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Produced and published by the School of Historical & Philosophical Studies, The University of Melbourne
Published July 2008
Published July 2008
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(3195, 27 km SE, Kingston City)
The bayside suburb of Aspendale was part of what was known in the 19th century as the Long Beach between Mordialloc and Frankston. In 1891 James Robert Crookes opened Aspendale racecourse in the locality, naming it after a champion mare, Aspen. An adjacent railway station serving the racecourse was first called Aspendale Park, but was shortened to Aspendale in 1905. The RACV held an early car rally at Aspendale Park, which was used for motor sport into the 1940s. The racecourse was closed in 1931, by which time Aspendale had been closely settled, primarily as a beach resort but increasingly as a suburban residential district. To Aspendale's east lies the suburb of Aspendale Gardens, part of a residential growth corridor extending towards Patterson Lakes.