Belgrave

Belgrave is a suburb in Yarra Valley, 35 km east of Melbourne.

Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Yarra Ranges. At the 2016 Census, Belgrave had a population of 3,929. Belgrave was first settled by Europeans in 1851; it is only 16 years younger than Melbourne.

It has many animals not found closer to Melbourne, such as black cockatoos, echidnas, wallabies, ringtail possums and bushy tail possums. There are many amazing forest tracks you can walk and places to go to fully see the beauty of the place.

Understand
Belgrave was named after Mount Belgrave, a house which was built by an early settling family, the Bensons. The family was connected with Belgrave Chapel Leeds, Yorkshire, England; the name carried by Mr and Mrs R.G. Benson when they came to Melbourne in 1856. Until the 1900s Belgrave was considered a part of Upper Ferntree Gully and the train station was known as Monbulk from 1900 to 1904.

The village centre started in what is now called Tecoma, where a school was opened in 1901. At the time of World War I, Belgrave had a store, a post office, a sawmill and a dozen or more farmers and nurserymen. By 1920 it had become a small resort area and had 7 guest houses and 4 coffee shops. It also had a lolly shop, a chemist and 2 stores.

Belgrave had a population of around 1,000 in the 1920s and they decided to give the growing settlement new place names: Belgrave Heights and Belgrave South.

Belgrave was promoted as the Queen of the Dandenong Ranges and as 'Belgrave the beautiful'. To its north there was Monbulk Forest (now called Sherbrooke Forest). The popularity of Belgrave continued after the war.

Climate
The weather in Belgrave is much as would be expected about anywhere in Melbourne; unpredictable. In summer there are days where it's too hot to go outside or do anything (except maybe go to the pool). In winter the days are shorter and darker and rain and hail can be expected (but the lantern parade is on to brighten up the darkest day). A lot of days it will be sunny and rainy on and off, or suddenly become clear on a stormy day.

By plane
Melbourne Airport is approximately 65 km from Belgrave, driving will take around an hour, taking the Belgrave Line train will also take around an hour.

By car
From Melbourne head east along Burwood Hwy.

From Gippsland and Mornington Peninsula head north along Belgrave-Hallam Rd.

By train
Belgrave is the final station on the Belgrave line. Travel from (and to) Melbourne takes approximately 1 hour, however during peak periods many trains run express, resulting in shorter journey times. To use public transport you'll need a Myki card, which costs $6 (or $3 for children/concession) from post offices, milk-bars, petrol stations and train stations. Once you have the Myki card it needs to be topped up with money. An adult fee (for one trip) is approximately $3 (it changes frequently) and a child/concession fee is $1.50. The number of stops doesn't change the cost.

By bus
Adjacent to the Belgrave train station is the major bus terminus for the area with multiple routes servicing the local areas. Most bus routes don't run on Sundays or aren't very frequent.


 * 697 Belgrave - Belgrave South via Belgrave Heights
 * 663 Belgrave - Lilydale via Kallista, The Patch, Monbulk and Mt Evelyn
 * 695 Belgrave - Gembrook
 * 699 Belgrave - Upwey
 * 694 Belgrave - Olinda via Sherbrooke Road
 * 693 Belgrave - Oakleigh via Ferntree Gully and Brandon Park

By car
Renting a car can be useful, consider using Car Next Door (many people rent their used cars out around the Dandenong Ranges). There is plenty of parking and much of the hinterland is accessible by car. Note that the roads can be curvy, hilly, bumpy and hard to drive on if you aren't used to the area.

By bike
Bike rental is possible but only from a bike store in Monbulk (Cog Bikes Australia). There are bike tracks along the railway to get to Tecoma, Upwey and Upper-Ferntree Gully but riding along the roads can be hilly, bumpy and generally hard to ride even if you're used to the area.

Do






Events




Buy
Belgrave has an eclectic mix of small shops as well as a supermarket, post office, bakery and organic shop.

The Arcade
The Belgrave arcade is a small shopping mall where there are lots of little shops.



Splurge
These food stores aren't very much more costly than most of the mid-range, but they feel that way.

Fires
If you're travelling to Belgrave (or anywhere in Victoria) you'll want to make sure you're fire-safe, especially in summer. There are 4 important things to make sure you've done when coming to Belgrave.


 * 1) Check the fire danger rating on the CFA website
 * 2) Check if there's a total fire ban also on the CFA website
 * 3) Check the local weather conditions here
 * 4) If you're staying in Belgrave for a night or more, discuss your leaving early plans (only really for summer or hot seasons)

Roads
Some roads around Belgrave can be hilly, curvy, bumpy or dangerous. It can be especially hard for new drivers to drive on some of the harder roads in the area.

Mobile data and phone lines
Mobile data and phone lines should work in Belgrave but note that Optus based data has a blackout area in Kallista but Telstra should work fine. This only applies to Kallista and not to Belgrave.

Cope

 * Triple R local radio station. Frequency is 102.7FM. Plays lots of local artists' music.
 * Dandenong Ranges News local newspaper for the Dandenong Ranges and Yarra Valley
 * Triple R local radio station. Frequency is 102.7FM. Plays lots of local artists' music.
 * Dandenong Ranges News local newspaper for the Dandenong Ranges and Yarra Valley

Go next

 * Kallista is 4 km away from Belgrave via Monbulk Road just past the roundabout in Belgrave. The 663 bus (Belgrave to Lilydale) passes through Kallista and so does the 694. It has pretty forest tracks, a bird-feeding area and a picnic ground. There are cafes, a pizzeria and a general store. There's also an organics store with lots of fruits, vegetables and other organic produce.
 * Olinda is 9 km from Belgrave. Catching the 694 bus or 688 bus will get you there in around 35 minutes. There are many gardens and picnic grounds. Also, lots of eclectic shops with unique items, and pretty cafes and a bookshop. There's a chocolate factory/cafe, a lolly shop, a playground and an outdoor pool.