Frankston, a prominent suburb in Melbourne’s south-east, continues to stand out as one of Victoria’s most significant coastal communities. Situated approximately 54 kilometres from Melbourne’s central business district, Frankston sits within the City of Frankston and functions as both its administrative heart and primary activity centre.

Positioned along the eastern coastline of Port Phillip Bay, Frankston has a long history as a seaside destination. Its popularity dates back to the 1880s, when it became a favoured retreat for Melburnians seeking coastal relaxation. Today, Frankston Beach remains one of the most visited beaches in the state and is widely recognised for its cleanliness and scenic appeal, drawing locals and tourists throughout the year.

Covering an area of just over 20 square kilometres and resting at an elevation of 11 metres above sea level, the suburb blends urban convenience with natural beauty. According to the 2021 census, Frankston has a population of more than 37,000 residents, reflecting steady growth and ongoing development in the area.

Frankston’s strategic location places it close to several key destinations, including Dandenong, Mornington, Cranbourne, and Hastings. This connectivity has strengthened its role as a transport, commercial, and lifestyle hub in the region. The suburb is represented in the Frankston state electorate and the federal division of Dunkley.

Often referred to as the “gateway to the Mornington Peninsula,” Frankston marks the northern entry point to one of Victoria’s most celebrated wine, tourism, and coastal regions. With its mix of beaches, civic infrastructure, and access to surrounding attractions, Frankston continues to play a vital role in Melbourne’s broader metropolitan landscape.

The lands on which Frankston now stands have long held cultural and practical importance for the Boonwurrung people of the Kulin nation. For around 40,000 years, the area served as a vital source of fish and a key meeting place for the Mayone-bulluk clan, reflecting its central role in Indigenous life along the eastern shoreline of Port Phillip Bay.

European presence in the area began around 1835, coinciding with the founding of Melbourne. Early settlement took the form of an informal fishing outpost, supplying fresh seafood to the rapidly growing colonial settlement nearby. This modest beginning marked the start of Frankston’s transformation into a permanent township.

Frankston was formally established in 1854, when official land sales for a new village were held on 29 May. As the settlement expanded, it grew in importance and influence, eventually lending its name to the wider local government area in 1893. This milestone cemented Frankston’s role as a central hub for administration and community life in the region.

Today, Frankston is made up of several distinct neighbourhoods, including Frankston Central, Frankston East, Frankston Heights, Karingal, Long Island, Mount Erin, and Olivers Hill. Each area contributes to the suburb’s diverse character, combining residential, commercial, and coastal lifestyles.

According to the 2021 census, Frankston is home to 37,331 residents. Those who live in the suburb are commonly known as Frankstonians, reflecting a strong local identity shaped by thousands of years of history, cultural significance, and continued urban growth.

The origin of the name Frankston remains a topic of historical debate, with several competing theories proposed over the years. Among the most widely accepted explanations is the belief that the suburb was named after Frank Liardet, one of the area’s earliest European settlers and landholders.

This theory, first documented in the Victorian Historical Magazine in March 1916, points to Liardet’s early presence and influence in the region. The Liardet family were well-known pioneers in early Melbourne, arriving from England aboard the William Metcalfe in 1839. Frank Liardet’s father, Wilbraham Liardet, played a key role in Melbourne’s early development, founding what is now Port Melbourne and establishing hotels across the growing settlement. The family was instrumental in operating some of Melbourne’s earliest hospitality businesses and even helped establish the township’s first mail service.

Frank Liardet settled in the Frankston area in 1847 after securing a 300-acre depasturing licence over land that now forms part of the Karingal district. During this period, he constructed the first known wooden house in the area. This dwelling later became part of the Ballam Park estate following the official land sales of 1854, marking a significant step in Frankston’s formal development.

Before establishing himself in Frankston, Liardet worked on the cattle run of Captain Benjamin Baxter, the first Postmaster of the Port Phillip District. Baxter’s property covered areas now known as Langwarrin and Langwarrin South, further linking Liardet to the broader early settlement of the region.

By the time Liardet obtained his depasturing licence in 1847, an informal fishing village had already begun to take shape along Frankston’s foreshore. This growing coastal community, combined with Liardet’s settlement and land ownership, has led many historians to believe his name became permanently associated with the area.

