Toorak () is a suburb of

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, south-east of Melbourne's

Central Business District A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides wit ...

, located within the

City of Stonnington The City of Stonnington is a local government area located within the metropolitan area of Melbourne, Australia. It comprises the inner south-eastern suburbs, between , from the Melbourne CBD. The city covers an area of . Within twenty years o ...

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a federated state, state, province, division (politica ...

. Toorak recorded a population of 12,817 at the 2021 census. The name Toorak has become synonymous with wealth and privilege, the suburb long having the reputation of being Melbourne's most elite, and ranking among the most prestigious in Australia. It has the highest average property values in Melbourne, and is one of the most expensive suburbs in Australia. It is the nation's second highest earning postcode after

Point Piper Point Piper is a small, harbourside eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, east of the Sydney CBD, in the local government area known as the Municipality of Woollahra. Location The suburb of Point Piper sits ...

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

. Located on a rise on the south side (or left bank) of a bend in the

Yarra River The Yarra River or historically, the Yarra Yarra River, (Kulin languages: ''Berrern'', ''Birr-arrung'', ''Bay-ray-rung'', ''Birarang'', ''Birrarung'', and ''Wongete'') is a perennial river in south-central Victoria, Australia. The lower st ...

, Toorak is bordered by

South Yarra South Yarra is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 4 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Cities of Melbourne and Stonnington local government areas. South Yarra recorded a populati ...

, at Williams Road on the west, Malvern, at Glenferrie Road on the east,

Prahran Prahran ( , also colloquially or ), is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 5 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Stonnington local government area. Prahran recorded a population ...

and Armadale, at Malvern Road to the south and the suburbs of

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...

and Hawthorn on the north side of the river. The suburb's main street is considered to be Toorak Road, on which the commercial area of Toorak Village is located.

History

Toponymy

Toorak was named after Toorak House, an

Italianate The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style combined its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century It ...

residence built in 1849 by merchant James Jackson. The name of the house may have originated from the

Woiwurrung language The Woiwurrung, also spelt Woi-wurrung, Woi Wurrung, Woiwurrong, Woiworung, and Wuywurung, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the Woiwurrung language group, in the Kulin people, Kulin alliance. The Woiwurrung people's territory in Central ...

of the indigenous inhabitants, with words of similar pronunciation meaning "black crow" or "reedy swamp".

Toorak House

From 1854 Toorak House served as the residence of the first

Governor of Victoria The governor of Victoria is the representative of Monarchy of Australia, the monarch, currently King Charles III, in the Australian state of Victoria (state), Victoria. The governor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the premier of V ...

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

Sir ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as part ...

Charles Hotham Captain Sir Charles Hotham (14 January 180631 December 1855)B. A. Knox,Hotham, Sir Charles (1806–1855), ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'', Volume 4, MUP, 1972, pp 429-430. was Lieutenant-Governor and, later, Governor of Victoria, A ...

KCB RN and his successors, until the completion of the present

Government House Government House is the name of many of the official residences of governors-general, governors and lieutenant-governors in the Commonwealth and British Overseas Territories. The name is also used in some other countries. Government Houses in th ...

(1876) in the

Kings Domain Kings Domain is an area of parklands in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It surrounds Government House Reserve, the home of the governors of Victoria, the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, and the Shrine Reserve incorporating the Shrine of Remembrance ...

. Toorak Post Office opened around June 1858.

1880s land boom

During the land boom of the 1880s, many large and elaborate mansions were erected in Toorak, often in the

style. Following

East Melbourne East Melbourne is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Melbourne local government area. East Melbourne recorded a population of 4,896 at the 2021 ce ...

and then St Kilda, Toorak, along with

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

, became the new favored location for the wealthy.

1890s depression

The suburb was hit particularly hard by the 1890s economic depression and many wealthy landowners declared bankruptcy and were forced to sell. Nonetheless, the suburb remained and is still Melbourne's home of "

old money Old money is a social class of the rich who have been able to maintain their wealth over multiple generations, in contrast with new money whose wealth has been acquired within its own generation. The term often refers to perceived members of th ...

". During the

Interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period, also known as the interbellum (), lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days) – from the end of World War I (WWI) to the beginning of World War II ( ...

, many houses were built in the

Tudor revival Tudor Revival architecture, also known as mock Tudor in the UK, first manifested in domestic architecture in the United Kingdom in the latter half of the 19th century. Based on revival of aspects that were perceived as Tudor architecture, in rea ...

style; many houses were also designed by society Architect Marcus Martin in the Moderne style over a Georgian building form.

Post-war era

In the period of post-

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

prosperity, rising standards of living and land values caused Toorak to become highly sought after by a new generation of the wealthy, thought by some to be

social climber A ''parvenu'' is a person who is a relative newcomer to a high-ranking socioeconomic class. The word is borrowed from the French language; it is the past participle of the verb ''parvenir'' (to reach, to arrive, to manage to do something). Origin ...

s and

nouveau riche ; ), new rich, or new money (in contrast to old money; ) is a social class of the rich whose wealth has been acquired within their own generation, rather than by familial inheritance. These people previously had belonged to a lower social cla ...

