City of Manningham
The City of Manningham is a local government area in Victoria, Australia in the north-eastern suburbs of Melbourne and is divided into 12 suburbs, with the largest being Doncaster and Doncaster East. It comprises an area of 113 square kilometres and had a population of 125,508 in June 2018. The district spans a roughly east–west direction along the southern banks of the Yarra River and across the undulating valleys of the Koonung, Ruffey and Mullum Mullum Creeks, alternating from typical low density suburban housing in the west to remnant bushland, within a green wedge, in  the east. As such, the district encompasses the transition between the built and natural environments in Melbourne's east and promotes itself as a "balance of city and country". Formerly the City of Doncaster & Templestowe, the district is situated in the Wurundjeri nation's territory. Most of the first European settlers to the area were orchardists, arriving through the 1850s. Gold was first discovered in Victoria around the same time at Andersons Creek, in Warrandyte, however, the district saw varied growth as periods of low density suburban development occurred sporadically throughout the mid-late 20th century. History. The Manningham municipality  was created on 15 December 1994, as part of a general restructure of Melbourne's local government boundaries. The new municipality contains the former City of Doncaster & Templestowe, but with part of Ringwood North ceded to the new City of Maroondah and Wonga Park, annexed from the former Shire of Lillydale. The name Bulleen, a nearby suburb, was proposed for the new municipality, as it was the name of the shire predating the City of Doncaster and Templestowe. However, modern residents believed the name was too localised, so the name of one of the major roads was adopted. The origin  of Manningham Road comes from the region of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. Residents' requests for the City to be named after Indigenous Australian names local to the area such as "Mullum Mullum" or "Koonung" were rejected. Geography. The main watercourses that border or flow through the City of Manningham include; Structure. Federal electorate. The Federal electorate of Menzies covers much of the City of Manningham. It has been held by the Federal Liberal Party since 1984. State electorates. The City of Manningham encompasses the two Victorian state electorates of Bulleen and Warrandyte, both of which been held predominantly by the  Liberal Party. Wards and councillors. Manningham was divided into four wards electing two councillors each until 2008. From 2008 to 2020, Manningham has been divided into three wards, with three councillors elected for each ward. Following reforms to the Local Government Act in 2020, Manningham is divided into 9 wards, each electing one Councillor. Councillors are elected by the community for a four-year term following an election. The council, as of November 2020, is: Past councillors. 1. Katerina Karanikolopoulos 2. Jessica Villarreal 3. Jim Grivokostopoulos 4. Mike Zafiropoulos Parklands. Covering 70 per cent of the municipality and ranging from  large natural areas to intimate pocket parks, these open spaces provide a variety of unstructured play opportunities for children and families. Some of the major parks include; Education. Primary Schools – Public (14) Primary Schools – Private (9) Secondary Colleges – Public (4) Secondary Colleges – Private (2) Other (2) Libraries (4) All libraries in the Manningham area are operated by the Whitehorse Manningham Regional Library Corporation. Manningham Libraries include: Transport. Manningham is the only area in metropolitan Melbourne without a train line or tram route and therefore the area is heavily reliant on private cars. A Doncaster railway line had been planned for  many decades; however the land was sold off in the 1980s. Residents have long campaigned for extension of the route 48 tram along Doncaster Road to Doncaster, Doncaster East or Donvale, although this is heavily supported by Local Governments, the issue has been consistently avoided by State Government. There are increased bus services to cope with the demand for public transport, including four radial SmartBus routes, and two exclusive Manningham Mover circular routes. Most routes are operated by Kinetic Melbourne, which has a depot in Doncaster East, near the intersection of Blackburn and Doncaster Roads.