Highpoint Shopping Centre is a

shopping centre A shopping center in American English, shopping centre in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English (see American and British English spelling differences#-re, -er, spelling differences), shopping complex, shopping arcade, ...

located in Maribyrnong, in the western suburbs of

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

Victoria, Australia Victoria, commonly abbreviated as Vic, is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state (after Tasmania), with a land area of ; the second-most-populated state (after New South Wales), with a population of over 7 million; ...

. Highpoint is Victoria's third largest shopping centre and the fifth largest in Australia, with an annual turnover of $778 million and over 15 million shoppers visiting each year. It is the largest shopping centre serving Melbourne's western and north western suburbs, an area with a population of at least half a million people.

History

Highpoint is built on a hill which looks out over the

Maribyrnong River The Maribyrnong River is a perennial river of the Port Phillip catchment, located in the northwestern suburbs of Melbourne, in the Australian state of Victoria. Course The Maribyrnong River draws its headwaters from near Mount Macedon within ...

to Melbourne's CBD, hence its name. An anti-aircraft battery operated on the site during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

for protection of the surrounding military bases and ammunition works in Maidstone and Maribyrnong. The 50-acre site was previously a quarry, as can be seen by the quarry cliff face walls of the lower carparks. The land was sold by the City of Essendon for $1.85 million in April 1971, with permission required also from the

City of Sunshine The City of Sunshine was a Local government in Australia, local government area about west of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. The city covered an area of , and existed from 1860 until 1994. History ...

as the quarry was also located in that local government area. Highpoint West opened in September 1975. Built by Development Underwriting Ltd. for $12,000,000. Named originally "Westland" to fit in with other shopping centres, Northland, etc., it opened as "Highpoint West". It was later renamed "Highpoint City", and then just "Highpoint".

Redevelopment

2011 - 2013

The most recent rounds of expansion and redevelopment occurred in two stages, commencing in March 2011. An additional 30,000 m² was added including the first David Jones department store in Melbourne's western suburbs. Expansions, over two levels, incorporated traffic flow improvements, an additional 1,000 car spaces and 100 extra speciality retailers. The first stage of the redevelopment opened 18 October 2012 included a new Woolworths as well as a Fresh Food Market, and an improved car park with "Park Assist" technology. The second stage opened on 14 March 2013 including the David Jones store over two levels, an

Apple Store The Apple Store is a chain of Retail, retail stores owned and operated by Apple Inc. The stores sell, service and repair various Apple products, including Macintosh, Mac desktop and MacBook laptop personal computers, iPhone smartphones, iPad ta ...

, Australia's 2nd Samsung Experience store, a Topshop clothing store (now closed and replaced by Uniqlo) and a Zara clothing store along with 98 specialty stores and an extra 1,000 car spaces. One of the redevelopments aims was to improve the centre's sustainability.

Highpoint Urban Village plan

In 2021, GPT approved the Highpoint Urban Village plan, a development plan for an

urban village In urban planning and urban design, design, an urban village is an urban development typically characterized by medium-density housing, mixed use zoning, good public transit and an emphasis on pedestrianization and public space. Contemporary urb ...

composed of a mixture of residential and commercial uses, community facilities, green open spaces and provision for additional retail. The 30-year plan includes proposals for a new library and community hub, new green space including a new town plaza, around 3,000 new dwellings, bus interchange upgrades and the construction of commercial and retail spaces.

Ownership

Until 2006, Highpoint was wholly owned by Melbourne's Besen family (also owners of the Sussan retail chain). In March 2006, the GPT (General Property Trust) Group purchased a 50% stake and management rights in the centre for about A$621.2 million. In September 2017, GPT bought the remaining 50% of Highpoint for $680 million. The Highpoint complex was independently valued at $2.3 billion in late 2016.

References

External links

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accessibility.com.au - Highpoint Shopping Centre
Disability information resource reports on accessibility of this shopping centre for users of wheelchairs or baby strollers.
Australian Steel Institute Steel Design Awards - 2006 - Highpoint Shopping Centre - Southern Extension
Discusses how steel trusses were used for a complex dome structure in this building extension. This was the winner in the "small project" category. {{Coord, 37, 46, 24, S, 144, 53, 09, E, type:landmark, display=title Shopping centres in Melbourne Shopping malls established in 1975 Maribyrnong, Victoria Buildings and structures in the City of Maribyrnong 1975 establishments in Australia