The City of Knox is a local government area in Victoria, Australia in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. It is headquartered in the suburb of Wantirna South. It has an area of and recorded a population of 159,103 at the . This municipality is one of only a handful that survived the widespread municipal amalgamations that occurred in Victoria in the early 1990s.
History
The City of Knox was named after Sir George Hodges Knox (1885–1960), a former soldier and speaker of the Victorian Legislative Assembly. The City of Knox Crest incorporates his family's motto 'Move and Prosper'.
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. It was declared a City on 4 July 1969.
By the 1986 Census, the area was home to over 100,000 residents. Accessed at State Library of Victoria, La Trobe Reading Room. Before the local government reforms of the 1990s, the Cities of Knox and Waverley were the state's two most populous municipalities, with around 125,000 residents each.
The City of Knox was one of the few councils (and one of only four in Melbourne) to survive the statewide amalgamations. On 15 December 1994, its boundaries were extended to add the suburb of Upper Ferntree Gully and part of Lysterfield from the former Shire of Sherbrooke, while it ceded the locality of Lysterfield South to the City of Casey.
Wards
At present, the City of Knox has nine wards, each electing one councillor for a period of four years.
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 Knox City Council is composed of nine single-member wards. The mayor and deputy are elected by councillors at an annual meeting in November.
Current composition The most recent election was held in October 2024. The current council, as of November 2024, is:
WardPartyCouncillorNotes Baird Independent Labor Peter Lockwood Chandler Independent Paige Kennett Mayor since 20 November 2025 Collier Independent Chris DuncanMayor since 20 November 2025 Dinsdale Independent Liberal Robert Williams Dobson Independent Meagan Baker Friberg Independent Liberal Parisa Considine Scott Independent Lisa Cooper Taylor Independent Susan Pearce Tirhatuan Independent Glen Atwell
Election results 2024
Townships and localities At the , the city had a population of 159,103, up from 154,110 in the .
Population Locality 2016 2021 11,758 12,262 22,195 23,607 26,428 27,398 7,462 7,645 ^ 6,663 6,681 33,672 33,571 ^ 1,061 970 6,022 6,066 4,416 4,497 ^ 3,416 3,417 13,818 14,237 19,271 20,754
^ - Territory divided with another LGA
Housing +Largest housing developments in Knox (ranked by size)RankNameSuburbBlocksDeveloperEstablishedProminent streets1Rowville LakesRowville1500LJ Hooker1977Lakeside Blvd, Eildon Pde, Taylors Ln 7Regency ParkWantirna SouthStocks & Holdings19722Park RidgeRowville1100Stocks & Holdings1979Dandelion Dr, Wentworth Ave, Willow Ave 5Mountain GateFerntree Gully950Overland Development1959Mountain Gate Dr, Adele Ave, Ashton Rd4Johnson Park / FairhillsFerntree Gully880Clayton Timber1959Ligtwood Dr, Manuka Rd, Johnson Dr6Carrington ParkKnoxfield6003Boronia GardensBoronia480 Sunhill Corporation1959Lewis Rd, Pentlowe Rd, Rathmullen Rd8Knox ParkWantirna South9StudfieldWantirna South10Kent ParkFerntree Gully
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
CityLife Church 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 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 List of places on the Victorian Heritage Register in the City of Knox
References
External links
Knox City Council – official website Knox Historical Society Inc. Link to Land Victoria interactive maps. . City of Knox Community Profile Public Transport Victoria local public transport map (archived)