Бокс Хилл: История и современность пригорода Мельбурна

Box Hill is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, east of the city's Central Business District (CBD), located within the City of Whitehorse local government area. Box Hill recorded a population of 14,353 at the 2021 census. and is home to the city's tallest high rise buildings outside the CBD. being the first official use of the name. The postmaster, Silas Padgham proposed the name, derived from Box Hill, Surrey, England, near his birthplace. In 1871, Box Hill township's population was 154 and the district relied on orchards, vineyards and mixed farming. The extension of the railway line from Camberwell to Lilydale in 1882 included a station at Box Hill, but there were also stations at Canterbury and Surrey Hills, to the west. They attracted subdivisions and development ahead of Box Hill. Growth came, though, with a school opening in Box Hill in 1887, then known as State School 2838. The town became the seat of the Nunawading Shire Council, which met at the Box Hill Courthouse. In the mid 1880s, Box Hill became a favoured area for landscape artists who wanted to paint the Australian bush en plein air. These artists, among them Arthur Streeton, Tom Roberts and Frederick McCubbin, established the Box Hill artists' camp,

Unlike suburbs closer to Melbourne, Box Hill lacked the web of tramlines, which promoted residential development beyond the reach of the railway line. In 1916–17, tramlines reached the western edge of what in a short time would be the Box Hill Municipality, at Burwood, Mont Albert and Wattle Park. The years after World War I saw Box Hill's turn for residential growth. A girls' technical school was built in 1924 and a boys' high school in 1930. During World War II a boys' technical school was opened. The new town hall on Whitehorse Road opened in April 1935. One of the arguments for its construction was that "the boon it would prove to the local brickworks, which had just resumed production after a period of suspension".

Post war housing expansion included a Housing Commission estate in Box Hill South. A district hospital opened in 1956. The shopping area enjoyed growth and prosperity which placed a significant strain upon its parking infrastructure by the end of the 1950s. In 1954, the Melbourne & Metropolitan Board of Works designated Box Hill as one of five district centres for metropolitan Melbourne. More recently, Box Hill has experienced a construction boom, and is now home to high rise buildings. These include the Australian Taxation Office's Box Hill Tower, the Whitehorse Towers and the 36 storey Sky One, standing at 122 metres tall. More high rises are under construction, including New Chinatown, a $450 million twin tower project which will serve as a modern "sibling" of the historic Chinatown in the CBD, with this development to consist of 10,000 square metres of mixed purpose storefronts over three levels, a 4000 square metre “Hawker Hall” where visitors will find street style food stalls, a 1500 square metre childcare centre, a Chinese language school and bookshop, Chinese herbalists, and a handful of Chinese and Western medicine clinics.

Box Hill has a shopping district. These range from the shops along Station Street and Whitehorse Road, to the suburb's two shopping centres. Box Hill Central is integrated with a bus interchange and the Box Hill railway station. In late 2007, the two shopping centres merged as a part of a large scale redevelopment project of the precints. They are now known as buildings "South" (Formerly Central Box Hill) and "North" (formerly Central Whitehorse,) or "Box Hill Central", which further hosts the Box Hill Railway Station, and a bus interchange. Box Hill is also home of a number of recreational services, such as Neighbourhood Houses; a number of Scout Groups, including 11th Box Hill; Mont Albert North (formerly 10th/13th Box Hill); 6th Box Hill; and 1st Mont Albert Scout Groups. The Box Hill Community Centre, located 1 km south of Box Hill Central, also provides a number of services to the local community. Box Hill Hospital serves Box Hill and its surrounding suburbs. Epworth Eastern, a private hospital, opened in 2005 opposite Box Hill Hospital.

