West Ryde

History
Ryde was the third region chosen for settlement after Sydney Cove and Parramatta.

In the late 1790s the land covering West Ryde and Melrose Park was granted to William Balmain, an assistant surgeon on the First Fleet. The suburb began to develop when the railway line between Strathfield and Hornsby was opened in 1886, and a station was built at West Ryde.

West Ryde was a quiet, rural area that was not subdivided until the early 1900s. A survey by the transport authorities in the 1930s noted that it was the fourth least industry-intensive district in the metropolitan area. After the Second World War, hundreds of veterans purchased land in the suburb.

The City Mutual Insurance Company acquired the land covering Melrose Park in 1926, which had previously been open space. The suburb was named after a famous aviator, Jimmy Melrose, and its streets were named after other famous flyers.

Today Melrose Park is a quiet waterside suburb and West Ryde is home to many young families.

Shopping
The local shops are at West Ryde shopping centre on Victoria Road and Ryedale Road, where there are approximately 50 stores.

Sports and Fitness Centres
The Ryde Eastwood Leagues Club has a gym and a pool.

Transport and Distance From The CBD
West Ryde and Melrose Park are located 17.5km north-west of the CBD. Trains to the city from West Ryde station run every 15 minutes in peak hour and every 30 minutes in off-peak times. West Ryde is also well serviced by local buses, the L20 and 501 run to the city, the 523 and 524 to Parramatta, and the 534 runs to Chatswood. From Melrose Park, the 513 service runs near Meadowbank Wharf, where the Rivercat journey takes 45 minutes to reach the city.

Real Estate and Design
West Ryde has older character homes in Federation and California bungalow styles, built in the early 1900s, while Melrose Park has many 1940 and 1950s cottages.

Restaurants and Cafés
There are a few pizza shops and Asian food restaurants around the West Ryde Shopping Centre.

Schools and Education Institutions
There are two local primary schools in West Ryde – the West Ryde Public School on Endeavour Street and Ermington Public School on Winbourne Street. The co-ed Marsden High School is on Winbourne Street. In Melrose Park, Melrose Park Public School is located on Wharf Road. Meadowbank College of TAFE offers courses in business studies, fine arts, information technology, engineering, health and fitness, massage therapy, beauty, nail technology, hairdressing, general education, construction and transport, hospitality, nursing, and child studies. Facilities include the See Street Gallery, hair and beauty centre, ship and boat building facilities, a CISCO Regional Academy, sports and fitness centre, massage therapy clinic, language laboratories, a community services and health training facility, and is located on See Street, Meadowbank.