. For some of these people, the focus was simply to have the postcode of Toorak, which was SE 2 and now 3142. As a result, many of the larger mansions were demolished and large holdings were subdivided to make way for flats, townhouses and apartments. In the 1980s, larger houses in Neo-Georgian and Neo-Classical styles began to appear.

Contemporary Toorak

While large mansions have survived in neighbouring Hawthorn,

Kew Kew () is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its population at the 2011 census was 11,436. Kew is the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens ("Kew Gardens"), now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace. Kew is ...

and Armadale, only a few of the original 19th-century mansions in Toorak remain, due in part to the high land value. Two of the most notable are Illawarra House, which was acquired by the National Trust; and Coonac, the most expensive house in Melbourne. In Toorak, some of the old property names live on as street names or the names of blocks of flats, carved out of or built on their sites; Dunraven Avenue, Millicent Avenue, Iona Avenue, Woorigoleen Road, Myoora Road, and Scotsburn Grove are examples.

Demographics

In the 2016 census, there were 12,909 people in Toorak. * 63.9% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were China (excludes

SARs Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a viral respiratory disease of zoonotic origin caused by the virus SARS-CoV-1, the first identified strain of the SARS-related coronavirus. The first known cases occurred in November 2002, and the ...

and Taiwan) 3.6%, England 3.1%, New Zealand 2.2%, India 1.8% and Malaysia 1.2%. * 73.7% of people spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Mandarin 4.5%, Cantonese 1.8%, Italian 1.4%, Greek 1.3% and French 0.9%. * The most common responses for religion were no religion 30.9%, Catholic 17.6% and Anglican 14.9%, * Of the employed people in Toorak, 4.0% worked in legal services. Other major industries of employment included hospitals 3.7%, real estate services 3.1%, general practice medical services 2.9% and clothing retailing 2.7%. * The proportion of Toorak residents with a

Bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

or higher is 46.7%. * The median age is 47.

Housing

Toorak has an unusual mix of high-, low- and

medium-density housing Medium-density housing is a term used within urban planning and academic literature to refer to a category of residential development that falls between detached suburban housing and large multi-story buildings. There is no singular definition of ...

, due to intense subdivision of larger lots in the 1880s, 1920s and 1960s. The predominant housing in Toorak (49.6%) is

apartment An apartment (American English, Canadian English), flat (British English, Indian English, South African English), tenement (Scots English), or unit (Australian English) is a self-contained housing unit (a type of residential real estate) that ...

s, particularly walk-up flats.

Single-family detached home A single-family detached home, also called a single-detached dwelling, single-family residence (SFR) or separate house is a free-standing residential building. It is defined in opposition to a multi-family residential dwelling. Definitions ...

s are also prevalent (30.2%). Some of these homes are in the form of traditional

mansion A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word ''manse'' originally defined a property l ...

s or newer large residences on significant-sized estates, owned by Melbourne's wealthy and social elite. The architectural style of the mansions is predominantly Italianate and colonial. There are also extant stands of semi-detached housing (20.1%), including terraces, which were traditionally fashionable with the middle class and later gentrified.

Heritage listings

Likewise to the surrounding suburbs, Toorak has had a long and storied social and architectural history, resulting in a number of heritage places, including (but not limited too): ''State significance:'' * ''Brett House'', Buddle Drive (VHR H2396), is a

postwar A post-war or postwar period is the interval immediately following the end of a war. The term usually refers to a varying period of time after World War II, which ended in 1945. A post-war period can become an interwar period or interbellum, ...

Modernist Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...

residence constructed in 1955 to the designs of Robin Boyd. A unique postwar interpretation of Georgian architecture. * ''Caringal Flats'', Tahara Road (VHR H0579), is a

flats building constructed in 1951 to the designs of John William Rivett. An early demonstration of postwar Modernist architecture, the building features two buildings, one curved with three-storeys and twelve flats, and the other is a six storey tower with twelve flats, for a total of twenty-four flats. * ''Cranlana'', Clendon Road (VHR H1293), is a residence owned by businessman and philanthropist

Sidney Myer Sidney Myer (born Simcha Myer Baevski (, ); 8 February 18785 September 1934) was a Belarusian-born Australian businessman and philanthropist, best known for founding Myer, Australia's largest chain of department stores. Early life Myer was bor ...

, best known for founding

Myer Myer (stylised MYER) is an Australian mid-range to upscale department store. It trades in all Australian states and one of Australia's two self-governing territories. Myer retails a broad range of products across women's, men's, and child ...

