Knoxfield is a suburb in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, 27 km east of Melbourne's

Central Business District A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre 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 with the "city ...

, located within the

City of Knox The City of Knox is a local government area in Victoria, Australia in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. It has an area of and in 2020, Knox had a population of 165,147. This municipality is one of only a handful that survived the widespread mu ...

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 State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...

. Knoxfield recorded a population of 7,645 at the 2021 census.

History

Knoxfield is named after Sir

George Hodges Knox Sir George Hodges Knox, (17 December 1885 – 11 July 1960) was an Australian politician, orchardist and military officer. The City of Knox is named after him. Knox was born in the Melbourne suburb of Prahran on 17 December 1885 and educated ...

, former local and state parliamentarian. Development of the area dates primarily from the 1950s and rapid growth took place during the 1960s and 1970s. Knoxfield Post Office opened on 31 July 1961 as the suburb was developed. The northern area of Knoxfield experienced substantial growth from the 1970s. The population increased during the early 1990s, and then was relatively stable from the mid-1990s, a result of new dwellings being added to the area. There has been a recent decline in the average number of persons living in each dwelling. Knoxfield is unique, as most of the streets are named after the residents who lived there. Some people are still living in the streets that were named after them.

Today

Knoxfield has a small industrial area mainly concerned with the production and sale of food. A small number of

graphic design Graphic design is a profession, academic discipline and applied art whose activity consists in projecting visual communications intended to transmit specific messages to social groups, with specific objectives. Graphic design is an interdiscipli ...

businesses and printeries make their home in Knoxfield. The suburb is well known for the Knox Athletics Track and the Gilbert Reserve. Gilbert Reserve is quite large, and regularly holds

softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

and

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

matches. Knoxfield also boasts a large BMX track, which is often used for BMX competitions and the R.D. Egan-Lee Reserve which is regularly used by walkers and hosts a

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

club. The track is also open for use by the public. Next to Gilbert Reserve is a local skatepark which was accessible from early 2008. There is a Coles Express service station on the corner of Ferntree Gully Road and Scoresby road which sells fuel as well as a small selection from the

Coles Supermarket Coles Supermarkets Australia Pty Ltd, trading as Coles, is an Australian supermarket, retail and consumer services chain, headquartered in Melbourne as part of the Coles Group. Founded in 1914 in Collingwood by George Coles, Coles operates ...

range. Also in Knoxfield, there is the Carrington Park Leisure Centre, which is mainly used for

gymnastics Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, shou ...

and fitness. It has also hosted state and national competitions. A family play centre called Big Slide is located in Knoxfield. The Eastern Sports Centre also calls Knoxfield home and hosts

futsal Futsal is a football-based game played on a hardcourt, hard court smaller than a football pitch, and mainly indoors. It has similarities to five-a-side football and Indoor soccer, indoor football. Futsal is played between two teams of five players ...

, indoor soccer, netball, and cricket. There are also a number of decorated bus shelters which are the creation of the Placemakers. The north east part of Knoxfield, incorporating such roads as Amelia Street, Bunnett Road and Hugh Street, is sometimes referred to as the French quarter of Knoxfield due to its magnificent houses and proximity to both Burwood Highway and Scoresby Road, both famous roads that run through the city of Paris.

Demographics

In the 2016 Census, there were 7,462 people in Knoxfield. 64.1% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were China 5.3%, England 3.6%, India 2.5%, Malaysia 2.5% and Sri Lanka 2.4%. 69.5% of people spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Mandarin 7.2%, Cantonese 3.7% and Sinhalese 1.9%. The most common responses for religion were No Religion 33.4%, Catholic 18.5% and Anglican 8.8%.

Education

Schools in Knoxfield include

Fairhills High School Fairhills High School is a government high school located in Knoxfield, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia. Curriculum Fairhills runs classes for all secondary education levels but at a number of different streams, depending on the ski ...

, Knox Park Primary School an
Carrington Primary School
(formerly Knoxfield Primary School). Knoxfield Primary School merged with Scoresby Heights Primary School in 1994 to create Carrington Primary School.

Shopping in Knoxfield

Knoxfield is home to two shopping strips. A medium shopping strip known as the Knoxfield Shops on Ferntree Gully road, and the Anne Road shops on Anne Road.

Knoxfield shops

Knoxfield is home to a small shopping strip, with shops including Dosa Joy AAA Supplements, The Gully Pizza House, Knoxfield Pharmacy, Together Medical Family Practice, Knoxfield Florist, Gully Fish & Grill, Knoxfield Dental Care, Knoxfield IGA Plus Liquor, Lunch Break Deli Cafe, Knoxfield General Practice Dr. Y.C. Liow, healing hands massage, Strive for Excellence Tutoring, Simmonds Family Meats & Seafood, Knoxfield Newsagency Post Office & The Lott Tatts, Knoxfield Hot Bread, Knoxfield Milk Bar, Wok'd Gourmet Chinese Food, Knoxfield Thai restaurant, Hills Physiotherapy, Knoxfield Chicken Bar, And a A'blaze Hair Artistry hairdresser

Anne Road shops

There is also a small shopping strip on Anne Road, with shops including the Hammad Mohamad Milkbar, Al Pacino's Pizzeria, Cleo's Quality Fish & Chips, Antique Tool Shed, Knox Spice Corner, Centre of Wellbeing, and the Shikarnya Hair Salon.

Sport in Knoxfield

Knoxfield has a rich sporting culture and there are several sporting clubs who call the various sports fields, tracks and courses in Knoxfield home. There are also other sporting facilities including a BMX track, a leisure centre, and skate park. Golfers play at the course of the Waterford Valley Golf Course on Bunjil Way. The Knoxfield Knights Cricket Club is based at Carrington Park. The Knox Athletics Track hosts a variety of sport and events including

Little Athletics Little Athletics is an Australian activity program that involves modified athletics events for children aged 3 to 16 in the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and Northern Territory); 3 ...

and the Knox Athletics Club Gilbert Reserve is home to the Knox & District Softball Association and its related teams as well as The Knox Falcons Baseball Club Next to Gilbert Park is the Knox Skate and BMX Park which is regularly used by skateboarders, bikers, and scooter riders. Knoxfield also boasts a large BMX track, which is often used for BMX competitions. The track is also open for use by the public and is regularly attending by BMX and biking enthusiasts of all ages. The R.D. Egan-Lee Reserve is also in Knoxfield and is home to the Knox City Soccer Club Ltd

Leisure Centre

The Carrington Park Leisure Centre is mainly used for gymnastics and fitness. It has hosted various state and national competitions. It is also the home of the Omega Trampoline Club, Ferntree Gully Basketball Club, Knox Table Tennis Club and Chinese Elderly Citizens Club. It also boasts facilities such as meeting rooms, a kitchen, disabled access, toilet and car parking, change rooms, trampoline facilities, squash courts and boxing facilities. Knoxfield is a home for two

Scouts Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking ...

groups: 1st Knoxfield group located in Carrington Reserve, and 2nd Knoxfield group located in R.D. Egan-Lee Reserve