In the local government areas of the Cities of Banyule and Darebin, Macleod is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, approximately 14.3 kilometres (8.7 miles) north-east of Melbourne’s Central Business District. 9,892 people were counted in Macleod during the 2021 census.

The area to the west of the railway line and station known as Macleod West is primarily a residential neighbourhood.

History

On November 12, 1910, one of the first subdivisions in Macleod took place. The Strathallan Estate’s 133 lots, which front Greensborough Road, Strathallan Road, Edward Street, and Railway Place, were auctioned off (Somers Avenue). North Heidelberg was the name of the region that included Macleod and Rosanna at the time.

The Bent government purchased 75 acres of property from Mr. M. A. Macleod in 1910 on the condition that a railway station with the likely name “Macleod” be constructed 1.5 miles beyond Rosanna. After purchasing 1,000 acres from the Bamfield estate in Mont Park for a new psychiatric institution, the government asked for the sale. In order to get access to this property, which was shut off from the railway, they asked the landowner Mr. M. A. Macleod to sell a section of land next to the railway.

Nine years after the railway line had gone through, the Macleod railway station had its grand opening.

On December 11, 1923, the Macleod Post Office, which is housed in the general store on the south-west corner of Greensborough and Strathallan Roads, began for business. In 1987, the Simpson Barracks office took its place. Between Dunstan and Ruthven Streets, on McNamara Street, the Macleod West Post Office first opened its doors in 1954.

Between Erskine Road and Leith Road, in the early to mid-1950s, the first Aberdeen Road stores were constructed.

On 4.5 acres of property on Greensborough Road, between Coolie Avenue and Fairlie Avenue, Macleod Primary School was constructed in 1926.

After a one-week delay brought on by the poor state of the unmade roads, which prohibited furniture deliveries, Macleod High School finally opened on May 31st, 1954. Mr. F. J. Meyer served as the headteacher. At the start, there were 160 girls and 70 guys enrolled.

Demographics

68.5% of the population of Macleod was born in Australia. The most frequent countries of birth, excluding Australia, were China (excluding SARs and Taiwan), 3.4%; England, 2.8%; India, 1.8%; Italy, 1.6%; and Malaysia, 1.1%. In their homes, 71.4% of people only used English. Mandarin was spoken at home at a rate of 3.9%, followed by Italian at 2.9%, Cantonese at 1.3%, Greek at 1.2%, and Macedonian at 1.2%.

Facilities

Yarra Plenty Regional Library offers free library services to the general public. Watsonia Library is the closest library.

The Macleod Kangaroos, a Division 1 Northern Football League team from Sport Macleod, play Australian rules football locally (NFL). They have participated in three consecutive Grand Finals as of 2008. Their headquarters are in Rosanna’s De Winton Park. [10] They are associated with the Yarra Junior Football League team Macleod Junior Football Club, also known as the Eagles (YJFL). Macleod Park is the home of the junior football team.

If you have any aches and pains that need seeing to, you can book an appointment online or call Rosanna Physio on (03) 9457 2336.  They are located right near Macleod and can address all your physiotherapy needs.

The Macleod Eagles are Macleod’s cricket team. They compete in the Diamond Valley Cricket Association (DVCA), and prior to being promoted to the top division (Barclay Shield) for the 2008–09 season after winning the 2007–08 season, they were competing in the second division (known as Money Shield). They have their headquarters in Macleod Park’s “The Nest” area. In addition to a thriving “Milo in2cricket” programme, Macleod will have 6 junior sides, 4 senior teams, and 4 senior teams in 2008-09.

A member of Netball Victoria, the Banyule & Districts Netball Association is situated on Somers Avenue. Competitions for junior and senior netball, NetSetGo, are run by them. They feature two more outdoor courts in addition to the stadium’s four indoor courts (if required).

The Macleod Recreation Centre is the home court of the Banyule Hawks, a local basketball team.