. Myer purchased Cranlana (which was constructed around 1903) in 1921, who remodelled the residence between 1929-30 to the designs of H W and F P Tompkins, and features a large gardens and strong axial landscape designs. * ''Illawarra'', Illawarra Court (VHR H0701), is a Victorian mansion, grandiose in scale and flamboyant in decoration, constructed in 1889-91 for land speculator Charles Henry James, in the Italianate style. * '' Roy Grounds House'', Hill Street (VHR H1963), is a

residence constructed in 1953 to the designs of

Roy Grounds Sir Roy Burman Grounds (18 December 1905 – 2 March 1981) was an Australian architect. His early work included buildings influenced by the Moderne movement of the 1930s, and his later buildings of the 1950s and 1960s, such as the National G ...

, as a personal residence. The residence won the

Victorian Architecture Medal The Victorian Architecture Medal is the highest honour awarded annually by the Victoria Chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects (AIA) and has been awarded 38 consecutive times since 1987. The Medal was originally known as the ‘Street ...

in 1954, and features a central courtyard with circular glass walls. In addition, four flats are located behind the residence, and features mixture of a single studio and three larger, double-storey two bedroom units, all with courtyard gardens. * ''

Toorak House Toorak House is a mansion located in Melbourne, Australia built in 1849 by well-known Melbourne merchant James Jackson. It is notable for its use as Melbourne's firstGovernment House and having inspired the name for the suburb of Toorak. J ...

'', St. Georges Road (VHR H0207), is an early Victorian mansion constructed in 1849 for Melbourne merchant James Jackson by Samuel Jackson, in the Victorian

style. During its history, Toorak House served as Melbourne's first

between 1854 and 1876, before the current Government House was finished in 1876. Today, Toorak House is owned by the

Church of Sweden The Church of Sweden () is an Evangelical Lutheran national church in Sweden. A former state church, headquartered in Uppsala, with around 5.5 million members at year end 2023, it is the largest Christian denomination in Sweden, the largest List ...

abroad. * ''Trawalla'', Lascelles Avenue (VHR H0209), is a two-storey Victorian mansion constructed in 1867-68 for Melbourne merchants George Stevenson, in the Victorian

style. The mansion was enlarged to 50 rooms for retired pastoralist John Simpson of Trawalla, near Beaufort in 1885. The estate was subdivided in the 1930s, which formed the current allotment seen today. ''Local significance:'' * ''Carmel'', Mathoura Road (HO573, Stonnington Planning Scheme), is a two-storey Victorian villa constructed in 1888-89 to the designs of Arthur Edward Clarke, in the Medieval Free style, for politician John Rogers, who served as the Member of the

Victorian Legislative Assembly The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the states and territories of Australia, state lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria in Australia; the state upper house being the Victorian Legislative Council. Both houses sit at Parliament H ...

for the Electoral district of South Yarra between 1894 and 1897. * ''Carnegie House'', Grant Avenue (HO491, Stonnington Planning Scheme), is a two-storey Interwar

Georgian Revival Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover, George I, George II, Ge ...

residence constructed in 1936 to the designs of Yuncken, Freeman & Griffiths. * ''Gelbart House'', Heyington Place (HO733, Stonnington Planning Scheme), is a single-storey

constructed in 1971-72 to the designs of Holgar & Holgar. * ''Heyington Gardens'', Theodore Court (HO735, Stonnington Planning Scheme), is a

flats building constructed in 1962 to the designs of Ernest Fooks. * ''Kinkell'', Lansell Road (HO630, Stonnington Planning Scheme), is a two-storey Federation bungalow constructed in 1916 to the designs of Christopher Cowper. * ''Telgai House'', Struan Street (HO168, Stonnington Planning Scheme), is a two-storey residence constructed in 1923 to the designs of Robert Hamilton, with a later addition constructed in 1932. Bell served as a Councillor for the

City of Prahran The City of Prahran was a local government area about southeast of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The city covered an area of , and existed from 1855 until 1994, when it was merged with the City of Malvern to create the ...

, and later served as the Member of the

for the state

Electoral district of Toorak The electoral district of Toorak was an electorate of the Victorian Legislative Assembly in the British colony and later Australian state of Victoria. Electoral boundary A 1956 map of electoral boundaries shows the Toorak district encompassing ...

from 1945 until his death in 1948.

Politics

Toorak falls within the federal electorate of Higgins. The seat of Higgins was created in 1949 and held by

Harold Holt Harold Edward Holt (5 August 190817 December 1967) was an Australian politician and lawyer who served as the 17th prime minister of Australia from 1966 until Disappearance of Harold Holt, his disappearance and presumed death in 1967. He held o ...

CH 1949–1967, Sir

John Gorton Sir John Grey Gorton (9 September 1911 – 19 May 2002) was an Australian politician, farmer and airman who served as the 19th Prime Minister of Australia, prime minister of Australia from 1968 to 1971. He held office as the leader of the leade ...

GCMG The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III ...

