Parkville
Though unconfirmed, Parkville, originally known as Park Ville or Park-Ville, was likely named after its own oversized park, Royal Park, which inhabits the majority of the suburb’s area.
Originally set aside in 1845 by Governor Charles La Trobe, as a reservation of 10.36km2, (later reduced to 6.25km2, and finally 2.83km2), Royal Park holds the current status as Melbourne’s largest inner city park. Royal Park has held many notable events among them: the departure destination of Burke and Wills, a military encampment for World War І and ІІ and the 2006 Commonwealth games athlete’s village.
Aside from the from fabulous parklands with extensive walking an cycling trails, Royal Park is also home the Melbourne Zoo, North Park Tennis Club, Royal Park Golf Course, football and soccer ovals, baseball and cricket pitches and the State Netball & Hockey Centre.
Parkville is well-known for its world-class medical institutes such as: the Royal Melbourne, Royal Children’s and Royal Women’s hospitals and the Peter MacCallum Cancer Research Centre, as such Parkville is brimming with medical and tertiary professionals. Adding to Parkville’s world-class institutes, the University of Melbourne, located directly opposite the medical institutes, places consistently in the top 50 World University Rankings.
Established as a means for Diploma of Education students, from the University of Melbourne to observe good teaching and practise innovative pedagogies. University High School now acts as a major drawcard for families to move into its zoning, due to the high schools well-established reputation throughout inner Melbourne.
Parkville is separated into three distinct areas each with their own identity. North Parkville, located between Royal Parade and The Avenue, is characterised by large opulent properties primarily owned by the numerous universities throughout the area, late 1970’s to early 1990’s apartment complexes and substantial blocks of balconied Victorian terraces. South Parkville, located between Gatehouse Street, Royal Parade and Flemington Road, has an unspoilt concentration of stunning Victorian houses emanating from the central Park Drive’s Plane tree dotted boulevard. West Parkville, separated from the North and South Parkville by Royal Park, presents a significantly different atmosphere with a mix of land uses, less formal layout and lack of 19th century housing.
Major arterial roads such as Flemington Road and CityLink, and new upcoming train station and a tram line makes commuting to neighbouring suburbs, with all their accompanying shops, cafes, bars, restaurants and entertainment options, a simple exercise, while city workers are in the heart of Melbourne in no time at all.