Oakleigh, Victoria
Oakleigh | |||||||||||||
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Looking toward Centro Oakleigh Shopping Centre and Railway Station | |||||||||||||
Oakleigh | |||||||||||||
Interactive map of Oakleigh | |||||||||||||
| Coordinates: 37°54′47″S 145°06′07″E / 37.913°S 145.102°E | |||||||||||||
| Country | Australia | ||||||||||||
| State | Victoria | ||||||||||||
| City | Melbourne | ||||||||||||
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• Total | 3.5 km2 (1.4 sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Elevation | 65 m (213 ft) | ||||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||||
| • Total | 8,442 (SAL 2021) | ||||||||||||
| Postcode | 3166 | ||||||||||||
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Oakleigh is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 14 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Monash local government area on the traditional lands of the Woiwurrung and Boonwurrung Peoples. Oakleigh recorded a population of 8,442 at the 2021 census.
Once a large independent city, Oakleigh was absorbed into Melbourne as part of the eastward expansion of the metropolis in the 1950s. As a result, it once had its own large historic Central Business District, its municipality in the former City of Oakleigh and its suburbs.
The area is traditionally known to have a strong Greek cultural influence, largely due to the influx of immigrants to Australia in the mid-20th century. Thirteen per cent of those living in the suburb speak only Greek at home.
Although the origin of the name of the suburb, "Oakleigh," is unclear, local historians have three main theories – that it was derived from she-oaks that grew near Scotchmans Creek; from "Oakleigh Park" an estate near Malvern Hills in England; or from Mrs Oakley, an early settler.