AC CH 1968–1975,

Roger Shipton Roger Francis Shipton (5 August 1936 – 18 January 1998) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Liberal Party and served in the House of Representatives from 1975 to 1990, representing the Melbourne seat of Higgins. Early life ...

OAM 1975–1990,

Peter Costello Peter Howard Costello (born 14 August 1957) is an Australian businessman, lawyer and former politician who served as the treasurer of Australia in Howard government, government of John Howard from 1996 to 2007. He is the longest-serving trea ...

AC 1990–2009,

Kelly O'Dwyer Kelly Megan O'Dwyer (born 31 March 1977) is a former Australian politician. She served in the House of Representatives from 2009 to 2019, representing the Liberal Party, and held senior ministerial office from 2015 to 2019. O'Dwyer was a solic ...

2009–2019 and Katie Allen 2019–2022 (all on behalf of the

Liberal Party of Australia The Liberal Party of Australia (LP) is the prominent centre-right political party in Australia. It is considered one of the two major parties in Australian politics, the other being the Australian Labor Party (ALP). The Liberal Party was fo ...

). However, the seat would fall to the Labor Party for the first time ever in the 2022 Federal Election, with candidate

Michelle Ananda-Rajah Michelle Renuka Ananda-Rajah (; born 10 December 1972) is an Australian politician who is a senator-elect for Victoria. A member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), she previously served as the member for Higgins in the House of Representative ...

winning the seat as Labor took government from the coalition. At State level, it mostly falls within the electorate of Malvern (currently held by the Liberals' Michael O'Brien) since the

2006 Victorian State Election The 2006 Victorian state election, held on Saturday, 25 November 2006, was for the 56th Parliament of Victoria. Just over 3 million Victoria (state), Victorians registered to vote elected 88 members to the Legislative Assembly of Victoria, Legi ...

, with the western part of the suburb falling within the electorate of Prahran (currently held by

Sam Hibbins Samuel Peter Hibbins (born 18 February 1982) is an Australian politician who served as the member for Prahran in the Victorian Legislative Assembly between 2014 and 2024. He served as the co-deputy leader of the Victorian Greens from April 2024 ...

on behalf the

Australian Greens The Australian Greens, commonly referred to simply as the Greens, are a Left-wing politics, left-wing green party, green Australian List of political parties in Australia, political party. As of 2025, the Greens are the third largest politica ...

). At local council level, Toorak falls within the City of Stonnington. Toorak has historically voted for conservative political parties. The Liberal Party retained the seat of Malvern in the 2018 State Election, although there was a 10.1% swing to the Australian Labor Party.

Toorak Village

The Toorak Village features a number of shops, restaurants and cafes, located centrally in Toorak Road. Recent mixed-use developments including St. Germain, have increased the number of offices within Toorak Village.

Places of worship

* Saint John's Anglican Church, an 1862

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

bluestone church, designed by

William Wardell William Wilkinson Wardell (1823–1899) was a noted architect who practiced in the second half of the 19th century, and is best known for a series of landmark buildings in Australia in Melbourne and Sydney. Following a successful career in ...

, dominates the skyline of Toorak, with a large tower including a peal of bells and a distinctive sandstone broach spire. The church was formally established at a meeting held on 21 November 1859. Those present were Messrs Alfred Ross, H. W. Dauglish, J. Goodman, Allan Spowers, John Steavenson, Jas Blackwood, J. Quarterman, W. M. Hammill, H. W. Farrar, George Hull, Captain Sawell, W. T. Wood, P. Gunning, E. Davis, J. Slater, G. Guillaume and son. Construction began in April 1860, and was completed on 23 October 1860. The ground for the church buildings was selected by Bishop Parry at what was the entrance to the Orrong Estate, which was the property of Mr Alfred Ross. The foundation stone was laid by the Governor,

Sir Henry Barkly Sir Henry Barkly (24 February 1815 – 20 October 1898) was a British politician, colonial governor and patron of the sciences. Early life and education Born on 24 February 1815 at Highbury, Middlesex (now London), he was the eldest son of Sus ...

. Saint John's, Toorak is one of the most popular wedding venue churches in Australia. * Saint Peter's Roman Catholic Church, built in 1876 in the

Gothic style Gothic architecture is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It evolved from Romanesque ar ...

and extended in 1934. A

campanile A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell to ...

was added during renovations in 2018. * Toorak Uniting Church (1876), in the Frenchified Gothic style * Swedish Church The

Wesleyan Wesleyan theology, otherwise known as Wesleyan–Arminian theology, or Methodist theology, is a theological tradition in Protestant Christianity based upon the ministry of the 18th-century evangelical reformer brothers John Wesley and Charle ...

Church (1877), formerly on the corner of Toorak and Williams Roads, was illegally demolished in 1990 by developers and later replaced by a block of flats.

