| Melbourne, Victoria | |
| Population: | 16,716 (2006) |
| Postcode: | 3071 |
| Area: | 5 km² (1.9 sq mi) |
| Property Value: | AUD $640,000 |
| Location: | 7 km (4 mi) from Melbourne |
| LGA: | City of Darebin |
| State District: | Northcote |
| Federal Division: | Batman |
Thornbury 
original[nb 1] pronunciation (help·info) is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 7 km north from Melbourne’s central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Darebin. At the 2006 Census, Thornbury had a population of 16,716.
Thornbury is bordered by the Merri Creek to the west, and the Darebin Creek to the east. The heart of Thornbury is known as Thornbury Village[3], and is located at the centre of Thornbury at the intersection of High Street and Normanby Avenue/Clarendon Street. Merri Creek defines the West boundary of Thornbury and Darebin Creek defines the East boundary. Thornbury is shaped as a thin strip of land sandwiched between Northcote and Preston, its East-West width being over six times greater than its North-South width.
For 111 years Thornbury was part of the former local government area, the City of Northcote, which existed from 1883 until 1994. As such, Thornbury is universally understood to be a demographic and commercial satellite of Northcote, along with Westgarth, although the latter does not have its own postcode. Whilst both Westgarth and Thornbury each have their own distinct central hub, unlike Westgarth, the majority of Thornbury is too far away from its centre for the whole of Thornbury to ever be able to develop its own separate identity.
Transport
Thornbury is well served by public transport with Thornbury station on the Epping railway line, and two tram lines: services along High Street (Trams 86) connecting Bundoora Campus of RMIT to the city, and along St Georges road (Trams 112) from Miller St, past the Preston tram depot and on to the city and St Kilda. Bus routes run along Dundas Street ( 552 ), Victoria Street (552, 251 ), Darebin Road (158, 246 , 250 , 510 ), Grange Road( 340 , 350 ), Normanby Avenue, Clarendon Street and Wales Street (510), Mansfield Street (552), and Station Street (552, 567 ).
The Merri Creek Trail and Darebin Creek Trail run on the West and East boundaries of Thornbury and are popular shared-use recreational pathes used by cyclists and walkers.
Commerce
The main commercial area in Thornbury is the High Street shopping strip, centred on Thornbury Village. Smaller shopping precincts are to be found on sections of St. Georges Road, Wales Street and Station Street. The Northcote Pottery was located in Clarendon Street and closed in 2007.
Nightlife and culture
Thornbury is home to many bars and night spots, including Bender bar and the Croxton Park Hotel. It also has a large alternative music culture, particularly Australian Hip Hop and is home to many acts including The Contrazt and TRS.
Sporting facilities
The Darebin International Sports Centre (DISC) is located in John Cain Memorial Park, on the Darebin Creek in Thornbury. The Darebin International Sports Centre is the home of the Football Federation Victoria, the State Football Centre (soccer), the State Lawn Bowls Centre and the State Cycling Centre, a velodrome with a 250m indoor timber cycling track. The Northcote Public Golf Course, run by the [5] is located on the Merri Creek other side of Thornbury. It is also home to Flinders Park and the Holy Trinity Cricket Club (HTCC)
Educational facilities
- Thornbury Primary School
- Wales Street Primary School
- Penders Grove Primary School
- Thornbury High School (renamed from Thornbury-Darebin Secondary College in 2005)
- Holy Spirit School (Catholic)
- St. Mary’s Primary school (Catholic)
- Distance Education Centre, Victoria, the headquarters of this Department of Education agency, co-located on Darebin Creek with
- Victorian School of Languages, the headquarters of this Department of Education agency.
Public open space
- Strettle Wetland (Merri Creek)
- Northcote Municipal Golf Links
- Mayer Park
- Sir Douglas Nichols Reserve
- Penders Park (Electric barbecues, playground)
- Hayes Park (Oval)
- John Cain Memorial Park (including the Darebin International Sports Centre facilities, namely four soccer fields, the State Cycling Centre velodrome, the State Lawn Bowls Centre)
Notable residents
- Denise Scott – comedian
- Jack Helms – musician/basket-baller
- Lauren Macauley – Twin
- Oscar Norton – Child of the stolen generation
- Jack Rickard – Arctic enthusiast
- Adam Watson – Involved in the Thornbury bread heist
- Michael Romano – Top streetfighter
Source: Wikipedia
