Revolutions tend to be associated with cataclysmic, violent events, but profound change can happen gradually and imperceptibly over a period of time. That is what has happened in Melbourne's west. The region in the past decade has been going through a revolution - but a quiet one. Its traditional economic base, which suffered a downturn in the 1970s and '80s, has been transformed, and new businesses have sprung up. The other part of the equation has been land.
Developers love it.
All had been serviced by a key railroad, and most by a radial rail route, but links across the corridors had been poor. People had tended to live, work and go about their business within their home corridors. Interaction between the corridors was limited because of poor accessibility, and the Maribyrnong River with its limited crossings was a barrier. The Western Ring Road was built in seven stages between 1992 and this year, with the bulk of the funds coming from the Federal Government. VicRoads identified key functions of the ring road.