This place snapshot provides a summary of future development in the Beveridge area for current and future residents, business owners, investors and community groups.
For snapshots of development in other areas, see Place snapshots: a guide to development in your area.
Beveridge sits within an area of our municipality known as the rural north. Other suburbs of the City of Whittlesea's rural north include:
- Donnybrook
- Eden Park
- Humevale
- Woodstock
- the northern part of Wollert
- the non-urban part of Whittlesea township
- the City of Whittlesea parts of Beveridge and Kinglake West
- most of the City of Whittlesea part of Yan Yean.
Beveridge was named after Andrew Beveridge, who established a hotel on Sydney Road in the early 1840s. The area was originally known as Mercer Vale, after a nearby pastoral run, but the popularity of the hotel rendered the original name redundant.
Split between two municipalities, the township and western rural area is in the Shire of Mitchell while the eastern rural area is in the City of Whittlesea.
Explorers Hume and Hovell first viewed Port Phillip Bay from the Beveridge area in 1824. In the 1840s a number of large pastoral runs were established in the area.
Subdivision in the 1850s encouraged further settlement, including the establishment of the village of Merriang, about 5kms east of Beveridge at the headwaters of the Merri Creek (1850-1920).
Merriang is thought to be an Aboriginal term for a stone chopper and the area east of Beveridge became known by this name. Changing agricultural activities in the late 19th century, including an expansion in grazing and a reduction in cropping, contributed to population decline.
By 1923, with the village of Merriang all but gone, the area's postal address was changed to Beveridge, and the name Merriang fell into disuse.
The rural north comprises the rural balance of the City of Whittlesea, including some rural-residential areas.
The non-urban areas are characterised by:
- forest
- cattle grazing
- farming and poultry
- horse and dog breeding.
The Green Wedge Management Plan identifies a vision and recommends actions for the sustainable use of Whittlesea's rural land.
The Beveridge Intermodal Freight Terminal is a long-term freight, logistics, and related industry concept. Planning for this facility is in the very early stages. The site is located alongside the Hume Highway.
Further investigations will determine the exact area needed for the core terminal requirements, with the remainder of the precinct designated for industrial and freight related uses.