Parkmore, Victoria

Parkmore, Victoria
Planned neighbourhood
Original plan of subdivision (1958)
First occupied in	1959
Founded by	Southern Construction Co.
Government
• Body	City of Whitehorse

Parkmore is a neighbourhood of Forest Hill, in Melbourne's eastern suburbs. It is roughly bounded by Jolimont Road (south), Springvale Road (west), Canterbury Road (north) and Stevens Road (east). Situated in local government area of the City of Whitehorse, it covers an area of approximately 5 square kilometres.

It was established in the late 1950s as a planned neighbourhood called the Parkmore Estate. Developed by the Southern Construction company, over 500 cream brick veneer homes were built. Since the late 2000s, the number of original "Parkmore Homes" has increasingly diminished as more choose to knock down and rebuild.

The neighbourhood was created by a large residential subdivision in the mid–20th century called the Parkmore Estate. Advertised as Australia's most advanced 'complete' community development, over 500 brick veneer homes were built and sold between 1957 and 1961.^[1]

Parkmore was not only the first housing estate of its scale in the City of Nunawading (now Whitehorse), but also the first locally to have made roads, underground water supply and drainage as a complete package to the buyer.^[2]

Established amidst a land boom, it targeted migrants, young couples, small families and retirees in the lower-middle class demographic. The estate's layout was heavily influenced by the mid-20th century American model, characterised by predominantly straight reticulated roads and cul-de-sacs. Prominent streets created by the subdivision include Parkmore Road, Hampshire Road and Wingrove Street.^[3]

Buyers could chose from a selection of about a dozen individual brick designs, with either 3 or 4 bedrooms. A showcase of these was established at the west end of Parkmore Road and formed part of one of Australia's largest display precincts at the time. Opened in November 1959, the "Parkmore Village" featured 10 homes demonstrating various designs priced between £2695 and £3845.^[4]

The Parkmore scheme was devised in the mid-1950s by the Southern Construction Company, which was founded and controlled by J. H. Stockdale. The project was so successful that, in 1960, the Parkmore Property Trust was created as a public unit trust. Headquartered at the ANZ Bank Chambers on Queen Street, the firm invested in industrial, retail and residential property. Company directors (as at 1960) were J. H. Stockdale and J. R. Bishop, E. S. Knight, R. W. A. Dickson, J. H. G. Guest, K. G. Luke and I. R. Veall.^[5]

The Brentford Square shopping centre on the south side of Canterbury Road was developed as part of the Parkmore Estate. Opened in 1960, it comprises 31 individual shops and was one of the first contemporary American-style shopping centres in Nunawading (Whitehorse). Early stores included 697 m² Dickins supermarket at No. 21–25 (opened 1960), a 1050 m² Woolworths supermarket at No. 5-11 (opened February 1965) and a branch of the State Savings Bank of Victoria at No. 20–22 (opened June 1962). An on-site service station was established concurrently, and operated for about 60 years at 484 Canterbury Road before permanently closing in 2020.

In the 1980s, Safeway Australia (now Woolworths) purchased an adjoining paddock and constructed a large supermarket with two restaurants.

Current businesses at Brentford Square (as of 2025) include several restaurants, multiple cafes, gift shops, the Brentford Square Newsagency, Dan Murphy's, two chemists, a dry cleaners, salons, and banks.

A smaller strip of 11 shops (now 10), known as Parkmore Village, was established at Springvale Road in 1959 alongside the independent Vulcan Service Station. The latter was originally run by the Neptune Oil Company and later taken over by Shell, who rebuilt to its present form in the early 1970s. Also around this time, the shops at nos. 415 & 417 were combined and extended to create the 340 m² Tilly's Liquor & Food Store. Since 2007, this has been operated by Chemist Wharehouse, who purchased it outright from the landlord`1 in 2022. Another long-time tenant is Forest Hill Mowers & More (formerly Forest Hill Mowerpower).^[6]

Parkmore State School No. 4881 opened at 38-54 Jolimont Road, near the Parkmore Estate, in 1962. Originally a Light Timber Construction school, it was rebuilt to its present form in 2012.

Parkmore Preschool opened in 1964 at the corner of Parkmore Road and Everglade Avenue.

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  House at Parkmore Road (1959)
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  Type A113 at Parkmore Road (1959)
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  Type A123 at Parkmore Road (1959)
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  Aerial view of Brentford Square, 2024