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.Template:Citation needed It has the highest average property values in Melbourne, and is one of the most expensive suburbs in Australia.Template:Citation needed It is the nation's fourth highest earning postcode.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Located on a rise on the south side (or left bank) of a bend in the Yarra River, Toorak is bordered by South Yarra, at Williams Road on the west, Malvern, at Glenferrie Road on the east, Prahran and Armadale, at Malvern Road to the south and the suburbs of Richmond, Burnley 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.
Toorak was named after Toorak House, an Italianate residence built in 1849 by merchant James Jackson. The name of the house may have originated from the Woiwurrung language of the indigenous inhabitants, with words of similar pronunciation meaning "black crow" or "reedy swamp".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
During the land boom of the 1880s, many large and elaborate mansions were erected in Toorak, often in the Italianate style. Following East Melbourne and then St Kilda, Toorak, along with Brighton, 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". During the Interwar period, many houses were built in the Tudor revival style; many houses were also designed by society Architect Marcus Martin in the Moderne style over a Georgian building form.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Post-war era
In the period of post-World War II 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 climbers and nouveau riche. 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.
While large mansions have survived in neighbouring Hawthorn, Kew 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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 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%.
Toorak has an unusual mix of high-, low- and medium-density housing, due to intense subdivision of larger lots in the 1880s, 1920s and 1960s. The predominant housing in Toorak (49.6%) is apartments, particularly walk-up flats.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Single-family detached homes are also prevalent (30.2%). Some of these homes are in the form of traditional mansions 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.<ref name="abs"/>
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 postwarModernist residence constructed in 1955 to the designs of Robin Boyd. A unique postwar interpretation of Georgian architecture.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Caringal Flats, Tahara Road (VHR H0579), is a postwarModernist 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Cranlana, Clendon Road (VHR H1293), is a residence owned by businessman and philanthropist Sidney Myer, best known for founding Myer. 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Roy Grounds House, Hill Street (VHR H1963), is a postwarModernist residence constructed in 1953 to the designs of Roy Grounds, as a personal residence. The residence won the Victorian Architecture Medal 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Toorak House, St. Georges Road (VHR H0207), is an early Victorian mansion constructed in 1849 for Melbourne merchant James Jackson by Samuel Jackson, in the Victorian Italianate style. During its history, Toorak House served as Melbourne's first Government House between 1854 and 1876, before the current Government House was finished in 1876.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Today, Toorak House is owned by the Church of Sweden abroad.
Trawalla, Lascelles Avenue (VHR H0209), is a two-storey Victorian mansion constructed in 1867-68 for Melbourne merchants George Stevenson, in the Victorian Italianate 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
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 for the Electoral district of South Yarra between 1894 and 1897.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Carnegie House, Grant Avenue (HO491, Stonnington Planning Scheme), is a two-storey Interwar Georgian Revival residence constructed in 1936 to the designs of Yuncken, Freeman & Griffiths.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Gelbart House, Heyington Place (HO733, Stonnington Planning Scheme), is a single-storey postwarModernist constructed in 1971-72 to the designs of Holgar & Holgar.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Heyington Gardens, Theodore Court (HO735, Stonnington Planning Scheme), is a postwarModernist flats building constructed in 1962 to the designs of Ernest Fooks.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Kinkell, Lansell Road (HO630, Stonnington Planning Scheme), is a two-storey Federation bungalow constructed in 1916 to the designs of Christopher Cowper.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Toorak Village features a number of shops, restaurants and cafes, located centrally in Toorak Road. Recent mixed-use developments including St. Germain,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> have increased the number of offices within Toorak Village.
Saint John's Anglican Church, an 1862 Gothic Revival bluestone church, designed by William Wardell, 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.<ref>Template:Citation</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Citation</ref> Saint John's, Toorak is one of the most popular wedding venue churches in Australia. File:Church of St John the Evangelist, Toorak.pngChurch of St John the Evangelist, Toorak, 1934
Saint Peter's Roman Catholic Church, built in 1876 in the Gothic style and extended in 1934. A campanile was added during renovations in 2018.
Toorak Uniting Church (1876), in the Frenchified Gothic style
Swedish Church
The Wesleyan 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.
The Royal South Yarra Lawn Tennis Club was founded in 1884 and is located in Toorak. Kooyong Stadium, former home of the Australian Open, is located on Glenferrie Road.
The most popular form of transport in Toorak is the automobile. CityLink runs along north eastern Toorak, though there are no interchanges within the suburb, although there is access to the freeway via MacRobertson Bridge and interchanges at Burnley. 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. 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 parks and parking lots within proximity of the main Toorak Road shopping strip. There are no level crossings in Toorak. There is a perception in popular culture of the luxury 4WD as a status symbol, (controversial for their comfort rather than for their off-road abilities)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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. An example of this was an episode of the popular program Top Gear Australia, aired on SBS TV, in which the presenters, tongue-in-cheek, drove a $200,000 tractor along Toorak Road.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
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.
Eddie McGuire AM – Journalist, sports commentator, television and radio personality, Australian republic advocate and former president of the Collingwood Football Club
