Melbourne has a great little suburb called Box Hill that was home to many different artists during the 1885 up to 1888. Their time in Melbourne Box Hill was short but they came in order to paint the beautiful rural scenery of the area. That scenery has changed into a thriving shopping area rivaled only by downtown Melbourne.
Tom Roberts, a famous Australian landscape artist was seeking a place where he could experiment with techniques he had learned in France and Spain from impressionistic painters there. He had always loved the rural setting of the Australian bushland and so he brought a friend, Frederick McCubbin to Box Hill to paint the scenery there. Both were discontent with the ways artists were being taught and they wanted to start an artist community so that they could learn new methods from each other. They set up the community in Houston's Farm in 1885 and soon spectators were flocking to the farm to see what the artist community was up too. It was only three years and the artists had to leave Box Hill for somewhere that was more quite and they would not be disturbed by tourists.
The history of Box Hill is relatively simple. It was a rural area and Arundel Wrighte wandered onto some land that he thought would make a great home in 1838. He built a house and lived there for several years until someone actually bought the land and he had to leave. The only thing left from this first settler's homestead is the chimney stone that was made into the Pioneer's Memorial that still sits in front of the door of town hall.
It took a while for the town to settle and the city center was finally beginning to form in 1854. Box Hill was the name chosen for the area by the postmaster who was born in Box Hill near Surrey England. Some people say this story is not true. The area was named after the prolific plant that grew naturally in the area called box eucalyptus In 1882 a rail station was built boosting population to the little town because now people could travel to Melbourne with relative ease. The rail station was the beginning of something much bigger for Box Hill because now the small farm and livestock market that stood right next to the station developed in 1895 could be frequented by people from the city.
Today there is a statue of a horse that stand upon a large pedestal where Whitehorse road runs. Box Hill has taken that horse as a symbol of its city and it appears in the coat of arms. The temperance movement was a popular platform in the 1800's and both the Presbyterians and Methodists took up the cause with great zeal. Box Hill was known for being an area that supported this movement with much vitality and in fact, there was no liquor sold in the are all the way to the year 1966.
In the 1950's the shopping center started to become popular in the suburbs of Melbourne. Myer Eastland and Doncaster Shoppingtown opened in the 1960's and soon more shopping opportunities were looking for a place to set up in Box Hill. Box Hill was running out of room especially for parking areas so they took the historic train station and tracks and moved them underground to make more shopping room. Today everyone goes to Box Hill to shop and eat at the various restaurants in town. Some of these restaurants provide some of the best ethnic food in the entire country.
You can see cricket, soccer, and volleyball in the Box Hill Indoor Sports Center. The area is known for sporting events and they are the home to an archery club, football leagues for men and women, an Australian football club and other sports. In 1932 the Box Hill Athletic Club was started and is still there today. They were prevalent in the Melbourne Olympics in 1956. You will find a wonderful and challenging eighteen hole golf course in town and there is also another sport complex called Aqualink in Box Hill. This has an indoor and outdoor pool with basketball and tennis courts and a gym. It is surrounded by a pretty park and a lake and also provides a place to play baseball and football.
From its simple beginnings Box Hill has grown into a vital Melbourne suburb. It is frequented by many people from the city to eat at the great restaurants and shop in the many shopping centers. You can come by car and by train to enjoy the area that once had a little farm market.
