McKinnon is a suburb in Melbourne

Melbourne

Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

, Victoria

Victoria (Australia)

Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

, 12 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district

Melbourne city centre

Melbourne City Centre is an area of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. It is not to be confused with the larger local government area of the City of Melbourne...

. Its Local Government Area is the City of Glen Eira

City of Glen Eira

The City of Glen Eira is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia. It is located in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne. It has an area of 38.4 square kilometres and has a estimated population of 136,354 people...

. At the 2006 Census, McKinnon had a population of 5108.

McKinnon is bounded by Murray Road, Levi Street and Blackshaw Street to the North, Tucker Road to the East, Abergeldie Avenue, Lindsay Street, Field Street, Nicholson Street, Fitzroy Street and Elster Creek to the South and Thomas Street to the West. It contains various parks such as Wattle Grove Park and Allnutt Park.

History

McKinnon expanded in the early 1900s due to the McKinnon railway station. McKinnon Road features McKinnon's main shopping strip and many back alleys run along the rear on either side. During the 1990s there was a gradual decline in variety of shops on McKinnon's main shopping strip. This was highlighted by the loss of a butcher, green grocer, independent supermarket, nursery, bank, library and doctor's surgery. However, in recent years the shopping strip has begun to reinvent itself with the emergence of small but noticeable cafe culture.

The Post Office opened on 9 March 1915 as Manchester Road, and was renamed Bentleigh North in 1949 and McKinnon in 1964.

McKinnon is also home to a World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 memorial located at 119 McKinnon Rd. The memorial gives the names of soldiers from the area who were killed in the war.

Today

The McKinnon Fair is held annaully along the McKinnon Road, on the second Sunday in November. This fair was first held in 1992 and often features rides, petting zoos, cake stalls and musical performances.

Public transport

The suburb is serviced by the McKinnon railway station on the Frankston Line The station is located within both zones 1 and 2 and is complemented by Melbourne Route 626 bus service.

Housing

Most of the houses in the McKinnon area are 1930's Californian bungalows. This has undergone a great change since the early 2000s featuring many new apartments.

Sport

The suburb has an Australian Rules football team, St Pauls East Bentleigh Football Club, competing in the Southern Football League

Southern Football League (Victoria)

The Southern Football League is an Australian rules football league, based in the south and south eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, for both seniors and juniors....

.