Doreen is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Whittlesea and Shire of Nillumbik local government areas. Doreen recorded a population of 27,122 at the 2021 census. The Post Office opened on 8 December 1870 as Hazelglen, and was renamed Doreen in 1895.

The area has a community hall and a Country Fire Authority fire station.

History

Doreen was initially established by Europeans in the year 1844. One of these early settlers was Patrick Reid. Reid had a holding over the land, calling the area "Hazel Glen". The population was 48.5% male, 51.5% female, and had a median age of 31, which was 6 years younger than the state median and 7 years younger than the national median.

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|-

! Age Range !! Population !! %

|-

| 0–14 || 6174 || 29.0

|-

| 15–29 || 3825 || 18.0

|-

| 30–44 || 5925 || 27.8

|-

| 45–60 || 3262 || 15.3

|-

| 60+ || 2112 || 9.9

|}

81% of people in Doreen were born in Australia. The five most common international birth countries were:

  1. England 2.9%
  2. India 1.4%
  3. New Zealand 1.2%
  4. Italy 0.8%
  5. Sri Lanka 0.7%

Education

Local Schools

As of August 2018, there are currently six schools housed within the suburb of Doreen.

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|-

! School name !! Years !! Public/ Private

|-

| Hazel Glen College || Kinder – 12 || Public

|-

| Laurimar Primary School || Prep – 6 || Public

|-

| St Paul the Apostle Catholic School || Prep – 6 || Private

|-

| Doreen Primary School || Prep – 6 || Public

|-

| Plenty Valley Christian College || Kinder – 12 || Private

|-

| Ivanhoe Grammar School || Prep – 12 || Private

|}

Tertiary education

The Bundoora campus of RMIT is an approximate 15 minute drive, with the Bundoora campus of La Trobe University an approximate 30 minute drive.

Suburban development

Doreen is unusual in that it can be divided into two smaller areas, with Yan Yean Road being the divider;

  • The eastern portion lies within the Shire of Nillumbik and remains rural, being contiguous with the rural localities of Yarrambat and Nutfield.
  • The western portion lies within the City of Whittlesea and has seen the development of suburban housing and facilities. It is contiguous with the suburbs of Mernda and South Morang.

Residential development is of two kinds:

  • Rural residential estates and nurseries to the south.
  • A residential estate, Laurimar, in the north is being developed by Delfin with an emphasis on "semi-rural" living.

Doreen is very green and quite hilly and is surrounded by the foothills of the Yarra Ranges to the east and north and the forested banks of the Plenty River to the west. As part of it being on the urban fringe, it has a wide variety of animal life including bird life. To the north is Yan Yean Reservoir, which is the oldest reservoir in Melbourne.

Facilities

A mobile library that visits Doreen is operated by Yarra Plenty Regional Library.

Transport

Bus

Four bus routes service Doreen:

  • : Mernda station – Diamond Creek station. Operated by Dysons.
  • : Whittlesea – Greensborough Plaza via Mernda station. Operated by Dysons.
  • : Mernda station – Mernda station via Doreen (anti-clockwise loop). Operated by Dysons.
  • : Mernda station – Mernda station via Doreen (clockwise loop). Operated by Dysons.

Train

Mernda station, located in neighbouring Mernda, is the nearest railway station to Doreen, and is the terminus for the Mernda line.

References

  • Doreen (Shire of Nillumbik)
  • City of Whittlesea