Doncaster Hill - Preserving the Hill’s Heritage

"Many who came to Manningham … believed they had found a place to live that embodied the best of both worlds - a country environment close to the city. Doncaster is one of Manningham's gateway suburbs on the municipality's southern boundary, "a cluster of suburban housing crowned by Shoppingtown, a landmark development perched high on a hill" (known today as Doncaster Hill)".
'Manningham from Country to City' 2001, Barbara Pertzel and Fiona Walters

The history of Manningham dates back thousands of years to the Wurundjeri tribe whose way of life was closely linked to the natural environment in which they lived and identified with specific tracts of land in both a physical and spiritual sense.

The first European settlers began growing wheat, vegetables and grapes in the 1830s before eventually planting orchards throughout the area.

The district's real windfall came with the discovery of gold in Warrandyte in the mid-1800s.

Local Government in the area dates back to the election of the Templestowe District Roads Board in 1856. On 28 February 1967 the Shire of Doncaster and Templestowe was proclaimed as a City and the Doncaster and Templestowe Council administered the area until 15 December 1994, when the City of Manningham formed as a result of Local Government amalgamations.

Manningham has retained many links to its heritage, with a large number of places, buildings, trees and landscapes that reflect the area's habitation by local indigenous people, gold miners and orchardists. Significant heritage locations in Doncaster Hill are protected by Heritage Overlays and will continue to be preserved for future generations. These include the Doncaster Church of Christ, the Doncaster Playhouse and the former Shire Offices.

The Doncaster Hill Heritage Trail was completed in July 2010 and offers residents and visitors the opportunity to step back in time and experience life from the early days when the first pioneers settled in Doncaster. The trail consists of a series of two interpretive signs and four sound posts which identify six key areas of historical significance within Doncaster Hill. It tells the story of our community's founders in the mid-1800s and how they settled the area. Locations include the Playhouse/Doncaster Primary School, Doncaster Church of Christ, the former Shire Offices, Doncaster Tower/first electric tram site and White's Corner/ Westfield Doncaster. The project built on Manningham Council's Memorandum of Understanding with Box Hill Institute by providing valuable 'real life' experience for 30 students. Students were involved with the preparation of the accompanying trail brochure and audio component of the sound posts. Funding of $37,727 was contributed by the Federal Government's Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, with Westfield contributing to the cost of the development and installation of a sign located on Westfield's site on the corner of Williamsons Road and Doncaster Road.

To find out more about Doncaster Hill's heritage go to . Doncaster Hill Website
Nov 2018 - Fact Sheet - Doncaster Hill