The Mile Grid, designed by Robert Hoddle in 1837, is ubiquitous in Melbourne's southeast suburbs. Its tilt of 8° east of north crystallizes the direction of magnetic north around 1900. (2/12) #PirateGeoWeirdness #MountWaverley

The Mile Grid is different to the well-known Hoddle Grid of the Central Business District, which runs 20° west of north, to align with the Yarra River. (3/12) #PirateGeoWeirdness #MountWaverley

Both grids are visible in Geoff Boeing's 2018 survey of street directions of world cities. https://geoffboeing.com/2018/07/city-street-orientations-world/ (4/12) #PirateGeoWeirdness #MountWaverley

Named for the Waverley series of historical novels by Sir Walter Scott, the sprawling area was split into Mount Waverley and adjacent Glen Waverley in 1905. "Mount" Waverley is a gentle hill that not even I work up a sweat climbing. The suburb's highest point is about 140 m above sea level. (5/12) #PirateGeoWeirdness #MountWaverley

Mount Waverley's biggest claim to mapping fame is that it was the birthplace of Melbourne's beloved street directory, Melway, whose first edition was released in 1966, and whose 50th edition was released in 2023. Every driver had a Melways in their car. Everyone knew their home's map number and grid reference. (I grew up at Map 123 E11.) (6/12) #PirateGeoWeirdness #MountWaverley

Mount Waverley's central street is Stephensons Road, which changes names as soon as you cross the suburb boundaries in either direction, taking on _seven other names_ across its 40 km length. (7/12) #PirateGeoWeirdness #MountWaverley

Crossing Stephensons Road is High Street Road. No, I didn't stutter: High Street Road is the road that leads to High Street (in nearby Ashburton). I used to live on High Street Road, whose street numbering duplicated that of High Street, and I got very good at directing lost drivers who found us looking for the sports medicine clinic in Ashburton. Evidently they couldn't read their Melways. (8/12) #PirateGeoWeirdness #MountWaverley

In true #GeoWeirdness spirit, Mount Waverley has a Court which is not a Court: Malcolm Court, only one of whose three segments could remotely be considered a true cul-de-sac. (9/12) #PirateGeoWeirdness #MountWaverley

Mount Waverley is notable for producing some of Australia's most iconic celebrities: musician Shirley Strachan, TV presenter John Blackman, theatrical actor Marina Prior, Musician Flea, and serial killer Peter Dupas. (10/12) #PirateGeoWeirdness #MountWaverley