Wheelers Hill

Wheelers Hill is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 23 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Monash local government area. Wheelers Hill recorded a population of 20,652 at the 2021 census.^[1]

Wheelers Hill Melbourne, Victoria
Jells Park in Wheelers Hill
Wheelers Hill Location in metropolitan Melbourne
Coordinates	37.899°S 145.183°E / -37.899; 145.183
Population	20,652 (2021 census)[1]
• Density	2,005/km2 (5,193/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	3150
Area	10.3 km2 (4.0 sq mi)
Location	23 km (14 mi) from Melbourne
LGA(s)	City of Monash
State electorate(s)	Glen Waverley Mulgrave
Federal division(s)	Chisholm Hotham
Suburbs around Wheelers Hill: Mount Waverley Glen Waverley Scoresby Notting Hill Wheelers Hill Scoresby Mulgrave Mulgrave Rowville

At 152m above sea level^{[citation needed]} it includes one of the highest points in metropolitan Melbourne.^[2]

History

Wheelers Hill was named after James Wheeler in 1888, who was an early settler in the Dandenong area.^[2] Wheeler came out from Kilbride townland, Cavan, Ireland. James married Ellen Reilly née Glynn in 1848 after the death of her husband, Bernard.^{[citation needed]} There was a five-room house on a creek that went down to the Dandenong Creek not far down the road from the Post Office. Wheeler had a disagreement with Joseph Jell about the cutting of trees which led to the lands being surveyed. He sold the land in 1854 and moved to Woodend.^{[citation needed]}

The Wheelers Hill Hotel was a post office and stopping point for farmers before a 6 to 8-hour drive to the city by horse to sell their goods. The Wheelers Mansion was destroyed by a fire in the late 1920s. The house was located somewhere to the south of the Wheelers Hill Library. The Post Office opened on 1 January 1869 but was called Mulgrave until 1888.^[3]

Today

Wheelers Hill is home to Jells Park, a major recreational facility of over 127 hectares. It contains 9 km of cycle paths and walking tracks which surround a large lake. Wheelers Hill is known for its trees.

Shopping Precincts

• Brandon Park Shopping Centre
• Wheelers Hill Shopping Centre

Sport

• Mulgrave Football Club at Mulgrave Reserve
• Eastern Devils Women's Football Club at Mulgrave Reserve
• Mulgrave Cricket Club at Mulgrave Reserve
• Notting Hill/Brandon Park Cricket Club at Columbia Park
• Wheelers Hill Tennis Club on Sunnybrook Drive.
• Glen Waverley Golf Club at Waverley Road.

Education

Secondary Schools

• Wheelers Hill Secondary College
• Brentwood Secondary College

Primary Schools

• Wheelers Hill Primary School
• Jells Park Primary School
• Waverley Meadows Primary School
• St. Justin's Parish School
• Brandon Park Primary School
• Good Shepherd Parish School

Private Schools

• Caulfield Grammar School

Public library and art gallery

The Museum of Australian Photography and the Wheelers Hill branch of the Monash Public Library Service co-located in a building at the corner of Jells Road and Ferntree Gully Road, Wheelers Hill. The architect of the original 1990 Gallery was Harry Seidler.^[4] Even though Seidler had designed a further whole cultural precinct beyond the gallery,^[5] Seidler's designs for a complete cultural centre were never implemented. Later architects Cox Sanderson Ness designed the adjoining library which has a bay of windows facing a small lake. The Gallery contains a nationally significant collection of Australian photography, of which its permanent collection comprises over 1500 works illustrating the development and evolution of the photographic medium in Australia.

Transport

There are nine bus services that run in or through the vicinity of Wheelers Hill. Two SmartBus services run through the boundaries of the suburb.

See also

• City of Waverley – Wheelers Hill was previously within this former local government area.