While alternative theories remain, the connection to Frank Liardet continues to be one of the most compelling explanations for the toponymic origins of Frankston, reflecting the suburb’s deep ties to Melbourne’s early colonial history.

The origins of Frankston’s name continue to spark historical debate, with new attention drawn to evidence that challenges one of the most popular explanations. While Frank Liardet’s early presence in the area has long led to the belief that the name evolved from the informal term “Frank’s Town,” this theory is not universally accepted—and may, in fact, be incorrect.

Liardet was an early settler in the Frankston region and had strong connections to Melbourne’s earliest mail services. These factors made it plausible that locals referred to the developing coastal settlement as “Frank’s Town,” a name that could have later been formalised as “Frankston” during the official land sales in 1854. This explanation has persisted in local history for decades.

However, a letter published in The Argus newspaper on 30 May 1916 cast serious doubt on this claim. Written by a member of the Liardet family, the letter firmly rejected the idea that Frankston was named after Frank Liardet. The correspondence included extracts from communications between the Liardet family and the Victorian Department of Lands and Survey, which directly refuted the theory.

Instead, the documents proposed an alternative origin: that Frankston was named in honour of Charles Franks, an Irish-born settler who holds a tragic place in Melbourne’s early colonial history. Franks is believed to have been the first European killed by Indigenous Australians in the Melbourne region.

Charles Franks arrived in Melbourne in 1836 aboard the Champion from Van Diemen’s Land and later made a squatter’s claim near Mount Cottrel, west of Port Phillip Bay. His land bordered that of early explorer and surveyor John Helder Wedge, whose property was managed by his nephew, Charles Wedge. Before securing his own land licence in what is now the Frankston area, Charles Wedge maintained strong ties to the surrounding settlements.

According to correspondence from the Department of Lands and Survey, when the area was surveyed ahead of the 1854 land sales, the name “Frankston” was likely proposed to commemorate the late Charles Franks, who had once been a neighbour of the Wedge family.

This account adds a new layer of complexity to Frankston’s toponymic history, suggesting the suburb’s name may reflect remembrance rather than settlement. As historical records continue to be examined, the true origin of Frankston’s name remains an intriguing and evolving story.

Alongside theories linking Frankston’s name to early settlers, another explanation—often regarded as local folklore—suggests the suburb was named after a hotel known as “Frank Stone’s Hotel.” This idea gained popularity through the work of author Don Charlwood, who, as a student at Frankston High School, compiled a detailed local history using both written records and oral accounts. His findings were published in The Frankston & Somerville Standard on 8 February 1930.

According to Charlwood, the hotel in question was originally called the Cannanuke Inn, believed to be the first permanent building constructed in the Frankston area during the 1840s. The inn was built by early settler James Davey, who held a pre-emptive right to land in the district. Records from the Victorian Heritage Database indicate that the Cannanuke Inn once stood on the site now occupied by the Frankston Mechanics’ Institute, located at 1 Plowman Place in today’s central business district.

Charlwood’s account claims that the inn was purchased in the early 1850s by a man known as Mr. Stone. After the birth of his son, Frank, the hotel was allegedly renamed “Frank Stone’s Hotel,” with the surrounding settlement adopting a shortened version of the name—eventually becoming “Frankston” at the time of the official land sales in 1854.

However, this theory is widely questioned due to a lack of supporting licensing records for the Cannanuke Inn. While Charlwood noted that Stone bought the property from a man named Standring, historical licensing documents show that Benjamin Standring owned the Frankston Hotel between 1857 and 1860—several years after the name “Frankston” was already in use. Furthermore, the conditions of James Davey’s pre-emptive land licence explicitly prohibited him from selling or sub-letting the inn. These facts make it unlikely that the property changed hands in the manner described prior to 1854.

Adding yet another layer to the debate, historian Michael Jones introduced a different theory in his 1989 book Frankston: Resort to City. Jones suggested that Frankston was named after Sir Thomas Harte Franks, a distinguished British army general. This interpretation is supported by the naming patterns of nearby suburbs, many of which appear to reference British military figures or statesmen, including Cranbourne, Hastings, Lyndhurst, Mornington, and Pakenham.

