Urban sprawl in Melbourne’s growth suburbs illustrated by Nearmap aerial images

IF it feels like Melbourne is growing before your very eyes, you might be right. Time-lapse aerial images show the amazing pace of our urban sprawl. WATCH

Aerial images show how much Clyde North has changed. Pictures: Nearmap

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HAVE you had the feeling that Melbourne has gotten a lot bigger? You aren’t imagining it — new aerial images show the amazing pace of urban sprawl on the fringes of the city.

HAVE YOUR SAY: What do you think of the pace of growth in Melbourne’s outer suburbs? Tell us below.

The time lapse shots, from aerial imagery company Nearmap, show how green space and waste land has been engulfed by building in areas such as Clyde North, Caroline Springs, Cranbourne, Epping and Point Cook.

The growth in Caroline Springs from February 2012 to February 2017. Pictures: Nearmap

Cranbourne has changed from December 2012 to March 2017. Pictures: Nearmap

They show the pace of urban sprawl over the past five or six years in a matter of seconds.

That speedy growth seems unlikely to slow down in the years to come, with the State Government announcing this year that it would release extra land to help create 17 new Melbourne suburbs.

Epping North has borne much of the sprawl in Melbourne’s north between April 2011 and February 2017. Pictures: Nearmap

This part of Point Cook has become much more densely populated in the five years to February 2017. Pictures: Nearmap