Fawkner

Fawkner Melbourne, Victoria
Aerial view looking south-east, from above the Sydney Road / Western Ring Road intersection, Melbourne-Upfield Railway Line and Gowrie Railway Station to the right
Fawkner
Coordinates	37°42′25″S 144°58′05″E / 37.707°S 144.968°E / -37.707; 144.968Coordinates: 37°42′25″S 144°58′05″E / 37.707°S 144.968°E / -37.707; 144.968
Population	12,596 (2011)
• Density	2,470/km2 (6,400/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	3060
Area	5.1 km2 (2.0 sq mi)
Location	12 km (7 mi) from Melbourne
LGA(s)	City of Moreland City of Hume
State electorate(s)	Broadmeadows
Federal Division(s)	Wills
Suburbs around Fawkner: Broadmeadows Campbellfield Thomastown Hadfield Fawkner Reservoir Coburg North Coburg North Reservoir

Fawkner is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 12 km north of Melbourne's central business district. Its local government areas are the City of Moreland and the City of Hume. At the 2011 Census, Fawkner had a population of 12,596.

The major portion within the City of Moreland is bounded by Merri Creek on the east, Sydney Road on the west, the Western Ring Road on the north and Boundary Road on the south separating the suburb from Coburg North. The smaller portion within the City of Hume extends north to Camp Road and Mahoneys Road.

According to Moreland Council suburb profile, Fawkner has a larger percentage of population aged over 70 years (17.7%) and aged from 5 to 11 years (8.9%), than the average for the municipality (11.8% and 7.0% respectively).

The suburb also has a lower proportion - 47.4% - of people born in Australia, as against the municipal average of 60.1%.

Since the population boom after the second world War, Fawkner has attracted immigrants from a range of cultures. For many years the suburb contained a substantial Italian immigrant population. Currently 13.1% of residents were born in Italy. Other large immigrant communities include Pakistan (4.4%) and Iraq (2.5%).

The area was originally called and was part of Box Forest, named by Melbourne settler pioneer, John Pascoe Fawkner. In 1867 John Jukes bought a parcel of land in the area and named it Fawkner in honour of the pioneer settler. John Jukes grandson, David Jukes, continued to live in the area until the 1970s.

One of the original settlers in Fawkner was Michael Dowling and his family, who settled on their property at Major Road near Merri Creek in September 1902, grazing cattle to fatten for market. Miss Dowling described the area then as a harsh windy place with few trees and a few unfinished shacks.