History of Croydon
Croydon Historical Society
The Croydon Historical Society exists to preserve and disseminate the heritage and historical background of Croydon and its surrounds. For more information see Croydon Historical Society Inc.
Museum
The Croydon Historical Society provide a museum which preserves and displays items of historic interest including photographs, original paintings, documents, artefacts and objects especially those that are of historic significance and are illustrative of the development of Croydon and district. For more information see Croydon Historical Society Museum.
Croydon's past
In the 1840s land in the area now known as Croydon was used for grazing cattle by early settlers from Melbourne and neighbouring areas. It was not used as a campsite by First Australians because it lacked a permanent water supply. The area was originally called White Flats after the silvery-white, coarse grass that grew there called ‘White Top’.
Early settlers
After parts of White Flats were surveyed in 1868 many parcels of land were bought and the first shelters built. These were usually wattle and daub huts with hessian lining with later houses being constructed from sawn timber. Once the early pioneers had established their dwellings, they were often joined by their families.
Mount Dandenong Road
The first constructed road through the area led to Mount Dandenong and was known as Sawmill Road, probably named after a nearby sawmill that produced building timber. This road was later called Oxford Road, then given its current name of Mount Dandenong Road. The area became better known as bullock teams heading for the gold fields in Woods Point and the Great Dividing Range used this new road.
Industry
The land in White Flats supported sheep, beef cattle and dairy farming. Pea crops grew particularly well and orchards produced excellent cherries, apples, pears, plums and peaches.
Early industries included extraction of clay that was suited to ceramics, production of charcoal which was carted to Melbourne and the production of brooms at a factory that made use of the local sword grass.
Transport
In 1874 Cobb & Co ran horses and carts between Melbourne and Brushy Creek and mail arrived daily, a vast improvement from the once-a-week delivery by horsemen up until this time.
When the railway was constructed through White Flats to Lilydale in 1882, people were able to travel to Melbourne in an hour and a half. Electric trains were in service between Ringwood and Croydon in 1924, in 1925 the service was extended from Croydon to Lilydale.
Croydon
The first railway station at Croydon would probably have been named White Flats if most of the white plants hadn’t disappeared, ploughed in by farmers.
It was first known as Warrandyte station as it was the first station in Warrandyte Parish, then South Warrandyte and finally Croydon after consultation within the community.
‘Croydon’ was selected, after the home town in England of the wife of the original owner of the land on which the station was built.
Early housing in Maroondah
To learn more about housing and buildings of heritage significance visit Council’s Heritage planning page.
Council is committed to ensuring the identification, protection and recognition of its heritage assets. Part of this role involves undertaking heritage studies with assessments of places thought to be of heritage value.
Accordingly, a number of Heritage studies have been prepared in accordance the Australia ICOMOS Burra Charter, 1999 and its guidelines.
You can read previous heritage studies from 1998, 2003 and 2020 which detail the thematic history of Maroondah with details of the main themes and places since the time of European exploration.
Learn more about heritage in Maroondah.
Shopping
The first shops in Croydon were built on land in Main Street from 1885, these included a:
- general store, which later had a wine licence
- butcher
- baker
- grocer
- timber merchant.
The station-master had managed the Post Office until it was relocated to one of these shops. From 1921 shops were no longer built from timber as Main Street was declared a ‘brick’ area.
Market Mondays
A market was established in 1920 where livestock was auctioned and household items could be purchased on ‘Market Mondays’.
Severance
Croydon was part of the Shire of Lillydale’s South-West Riding. Unlike some neighbouring towns, it had not been planned and proclaimed a town by the Department of Crown Lands and Survey, but resulted from the private subdivision of crown land in the Parishes of Warrandyte, Mooroolbark and Ringwood.
Severance of Croydon from Lillydale Shire was requested in 1957 since it was no longer a rural area and was the most densely populated part of the Shire.
A poll in 1958 showed overwhelming support by ratepayers for a separate Shire of Croydon, as did another poll in 1960, but it was not until 24 May, 1961 that Croydon Shire was incorporated. It was proclaimed the City of Croydon 10 years later on 22 May, 1971.
In 1994 the City of Croydon became part of the new City of Maroondah with the amalgamation of the Cities of Ringwood, Croydon and parts of North Ringwood, Lilydale and Kilsyth South.
Shire of Croydon Presidents and City of Croydon Mayors(PDF, 89KB)
Maroondah's heritage assets
Council is committed to ensuring the identification, protection and recognition of its heritage assets, which includes housing. Part of this role involves undertaking heritage studies with assessments of places thought to be of heritage value.
Accordingly, a number of Heritage studies have been prepared in accordance the Australia ICOMOS Burra Charter, 1999 and Planning Practice Note 1 Applying the Heritage Overlay (PPN01) including the HERCON criteria.
You can read previous heritage studies from 1998, 2003 and 2020 which detail the thematic history of Maroondah with details of the main themes and places since the time of European exploration. For more information see Heritage planning and Maroondah’s cultural heritage.