Ivanhoe, Victoria
Ivanhoe is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north-east of Melbourne's Central Business District. Its local government area is the City of Banyule. At the 2016 Census, Ivanhoe had a population of 12,171. History. Ivanhoe Post Office opened on 1 September 1874. Ivanhoe North Post Office, on Waterdale Road near Banksia Street opened on 17 May 1926. An Ivanhoe West Post Office was open from 1955 until 1988. Many streets in the area derive their names from characters in the novel Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott. Population. In the 2016 Census, there were 12,171 people in  Ivanhoe. 69.2% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were China 3.6%, England 2.6%, India 2.2%, Italy 2.1% and New Zealand 1.3%. 71.0% of people spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Mandarin 4.4%, Greek 3.6%, Italian 3.5%, Cantonese 1.5% and Spanish 0.9%. The most common responses for religion were No Religion 38.2% and Catholic 26.5%. Geography. The Yarra River forms the southern boundary of the suburb, with a golf course and a narrow riparian strip reserve. Darebin Creek runs along the western boundary of the suburb. Facilities. Ivanhoe Library  & Cultural Hub was completed in February 2021. The state-of-the-art building includes a modern accessible library, an art gallery, conference and meeting spaces, maternal and child health consulting suits, an informal theatrette and a cafe. It has also incorporated a major redevelopment of the existing heritage listed town hall. Its value is stated as $31 million. Banyule U3A use it as one of its venues. Ivanhoe Library is managed by Yarra Plenty Regional Library. Hatch Contemporary Arts Space is managed by Banyule City Council but closed in early 2021. Ivanhoe Reading Circle is Melbourne's longest running  bookclub The Rotary Club of Ivanhoe Upper Heidelberg Road Commercial Centre. Upper Heidelberg Road is the suburb's centre and the location of the former Heidelberg Town Hall, now known as The Centre Ivanhoe. The town hall is a classic 'art-deco' building on top of a hill, with a green neon clockface on a tower. Due to historical considerations, the town hall continues to host Banyule City Council meetings notwithstanding their main offices moving to Greensborough in 2017. Transport. The suburb has two railway stations; Ivanhoe, which is located in the Zone 1 and 2 overlap of the public  transport system and Darebin, wholly within Zone 1, is also located in the suburb. Education. The suburb hosts two elite private schools; Ivanhoe Grammar School, established in 1915 and Ivanhoe Girls' Grammar School. It is also home to one of Victoria's oldest state schools, Ivanhoe Primary School, established in 1853. The Victorian State Government, through the Department of Education, closed Bellfield Primary School at 229 Banksia Street, Ivanhoe and sold the site to Banyule City Council in August 2013. The housing development by Stockland was built on the site.