“We lost the heart”: The grassroots campaign to breathe life back into Mont Albert

Mont Albert’s main street saw 11 shops close in the span of a few months after the closure of the train station three years ago.

Once a vibrant hub, the strip became a shell of its former self – seeing limited visitor numbers and business.

But the community is not accepting defeat. Instead, locals say the village is on the way towards becoming a drawcard for visitors in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs once again.

🚆🌳 From trains to trees: Mont Albert station was closed in February 2023 as part of the State Government’s Level Crossing Removal Project.

Quick catch up: A level crossing is where a railway line crosses a road, footpath, or pathway at the same, flat grade, rather than using a bridge or tunnel.

🛑 Mont Albert impact: So far, the Victorian government has removed 88 intersections and built or rebuilt 48 stations.

• One of the new stations built was Union – sitting in between the former Mont Albert and Surrey Hills stops – officially opened to the public in May 2023.

• After the community rallied together to shape the government’s plans for Mont Albert, work in the precinct also included relocating the heritage-listed station building to form part of the new community plaza, which includes landscaped areas, a community garden and a cafe run by disability support organisation Cape Group.

🪧 A local push: Surrey Hills and Mont Albert Progress Association president Mark Curry said the new hub would not have been possible without a strong community push to advocate for the local council and State Government to come to the table.

• 🗣️ “It’s not just been left to the local council and authorities to restore this place – it's involved active participation from local residents,” Curry told the Eastern Melburnian. “It's been an upward pathway to making it a really valuable local place.”

🛍️ Business returning: Mont Albert Village Business Association and Mont Albert Village Gardening Group convenor Bruce Harvey said the village had seen a number of shopfronts reopen with new businesses, including a dentist, music store and Chinese restaurant.

• 🗣️ “With the loss of the station, we lost the heart of the hub,” Harvey told the Eastern Melburnian.

⏭️ What’s next? The next step in reinventing Mont Albert is the planned upgrade of the streetscape, with many buildings constructed in the 1930s.

• The planned works include widening the footpaths along Hamilton Street and new seating and street infrastructure, with construction set to begin in early 2027.