Keilor

When explorer John Batman first set eyes on the flat lands now partially occupied by the International Airport at Tullamarine, he described them as 'the most beautiful sheep plains' he had ever seen.

In their time the Keilor plains have grazed a few sheep and produced many a tonne of fruit and vegetables, but people have long since replaced the jumbucks, the peach trees and cabbages as suburbia has crept outwards.

Keilor was also targeted by early feminist Caroline Chisholm as the site for one of ten shelters to provide for the needy wives and children of prospectors. An inscribed panel on the Keilor site on the Calder Highway records the history of the Chisholm care sheds.

A significant slice of history is also tied up in Overnewton, the home of long-term local politician William Taylor, 'the father of Keilor'.

Regional jewel in the environmental crown is Brimbank Park - a large amphitheatre formed by the high bank which flanks the Maribyrnong River. The park is a favoured refuge for bush-walkers, anglers, canoeists, bird-watchers, kite fliers and picnickers.