At the 2021 Australian census, 68.3% of Box Hill residents reported being born overseas, with the most common being China (excludes Taiwan and the SARs; 29.5%), Malaysia (6.4%), India (4.5%), Hong Kong (2.5%), and Vietnam (1.9%). Mandarin Chinese have overtaken English as a language spoken at home at 33.9%, with English being the second most commonly spoken language (32.5%), followed by Cantonese (8.5%), Vietnamese (1.7%), Korean (1.5%), and Hindi (1.3%). Self described non religious people made up the largest single group at 50.4% of the population, followed by Catholic (10.2%), Buddhism (9.0%), and Hinduism (4.5%). 9.1% of Box Hill residents did not state their religious affiliation in the census. Compared to Australia as a whole, Box Hill residents are much less likely to be Australian born, and are more likely to have stated "No Religion" on the census. Within the City of Whitehorse, Box Hill have the largest Chinese Australian diaspora community, and one of the most visible Chinese Australian communities in Australia. Previously, in the 2016 Australian census, 64.7% of Box Hill residents reported being born in foreign countries, the most common being China (excluding Taiwan and the SARs; 27.6%), Malaysia (4.8%), India (4.2%), Hong Kong (3.0%) and South Korea (1.7%). 36.9% of residents only speak English at home. Mandarin Chinese is the second most commonly spoken language (28.3%), followed by Cantonese (9.8%), Korean (1.7%), Hindi (1.3%) and Vietnamese (1.2%). Self described non religious people made up the largest single group at 46.3% of the population, followed by Catholics (13.5%), Buddhists (7.8%) and Anglicans (4.5%). 10.1% of Box Hill residents did not state their religious affiliation in the census. Compared to Australia as a whole, Box Hill residents are much less likely to be Australian born, and are more likely to have stated "No Religion" on the census.

The suburb of Box Hill has several schools, including Box Hill High School, Box Hill Senior Secondary College, Our Lady of Sion College, St. Francis Xavier's Catholic Primary School. For mature students, Box Hill Institute of TAFE and St Leo International College provide further education. There are two kindergartens in the area; St Peter's Anglican Kindergarten and Goodstart Early Learning Box Hill. Schools in neighbouring suburbs include Koonung Secondary College, Kingswood College and Roberts McCubbin Primary School.

The Box Hill Hawks are a local Australian rules football club, playing in the Victorian Football League and are based at the Box Hill City Oval. This team was formerly known as the Mustangs, named for the city's mascot, the White Horse. They are currently affiliated with the Hawthorn Hawks. Another football team, The Whitehorse Pioneers, competes in the Eastern Football League. Box Hill United Soccer Club currently competes in the National Premier Leagues Victoria 2. Box Hill Athletic Club, founded in 1932, survived through the war years and became notably prominent after the 1956 Olympic Games, held in Melbourne. The club's original training ground was at Surrey Park, Elgar Road South, an area provided by the Box Hill Council. After several years of filling in and grading, the area known as Hagenauer's Park was made available for athletics. Box Hill has an 18 hole golf course, located at 202 Station Street. The club offers junior development programs. In basketball, the Whitehorse Mustangs Basketball Association represents the Box Hill suburbs in domestic junior competitions of basketball. The club fields junior teams each Saturday in the Eastern District Junior Basketball Association (EDJBA), with home games played at the basketball stadium of Box Hill High School. It also runs weekly social competitions for both men and women and fields a championship men's team in the Melbourne Metropolitan Basketball League (MMBL). The Box Hill Action Indoor Sports Centre also provides residents with dedicated facilities for indoor soccer, cricket and netball. Aqualink Box Hill (formerly Whitehorse Aquatic and Leisure Centre), run by Whitehorse Council, provides residents with an indoor and outdoor pool, basketball courts, a gym, squash and tennis courts. The swim club, Surrey Park, swim at Aqualink Box Hill. The club uses the facilities of Aqualink. The surrounding parklands include (aside from a large lake, now filled with water, but once used as a quarry) a baseball diamond, a football oval and cricket pitches. Box Hill Rugby Club play at RHL Sparks Reserve in the Dewar Shield competition.