Schools

Schools in Toorak include St Catherine's School,

Loreto Mandeville Hall Loreto Mandeville Hall Toorak is an independent Roman Catholic single-sex primary and secondary day school for girls, located in Toorak, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is one of many Loreto schools around the world, establis ...

, St Kevin's College, Glamorgan (now Toorak Campus, the junior school of

Geelong Grammar School Geelong Grammar School is a private Anglican co-educational boarding and day school. The school's main campus is located in Corio on the northern outskirts of Geelong, Victoria, Australia, overlooking Corio Bay and Limeburners Bay. Establ ...

) and Toorak Central School (1890).

Sport

The Royal South Yarra Lawn Tennis Club was founded in 1884 and is located in Toorak.

Kooyong Stadium Kooyong Stadium, at the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club, is an Australian tennis venue, located in the Melbourne suburb of Toorak, adjacent to the namesake suburb of Kooyong. The stadium was built in 1927, and has undergone several renovations. I ...

, former home of the

Australian Open The Australian Open (stylized ΛO) is a tennis tournament organised by Tennis Australia annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. It is chronologically the first of the four Grand Slam (tennis), Grand Sl ...

, is located on Glenferrie Road.

Transport

The most popular form of transport in Toorak is the automobile.

CityLink CityLink is a network of tollways in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, linking the Tullamarine Freeway, Tullamarine, West Gate Freeway, West Gate and Monash Freeways and incorporating Bolte Bridge, Burnley Tunnel and other ...

runs along north eastern Toorak, though there are no interchanges within the suburb, although there is access to the freeway via

MacRobertson Bridge The MacRobertson Bridge is a road bridge that carries Grange Road from Toorak Toorak () is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Stonnington local go ...

and interchanges at

. Main arterials running north–south are Williams Road (at the eastern boundary), Grange Road, Orrong Road, St Georges Road and Kooyong Road. The east–west arterials include Alexandra Avenue (at the northern boundary), Toorak Road (which runs midway through the suburb) and Malvern Road (at the southern boundary). Alexandra Avenue becomes St Georges Road and both along with Grange Road feed onto the MacRobertson Bridge, Toorak's main river crossing. Toorak's road planning is an example of

street hierarchy The street hierarchy is an urban planning technique for laying out road networks that exclude automobile through-traffic from developed areas. It is conceived as a hierarchy of roads that embeds the link importance of each road type in the ne ...

. As a result, there are numerous quiet pedestrian streets. However, traffic congestion is an increasing problem along Toorak Road and Williams Roads. There is limited street parking along the main roads with just a couple of

multi-storey car park A multistorey car park (Commonwealth English) or parking garage (American English), also called a multistorey, parking building, parking structure, parkade (Canadian), parking ramp, parking deck, or indoor parking, is a building designed fo ...

s and parking lots within proximity of the main Toorak Road shopping strip. There are no

level crossing A level crossing is an intersection where a railway line crosses a road, Trail, path, or (in rare situations) airport runway, at the same level, as opposed to the railway line or the road etc. crossing over or under using an Overpass#Railway, o ...

s in Toorak. There is a perception in popular culture of the luxury

4WD A four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, is a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case provi ...

as a

status symbol A status symbol is a visible, external symbol of one's social position, an indicator of Wealth, economic or social status. Many luxury goods are often considered status symbols. ''Status symbol'' is also a Sociology, sociological term – as part ...

, (controversial for their comfort rather than for their

off-road Off-roading is the act of driving or riding in a vehicle on unpaved surfaces such as sand, dirt, gravel, riverbeds, mud, snow, rocks, or other natural terrain. Off-roading ranges from casual drives with regular vehicles to competitive events w ...

abilities) and this has been associated with the suburb of Toorak, such that in popular Australian culture, the term 'Toorak Tractor' has become well established in

Australian slang Australian English is a major variety of the English language spoken throughout Australia. Most of the vocabulary of Australian English is shared with British English, though there are notable differences. The vocabulary of Australia is drawn fr ...

. An example of this was an episode of the popular program ''

Top Gear Australia ''Top Gear Australia'' is an Australian driving, motoring reality television series, based on the British BBC series ''Top Gear (current format), Top Gear''. The programme first premiered on SBS One on 29 September 2008. A second season was ord ...

'', aired on

SBS TV SBS TV (Seoul Broadcasting System Television) is a South Korean free-to-air television channel operated by Seoul Broadcasting System. The channel was launched on 9 December 1991. Unlike competing network MBC, SBS operates using a federalized ...

, in which the presenters,

tongue-in-cheek Tongue-in-cheek is an idiom that describes a humorous or sarcastic statement expressed in a serious manner. History The phrase originally expressed contempt, but by 1842 had acquired its modern meaning. Early users of the phrase include Sir Walte ...

