- The estate is predicated on a commuter-based city workforce, serviced by two tram lines and the railway, a concept that seems very modern today.
- The estate represents one of the most intact examples of inner-war architecture in Australia. The heritage architect, Graeme Butler, in a report to council in 1995 said: "Architecturally, the estate is Victoria's best and most well preserved collection of the prevailing house styles, in the period between the two wars, sited in one well defined urban area".
- The Estate was the subject of the first heritage overlay in Camberwell. [2]
- The 330 homes in the Golf Links Estate, are believed to represent Australia’s most intact example of 1930s’ brick-home architecture. [2]
- Willison Station – The Estate has it’s own railway station: The station was built to serve the Riversdale Golf Club, which was originally adjacent to the site. At the time, members did not appreciate having to walk to the course from Riversdale and Hartwell stations. This may explain why Willison was built so close to Riversdale station, being approximately 400 metres away.
- The original name for Willison Station was Golf Links Station
- The Estate is an exceptional example of the building controls of the time the use of uniform materials ensuring a consistent visual aesthetic. Uniform setbacks facilitate this.
- The station was originally just a siding where members could embark after a game. The golf club moved from the site in 1927 and on 23 July 1936 the station was renamed Willison.[3]
- The estate is the subject of a covenant prescribing walls to be made of brick, concrete or stone, and roofs to be of slate or tiles
- Uniformity was enhanced by council by-laws (1926) stipulating general frontages of 50 feet, and 60 feet on street corners. No house of less than ten squares could be constructed
- Street names were set in footpaths, probably to reduce eye-level signage
- Willison Park is part of the estate and was originally known as Golf Links Park.
- golflinksestate.com.au was started in 2014 and been slowing growing. The stats up to December 2018 are:
- Eric Humphries, the father of comedian Barry Humphries, built many homes in the Golf Links Estate in the late 1930s.[1]
- It is well known for its many Art Deco features – (The following link is to work by David Thompson - MELBOURNE ART DECO In 2009 Robin Grow published a book on Melbourne Art Deco, with images largely supplied by David Thompson. At this link you will find several of the Estates properties with useful insights into the art deco styling of each as described by David Thompson : http://artdecobuildings.blogspot.com.au/search/label/Camberwell
- Performer Barry Humphries spent his formative years in the Golf Links Estate, in a Christowel Street home constructed by his father, Eric; the “Edna” in Dame Edna came from the name of Barry’s nanny at the time.[2]
- The estate has its own weather station CLICK HERE to see it. (thanks to Andrew in Fairmont Ave)
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According to the City of Boroondara
City Heritage Overlay Number: HO1
The Golf Links Estate, which occupies the former Riversdale Golf Club, was subdivided in 1927 and lots were offered for sale later that year. The first houses on the estate were built in 1928 with most of the allotments built and occupied by 1938.
The Golf Links Estate, Camberwell, is an area of heritage significance for the following reasons: -
- The place is a particularly intact and notable collection of vernacular housing styles of the late 1920's to the early 1940's, including interwar Mediterranean, Old English and Californian Bungalow.
- It contains a significant number of Art-Deco and Modern flavoured houses that read as prototypes for the suburban vernacular that spread around Australia after WWII.
- The Estate is a predominantly intact interwar landscape containing concrete roads, landscaped medians with concrete lamp standards and mature street trees.
- The Estate demonstrates the successful influence of building controls during the interwar and post-WWII period in terms of prescribed set backs and uniform material usage to ensure a consistent visual quality.
- The housing types and styles physically demonstrate the appeal of Camberwell as one of Melbourne's most fashionable new suburbs of the 1920's and into the 1930's and 1940's.
- The Estate is conspicuously predicated on a commuter-based city workforce, being bounded by a tram route on one side and a railway on the other.
- Houses were constructed on much of the estate by World War II and the visual homogeneity promoted by the small range of architectural styles and materials was enhanced by the physical link of the concrete paved roads with their broad nature strips, medians and cast concrete street lamps at main intersections.
- Street names were obligingly set into pavements with the probable intention of reduced eye-level signs.
- Further uniformity was promoted by the council by-laws (1926) which determined minimum general frontages of 50 feet and 60 feet at street corners. No house could be built less than 10 squares in the area. (Source: City of Boroondara - City Heritage Overlay Number: HO1).[4]
1: www.smh.com.au/news/domain/australian-capital-territory/wheel-turns-as-the-house-hunt-keeps-on-heating/2009/12/14/1260639164572.html December 2009
2: still trying to find the source of this - don't take as gospel
3: Source Wikipedia
4: City of Boroondara
(Disclaimer: please verify any information on these pages - no guarantees are provided as to correctness for any information provided on this pages or others on this site)
