Toorak, Victoria

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Expensive four wheel drives (often called "Toorak Tractors") line the leafy streets as far as the eye can see.

Toorak is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is in the Local Government Area of the City of Stonnington. It is located 6 km south east of the CBD and is known to be the wealthiest suburb in Melbourne and some of the most expensive houses in the city are here as well as the Rodeo Drive of Melbourne, Toorak Village. It has two railway stations, Toorak and Heyington. Its post code is 3142.

The suburb was named after Toorak House, a residence built by James Jackson, a merchant in 1849. The word, Toorak, may have come from Aboriginal words of similar pronunciation, meaning black crow or reedy swamp. Toorak House still stands today in St. Georges Road, and set the architectural tone for the suburb.

Prefixing something with "Toorak" has become slang for indicating wealth in a some cases, for instance with luxury 4WDs becoming known as the Toorak Tractor to South-East Victorian motorists. The Toorak Village website perhaps best describes the attitudes of people living in Toorak: "Toorak is the most expensive, exclusive area to live in Melbourne. The Rodeo Drive of Australia, Toorak Village is the place to be seen. You can shop till you drop at the exclusive designer stores, pamper yourself silly at the hair and beauty parlors, enjoy a delicious meal at one of the many delightful cafés, go on to Silvers Nightclub or even see a film at the Trak."

Neighbourhood

Melbourne suburbs near Toorak (City of Stonnington)
Richmond	Burnley	Hawthorn
South Yarra	Toorak	Kooyong
Prahran	Armadale	Glen Iris

Notable citizens

• Ted Baillieu - politician, derided as "the toff from Toorak" by Rob Hulls
• Zara Bate - fashion designer and wife (later widow) of Prime Minister Harold Holt had a salon, called Magg, in Toorak Village.
• Malcolm Fraser - Liberal Party politician and 22nd Prime Minister of Australia was born in Toorak.
• Duncan Gillies - colonial politician, was the 14th Premier of Victoria and member for Toorak from 1897 to 1903.
• Peter Lew - businessman from Toorak is the managing director of Witchery stores.
• Solomon Lew - Australian businessman and one of Australia's richest men lives in Toorak.
• Eddie McGuire - journalist, sports broadcaster, television game show host, businessman and recently appointed CEO of the Nine Network was a resident of Toorak.
• Charlie McLeod - Australian cricketer who died in 1918 in Toorak.
• Lou Richards - Australian rules footballer, who played with the Collingwood Football Club between 1941 and 1955 is a resident of Toorak.
• Peter Robb - Australian author was born in the Toorak in 1946.
• Jack Saunders- Australian cricketer who died in 1927 in Toorak.
• Tup Scott - Australian cricketer, born in Toorak in 1858, and served as mayor and chief magistrate in Scone, New South Wales.

External links

• http://www.toorakvillage.com.au/

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