Railway heritage: Explore the history of Camberwell train station

Camberwell train station sits proudly at the gateway to the bustling Camberwell shopping precinct, having served residents for more than a century.

The railway station has been pivotal in the history of Camberwell, allowing shoppers easy access to services and a stunning variety of shops to cater for every need.

Rich in history, the Camberwell train station opened in early April, 1882 – only five decades after Europeans first staked land claims in the area.

The extension of the railway line connecting Camberwell to Melbourne had a profound impact on population growth, more than quadrupling the population from just 1,400 to 6,000 during the following two decades.

Camberwell train station was originally a terminus on its own line for several months before the railway line was subsequently extended to Lilydale.

A new station was constructed at East Camberwell to create an interchange when the first part of the Outer Circle line opened in 1891.

Unfortunately, the Outer Circle line was not a success and multiple sections closed.

By 1898, only the Ashburton line remained and was later extended to Alamein. This enabled trains for Ashburton to leave from Camberwell.

Camberwell train station our ‘grand dame’

The current Edwardian ‘grand dame’ railway station in Camberwell opened in 1919, when the previous station was demolished, and the railway lines were situated in a cutting.

The need to remove gradient from Auburn was a factor because it was so steep that steam locomotives couldn’t pull a fully loaded train between the Auburn and Camberwell stations.

Prior to the works, peak hour trains had to be separated.

Major delays were caused by the locomotive bringing a set of carriages to Camberwell before returning for the others.

Camberwell train station made history in 1964, when it was the first in Victoria to have push button signalling installed. The railway station attained ‘premium’ status two years later.

The Camberwell train station is connected to the Lilydale, Alamein and Belgrave lines.

The fight to save Camberwell railway station

The railway station was the focal point of a heated controversy for almost a decade after plans were launched for a major redevelopment at the site.

In early 2003, VicTrack announced plans to redevelop the Camberwell railway station, which included developing the station and the adjacent carpark with a multi-storey building plus commercial spaces.

The plan sparked a massive community backlash, with actor Geoffrey Rush and prominent comedian Barry Humphries backing a high-profile campaign against the proposal.

Rush and Humphries led a protest march along Burke Rd from Camberwell Junction to the Camberwell train station, where the comedian read a poem about planners.

Rush famously likened the impact of the development to “Godzilla’s footprint”.

Despite fierce opposition, the state’s planning tribunal gave the green light for a nine-storey development at the site in 2009.

However, the development was effectively dropped three years later after VicTrack and the preferred developer could not agree on commercial terms – ending years’ of dispute involving counter proposals and protests.

Today, our much-loved Camberwell train station sits proudly in her rightful place at the gateway to Camberwell shopping precinct.

As Rush poignantly noted at the height of the protests, the station has always been the “darling of our community” since her inception.

A passion for creating beautiful, handmade furniture has seen a family business in Camberwell thrive over the years.

Swartz & Angelo Fine Furniture, located in the heart of Camberwell Junction, has had a presence in the area for more than 65 years and is still trading in the same location today.

The business began in 1951 when Ichel Schwartz opened the furniture store and traded under the name I & B Schwartz Continental Fine Furniture.

Salvatore Angelo, known as Sam, migrated to Melbourne in 1959 from Italy and found employment with Schwartz at the store, where he worked for the next 18 years.

In 1977, Angelo took over the business and renamed it Schwartz & Angelo Fine Furniture as a way to honour his loyalty and friendship with Schwartz.

Sam’s son Vic Angelo, joined the family business in 1992 and learnt the craft of furniture making and French polishing.

Bespoke furniture

Vic said most of the furniture sold at Swartz & Angelo Fine Furniture was handmade on site in Camberwell, in the workshop located behind their retail shop.

They create custom-made furniture, including tables, chairs, bookcases and office desks, giving people the chance to own a unique piece of furniture.

“We specialise in classic furniture and reproduction design including copies of antiques and Victorian, Regency, Georgian, Edwardian and French Provincial styles,” Vic said.

The business also imports selected pieces of furniture from Italy.

“It’s either Italian-made or our own products,” Vic said. “The Italians are known for their magnificent designs and they are quite creative. They also produce excellent quality.”

Those looking to breathe new life into an old piece of furniture can also get repairs or reupholstering done at Schwartz & Angelo Fine Furniture.

“Some people might have a piece (of furniture) that has been in their family for years. For sentimental value, they’ll restore it to keep it in good condition and hand it down to the next generation,” Vic said.

A rich heritage

Vic said the store’s history and heritage has been important in maintaining loyalty and trust with their customers.

“My father is still working today, at 81 years of age. He is the longest serving single trader in Camberwell. He has been here in this same building since he started working here when he first arrived in Australia. You rarely see that in businesses these days,” he said.

“We try to keep the heritage there because that is important in business – we’re not here today and gone tomorrow.

“We still have those loyal clients that stick by us. We had one customer come in last week who has been buying furniture from us for 46 years.”

This heritage has been thanks to Vic’s father and his passion for making furniture since a young child.

“From the age of six or seven my dad said he knew he wanted to be cabinet maker. It was almost like his calling,” Vic said.

“After school he would ride his bike about seven kilometres to work at a furniture factory, just to get some skill and start learning the craft.

“I think he genuinely enjoys creating something from a rough, sawn bit of timber and ending up with a beautiful piece of furniture.

“He loves creating something with style, finesse and detail and showing off the beauty of the timber. It’s satisfying work.”

Visit the store

Swartz & Angelo Fine Furniture

217-219 Camberwell Rd, Camberwell

Phone: (03) 9882 1056 or 0421 693 126

Visit their website: http://www.schwartzangelo.com.au