Jones argued that these names were likely assigned by Sir Andrew Clarke, who served as Victoria’s Surveyor General between 1853 and 1858. If correct, this theory places Frankston within a broader colonial naming convention rather than linking it to a single individual or local establishment.

Together, these competing explanations highlight the complexity of Frankston’s toponymic history. Whether derived from a settler, a hotel, or a British general, the suburb’s name remains a subject of enduring fascination and local debate.

The history of Frankston stretches back tens of thousands of years, long before European settlement began in Victoria. Prior to the establishment of Melbourne in 1835, the lands surrounding Port Phillip were inhabited by Indigenous Australians of the Kulin nation for an estimated 31,000 to 40,000 years.

The Frankston area was primarily home to the Mayone-bulluk clan of the Bunurong tribe, one of the five major tribes of the Kulin nation. These communities lived a nomadic lifestyle and did not establish permanent settlements, which has resulted in limited physical archaeological evidence of their long presence in the region.

The Bunurong people were hunter-gatherers who practised an ecologically sustainable way of life, moving between locations based on seasonal availability of resources. In the Frankston area, waterways such as Kananook Creek and Sweetwater Creek, along with surrounding swamps and wetlands, provided abundant fish and eel. During warmer months, the land offered a reliable supply of fruit and vegetables, making the area an important seasonal resource zone.

Frankston was not only valued for its natural resources but also held cultural and social significance. An important meeting and ceremonial site for Bunurong clans from across the Mornington Peninsula was located at what is now the Frankston Mechanics’ Institute at 1 Plowman Place in the central business district. This site was traditionally used for corroborees, trade, and gatherings, underscoring Frankston’s role as a regional centre long before modern development.

Bunurong territory extended from the Werribee River in Melbourne’s west through to Wilsons Promontory in Gippsland. Within the Kulin nation, this land was known as marr-ne-beek, meaning “excellent country,” reflecting its rich natural environment. According to Dreamtime beliefs, the territory was created by the ancestor spirit Lohan, from whom all Bunurong people are considered descendants through their paternal lineage.

Kulin nation mythology holds that the creator spirit Bunjil, represented by the eaglehawk, formed the people and their laws, while the crow spirit Waa acted as the protector of waterways and controller of the winds. These spiritual beliefs remain central to understanding the cultural heritage of the region.

Today, Frankston’s modern landscape sits atop an ancient cultural foundation, shaped by thousands of years of Indigenous stewardship, tradition, and connection to land and water.

The Frankston area is deeply connected to the Mayone-bulluk clan of the Bunurong tribe, part of the Kulin nation. Their social structure was governed by the two moiety totems, Bunjil (eaglehawk) and Waa (crow), which dictated marriage, kinship, and clan responsibilities. Through this system, the Mayone-bulluk clan maintained close ties with the Wurundjeri-balluk clan from the central Melbourne area, of the neighboring Woiwurrung tribe. These spiritual and cultural connections are symbolically represented today by two monumental eagle sculptures by artist Bruce Armstrong: a 5-metre sculpture erected in 2001 on Mayone-bulluk land in Young Street, Frankston, and a 25-metre sculpture in 2002 on Wurundjeri-balluk land in Melbourne Docklands.

European contact in Frankston began in the early 1800s. In January 1803, Captain Charles Robbins sailed the Cumberland into Port Phillip as part of Charles Grimes’ surveying expedition. Grimes went ashore at Kananook Creek and made peaceful contact with around 30 local Indigenous people, likely members of the Mayone-bulluk clan. Another potential encounter occurred in December 1803, involving escaped convicts from Captain David Collins’ failed Sorrento settlement. Among them was William Buckley, who later lived for 32 years with the Wadawurrung-balug clan. Buckley recorded encountering a “large tribe of the natives…armed with spears” near a creek likely corresponding to Kananook Creek or Long Island in Frankston, although no direct contact occurred.

At the time of European contact, the Bunurong tribe numbered approximately 300 individuals. James Fleming, a member of Grimes’ expedition, observed smallpox scars on the Indigenous people, suggesting the devastating epidemic had already affected the population prior to 1803. Smallpox, introduced to Australia with the First Fleet in 1788, reached Port Phillip by 1790 and likely claimed at least half of the combined Kulin nation populations.

