Sandringham is a beachside suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 16 km southeast of Melbourne's central business district. Its local government area is the City of Bayside and federal division is the Goldstein. At the 2011 Census, Sandringham had a population of 9,309.
History
Sandringham formed part of the early estates in the parish of Moorabbin purchased by Josiah Holloway in 1852. Named Gipsy Village, lots were sold between 1852 and 1854 notwithstanding little settlement taking place at the time. Bluff Town Post Office opened on 1 April 1868, closed in 1871, reopened in 1873 and was renamed Sandringham in 1887.
Today
Sandringham is one of Melbourne's bayside suburbs, located beside Port Phillip at the end of the Sandringham railway line. Sandringham is a popular location for beachgoers, sightseers, walkers, picnickers, photographers, cyclists and shoppers. It has a quaint village atmosphere with a number of cafes, coffee shops and restaurants (Greek, Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, Indian, Japanese), take-away food outlets, gourmet food outlets, clothing stores, boutique homewares, hairdressers, professional offices, multi-story apartments, real estate agents, bakeries, a modern bookshop, a news agency, Coles supermarket, a health food store, a chemist, an award-winning library, a historical society, a large modern police station, a medical centre, a Life Saving club, a video store, a hardware store, a wine store, a bank, a large modern hotel (The Sandy) with a balcony overlooking the bay, a bike track and a coastal walking track. The trip by train to and from Melbourne city takes 27 minutes. Buses travel between the Sandringham railway station and St Kilda, Westfield's Southland and other places. The Sandringham Yacht Club is host to a number of Sydney to Hobart yacht race winners. The main streets are home to some elegant old buildings, including the railway station. In the 2011 census the most common ancestries in Sandringham were English 29.3%, Australian 25.8%, Irish 9.7%, Scottish 9.3% and German 3.1%.
Education
Sandringham Primary School, opened in 1855, is one of the oldest schools in Victoria. Sandringham College has two campuses in Sandringham, on Bluff Road (Years 7-10) and Holloway Road (Years 11-12)
The Melbourne International School of Japanese, a part-time Japanese education programme, once held its classes at Sandringham East Primary.
Firbank Girls' Grammar School junior school, known as Sandringham House, is also located in Sandringham.
Sports
The Sandringham Football Club, known as the Zebras, of the Victorian Football League. has had a number of players go on to play in the AFL, including Chris Judd, Trevor Barker, Ian Cooper and radio personality Rex Hunt. The club's home ground is the Trevor Barker oval on Beach Road (opposite the end of Bridge Road).
Based at the RG Chisholm Reserve, Duncan Street, the East Sandringham Boys Cricket Club features in suburban competitions throughout the cricket season. The club has developed cricketers particularly at a junior level, notably Shane Warne who has on occasion returned to play for his junior club. The R G Chisholm Reserve is also home to the East Sandringham Boys Football Club.