Pennydale is an historical name for a neighbourhood in the suburb of Cheltenham in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, approximately 19 km south-east of the Melbourne central business district. Pennydale is that part of Cheltenham lying between Bay Road to the north, Jack Road to the west, Park Road to the south, and the Frankston railway line, and is entirely within the local government area of the City of Bayside.
To the north-east of Pennydale, on the opposite side of the railway line and within Cheltenham, is the Westfield Southland shopping centre, which was opened in 1968. It has been expanded in a number of stages over the years, including a bridge, containing shops, across the Nepean Highway.
History - Edwin Thomas Penny
The name Pennydale began its use in the early part of the 20th Century due to the joining of the name of the prominent family living on the site – the Penny family – and the name "dale" being an old English word meaning "valley". The Penny family – and Edwin Thomas Penny specifically, were so highly regarded in the community that they began calling the area Pennydale as a sign of endearment since the land itself used by the family for fruit and vegetable growing sat in a large valley from Tulip Grove being the highest land in the area, towards the bay. The name became used by family and friends as well as other local residents who moved into the area both during ET Penny's life, but more-so after he had passed away suddenly on 9 December 1916 aged just 67. A newspaper article in the Oakleigh Leader 27 October 1894 page 5 on Penny and his orchards stated about Cheltenham that "the township, by the way, is named after the well known watering place in England, and is sheltered by hills the same as in the old country." This then is the genesis of the Dale section of the name. (Oakleigh Leader 27 Oct 1894 page 5).
The name Pennydale was introduced officially when a post office was established in the Bay Road East shopping centre on 3 March 1956. The Post office – located at 360 Bay Road - was opened by the Post Master General as a means of avoiding confusion in deliveries between the Cheltenham and the Highett Post Offices. The official postal address at that time was "Pennydale S22". When the system changed to using Post Codes, Pennydale used the same Post Code as Cheltenham being 3192. On 27 October 1993 the Post Office became a Licensed Post Office and it ran as such until it closed down on 25 August 1999. The reason for the closure was that a new post office had opened within the Southland Shopping Centre and it was deemed that the Pennydale Post Office was no longer required. Following the closure of the post office, many residents have continued using the name since that time, and letters addressed to Pennydale 3192 are still being delivered even today.
As stated, the name Pennydale was chosen in the 1950s to avoid confusion with post offices in Highett and Cheltenham. It was proposed by Cr Everest A Le Page (Moorabbin City Council) that the new post office be named in recognition of the contribution of Edwin Thomas Penny, a man that had been a friend of both his Father and his Grandfather in the district as it opened up as well as a fellow Councillor and Mayor of the Shire. This nomination was made following a request from the Post Master Generals Office for the council to suggest a suitable name. Cr Le Page also noted that Edwin Penny had primarily been responsible for the South African Boer War Memorial in Cheltenham. A member of the Penny Family is listed as a returned soldier on that monument (L W 4 Penny). The memorial was placed on the corner of Charman Road and the Point Nepean Road and originally was built with 2 wonderful lamps and a drinking fountain. The Moorabbin Council surveyed residents in the area, who agreed with the name Pennydale as many residents already used that name at the time anyway.