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Braeside

(3195, 26 km SE, Kingston City)

A mainly industrial suburb lying to the east of Mordialloc and on the northern edge of the former Carrum Swamp, Braeside was part of the Moode Yallo squatting run held by the Keys family from the 1840s. In 1909 they sold part of their property to Arthur Syme (son of Age proprietor David Syme) who established a horse stud and training establishment, naming it Braeside. In the 1920s the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works (MMBW) purchased 1157 acres (463 ha) of land, including Syme's, for a sewage treatment plant, but leased the land back to local farmers. Trainer Harry Telford was able to afford to lease Braeside stud because of the spectacular success of his racehorse, Phar Lap. The MMBW's treatment plant operated from 1940 to 1980, the land being subsequently developed as Braeside Metropolitan Park, which includes wetland, woodland and heathland environments. New housing estates and an industrial zone developed around the north and west edges of the park, with sports grounds including the Southern Golf Club to the east.

Jill Barnard