City of Knox
| City of Knox Victoria | |||||||||||||||
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 Map of Melbourne showing City of Knox | |||||||||||||||
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| Population | 165,147 (2020)[1] (42nd) | ||||||||||||||
| • Density | 1,449/km2 (3,752/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Established | 1963 | ||||||||||||||
| Area | 114 km2 (44.0 sq mi)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Mayor | Lisa Cooper | ||||||||||||||
| Council seat | Wantirna South | ||||||||||||||
| Region | Greater Melbourne | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | |||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Aston | ||||||||||||||
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| Website | City of Knox | ||||||||||||||
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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
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]Knox City Council is comprised of nine single-member wards. The mayor and deputy are elected by councillors at an annual meeting in November.[8]
Current composition
[edit]The most recent election was held in October 2024. The current council, as of November 2024, is:
| Ward | Councillor | Party | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baird | Peter Lockwood | Independent Labor | ||
| Chandler | Paige Kennett | Independent | ||
| Collier | Chris Duncan | Independent | ||
| Dinsdale | Robert Williams | Independent Liberal | ||
| Dobson | Meagan Baker | Independent | ||
| Friberg | Parisa Considine | Independent Liberal | ||
| Scott | Lisa Cooper | Independent | Mayor since 22 November 2024[9] | |
| Taylor | Susan Pearce | Independent | ||
| Tirhatuan | Glen Atwell | Independent | Deputy Mayor since 22 November 2024[9] | |
Election results
[edit]2024
[edit]| Party | Votes | % | Swing | Seats | Change | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | 62,345 | 67.69 | 6 |  1
| |||
| Independent Liberal | 18,867 | 20.48 | 2 |  1
| |||
| Independent Labor | 10,114 | 10.98 | 1 | 
| |||
| Animal Justice | 784 | 0.85 | 0 |
| |||
| Formal votes | 92,110 | 96.94 | |||||
| Informal votes | 2,912 | 3.06 | |||||
| Total | 95,022 | 100.00 | 9 |
| |||
| Registered voters / turnout | 111,492 | 85.23 | |||||
Townships and localities
[edit]The 2021 census, the city had a population of 159,103 up from 154,110 in the 2016 census[11]
| 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
[edit]| 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
[edit]Religion in the City of Knox (2016)[12]
- CityLife Church – CityLife Church Weblink
- Hills Bible Church- Hills Bible Church is a Reformed Baptist congregation
- Knox Community Baptist Church
- St. Jude's Parish, Scoresby
- Knox Presbyterian Church
- Our Saviours Lutheran Church
- Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- The Salvation Army
- Truth and Liberation Concern
- St.Thomas Anglican Church Upper Ferntree Gully
Transport
[edit]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
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ 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.
- ^ a b "Kennett's blitz a decade on". The Age. 25 April 2004. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ "Knox City". Victorian Places. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
- ^ "City of Knox Coat of Arms". Knox City Council. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ "Municipality of Fern Tree Gully, Victoria". Museums Victoria Collections. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
- ^ Knox City Council (2021). "Knox community demographics". Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ Victorian Municipal Directory. Brunswick: Arnall & Jackson. 1992. pp. 409, 832–833. Accessed at State Library of Victoria, La Trobe Reading Room.
- ^ a b "Mayor, councillors and wards". Knox City Council. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ a b "Cr Lisa Cooper elected Mayor | Knox". www.knox.vic.gov.au. 22 November 2024.
- ^ "Knox City Council election". VEC. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
- ^ "Census | Australian Bureau of Statistics". www.abs.gov.au. 11 January 2023.
- ^ "Population by Religion, City of Knox". idcommunity. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
External links
[edit]
Media related to City of Knox at Wikimedia Commons- Knox City Council – official website
- Knox Historical Society Inc.
- Link to Land Victoria interactive maps. Archived 24 March 2022 at the Wayback Machine.
- City of Knox Community Profile
- Public Transport Victoria local public transport map (archived)
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