Wendouree, Victoria - Neighbourhoods

Neighbourhoods

WENDOUREE WEST

The Slough Estate, as Wendouree West was originally known, was first planned in 1949 as a large public housing scheme of the Housing Commission of Victoria, to deal with the post-war housing shortage. Demand was also anticipated with the increasing 'baby boom' and intake of post-war immigrants. The estate originally consisted of 750 prefabricated timber bungalows that were mostly built between 1952 and 1962.

Wendouree West Post Office opened on 3 February 1955. The post office was relocated to Wendouree Village Shopping Centre (now Stockland) in 1992.

Early plans envisaged an estate that was to be an urban planning model, however development of infrastructure was considerably slower than construction of housing, with many homes not being connected to sewerage or served by sealed roads until the late 1950s. During the 1950s an aggressive and active community development committee was established, and elements of this committee still remain today, promoting the ongoing development of the neighbourhood. In the mid-1950s a small shopping centre, playgrounds, a kindergarten and other amenities were built. During the 1970s a further 500, more substantial brick veneer, homes were built. By the late 1970s the population of the suburb peaked at approximately 5,000.

Today, the neighbourhood has a population that is almost exclusively white, and reported to have low socio-economic resources. Many residents are unemployed, and there is evidence of drug abuse and other social problems.

Wendouree West is presently undergoing a significant redevelopment program. The Wendouree West Community Renewal Scheme includes the removal of many of the early prefabricated cottages and the construction of retirement units and modern private and public housing. Some 300 of the original houses are to be retained and many have already undergone extensive renovation and modernisation, but in such a way that the historical character of the area remains intact. The original primary school buildings were demolished in early 2007, with the new school opening as Yuille Park Community College, the product of amalgamation with Yuille Primary School. The renewal program has also seen a lot of civic improvements including street-scaping, an upgrade of the shopping centre, new footpaths and fences, as well as new play equipment, toilets and barbecue facilities in the parks.

Attempts over the years to change the name of Wendouree West have been met with mixed responses from residents throughout Ballarat. In the early 2000s, during a process to make official the boundaries of all cities, towns and suburbs in Victoria, it was decided that Wendouree West would exist only as an unofficial neighbourhood name. It is now officially considered part of the suburb of Wendouree.