Highett, Victoria

Highett (/haɪət/) is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 16 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Cities of Bayside and Kingston local government areas. Highett recorded a population of 12,016 at the 2021 census.

Located 2 km east of Port Phillip, Highett is bordered by Hampton/Sandringham to the west, Hampton East/Moorabbin to the north and Cheltenham to the east and south.

The name comes from William Highett, a parliamentarian and local land owner in the 1850s. He purchased Crown land west of Bluff Road, originally part of Dendy's Special Survey, in 1853. The area was mainly used for market gardens up until World War II.

The Highett railway station was built when the line from Caulfield to Mordialloc was opened in 1881. Little development happened after the arrival of the railway; the Highett Post Office did not open until 17 November 1924.

The Highett Hall was opened on 11 September 1926 and was used for dances, balls, vaudeville performances and later as a cinema. However it always struggled to find a profitable means to continue operation. It was purchased by the Moorabbin City Council in 1966 and then demolished to make way for the Highett Library, which opened on 1 August 1969.

In 1927 a number of Anglicans banded together to open St Stephens Church of England, in Donald Street, Highett. This was the first church built for the local inhabitants of Highett and by 1937 there was also a Catholic church.

In 1939 the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC) constructed a factory in Highett to build aircraft wings and fuselages to support Australia in the Second World War. The factory continued operation until the end of the war in 1945 when the tradesmen were transferred to the main CAC factory in Fishermans Bend and the Bay Road site was closed.

Four large gasometers on land near the intersection of Nepean Highway and Bay Road were a prominent landmark in the area for most of the 20th century.