, drove a $200,000

tractor A tractor is an engineering vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort (or torque) at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a Trailer (vehicle), trailer or machinery such as that used in agriculture, mining or constructio ...

along Toorak Road. Toorak's only railway station is Heyington, on the

Glen Waverley line The Glen Waverley line is a commuter railway line in the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Operated by Metro Trains Melbourne, it is the city's sixth shortest metropolitan railway line at . The line runs from Flinders Street station in ce ...

, which crosses the Yarra from

on the Heyington Railway Bridge, to the suburb's north. Despite its name, Toorak railway station is located in Armadale. The Pakenham, Frankston and

Cranbourne railway line The Cranbourne line is a commuter railway line in the city of Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. Operated by Metro Trains Melbourne, it is the city's second longest metropolitan railway line at . The line runs from Flinders Stre ...

group to which this station belongs runs close to Toorak's southern boundary. Other nearby stations include Hawksburn, in South Yarra and Kooyong, in Kooyong. Trams have run down Toorak Road since 1888. Route 58 runs along Toorak Road to Glenferrie Road, at the suburb's eastern boundary. Route 72 runs along Malvern Road, the suburb's southern boundary. Cycling facilities are poor, with few marked on road lanes. MacRobertson Bridge and

Gardiners Creek Gardiners Creek, originally known as Kooyongkoot Creek, is an urban stream in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, and part of the Yarra River catchment. Apart from a few sparse surviving remnant riparian bushlands, the majority of the creek's leng ...

pedestrian bridge, however, the bridge provides pedestrians access to the

Main Yarra Trail The Main Yarra Trail, also known as the Yarra Trail is a shared-use path for cyclists and pedestrians, which follows the Yarra River through the northeastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The trail follows the river from near its mo ...

and shared bicycle and pedestrian paths in nearby

. Pedestrians are serviced by an extensive network of

footpath A footpath (also pedestrian way, walking trail, nature trail) is a type of thoroughfare that is intended for use only by pedestrians and not other forms of traffic such as Motor vehicle, motorized vehicles, bicycles and horseback, horses. They ...

s and

pedestrian crossing A pedestrian crossing (or crosswalk in American and Canadian English) is a place designated for pedestrians to cross a road, street or Avenue (landscape), avenue. The term "pedestrian crossing" is also used in the Vienna Convention on Road Sign ...

Residents

Celebrities, philanthropists, cultural figures

Tina Arena Filippina Lydia "Tina" Arena (born 1 November 1967) is an Australian singer-songwriter, musician, musical theatre actress and record producer. She is one of Australia's highest-selling artists and has sold over 10 million records worldwid ...

AM – singer/songwriter *

Dame ''Dame'' is a traditionally British honorific title given to women who have been admitted to certain orders of chivalry. It is the female equivalent of ''Sir'', the title used by knights. Baronet, Baronetesses Suo jure, in their own right also u ...

Zara Bate Dame Zara Kate Bate (; previously Fell and Holt; 10 March 190914 June 1989) was an Australian fashion entrepreneur. She was best known as the wife of Harold Holt, who was prime minister of Australia from 1966 until his disappearance in 1967. ...

DBE – Fashion designer and wife of Harold Holt * Martin Clemens

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

MC AM - war hero * Albert Dadon AM – Chair of the Australian Israel Cultural Exchange * Gina Liano – Real Housewife of Melbourne * Paul Little AO and Jane Hansen – business people, philanthropists, Little was a former president of the

Essendon Football Club The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed the Bombers or colloquially the Dons, is a professional Australian rules football club that plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), the game's premier competition. The club was formed by the McCrac ...

Peter Hudson Peter John Hudson Order of Australia, AM (born 19 February 1946) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Victorian Football League (1897–1989), Victorian Football League (VFL) and for the New ...

– television chef and entertainer, born in Toorak in 1930 *

Eddie McGuire Edward Joseph McGuire (born 29 October 1964) is an Australian television and radio presenter, journalist, Australian Football League commentator and former TV executive. He is also an occasional ''Herald Sun'' newspaper columnist. He hosted C ...

AM – Journalist, sports commentator, television and radio personality, Australian republic advocate and former president of the

Collingwood Football Club The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed the Magpies or colloquially the Pies, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. ...

* Dame Elisabeth Murdoch AC DBE * Dame

Merlyn Myer Dame Margery Merlyn Myer (; 8 January 19003 September 1982) was an Australian philanthropist, who was notable for her charitable work. Birth and marriage Born as Margery Merlyn Baillieu in Queenscliff, Victoria, Australia, to George Franci ...

DBE – philanthropist * Sir Norman Myer – philanthropist and chairman of the Myer Emporium *

– philanthropist and founder of the Myer Emporium *

Livinia Nixon Livinia Helen Nixon (born 19 March 1975) is an Australian television presenter and actress. Nixon is the chief weather presenter for '' Nine News Melbourne'' and presenter on travel program '' Getaway''.Daniel Radcliffe Daniel Jacob Radcliffe (born 23 July 1989) is an English actor. Radcliffe rose to fame at age twelve for portraying the title character in the ''Harry Potter'' film series. He starred in all eight films in the series, from '' Harry Potter a ...

