City of Manningham


The City of Manningham is a local government area in Victoria, Australia in the north-eastern suburbs of Melbourne and is divided into 12 suburbs, with the largest being Doncaster and Doncaster East. It comprises an area of 113 square kilometres and had a population of 125,508 in June 2018.
The district spans a roughly east–west direction along the southern banks of the Yarra River and across the undulating valleys of the Koonung, Ruffey and Mullum Mullum Creeks, alternating from typical low density suburban housing in the west to remnant bushland, within a green wedge, in the east. As such, the district encompasses the transition between the built and natural environments in Melbourne's east and promotes itself as a "balance of city and country".
Formerly the City of Doncaster & Templestowe, the district is situated in the Wurundjeri nation's territory. Most of the first European settlers to the area were orchardists, arriving through the 1850s. Gold was first discovered in Victoria around the same time at Andersons Creek, in Warrandyte, however, the district saw varied growth as periods of low density suburban development occurred sporadically throughout the mid-late 20th century.

History

The Manningham municipality was created on 15 December 1994, as part of a general restructure of Melbourne's local government boundaries. The new municipality contains the former City of Doncaster & Templestowe, but with part of Ringwood North ceded to the new City of Maroondah and Wonga Park, annexed from the former Shire of Lillydale.
The name Bulleen, a nearby suburb, was proposed for the new municipality, as it was the name of the shire predating the City of Doncaster and Templestowe. However, modern residents believed the name was too localised, so the name of one of the major roads was adopted. The origin of Manningham Road comes from the region of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. Residents' requests for the City to be named after Indigenous Australian names local to the area such as Mullum Mullum or Koonung were rejected.

Geography

The main watercourses that border or flow through the City of Manningham include;
Manningham was divided into four wards electing two councillors each until 2008.
From 2008 to 2020, Manningham was divided into three wards, with three councillors elected for each ward. Following reforms to the Local Government Act in 2020, Manningham was divided into 9 wards, each electing one Councillor. Councillors are elected by the community for a four-year term following an election.
The council, as of October 2024, is:

Federal electorate

The Federal electorate of Menzies covers much of the City of Manningham. It has been held by the Federal Liberal Party since 1984.

State electorates

The City of Manningham encompasses the two Victorian state electorates of Bulleen and Warrandyte, both of which been held predominantly by the Liberal Party.

Past councillors

2020−2024 (single-member wards)

2000−2020 (multi-member wards)

Heide Ward

Koonung Ward

Mullum Mullum Ward

Ruffey Ward (2000−2008)

Townships and localities

The city had a population of 124,700 at the 2021 census, up from 116,255 at the 2016 census.
^ - ''Territory divided with another LGA''

Parklands

Covering 70 per cent of the municipality and ranging from large natural areas to intimate pocket parks, these open spaces provide a variety of unstructured play opportunities for children and families. Some of the major parks include;
  • Warrandyte State Park – Warrandyte and Wonga Park
  • Westerfolds Park – Templestowe
  • Candlebark Park – Templestowe
  • Tikalara Park – Templestowe
  • Ruffey Lake Park – Doncaster and Templestowe
  • Currawong Bush Park – Warrandyte
  • Birrarung Park – Templestowe Lower and Bulleen
  • Buck Reserve – Donvale
  • The 100 Acres – Park Orchards
  • Mullum Mullum Creek Linear Park – Doncaster East & Donvale

    Education

Primary Schools – Public
  • Andersons Creek Primary School, Warrandyte
  • Warrandyte Primary School, Warrandyte
  • Templestowe Heights Primary School, Templestowe Lower
  • Templestowe Park Primary School, Templestowe
  • Templestowe Valley Primary School, Templestowe
  • Serpell Primary School, Templestowe
  • Birralee Primary School, Doncaster
  • Doncaster Primary School, Doncaster
  • Doncaster Gardens Primary School, Doncaster East
  • Milgate Primary School, Doncaster East
  • Donburn Primary School, Doncaster East
  • Beverley Hills Primary School, Doncaster East
  • Donvale Primary School, Donvale
  • Park Orchards Primary School, Park Orchards
Primary Schools – Private
Secondary Schools – Public
Secondary Schools – Private
Other
  • Bulleen Heights School, Bulleen
  • Donvale Christian College
Libraries
All libraries in the Manningham area are operated by the Whitehorse Manningham Regional Library Corporation.
Manningham Libraries include:
  • Doncaster Library – MC Square, 687 Doncaster Rd, Doncaster, VIC 3108
  • The Pines Library – The Pines Shopping Centre, Cnr Blackburn and Reynolds Road, Doncaster East, VIC 3109
  • Warrandyte Library – 168 Yarra St, Warrandyte VIC 3113
  • Bulleen Library – Bulleen Plaza, 79–109 Manningham Road, Bulleen, VIC 3105

    Transport

Manningham is the only area in metropolitan Melbourne without a train line or tram route and therefore the area is heavily reliant on private cars. A Doncaster railway line had been planned for many decades; however the land was sold off in the 1980s. Residents have long campaigned for extension of the route 48 tram along Doncaster Road to Doncaster, Doncaster East or Donvale, although this is heavily supported by Local Governments, the issue has been consistently avoided by State Government.
There are increased bus services to cope with the demand for public transport, including four radial SmartBus routes, and two exclusive Manningham Mover circular routes. Most routes are operated by Kinetic Melbourne, which has a depot in Doncaster East, near the intersection of Blackburn and Doncaster Roads.

Major roadways

  • Andersons Creek Road
  • Blackburn Road
  • Bulleen Road
  • Croydon Road
  • Doncaster Road
  • Eastern Freeway
  • Elgar Road
  • High Street
  • Fitzsimons Lane
  • Foote Street
  • King Street
  • Jumping Creek Road
  • Manningham Road
  • Mitcham Road
  • Northern Route:
  • * Reynolds Road
  • * Tindals Road
  • * Falconer Road
  • * Stintons Road
  • Park Road
  • Springvale Road
  • Templestowe Road
  • Thompsons Road
  • Tram Road
  • Warrandyte Road:
  • * Heidelberg-Warrandyte Road
  • * Warrandyte-Ringwood Road
  • Wetherby Road
  • Williamsons Road

    Notable residents

  • Charles "Bud" Tingwell
  • Karl von Möller – Australian Cinematographer, Director
  • Alisa Camplin – Aerial skier, Olympic gold medallist
  • Michele Timms – Basketballer, Olympic silver medallist
  • Brendon Smith – Swimmer, Olympic bronze medallist
  • Stephen Mayne – Journalist, Councillor for Heide Ward from 2008 to 2011
  • Jade Rawlings – Former AFL player
  • Mark "Jacko" Jackson – AFL Footballer and Actor
  • Greg Evans – Australian television presenter
  • Kim Crow, Olympic rower
  • Scott Martin, an Australian shot putter, who is best known for appearing on Commonwealth Bank TV advertisements, which aired during the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
  • Mark Wilson – Ran a dance studio on Thompsons Road in Templestowe until it was burnt down in 2008.
  • Roy Robbins-Browne – Professor Roy Robins-Browne was appointed an Officer of the Order “For distinguished service to education and research in the field of microbiology and immunology and to professional groups” on 26 January, as announced in the Australia Day 2020 Honours List
  • Inaam Barakat – awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2023, Inaam Barakat is acknowledged for working for disadvantaged people.