Mentone, Victoria

Mentone is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 21 km south-east of Melbourne's central business district.[2] Its local government area is the City of Kingston. At the 2016 census, Mentone had a population of 12,965.[1]

Mentone
Melbourne, Victoria
Mentone
Coordinates37°59′06″S 145°04′08″E
Population12,965 (2016 census)[1]
 • Density2,759/km2 (7,140/sq mi)
Postcode(s)3194
Area4.7 km2 (1.8 sq mi)
Location21 km (13 mi) from Melbourne
LGA(s)City of Kingston
State electorate(s)
Federal Division(s)Isaacs
Suburbs around Mentone:
Cheltenham Cheltenham Moorabbin Airport
Beaumaris Mentone Parkdale
Port Phillip Port Phillip Parkdale

It is known locally for Mentone Beach, which extends alongside Beaumaris Bay from the cliffs in Beaumaris and ends at Warrigal Road where it meets Parkdale.

Mentone is associated with the Heidelberg School of Australian artists.

History
A holiday at Mentone, 1888, oil on canvas by Charles Conder.
Tom Roberts, Slumbering Sea, Mentone (1887) National Gallery of Victoria.
Tom Roberts, Mentone, (1889), National Gallery of Victoria.
Mentone street scene (2009).

Mentone was founded as a resort town named after the Italian spelling of the formerly-Italian French town Menton. In order to keep with the Italian resort theme many streets in Mentone were named after Italian cities for example, Cremona Street, Florence Street, Venice Street and Milan Street and Naples street 

. The development of Mentone began in the late 1800s, the Post Office opening on 16 May 1884.[3]

The original Mentone Fire station was located on the corner of Brindisi Street and Mentone Parade, Mentone in 1906 and after the new fire station was built it was relocated to Lalor in 1957.[4]

According to the 2011 census, the median individual income in Mentone was $664 per week, which was slightly higher than the Australian average of $577 per week. Similarly, the median household weekly income of $1,288 in Mentone was slightly higher than the Australian average of $1,234.[5]

Shopping

Mentone is home to a lively shopping area along Como Parade West, Balcombe Road and surrounding streets and laneways. This shopping strip offers a wide range of restaurants, cafes, bakeries, clothing stores, supermarkets, travel agents, fancy dress, craft, home, book stores and more. A second commercial area has grown along Nepean Highway; this may expand as the former Nylex factory site between Nepean Highway and Warrigal road is redeveloped into a bulky goods retail precinct.

Neighbouring suburb, Cheltenham, comprises one of the biggest shopping centres in Australia – Westfield Southland. This shopping mall incorporates a two-level bridge that spans the six lanes of Nepean Highway. It is the main shopping centre for people of Mentone and surrounds. A new train station opened in 2017 on the west side of Southland near Bay Street.

In late 2010 Thrift Park shopping centre between Lower Dandenong Road and Nepean Highway just east of Warrigal Road went through with a $35-million redevelopment. The redevelopment included demolishing the original centre that was "ageing" and building a larger Woolworths supermarket with 30 additional stores.[6] The centre officially opened in December 2010.[7]

Politics

In terms of State and Federal Government Mentone is situated in the Electoral district of Mordialloc and Sandringham for state parliament and the Electoral district of Isaacs in the federal system. In the 2018 Victorian State election and the 2019 Australian Federal Election, every booth in Mentone reported a majority of votes for the Labor Party.

2006 State Election
  Liberal 43%
  Labor 39%
  Greens 8.6%
  Family First 3.8%
  Independent 1.5%
2004 Federal Election
  Liberal 50%
  Labor 37%
  Greens 8.5%
  Family First 1.9%
  Democrats 0.9%
2002 State Election
  Liberal 46%
  Labor 42%
  Greens 10.2%
  Independent 2.2%
     
2001 Federal Election
  Liberal 48%
  Labor 35%
  Democrats 7.7%
  Greens 5.9%
  Independent 1.2%

Transport

Mentone is located on the Nepean Highway. Mentone is serviced by a variety of Public_Transport_Victoria buses, including the 903 bus from Mordialloc, and Metro Trains Melbourne services, focused on the Mentone railway station. On the day of the 2011 census, 15.6% of employed people travelled to work on public transport and 63.5% by car (either as driver or as passenger).[5]

Entertainment and leisure
The Mentone Lifesaving Club on Mentone Beach

The Mentone Beach and Mentone Lifesaving Club provide leisure space and activities, as do the parkland and oval near the council offices. Mentone is also home to numerous sporting clubs including cricket, football, tennis, swimming, field hockey, and lawn bowling.

Mentone Bowling Club was established in the early 1900s[8] and has a successful history, including an Australian champion. The club is next to the train station in the centre of the suburb. Mentone were promoted to the Premier Division in 2010.

In late 2013 it was announced the iconic Mentone Tenpin Bowl on the corner of the Nepean Hwy and Warrigal Rd would close by the end of that year after fifty years of operation in order to make way for a new multi-storey residential apartment and retail complex.[9]

The Mentone Hotel is a historical hotel building overlooking Port Phillip Bay.[10] The Mentone RSL is housed in a building dating to 1884–1886.[11]

One of Australia's last Blockbuster Video stores was in Mentone but has since closed down.[12]

Schools
View over Mentone Beach and Beaumaris Bay south towards Mordialloc and Frankston

Notable people

References
  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Mentone (State Suburb)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
  2. "Postcode for Mentone, Victoria". postcodes-australia.com.
  3. Premier Postal History, Post Office List, retrieved 11 April 2008
  4. Did You Know?: Foundation of the Mentone Fire Brigade Archived 18 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine, The Mentone station on the corner of Brindisi Street and Mentone Parade continued to serve the local community until 1956 when a new building was constructed..
  5. Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Mentone (State Suburb)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
  6. http://mordialloc-chelsea-leader.whereilive.com.au/news/story/in-the-market-for-better-shopping-in-mentone/ Archived 2 October 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  7. http://www.kingstonbusiness.com.au/Content/Pub/ContentDetail.asp?lngContentID=283 Archived 20 October 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  8. "Mentone Bowling Club".
  9. Wray-McCain, Jesse (27 November 2013). "Mentone Tenpin Bowl will close to make way for apartments". Mordiallic Chelsea Leader Community Newspaper. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
  10. "Mentone Hotel". Archived from the original on 19 February 2014.
  11. "Mentone RSL".
  12. https://www.yelp.com.au/biz/blockbuster-mentone
  13. Kelly, Eamonn (29 July 2010). "Sensitive soul of the larrikin from sleepy Mentone". The Australian. Retrieved 29 April 2012.

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