Beaumaris, a coastal suburb of Melbourne, has a rich historical foundation shaped by both early settlement and community development. The first cemetery in the area was established in 1854 when Stephen and Mary Ann Charman, early settlers in Cheltenham, donated land for burials at the churchyard of a small timber Wesleyan Church, located at the corner of present-day Balcombe Road and Bickford Court. The cemetery saw its first burials in 1855 and 1859, including two of the Charman children. It remained in operation for just 11 years, closing in 1866 due to capacity issues. Over time, the church building was sold and relocated, and the land converted to grazing. In 1954, as land values rose, the Methodist Church received permission to subdivide the site. Concerns that earlier graves may not have been relocated were later commemorated in 1998 with a bronze plaque at the corner of Balcombe Road and Bickford Court.

The modern suburb of Beaumaris evolved from two early estates in the Moorabbin parish, developed by Josiah Holloway beginning in 1852. These were named Beaumaris Town and Beaumaris Estate, reflecting the earlier Moysey holding. Holloway’s marketing promoted the promise of a nearby railway and a proposed canal, enticing buyers with comparisons to Ramsgate in East Kent, calling it “The Ramsgate of Victoria.” Auctioning of land lots in the 1870s gradually shaped the area, though development was slow.

Postal services also reflected the suburb’s gradual growth. Beaumaris Post Office initially opened in March 1868 but was quickly renamed Gipsy Village (now Sandringham). It did not reopen under the Beaumaris name until 1925, later renamed Beaumaris South in 1957, following the opening of a new post office at the present location. The suburb saw other early civic structures emerge, including the Beaumaris Hotel, the first shop, and a civic hall in the 1880s.

Notable landmarks include the “Great Southern” Hotel, built in 1889 as a seaside resort and later renamed the Beaumaris Hotel in the 1920s. Despite surviving the devastating Beaumaris bushfires of 1944, it was extensively rebuilt in 1950. In 2014, the historic hotel was converted into 58 modern apartments, reflecting the suburb’s evolution from a quiet coastal settlement to a thriving residential area.

Beaumaris’ history highlights the interplay of early European settlement, careful estate development, and enduring landmarks that continue to define the character of this bayside suburb.