Etymology Clifton Hill was originally part of the municipality of
East Collingwood. It was proclaimed on 24 April 1855 by Collingwood's businessmen to improve the district, initially only including the areas which would later be known as
Collingwood and
Abbotsford. Clifton Hill received its current name, distinguishing it from the remainder of Collingwood, from Clifton Farm, one of the first properties in the area. The word "Hill" was added by land developer John Knipe to spruik his new estate, the first subdivision of which, being 64 freehold properties, was auctioned by Knipe, George and Co. on 18 September 1871.
Pre-European settlement The area now known as Clifton Hill was inhabited from an estimated 31,000 to 40,000 years ago and is part of the lands of the
Wurundjeri people of the
Kulin nation.
19th century In the mid-1850s, East Collingwood was known as an unsanitary flood-prone polluted flat. It was 'Melbourne's multi-problem suburb', described as "An ideal case study in the origins of pollution. The residents were soon wading in (their) own muck ... Collingwood became a cesspool for refuse." The area was "akin to a swamp and the few who ventured forth were looked upon after their return as people who had performed a somewhat perilous journey." In the 1850s, the land that would become Clifton Hill was crown land, but unincorporated, serviced by unsurveyed tracks leading to
Northcote and bounded by the surveyed roads of
Heidelberg Road and
Hoddle Street, East Collingwood was successful in its acquisition of Clifton Hill, and also unsuccessfully pursued the annexation of Studley Park. During the following years, disputes arose as competing interests proposed different locations and routes for infrastructure to be constructed through the municipality, such as major roads and bridges. The North, South, 'flat' and 'slope' of the municipality disputed issues that were all seen to benefit one faction to the detriment of another. The district was soon "covered with innumerable cottages of the comfortable working classes; street after street; row after row, of these neat brick buildings." The
Melbourne Tramway & Omnibus Company's cable tramway reached Clifton Hill in 1887, providing convenient transport to the commercial district of Smith Street, Collingwood,
Bourke Street in the City Centre, as well as spurring development of the local Queens Parade commercial district around the tram terminus. The elevated location, planned wide streets and calibre of housing resulted in Clifton Hill being described in the 1886 as "The Toorak of Collingwood". By the late 20th century, the amenity laid down during development in the 1880s was recognised once more, and Clifton Hill underwent rapid gentrification, with the median property price increasing from 112% to 160% of the Melbourne metropolitan median in the decade to 1996, and 180% by 2017. Furthermore, by this time, the majority of industry had closed or moved elsewhere, freeing industrial sites for residential redevelopment. The former City of Melbourne Quarry at the corner of Ramsden and Yambla Streets, which had become a tip by the 1960s, had been redeveloped into an attractive park, including an adventure playground and skate park, further adding to the amenity of the area. Clifton Hill was the site of the 1987
Hoddle Street massacre, in which 19-year-old
Julian Knight embarked on the 45-minute shooting spree killing seven people and injuring 19 before being arrested by police.
21st century Clifton Hill has been named one of Melbourne's most
liveable suburbs,. Its median property price increased from 112% to 160% of the Melbourne metropolitan median in the decade to 1996 and 180% (
AUD1.48 million) by 2017. ==Geography==