Oakleigh is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 14 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Monash local government area on the traditional lands of the Woiwurrung and Boonwurrung Peoples. Oakleigh recorded a population of 8,442 at the 2021 census.

Once a large independent city, Oakleigh was absorbed into Melbourne as part of the eastward expansion of the metropolis in the 1950s. As a result, it once had its own large historic Central Business District, its municipality in the former City of Oakleigh and its suburbs.

The area is traditionally known to have a strong Greek cultural influence, largely due to the influx of immigrants to Australia in the mid-20th century. Thirteen per cent of those living in the suburb speak only Greek at home.

Although the origin of the name of the suburb, "Oakleigh," is unclear, local historians have three main theories – that it was derived from she-oaks that grew near Scotchmans Creek; from "Oakleigh Park" an estate near Malvern Hills in England; or from Mrs Oakley, an early settler.

History

The Oakleigh area was originally owned and inhabited by the Woiwurrung and Boonwurrung Peoples of the Kulin Nation. Boonwurrung belief holds that their land was created by the creator deity Bundjil. Following major dispossession of these Peoples by European colonists, a grazing run was established in the settled district east of Melbourne in the early 1840s, for which the lease was taken up by farmers John and Archibald McMillan. Scotchman's Creek Run, as it became known, was named after the Scottish settlers in the area in and near the run (including the McMillan, Campbell, and McPherson families). By 1853, Scotchman's Creek was known as South Yarra Creek, due to the well known South Yarra Pound (built in the area in the early 1840s on behalf of the government to collect stray livestock) and the associated South Yarra Inn. Part of the Parish of Mulgrave, County of Bourke, Oakleigh was first surveyed in 1853, and the first blocks of land were sold soon after. Oakleigh Post Office opened on 1 August 1854.

The Shire of Oakleigh was created in 1871 and a boom in settlement followed the opening of the Melbourne-Oakleigh railway line in 1877.

Oakleigh, along with Dandenong, soon became one of the closest large cities to Melbourne, and the key to its development was the railway line to Melbourne. Railway workshops, brick works (until 1953, the area supplied 20% of Melbourne's bricks), sand mining, and market gardens became the most important industries in Oakleigh at the end of the 19th century. The suburb contributed greatly to Melbourne's rapid growth, and as a result, Oakleigh has a legacy of many large old buildings and institutions, mostly located between the railway line and the main road at Dandenong Road (which once serviced the city).

The Oakleigh Hall (formerly the Mechanics' Institute) which once served as the town hall (1906), post office (1924) and courthouse (1934) still remains, as does a grandstand of the cricket and football oval. The Sacred Heart Church, a large Edwardian church with its twin copper dome, is still a landmark of the area and is now part of a school.

Oakleigh's urban potential was increased by the addition of part of Caulfield, comprising present day Hughesdale, in 1913. In 1924 Oakleigh was proclaimed a town and on 2 August 1927, a city. By then the Oakleigh area was substantially built up, and housing was extending to Hughesdale and Huntingdale (East Oakleigh) in the vicinity of their railway station. At the close of the war these areas were described as rising suburbs. Because the land in Oakleigh South was sandy and fairly flat – suitable for golf courses – Oakleigh South was the home of Sand Belt private golf courses such as the Metropolitan, Commonwealth, and Huntingdale Golf Clubs. Heritage Victoria has since granted provisional heritage status to the building. The motel ushered in an era when the motor car dominated the city as Melbourne sprawled and expanded to absorb Oakleigh and also Dandenong into its ever-expanding south-eastern conurbation.

Oakleigh was defined as a Major Activity Centre as part of the Melbourne 2030 planning policy.

Demographics and housing

The area is traditionally known to have a strong Greek cultural influence, largely due to the influx of said immigrants to Australia in the mid-20th century. Fourteen percent of those living in the suburb speak Greek at home.

The Oakleigh Recreation Centre is the suburbs primary indoor sporting facility, offering the council's 176,000 residents and those of nearby municipalities' state of the art recreational facilities and an array of pools to improve community health and activity.

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Image:Oakleigh Hall.jpg|Oakleigh Hall, Oakleigh's historic former town hall, post office and courthouse

<!-- Deleted image removed: File:Oakleigh-station-platform.jpg|Oakleigh Railway Station -->

Image:Walkway between atherton rd and chester st in oakleigh.jpg|Cafes in Oakleigh

Image:outdoor-dining-oakleigh.jpg|Cafes and outdoor dining in Eaton Mall, Oakleigh.

Image:shopping-stall-oakleigh.png|One of the shopping laneways in Oakleigh, with traditional Greek cobblestone.

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See also

  • City of Oakleigh – Oakleigh was previously within this former local government area.
  • Oakleigh railway station
  • Electoral district of Oakleigh

References

  • Greek Orthodox Community of Oakleigh and District
  • Oakleigh Monash Leader (Newspaper)
  • Monash Public Library Service
  • Greek Immigration to Australia
  • Oakleigh and District Historical Society
  • Oakleigh Precinct Website