Kensington, Victoria

thumb|Former [[Kensington Town Hall, Melbourne|Kensington Town Hall, now community centre, from forecourt]]

Kensington is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Melbourne local government area. Kensington recorded a population of 10,745 at the 2021 census.

In the late 1850s, the City of Melbourne moved its cattle yards from a location on the corner of Elizabeth and Victoria Streets to a location in the north of the suburb, near present-day Racecourse Road. The yards were completed in 1858, with the first sales held the following year.

The abattoir and its associated factories were soon surrounded by suburbs, prompting complaints and public meetings objecting to the by-products and waste produced by the saleyards. Alfred Deakin, who represented the member for Essendon and Flemington in the Victorian Legislative Assembly until 1900, moved a division in favour of the yards' closure in 1891.

CONFUSION OF NAMES. Leopold near Geelong was known as Kensington until it was renamed in 1892.

In 1876 people sending mail to this Kensington were advised to give "Kensington, near Flemington" as the address.

20th century

In 1905, the Borough of Flemington and Kensington was amalgamated with the City of Melbourne.

A major railway yard adjacent to Dynon Road towards the south of the suburb was opened in 1955 to relieve congestion at existing facilities near Flinders Street and Spencer Street station. Originally built during World War II as a means of increasing railway freight capacity, the yards were extended and upgraded to include the country's longest goods depot.

In line with other inner city areas, gentrification has prompted an increase in household incomes, a greater proportion of residents aged 25–49 years old, and a shift in occupation from manufacturing to property and business services.

Four'N Twenty pies were produced in Kensington until 2003, when production moved to Bairnsdale. Suburb review site, CityHobo has called Kensington one of the best places to live in Melbourne after the area's significant gentrification. The area is considered socially progressive with a large refugee and gay community residing in Kensington.

Culture

Politics

At a local government level, Kensington is part of the City of Melbourne, which also includes parts of Flemington.

In the Victorian Legislative Assembly, Kensington is part of the electoral district of Melbourne. The area is represented in the Victorian Legislative Council by members for the Northern Metropolitan Region.

At a federal level, Kensington is now part of the Division of Maribyrnong, held by Australian Labor Party member Bill Shorten since the 2007 federal election. There are two polling booths in Kensington, one at Kensington Primary School, the other at Holy Rosary School. In the 2022 Australian Federal Election Bill Shorten won the two candidate preferred vote at both booths by a significant margin, although the Greens outpolled him on first preferences at the Kensington Primary School booth. Prior to a redistribution in 2021, Kensington was part of the Division of Melbourne, held by Greens member Adam Bandt since the 2010 federal election, and by Australian Labor Party members before that since the Federation of Australia in 1901.

Places of worship

Holy Rosary, a Roman Catholic church, is located in Gower Street and works in partnership with the St Brendan’s parish in neighbouring Flemington.
St Mary’s Coptic Orthodox Church is located on the corner of Epsom Road and Kensington Road in a former Anglican Church building. It is the first Coptic Orthodox church in Melbourne.
Christ Church Kensington, located in McCracken Street, is an Anglican and Uniting Church joint congregation, with Sunday services following a combination of the Anglican and Uniting Church traditions of prayer.
The Strong Tower Assembly, located in McLennan Drive, is a congregation of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, a Nigerian Pentecostal mega church.

Demographics

According to the 2021 census, Kensington had 10,745 residents. The suburb's median age was 35, with an average of 2.1 people per household, earning a median weekly income of $2,216. Approximately 10% of residents were university students, the lowest proportion in the municipality. A high-rise tower and a number of walk-up blocks were demolished as part of the development.

thumb|Maribyrnong river in Kensington in 2019

Parks and public open spaces

The major recreational area is J.J. Holland Park, adjacent to South Kensington railway station.

The Kensington Banks redevelopment has provided a second major public park on the Maribyrnong River frontage. The new residential areas have been planned around a series of smaller-scaled open spaces, one of which is notable as the Women's Peace Park, to the west of Epsom Road. The open space spine formed by the stockman's route passes under Epsom Road and continues up to Racecourse Road.

In June 2016, the Melbourne City Council created a park next to Kensington Station, by expanding an existing reserve at Eastwood Street and Rankins Road, which effectively doubled the amount of green space.

Education and schools

Kensington Primary School was opened by Alfred Deakin in 1881 and initially offered places for 250 students. The new school cost £1,800, and was later expanded to accommodate a further 100 students. A Catholic primary school, Holy Rosary, opened at the parish hall in 1916, moving to its present location in 1927.

Kensington Community High School opened in the Lynch's Bridge area in 1975.

There are two bus routes: the 402, which runs along Macaulay and Kensington Roads, and the 404 which runs along Smithfield and Epsom Roads.