– his family owns a house in Toorak *

Susan Renouf Susan, Lady Renouf (''née'' Rossiter; 15 July 1942 – 15 July 2016) was an Australian socialite. Her title was acquired through her third marriage to New Zealand businessman Sir Frank Renouf. Early life Renouf was born Susan Rossiter in Mel ...

– socialite * Peter Robb – Australian author, born in Toorak in 1946 * Dame

Hilda Stevenson Dame Hilda Mabel Stevenson (, formerly Kidd; 1893–1987) was an Australian philanthropist and community worker. She was the daughter of Hugh Victor McKay, a combine harvester inventor. She was the trustee and founder of the Sunshine Foundatio ...

DBE – philanthropist

Politicians

Ted Baillieu Edward Norman Baillieu (born 31 July 1953) is a former Australian politician who was Premier of Victoria from 2010 to 2013. He was a Victorian Liberal Party, Liberal Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1999 to 2014, represe ...

– Victorian Liberal Party politician, 46th Premier of Victoria *

Malcolm Fraser John Malcolm Fraser (; 21 May 1930 – 20 March 2015) was an Australian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Australia from 1975 to 1983. He held office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia, and is the fourth List of ...

AC CH – Liberal Party politician, 22nd Prime Minister of Australia *

Duncan Gillies Duncan Gillies (14 January 1834 – 12 September 1903), was an Australian colonial politician who served as the 14th Premier of Victoria. Biography Gillies was born at Overnewton near Glasgow, Scotland, where his father had a market garden. He ...

– Colonial politician, 14th Premier of Victoria *

David Hamer David John Hamer (5 September 1923 – 14 January 2002) was an Australian politician and Royal Australian Navy officer. Early life and naval career Born on 5 September 1923, in Melbourne, he was educated at Geelong Grammar School and then the ...

DSC DSC or Dsc may refer to: Education * Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) * District Selection Committee, an entrance exam in India * Doctor of Surgical Chiropody, superseded in the 1960s by Doctor of Podiatric Medicine Educational institutions * Dyal Sin ...

– Director of Naval Intelligence, Liberal Party Senator * Sir

Rupert Hamer Sir Rupert James "Dick" Hamer, (29 July 1916 – 23 March 2004) was an Australian politician who served as the 39th premier of Victoria from 1972 to 1981, and prior to that, the 18th deputy premier of Victoria from 1971 to 1972. He held offic ...

AC KCMG ED – Liberal Party politician, 39th Premier of Victoria *

CH – Liberal Party politician, 17th Prime Minister of Australia * Sir

William Murray McPherson Sir William Murray McPherson, KBE (17 September 1865 – 26 July 1932) was an Australian philanthropist and politician. He was the 31st Premier of Victoria. Early life and philanthropy He was born in West Melbourne, the son of a prosperous S ...

KBE KBE may refer to: * Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, post-nominal letters * Knowledge-based engineering Knowledge-based engineering (KBE) is the application of knowledge-based systems technology to the domain o ...

– Philanthropist and politician, 31st Premier of Victoria

Businesspeople

* John Munro Bruce – retail businessman, father of prime minister

Stanley Bruce Stanley Melbourne Bruce, 1st Viscount Bruce of Melbourne (15 April 1883 – 25 August 1967) was an Australian politician, statesman and businessman who served as the eighth prime minister of Australia from 1923 to 1929. He held office as ...

Lindsay Fox Lindsay Edward Fox (born ) is an Australian businessman. In 1956, Fox founded the Australian logistics company Linfox, where as of 2015 he serves as non-executive chairman. Early life Lindsay Fox was born around 1937 and brought up in Pra ...

AC – Former Australian Rules footballer, owner of the

Linfox Linfox is an Australian transport, logistics and supply chain business founded in 1956 by Lindsay Fox. History Linfox was established in 1956 by Lindsay Fox as Lindsay Fox Cartage with one truck in Melbourne. In 1958, a contract with Schweppe ...

transportation company *

Michael Gudinski Michael Solomon Gudinski AM (22 August 1952 – 2 March 2021) was an Australian record executive and promoter who was a leading figure in the Australian music industry. Born and raised in Melbourne, Gudinski formed the highly successful Austr ...

AM – Entrepreneur and businessman *

Solomon Lew Solomon Lew (born 22 March 1945) is an Australian businessman. His principal commercial activities involve importing apparel, toys and other goods into Australia from China and investments, mainly in retail companies. As a teenager, Lew suppli ...

