Erinsborough is the fictional suburb where the Australian soap opera Neighbours is set. The show focuses on the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the suburb. Neighbours storylines primarily centre on the residents of Ramsay Street within other Erinsborough locations, namely The Waterhole, Harold's Café, Lassiters Hotel, Erinsborough High School and Erinsborough Hospital. Erinsborough, which is a loose anagram of Neighbours, was originally going to be named Erinsfield. Throughout much of the show's run, it was not stated in which city of Australia Erinsborough is located. The rivalry between Sydney and Melbourne meant that scripts did not, until 1994, mention that Erinsborough is a suburb of the latter city. Since the 2000s it has been explicitly stated that Erinsborough is a suburb of Melbourne.
Some of the first sets that the characters in the show saw and used were the school and the street. The Lassiters Complex within the town was not featured on-screen until 1986, when the fictional character Daphne Clarke (Elaine Smith) began working at the Coffee Shop. When other characters began visiting the cafe, they got to know the rest of the complex. Rosemary Daniels (Joy Chambers), a fictional character on Neighbours, used the complex as a base for the Daniels Corporation and a hotel, which used to include a restaurant, a pub and the Lassiters Lake. There are enough different locations for characters to come into contact with each other daily and enough jobs within the complex to ensure that characters will make each other's acquaintances. The Neighbours sets underwent a makeover in 2010 ahead of the 25th anniversary in March 2011. Bulldozers moved into the Lassiters Complex area to begin work. Many of the sets were revamped and there were some new additions.
Erinsborough High School
Erinsborough High School, a fictional high school, has been featured onscreen since Neighbours began in 1985. It is a co-educational high school, and in its fictional history, it was opened shortly after the Second World War. Many of the characters have been seen attending or working there over the years. The Blackburn English Language Centre in Burwood East, Victoria, and Coburg High School have both been used for location and exterior shots. Kenneth Muir (Roger Boyce) was principal of the school when the series began and Erinsborough High was regularly seen until 1986, when Scott Robinson (Jason Donovan), Charlene Mitchell (Kylie Minogue), Mike Young (Guy Pearce) and Jane Harris (Annie Jones) graduated. The school was not seen again onscreen until late 1988.
The set features a corridor, a stairwell, an office, and a classroom. Other areas of the school, including the playground and changing rooms, have been featured over the years. In 2010, the layout of the classroom was changed as was the school logo. Neighbours' oldest surviving prop is the school's emblem and motto, which is stuck on the doors leading from the car park to the studios. "Erinsborough High School: Sapienter Si Sincere" means wisdom and success. Onscreen, Erinsborough High has faced the threat of closure three times, in 1991, 1997 and 2015, and the school has been merged with both West Waratah Tech and West Waratah High. Erinsborough High's uniform has also been through numerous changes, with the maroon jumper being the most consistent item. A storyline that aired in October 2015 saw a fire destroy part of the school and trap several characters inside.
A spin-off series based in the school setting titled Neighbours: Erinsborough High was released digitally in November 2019. The spin-off was summarised as focusing on "bullying, mental illness, sexuality, cultural diversity, parental and peer pressure, and teacher-student relationships."
In May 2011, Erinsborough High came fourth out of four in a poll run by Inside Soap to find reader's favourite fictional school, which they would most like to attend. Erinsborough High received 16% of the vote.