Aspendale, Victoria

Aspendale is a district in the southeast of the Australian city of Melbourne.

History

Prior to settlement by Europeans in the 19th century, the area was inhabited by aboriginal people from the tribe of Bunurong. At that time, the area of swamps, from which protruded large sand dunes on the coast. The White laid the majority of the area dry and carried the sand dunes on to win the country.

In the 1870s a racecourse was opened in the area. The owner named it after one of his horses, Aspen, in Aspendale Park Racecourse, of which the present name of the district is derived. The racecourse was closed in the 1920s. Even today, several streets are named after racehorses.

From the 1960s, the district developed, as many new houses were built. Today it is almost exclusively dominated by residential areas.