Collingwood, Victoria

Collingwoodis an inner-city suburb inMelbourne,Victoria, Australia,3km north-east of theMelbourne central business district,located within theCity of Yarralocal government area.Collingwood recorded a population of 9,179 at the2021 census.

Collingwood Melbourne,Victoria
Aerial view of Collingwood looking south west towardVictoria Parade;Hoddle Street(left) andSmith Streeton (top right)
Collingwood
Coordinates	37.8019°S 144.98815°E/-37.8019; 144.98815
Population	9,179 (SAL2021)
• Density	7,217/km2(18,690/sq mi)
Established	1850s
Postcode(s)	3066
Elevation	25 m (82 ft)
Area	1.3 km2(0.5 sq mi)
LGA(s)	City of Yarra
State electorate(s)	Richmond
Federal division(s)	Melbourne
Suburbsaround Collingwood: Fitzroy North Clifton Hill Clifton Hill Fitzroy Collingwood Abbotsford Melbourne East Melbourne Richmond

The area now known as Collingwood is thought to have been named Yálla-birr-ang by theWurundjeripeople, the originalIndigenousinhabitants of the area.Followingcolonisation,the suburb was named in 1842 afterBaron Collingwoodor an early hotel which bore his name.Collingwood is one of the oldest suburbs in Melbourne and is bordered bySmith Street,Alexandra Parade,Hoddle StreetandVictoria Parade.

Collingwood is notable for its historical buildings, with many nineteenth century dwellings, shops and factories still in use. Its major thoroughfare Smith Street, is one of Melbourne's major nightlife and retail strips, and has been voted the coolest street in the world.A former industrial suburb, Collingwood is now considered one of Melbourne'sgay villagesand houses a number of creative arts businesses.

History

Toponymy

The suburb was named afterLord Horatio Nelson's'favourite admiral'Cuthbert Collingwood, 1st Baron Collingwood(or, possibly after theCollingwood Hotelwhich existed there and was named after the admiral) by surveyorRobert Hoddle,under instructions from SuperintendentCharles La Trobe,in 1842.

Establishment

Prefabricated houses imported from Singapore during the 1850s

CollingwoodCoffee Palacein 1879. It now forms part of the facade of Woolworths in Smith Street.

Subdivision and sale of land in Collingwood began in 1838, and was mostly complete by the 1850s. Collingwood was declared a municipality, separate from theCity of Melbourneon 24 April 1855, the first to follow the state's major population centres of Melbourne andGeelong.Collingwood was proclaimed a town in 1873, and later a city in 1876.

Collingwood's early development was directly impacted by the boom in Melbourne's population and economy during theVictorian gold rushof the 1850s and 1860s. This resulted in the construction of a large number of small dwellings, as well as schools, shops and churches to support this new population. Around the same time, large industrial developments such as aflour milland theFostersbrewery were being established.

19th and 20th centuries

In the 1870s, Smith Street became the dominant shopping strip, with its tram line established in 1887. Many of Collingwood's grand public buildings were erected in the 1880s, including the post office and town hall. Collingwood also had a strong temperance movement, with two "coffee palaces" springing up in the 1870s, including the large and grand Collingwood Coffee Palace (now the facade ofWoolworths– minus original classical pediment and mansard).

At the turn of the century Collingwood's Smith Street rivalledChapel StreetinPrahranas the dominant home of suburban emporiums and department stores. The firstG.J. Colesstore was opened in the street in 1912.

Since the 1950s, Collingwood has been home to many groups battling to save the suburb's unique character against development and gentrification.

In 1958 residents rallied atCollingwood Town Hallagainst theHousing Commission of Victoria's slum reclamation projects, which would see demolition orders for 122 of the suburb's homes.

In the 1970s, 150 residents protested against plans for the F-19 freeway, with some putting themselves in front of earthmovers during the construction.In 1979, two women were killed in their home on Easy Street in northern Collingwood in what became known as theEasy Street murders.

Recent history

The hotel and music venueThe Toteis considered an icon of Melbourne's rock and roll scene.

The Collingwood Action Group formed in 2006 to fight the "Banco" development, a large mixed use project on Smith Street.In 2010, over 2,000 people rallied to saveThe Tote Hotel,a popular live music venue, which became a potentialstate electionissue.The2016 Bendigo Street housing disputeoccurred in north-east Collingwood, in which the community took control of up to 15 empty state government owned houses, in an attempt to provide housing for Melbourne's rising homeless population, in the absence of adequate public housing.

In recent years, the office sector has grown in Collingwood, with a number of developments in its southern former industrial area, with some major companies locating their headquarters in the suburb.

Geography

Collingwood's topography is mostly flat, but a prominent slope extends from Hoddle Street up to Smith Street, and also along sections of Hoddle Street.

The suburb is notable for its historical buildings, with many nineteenth century dwellings, shops and factories still in use. From its early days large commercial buildings often coexisted with small dwellings, occupied by working-class families and the mixture of industry and community continues to the present time. For example, Oxford and Cambridge Streets are dominated by imposing red-brick factories and warehouses, formerly occupied byFoy & Gibson,but also feature a number of stone, brick and timber dwellings that date back to the earliest days of the suburb.

Culture

Sport

Collingwood Football Clubhas a history dating back to 1892 as an incorporated football club. They were once housed atVictoria Parkand are now based at theMelbourne Cricket Ground(MCG).

In recent years they won the2023 Grand Finalagainst theBrisbane Lions.They have won 16 VFL/AFL premierships, which is the equal-most in the league along withCarltonandEssendon,and also won the 1896 VFA premiership.

