The name Nunawading, thought to be derived from an Aboriginal word meaning battlefield or ceremonial ground, was initially applied to a vast area which now incorporates Box Hill, Blackburn, Mitcham, Forest Hill and Vermont. The township of Nunawading began life in the 1870s as a producer of bricks and clay. The name Tunstall, named after the famed pottery producing English town, was given to the area, based at the intersection of Whitehorse Road and Springvale Road. The name is still reflected in Tunstall Park, on Luckie Street, Tunstall Avenue, off Springvale Road and the Tunstall Square Shopping Centre, on Tunstall Road, in nearby Donvale. The opening of the Tunstall railway station contributed to the growth of the brick and clay industries, with orchards soon following. Tunstall Post Office opened on 1 February 1889 and was renamed Nunawading in 1945. Following a series of Shire subdivisions throughout the 1920s, the name Nunawading fell from use. The name was reinstated in 1945 when it replaced Tunstall. The period following World War II saw a housing boom in the area, as residential blocks began to replace orchards. The civic centre was opened in 1968 and became the administrative centre for the City of Nunawading, which was later incorporated, along with the City of Box Hill, into the City of Whitehorse, in 1994.
Today
Whitehorse Road is the largest retail strip for bulkgoods in Melbourne. The City of Whitehorse has named this strip the Mega Mile, in an attempt to provide brand recognition for retailers. Nunawading is home to a large Pacific Brands clothing factory and a brick factory. A large Seventh-day Adventist campus exists on Central Road with a church, church offices, a retail book shop, Coronella Retirement Village and the coeducational Nunawading Christian College, as well as a combined kindergarten and Primary School, located on Mount Pleasant Road; Mount Pleasant Road Primary School. The head office of Bird Observation & Conservation Australia is in Springvale Road. It was formerly home to the Winlaton Youth Training Centre, Wobbies World amusement park and the Melbourne studios of the Network Ten television network. The soap opera Neighbours is still filmed in this studio, now owned by Fremantle MediaAustralia. Nunawading has benefited from the new railway station, one of the larger metropolitan stations in the Eastern Suburbs, and the Springvale Road grade separation, in 2010. The south and north areas of Nunawading are now more unified, with better access to the Eastern Freeway, which runs along the top of the suburb. The Nunawading Primary School on Springvale Road has closed and the new Whitehorse Primary School has opened on the site of the old Springview Primary School. This school is next door to the Catholic primary school, St. Phillip's. There is also Mount Pleasant Road Primary School, located on the corner of Mount Pleasant Road and Eugenia St. At September 2019, the average sale price for a house in Nunawading was $899,000 and for a unit it was $694,000. The average weekly rental for a house was $440 and for a unit it was $400.
Demographics
In the 2016 census the population of Nunawading was 11,876, approximately 51.6% female and 48.4% male. The median/average age of the people in Nunawading is 38 years of age. 59.6% of people living in the suburb of Nunawading were born in Australia. The other top responses for country of birth were 7.3% China, 3.9% India, 2.4% England, 2.0% Malaysia, 1.8% Vietnam. 61.4% of people living in Nunawading speak English only. The other top languages spoken are 8.7% Mandarin, 4.9% Cantonese, 1.9% Vietnamese, 1.7% Hindi, and 1.4% Greek. In Nunawading, 30.1% of people were attending an educational institution. Of these, 26.0% were in primary school, 20.2% in secondary school and 24.1% in a tertiary or technical institution. The religious makeup of Nunawading is 34.9% No religion, an 8.7% increase from 2011, 17.8% Catholic, a 4.15% decrease from 2011 and 7.7% Anglican, a 2.9% decrease from 2011. Other top responses included 8.1% Religious affiliation not stated and 5.1% Buddhism.
Sport
The area has an Association Football team, Nunawading City FC, that competes in NPL2 Victoria. It also has an Australian Rules football team, the Nunawading Lions, competing in the Eastern Football League. However, their home ground is in the suburb of Blackburn North. Independent of this is the Nunawading Cricket Club, based at Mahoneys Reserve, in Forest Hill. Competing in the Box Hill Reporter District Cricket Association, the club holds the record number of premierships in the competition and has been the breeding ground of many prominent Australian cricketers, including Victoria and Tasmania seam bowler David Saker; after whose ancestors the club's main ground is named. Nunawading is home to the Nunawading Swimming Club. The Nunawading Swimming Club is the largest swimming club in the Southern Hemisphere. Nunawading is also home to the Beavers Basketball Team and Nunawading Netball Team. The Beavers currently play section 9 on Sundays and are aiming to win the championship this season under the guidance of ex-Warrior Nick Papaziakas. Although their home ground is in Burwood East, the Nunawading Spectres represent Nunawading in the Melbourne East Basketball Association.
