Oak Park, Victoria
| Oak Park Melbourne, Victoria | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
  Oak Park | |||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 37°43′05″S 144°55′08″E / 37.718°S 144.919°ECoordinates: 37°43′05″S 144°55′08″E / 37.718°S 144.919°E | ||||||||||||||
| Population | 6,205 (2016)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| • Density | 3,270/km2 (8,460/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 3046 | ||||||||||||||
| Area | 1.9 km2 (0.7 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Location | 11 km (7 mi) from Melbourne | ||||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | City of Moreland | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Pascoe Vale | ||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Wills | ||||||||||||||
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Oak Park is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 11 km north of Melbourne's central business district. Its local government area is the City of Moreland. At the 2016 Census, Oak Park had a population of 6,205.[1]
Oak Park is bounded by New Road, Victoria Street, Kiama Street and Charlotte Street in the north, Watt Avenue and Pascoe Vale Road in the east, Moonee Ponds Creek in the west and Main Street in the south.
History[]
Oak Park was formed from part of the John Pascoe Fawkner estate. The name of the area derived from the name chosen by the purchasers of the Fawkner Estate. Oak Park was relatively slowly developed, as the area did not have a railway station until housing development had commenced in the 1950s. Through the 1950s and 1960s development of the area proceeded quickly, with the post office opening on 2 April 1957.[2]
Today[]
Major features of the area include McDonald's on Pascoe Vale Road, the Winifred Street Shopping Centre, two reserves along Moonee Ponds Creek including the Oak Park Sports Centre, and the Moonee Ponds Creek Trail for cyclists. The Oak Park Sports Centre is home to the Oak Park Football Club, a member of the Essendon District Football League as well as Therry Penola Football Club, a member of the Victorian Amateur Football Association.
Transport[]
Public transport is provided by the Oak Park railway station which was opened in August 1956 on the Craigieburn railway line.
Sport[]
Oak Park Football Club, an Australian Rules football team, competes in the Essendon District Football League.[3] Therry Penola Football Club compete in the Victorian Amateur Football Association. St.Francis Junior Football Club compete in the Essendon District Football League.
Oak Park is also served by the St Francis de Sales Cricket Club, based at Rayner Reserve, Forbes Grove, Oak Park.[4] St Francis have 13 teams, 6 senior in the MMVCA and 7 junior in the NWCA and have been the winner of the Club Championship 5 of the past 7 years. They are probably the biggest club in success and numbers over the past 15 years. All new players of all abilities, race and sex are welcome.
Demographics[]
According to the 2016 Australia census (https://quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2016/quickstat/SSC21986?opendocument) The most common ancestries in Oak Park (State Suburbs) were English 18.2%, Australian 16.7%, Italian 9.4%, Irish 7.8% and Scottish 5.3%.
In Oak Park (State Suburbs), 62.9% of people were born in Australia. The most common countries of birth were India 4.3%, Italy 2.5%, China (excludes SARs and Taiwan) 2.5%, Turkey 1.6% and Nepal 1.5%.
The most common responses for religion in Oak Park (State Suburbs) were Catholic 30.7%, No Religion, so described 27.0%, Not stated 8.8%, Anglican 6.1% and Islam 5.4%. In Oak Park (State Suburbs), Christianity was the largest religious group reported overall (54.8%) (this figure excludes not stated responses).
In Oak Park (State Suburbs), 60.9% of people only spoke English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Italian 4.5%, Mandarin 2.9%, Turkish 2.7%, Arabic 2.1% and Greek 1.9%.
Ghost Sightings[]
Oak Park is a popular suburban hotspot for local ghost tours. Local ghost hunters have said the ghost of Old Man Oak roams Winifred St. Old Oak was a myth that developed during the Victorian Goldrush after James Oak drowned in the Moonee Ponds Creek whilst panning for gold. Many locals and tourists walk the Moonee Ponds Creek trail in search of Old Man Oak and his gold. [5][6]
Notable residents[]
 | This section needs additional citations for verification. (September 2011) |
Danny Carreras - Celebrity Chef
Rav Thomas - Musician
See also[]
- City of Broadmeadows - the former local government area of which Oak Park was a part
References[]
- ^ a b Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Oak Park (State Suburb)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
- ^ Phoenix Auctions History, Post Office List, retrieved 8 April 2021
- ^ Full Points Footy, Oak Park, retrieved 15 April 2009
- ^ St Francis de Sales Cricket Club
- ^ https://www.visitvictoria.com/Things-to-do/History-and-heritage/Haunted-Victoria
- ^ "The dark side of the Victorian Goldfields".
- Suburbs of Melbourne