Frankston Suburb Overview
Frankston is a major activity centre within the Greater Melbourne metropolitan area located at the northernmost point of the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, Australia. It is located 40 km southeast of the Melbourne City Centre. It is often referred to as the “Gateway to the Mornington Peninsula” or the “Bay City”.
Statistically, Frankston is part of the Greater Melbourne metropolitan area – which is reflected in its primarily suburban and residential nature. It became part of the Melbourne urban agglomeration during the 1980s. While Geelong is at the direct opposite end of Port Phillip bay, Frankston is 35 kilometres closer and the Melbourne skyline is clearly visible.
At the 2006 Australian Census, Frankston had a population of 34,457. It is the seat of government and administrative centre for the local government area, the City of Frankston which had an estimated population of 130,462 at 30 June 2010.
Localities within Frankston, which share the same postcode, include Karingal, Olivers Hill, Frankston Heights, Frankston East, Mount Erin and Long Island;as well as the suburb of Frankston South. Frankston is a major node in the Melbourne metropolitan transport system.
The demonym for a person from Frankston is a “Frankstonian”. The town is nicknamed “Franga” or “Frankghanistan”
The origins of the name “Frankston” has been subject to some conjecture. Local folklore suggests that the town was named after a publican called Frank Stone, who ran a hotel at the corner of the then Point Nepean Road and Hastings Road. However, there is no evidence that such a person existed. Two more credible possibilities are that the town was named after Frank Liardet or after Charles Franks, an early settler of Melbourne killed by aborigines.
However, according to Frankston historian and author Michael Jones, Frankston is named after a British army general who fought in the Second Sikh War. The theory is strengthened by the fact a number of other towns in the area, such as Cranbourne, Hastings, Lyndhurst, Mornington and Pakenham, are named after British statesmen and generals. Jones suggests that Andrew Clarke, the Surveyor-General of the Port Phillip District from 1853 to 1858, named all these towns.
Prior to European discovery, the Frankston area was populated by Indigenous Australians known as the Kulin people. Specifically, inhabitants in the Frankston area were from the Bunurong language group, of the Mayone-bulluk clan. Europeans first set foot in Frankston as early as 30 January 1803, thirty two years before the founding of Melbourne. A commemorative plaque near the mouth of Kananook Creek marks the location of where Captain Charles Grimes and his party went ashore searching for fresh water, and met with around 30 local inhabitants.
After the settlement of Melbourne in 1835, James Davey took up a large land holding in 1846, which extended from Olivers Hill to Daveys Bay. Olivers Hill was named after local fisherman, James Oliver, who built a cottage atop the hill from where he kept an eye out for fish in the waters below. The first official land sales in the area were held in 1853, and Frank Liardet, established the “Ballam Ballam” estate in 1854. The estate was the earliest officially recorded settlement in Frankston, and was located to the east of Port Phillip, in what is now known as the locality of Karingal. Liardet’s original homestead “Ballam Park” remains today, and is now heritage-listed.
Frankston’s early development was hampered by poor soils, distance from the Melbourne city centre, and the existence of a major swamp occupying much of the area between Mordialloc and Seaford. Thomas McComb, who arrived in Frankston in 1852, also purchased much land in the area and did much to develop the local fishing industry. A pier was completed in 1857 and, between the 1850s and the arrival of the Melbourne railway in 1880s, the area developed as a small fishing community.
An Anglican church and school were built in 1855, with the first Frankston post office opening on 1 September 1857 and a pottery established in 1859. During the 1860s, there were estimated to be around 30 people living in Frankston, with about 200 others living in the surrounding area. In 1874, a state school was built in Frankston as well as a Mechanics’ Institute
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