City of Knox

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. 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:

Election results

2024

Townships and localities

At the , the city had a population of 159,103, up from 154,110 in the .

^ - Territory divided with another LGA

Population

Religion

• 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

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.

References

References

1. {{Census 2021 AUS
2. (27 March 2019). "3218.0 – Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2017-18: Population Estimates by Local Government Area (ASGS 2018), 2017 to 2018". [[Australian Bureau of Statistics]].
3. (2004-04-25). "Kennett's blitz a decade on".
4. "Knox City".
5. "City of Knox Coat of Arms".
6. "Municipality of Fern Tree Gully, Victoria".
7. Knox City Council. (2021). "Knox community demographics".
8. (1992). "Victorian Municipal Directory". Arnall & Jackson.
9. (December 1993). "Local governments side by side: comparative information on Victorian councils". Office of Local Government, Department of Planning and Development.
10. "Mayor, councillors and wards".
11. (2025-11-21). "New Mayor elected in Knox {{!}} Knox".
12. (11 January 2023). "Census {{!}} Australian Bureau of Statistics".
13. "Population by Religion, City of Knox". idcommunity.