Westgarth, Victoria
Westgarth is a neighbourhood within the suburb of Northcote, about 4 or 5 km north-east of Melbourne's central business district in Victoria, Australia.
While Westgarth does not have any official borders, it is generally considered to extend from Merri Creek in the west to the boundary of Fairfield in the east.
Land c.2 km to the south, where Merri Creek meets the Yarra, was an early site of colonial contact, briefly home to the Native Police Corps in 1842, and a school for Aboriginal children until 1851.
That influence began to fade in the 1980s, with the arrival of a new generation of Westgarth residents with higher incomes and education levels.
The Westgarth Theatre became an art-house movie venue in 1987 when the Valhalla Cinema relocated there after the demolition of its original premises in Richmond.
A number of industrial buildings along High Street were converted to residential use in the late 1990s and early first decade of the 21st century.
A partially excavated tunnel and bunker is located in Westgarth on the north bank of Merri Creek about 30 metres downstream from where a trail crosses the stream near the southwest corner of Oldis Gardens and East Street.
Today, Westgarth[2] retains its southern European presence, with many children of the 1960s and 1970s immigrant wave still living in the area.
The Westgarth Cinema remains the centre of the small commercial strip at the southern end of High Street, which is now populated by bohemian fashion outlets, but mainly cafes, restaurants and a few other retail businesses.
The strip remains noticeably less developed than its counterparts in Clifton Hill and Fairfield, arguably due in part to the traffic intensity of the relatively narrow High Street.
After several years of uncertainty about its commercial survival, the family owners finally sold it to Palace Cinemas in 2005, while retaining ownership of the building.
In August 2013, in the last phase of the tram works, metal sculptures designed by Syrinx Environmental were added to the new median strip, producing a local outcry on social media and featuring in the national press.
It is one of the biggest primary schools in the region[4][5] and is currently seeking government funding to redevelop its facilities to cater for significant growth in student numbers.
