City of Knox

City of Knox
Victoria
Map of Melbourne showing City of Knox
Map
Population165,147 (2020)[1] (42nd)
 • Density1,449/km2 (3,752/sq mi)
Established1963
Area114 km2 (44.0 sq mi)[1]
Mayorto be elected
Council seatWantirna South
RegionGreater Melbourne
State electorate(s)
Federal division(s)Aston
WebsiteCity of Knox
LGAs around City of Knox:
Whitehorse Maroondah Yarra Ranges
Monash City of Knox Yarra Ranges
Greater Dandenong Casey Casey

The City of Knox is a local government area in Victoria, Australia in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. It has an area of 114 square kilometres (44.0 sq mi) and in 2020, Knox had a population of 165,147.[1] This municipality is one of only a handful that survived the widespread municipal amalgamations that occurred in Victoria in the early 1990s.[2]

History

The City of Knox was named after Sir George Hodges Knox (1885–1960), a former soldier and speaker of the Victorian Legislative Assembly.[3] The City of Knox Crest incorporates his family's motto 'Move and Prosper'.[4]

The area which is now Knox was once part of the Scoresby Riding of the Shire of Berwick. On 23 May 1889, the riding was severed to create the Shire of Fern Tree Gully, which extended as far east as Olinda and Monbulk in the Dandenong Ranges. Post-World War II development in the area closer to Melbourne led to rapid urbanisation and population growth—over 21,000 residents lived in the Knox area by the 1961 Census. A plebiscite to determine local residents' views led to the creation of the Shire of Knox on 9 October 1963, which was proclaimed on 16 November 1963 by the Governor of Victoria.[5] It was declared a City on 4 July 1969. By the 1986 Census, the area was home to over 100,000 residents.[6][7]

On 15 December 1994, the City of Knox was one of the few councils (and one of only four in Melbourne) to survive the statewide amalgamation and its boundaries extended to add the suburb of Upper Ferntree Gully and part of Lysterfield from the former Shire of Sherbrooke.[2]

Wards

At present, the City of Knox has nine wards, each electing one councillor for a period of four years.[8]

  • Baird ward
  • Chandler ward
  • Collier ward
  • Dinsdale ward
  • Dobson ward
  • Friberg ward
  • Scott ward
  • Taylor ward
  • Tirhatuan ward

Prior to 1994, the Council had three wards, each of which elected three councillors:

  • Bayswater/Wantirna ward
  • Boronia ward
  • Rowville/Scoresby ward

Council

The Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) manages local council elections every 4 years.[9]

One councillor is elected to represent each of the 9 wards.

The Mayor and Deputy Mayor are elected by the Councillors at the November Council meeting each year.[8]

The council, as of November 2024,[8] is:

Ward Party Councillor Notes
Baird   Independent Peter Lockwood
Chandler   Independent Paige Kennett
Collier   Independent Chris Duncan
Dinsdale   Independent Robert Williams
Dobson   Independent Meagan Baker
Friberg   Independent Parisa Considine
Scott   Independent Lisa Cooper
Taylor   Independent Susan Pearce
Tirhatuan   Independent Glen Atwell

Townships and localities

The 2021 census, the city had a population of 159,103 up from 154,110 in the 2016 census[10]

Population
Locality 2016 2021
Bayswater 11,758 12,262
Boronia 22,195 23,607
Ferntree Gully 26,428 27,398
Knoxfield 7,462 7,645
Lysterfield^ 6,663 6,681
Rowville 33,672 33,571
Sassafras^ 1,061 970
Scoresby 6,022 6,066
The Basin 4,416 4,497
Upper Ferntree Gully^ 3,416 3,417
Wantirna 13,818 14,237
Wantirna South 19,271 20,754

^ - Territory divided with another LGA

Population

Year Population
1961 21,281
1966 36,491
1971 56,786
1976 74,456
1981 88,902
1986 104,207
1991 121,982
1996 130,401
2001 141,408
2006 146,740
2016 154,110
2020 165,147

Religion

Religion in the City of Knox (2016)[11]

  Catholic (21.4%)
  Anglican (9.4%)
  Other Christian (19%)
  Buddhism (3.8%)
  Hinduism (2.6%)
  Any other religion (2.2%)
  Non-religious (33.8%)
  Not stated (8.0%)

Transport

There are a number of bus routes that service the city run by Ventura Bus Lines the city has 4 train stations that are run by Metro Melbourne.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "3218.0 – Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2017-18: Population Estimates by Local Government Area (ASGS 2018), 2017 to 2018". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Australian Bureau of Statistics. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2019. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Kennett's blitz a decade on". The Age. 25 April 2004. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
  3. ^ "Knox City". Victorian Places. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  4. ^ "City of Knox Coat of Arms". Knox City Council. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  5. ^ "Municipality of Fern Tree Gully, Victoria". Museums Victoria Collections. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  6. ^ Knox City Council (2021). "Knox community demographics". Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  7. ^ Victorian Municipal Directory. Brunswick: Arnall & Jackson. 1992. pp. 409, 832–833. Accessed at State Library of Victoria, La Trobe Reading Room.
  8. ^ a b c "Mayor, councillors and wards". Knox City Council. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  9. ^ "Local council elections". www.vec.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
  10. ^ "Census | Australian Bureau of Statistics". www.abs.gov.au. 11 January 2023.
  11. ^ "Population by Religion, City of Knox". idcommunity. Retrieved 21 July 2020.

37°53′S 145°13′E / 37.883°S 145.217°E / -37.883; 145.217