– Importer and retail supplier, current resident of Toorak * Peter Lew – managing director of

Witchery Witchery is a Swedish blackened thrash/speed metal band formed by former members of Satanic Slaughter in 1997. The current lineup consists of guitarists Patrik Jensen and Rickard "Rille" Rimfält, bassist Sharlee D'Angelo, vocalist Angus Norde ...

clothing, son of Solomon Lew *

Keith Murdoch Sir Keith Arthur Murdoch (12 August 1885 – 4 October 1952) was an Australian journalist and media proprietor who was the founder of the Murdoch media empire. He amassed significant media holdings in Australia which after his death were expan ...

– journalist and newspaper owner *

Ziggy Switkowski Zygmunt Edward "Ziggy" Switkowski (born 1948) is a Polish Australian business executive and nuclear physicist. His most public role was as the chief executive officer of Australia's largest telecommunications company Telstra from 1999 to 2005. D ...

AO – former CEO of

Telstra Telstra Group Limited is an Australian telecommunications company that builds and operates telecommunications networks and markets related products and services. It is a member of the S&P/ASX 20 stock index, and is Australia's largest telecomm ...

* Sir

Donald Trescowthick Sir Donald Henry Trescowthick, AC, KBE (4 December 1930 – 13 August 2024) was an Australian businessman. Biography Trescowthick was born on 4 December 1930. His wife, Norma, predeceased him in March 2024. He died on 13 August 2024, at the age ...

AC KBE * Alex Waislitz – Chairman & CEO of Thorney Investment group, vice president of the

* Ron Walker AC CBE – Lord Mayor of Melbourne * Ed Craven – Co-founder of the online casino

Stake A stake is a large wooden or metal implement designed to be driven into the ground and may refer to: Tools * Archer's stake, a defensive stake carried by medieval longbowmen * Survey stakes, markers used by surveyors * Sudis (stake) (Latin for ...

Sportspeople

Nathan Buckley Nathan Charles Buckley (born 26 July 1972) is a former professional Australian rules football coach, player and commentator. He is listed by journalist Mike Sheahan as one of the top 50 players of all time. Buckley won the inaugural Rising S ...

– Australian rules footballer, head coach of the

from 2012 to 2021 *

Andrew Demetriou Andrew Demetriou (born 14 April 1961) is an Australian businessman, sports administrator, and former Australian rules football player who was chief executive officer (CEO) of the Australian Football League (AFL) up to June 2014. Demetriou play ...

– former chief executive of the

AFL AFL may refer to: Education * Angel Foundation for Learning, a Canadian Roman Catholic charity * Ankara Science High School, a high school in Ankara, Turkey, natively referred to as ''Ankara Fen Liesi'' * Assessment for learning Military * ...

Walter Fellows Walter Fellows (23 February 1834, in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire – 23 July 1902, in Toorak, Melbourne) was an English amateur cricketer who later became a clergyman in Australia. He was the brother of Harvey Fellows, who also played first-c ...

– English-born vicar who hit a cricket ball for 175 yards, considered the world record *

Lleyton Hewitt Lleyton Glynn Hewitt (born 24 February 1981) is an Australian former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the List of ATP number 1 ranked singles players, world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) fo ...

– Australian tennis player *

Clem Hill Clement Hill (18 March 18775 September 1945) was an Australian cricketer who played 49 Test matches as a specialist batsman between 1896 and 1912. He captained the Australian team in ten Tests, winning five and losing five. A prolific run ...

– Australian test cricketer *

James Hird James Albert Hird (born 4 February 1973) is a former professional Australian rules football player and past senior coach of the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Hird played as a midfielder and half-forward, but he ...

– Australian Rules Footballer and former head coach of the

Ed Langdon Ed Langdon (born 1 February 1996) is an Australian rules footballer who currently plays for the Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Early life Langdon participated in the Auskick program at Glen Iris, Victoria. He ...

– AFL footballer grew up in Toorak *

Tom Langdon Thomas Langdon (born 9 June 1994) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). State football Langdon played junior football with Prahran and with G ...

– AFL footballer grew up in Toorak *

Charlie McLeod Charles Edward McLeod (24 October 1869 – 26 November 1918) was an Australian cricketer who played in 17 Test matches between 1894 and 1905. McLeod was a patient batsman and accurate bowler who represented Victoria in first-class cricket from ...

– Australian test cricketer *

Lou Richards Lewis Thomas Charles "Lou" Richards (15 March 1923 – 8 May 2017) was an Australian rules footballer who played 250 games for the Collingwood Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) between 1941 and 1955. He captained the team f ...

MBE – Australian Rules footballer * Jack Saunders – Australian test cricketer * Tup Scott – cricketer * David Hayes- horse trainer

References

{{Authority control Suburbs of Melbourne Suburbs of the City of Stonnington

History

Toponymy

Toorak House

1880s land boom

1890s depression

Post-war era

Contemporary Toorak

Demographics

Housing

Heritage listings

Politics

Toorak Village

Places of worship

Schools

Sport

Transport

Residents

Celebrities, philanthropists, cultural figures

Politicians

Businesspeople

Sportspeople

See also

References