used the area to hunt hares, rabbits, snipe and quail.

The Master of the Hounds. Melbourne Hunt Club c. 1895. Image courtesy State Library of Victoria.

Nicholas Le Page was attacked by bushrangers when he was at King's Station the corner of South and Warriagal Roads. Not stopping his horse when ordered to, he was shot. The bushrangers Joseph Bradley and Patrick O'conner were caught and hanged in Melbourne Goal.
During Easter in 1873, Victorian Voluntary Military units met at Cheltenham to have their annual Easter Encapement. They conducted drill excercises, displays and demonstrations of the use of small arms and the larger horse-drawn guns.

The Easter Encapement. The storming of the Redoubt April, 1873. Shows volunteer forces in mock battle near Cheltenham.1873. Image courtesy State Library of Victoria.

Shipston reserve used to be a sand pit used for quarrying sand.
Cheltenham Primary School is the fifth oldest school in Victoria.
Weatherall Road was named after a botanist who grew lots of vegetables, fruit and flowers.
Sir Robert Gillman Jackson was a Cheltenham Primary School student in 1918-1920. After a career in the Australian Navy he was appointed the first Secretary General of the United Nations when World War II ended. Access the Australian Dictionary of Biography website.

Photos


Charman Road, Cheltenham c.1915. Shriley Jones Collection of Postcards. Image courtesy State Library of Victoria.


Roof-top Garden, Southland Shopping Centre, Cheltenham. Image courtesy Leader Collection.


The Hawthorn Path c.1909 Cheltenham. Image courtesy State Library of Victoria. The farm is on land now occupies by Southland.


Cheltenham Post Office. Image courtesy State Library of Victoria.


Land Sales Poster for the Charman Estate, 1888. Courtesy Kingston Collection.


Three Councillors, Everest LePage shows his son, Frank, a portrait of his grandfather. Image courtesy Leader Collection.


Cheltenham Park 2006. Photographer Joe Astbury. Courtesy Kingston Collection.


Cheltenham School No 84, c1890. Courtesy Kingston Collection.


Fairlie Taylor. Kingston Collection Image Courtesy, Betty Kuc


Auction notice forCheltenham Township. Image courtesy State Library of Victoria.


Cheltenham Railway Station – Up Side 1982. Image courtesy Leader Collection.


St Matthew’s Church of England, Cheltenham, c1920. Image courtesy Kingston Collection.


Cheltenham Mechanics’ Institute, Free Library and Temperance Hall with Billiard Room, 1960. Image courtesy Kingston Collection.


The Easter Encapement. The storming of the Redoubt April, 1873. Shows volunteer forces in mock battle near Cheltenham.1873. Image courtesy State Library of Victoria.


The Master of the Hounds. Melbourne Hunt Club c. 1895. Image courtesy State Library of Victoria.


The Prime Minister Makes Golf History (1927, May 19). Table Talk (Melbourne, Vic. : 1885 - 1939), p. 5. Retrieved August 29, 2017, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article146650316


THE HOUSE OF MERCY, CHELTENHAM. (1907, October 24). Punch (Melbourne, Vic. : 1900 - 1918; 1925), p. 18. Retrieved August 29, 2017, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article175798222


Bridge being constructed across Nepean Highway. 1998. Image courtesy Leader Collection.


Cheltenham Hotel c. 1915. Image courtesy State Library of Victoria


Cheltenham Community Celebrates Opening of Library and New Community Centre, July 2004. Image courtesy Kingston Yesteryear.


Kingston Heath Golf Course. Image courtesy City of Kingston.


Charman Rd, Cheltenham. Image courtesy City of Kingston.


Kingston Head office moves to Cheltenham, 2005. Image courtesy City of Kingsto.


Charman Road at the Cheltenham Shopping Centre, c1918. Image courtesy Kingston Collection


Outside the Cheltenham Fire-station 1926.


Cheltenham Railway Station c, 1914. Image courtesy State Library of South Australia [B 28518/82] .


Cheltenham beach looking towards Mentone c. 1915. Image courtesy State Library of South Australia [B 28518/175].


Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, United Kingdom, Europe. image courtesy Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest..


Plan of two acre village being portion no.55 parish of Moorabbin rearing south one mile. Vale Collection. Image courtesy State Library of Victoria.