Community radio

The Johnston Street entrance to Collingwood Yards, which houses a number of galleries, studios, artist spaces and arts businesses

3CRis an independent community radio station that is located at the Victoria Parade end of Smith Street. The station has been based in the suburb since 1977 and its frequency is 855AM.

PBS 106.7FMrelocated fromSt Kildato Collingwood and is located at 47 Easey Street. PBS is a community radio station that celebrated its 25th year of broadcasting in 2004.

Arts

The Collingwood Arts Precinct, known asCollingwood Yards,is located on the site of the formerCollingwood Technical Schooland opened on 13 March 2021.Circus Ozis also located in the Yards on Perry Street and has a purpose-built MelbaSpiegeltent.

Economy

AirlineJetstar,media distributorMadman Entertainment,vitamin brandSwisseand luxury cosmetics brandAesophave their headquarters located in Collingwood.Many architecture firms are based or have offices in Collingwood and neighbouringFitzroy,including the headquarters of DKO Architecture.

Commercial areas

Smith Street in November 2006

The main commercial area isSmith Street,which borders Fitzroy. In 2021, Smith Street was named the coolest street in the world.

Gay village

Collingwood is one of Melbourne'sgay villageswith severalgayoriented entertainment venues.These include the Peel Dancebar which, in 2007, was granted the legal right to ban heterosexual patrons from the bar.By November 2019,sex on premises venueClub 80 had operated in Collingwood for over twenty years, but was closed in 2020 after the sale of its building.

Education

Collingwood Technical Schoolwas established in July 1912 as a trades and technical training school. The school closed in 1987 and, combined with thePreston Technical School,was the basis for the formation of theMelbourne Polytechnic,which has a Collingwood campus on Otter Street.In 2022, work began on a major upgrade to the Melbourne Polytechnic Collingwood campus.

Collingwood College,a stateP-12 school,is located in the suburb. The private tertiary education provider Collarts is located in the suburb with its main campus on Wellington Street, and specialises in design and creative arts degrees.

Demographics

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
2001	5,081	—
2006	5,493	+8.1%
2011	6,467	+17.7%
2016	8,513	+31.6%
2021	9,179	+7.8%

In the2021 census,there were 9,179 people in Collingwood. 58.4% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were England 4.3%, New Zealand 3.6%, Vietnam 3.1%, Ethiopia 1.9% and China 1.8%. 68.3% of people spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Vietnamese 4.0%, Mandarin 2.2%, Somali 1.9%, Oromo 1.8%, and Cantonese 1.7%. The most common response for religion was No Religion at 58%.

Housing

Many of Collingwood's warehouses and factories have been converted into apartments.

Collingwood's housing consists of a large number of high-rise housing commission flats and a number of older single and double storey former workers cottages on small subdivisions.

More recently older warehouses and factories have been converted into apartments and there has been modern townhouse infill and medium density unit development.

Governance

TheCity of Collingwoodexisted from 1855 until 1994, the suburb is now part of theCity of Yarralocal government area.

Public and commercial buildings

Collingwood Town Hall

Collingwood has many buildings listed on theVictorian Heritage Registerand several notable commercial and public buildings. Yorkuprhire Brewery, built in 1880 to the design of James Wood, with its polychrome brick andmansard rooftower, was once Melbourne's tallest building. For many years it has been subject to development proposals and the heritage stables were at one stage demolished without a permit. The site has since been converted to an apartment development.

The former Collingwood Post Office was built between 1891 and 1892 in the VictorianManneriststyle, to the design of John Marsden and is similar toRupertswood,with its tall tower.

Prominent hotels include the Leinster Arms Hotel, established in 1865 and is the only single storey hotel built in Melbourne in that era, the Sir Robert Peel ( "The Peel" ) Hotel and the Vine Hotel.

The original Collingwood Magistrates' Court closed on 1 February 1985, but continued local need saw the establishment of the Neighbourhood Justice Centre court in the suburb in 2007.

Despite its name, theCollingwood Children's Farmis in the neighbouring suburb ofAbbotsford.

Transport

The roads within Collingwood are mainly narrow one-way streets. The suburb is bounded by main roads: Smith Street to the west, Victoria Parade to the south, Hoddle Street to the east and Alexandra Parade to the north. Majortram routesare on Victoria Parade (tram route 109andtram route 12) and Smith Street (route 86), which are on the edge of the suburb. Johnston, Wellington and Langridge Streets are the main arterials going through the suburb.

The suburb is served by the nearbyVictoria ParkandCollingwood railway stations,located in neighbouring Abbotsford.

Separated north-south cycling lanes began being installed on Wellington Street in 2013 and now run to Victoria Street.In 2018, the northern half of Collingwood and Fitzroy reduced its speed limits to 30 km/h, in a first for Melbourne.

Popular culture

Australian authorFrank Hardyset the novelPower Without Gloryin a fictionalised version of the suburb, named Carringbush.The name is used by a number of businesses in the area, such as "Carringbush Business Centre". At one time a ward in the City of Yarra that includes part of Collingwood was actually named Carringbush.

Notable people

See also:Category:People from Collingwood, Victoria

• Emma Minnie Boyd(1858–1936), artist
• John Cowan Duncan (1901–1955), company manager
• Edward Petherick(1847–1917), Australian bookseller, book collector, bibliographer and archivist
• John Hunter Patterson (1841–1930), grazier and mining investor
• Keith Stackpole(born 1940), cricketer

External links

• Media related toCollingwood, Victoriaat Wikimedia Commons
• Australian Places – Collingwood
• Collingwood Historical Society