The arrival of permanent European settlement in 1835 brought further hardships. Another smallpox outbreak reduced the Bunurong population to 83 by 1839, and an influenza epidemic in the 1840s further diminished their numbers to just 28 by 1850. The last full-blooded member of the Bunurong people, Yam-mer-book, also known as Jimmy Dunbar of the nearby Ngaruk-Willam clan, passed away of natural causes in 1877.

Frankston’s modern landscape now sits atop thousands of years of Indigenous history, reflecting a legacy of rich culture, early European encounters, and the profound impacts of disease on the region’s original custodians.

The European settlement of Frankston began shortly after Melbourne was founded on 30 August 1835. Early settlers were primarily fishermen who lived in tents and simple wattle-and-daub huts along the foreshore and at the base of Olivers Hill. They regularly travelled by boat to Melbourne to sell their catches, forming the foundation of the area’s early economy.

In 1840, James Davey arrived and obtained a 640-acre pre-emptive land licence covering much of what is now Frankston and Frankston South, from Olivers Hill down to Daveys Bay. During the mid-1840s, Davey built the Cannanuke Inn—the first permanent building in the area—on the site now occupied by the Frankston Mechanics’ Institute at 1 Plowman Place in the central business district (CBD). In 1851, he also constructed the first permanent wooden house in southern Frankston near Daveys Bay on what was known as “Old Man Davey’s Hill.”

Frank Liardet, eldest son of Melbourne pioneer Wilbraham Liardet, arrived in 1843 and took out a 300-acre depasturing licence for the area now known as Karingal. He built the first permanent wooden house in eastern Frankston in 1847, later incorporating it into his Ballam Park estate following the formal land sales of 1854.

Other notable early settlers included James Oliver, who built a house on northern Olivers Hill to monitor fish schools in nearby waters, giving the hill its current name, and Charles Wedge, a surveyor and explorer who gained land licences in what are now Carrum Downs and Seaford. Thomas and Grace McComb arrived in 1852; Thomas contributed to the local fishing industry, while Grace became Frankston’s first nurse and midwife. In 1854, Thomas Ritchie established the suburb’s first bakery on what is now Nepean Highway in the CBD.

The Frankston township was officially surveyed by Thomas Hanbury Permein in early 1854 for the Victorian colonial government. The only permanent building at the time was the Cannanuke Inn. Using Permein’s survey, James Philp of the Surveyor General’s Office drew up a plan for the new village on 1 May 1854, which included 29 standard lots, 49 suburban lots, nine large country lots of 430 acres, and a designated village centre that would develop into the modern Frankston CBD.

The first formal land sales for Frankston took place on 29 May 1854, following its gazettal in late April as a location “well watered with springs… the odour and flavour of the water being remarkable.” That same year, the road from Brighton to Frankston was extended—now Nepean Highway—complete with bridges over Kananook Creek and Mordialloc Creek, enhancing access to the growing township.

Frank Liardet became one of the first official landowners in the village, establishing his Ballam Park estate on his depasturing licence. His early presence in the area contributed to the popular theory that Frankston was named after him, a view first published in the Victorian Historical Magazine in March 1916.

This period marked the transformation of Frankston from an informal coastal fishing settlement into a structured township with roads, surveyed lots, and permanent buildings, laying the foundation for the modern suburb.

Following the first formal land sales for Frankston on 29 May 1854, the suburb quickly began to develop into a structured community. On 12 December of the same year, Samuel Packham received a licence to establish the Frankston Hotel, which historical records place at the northwest corner of Davey Street and Nepean Highway—today the site of the Pier Hotel. Packham promoted the hotel as a country retreat, employing a kangaroo tracker and organizing game hunting expeditions for guests, highlighting early tourism and recreational activities in the area.

Around the same period, Charles Wedge established the Banyan sheep station on his pre-emptive land licence, covering areas now known as Carrum Downs and Seaford. Meanwhile, James McMahon purchased land over present-day Sandhurst and Skye, reflecting the growing agricultural and pastoral economy of the region.

The first permanent brick house in Frankston was constructed in 1855 at Ballam Park, replacing the earlier wooden house built in 1847. Frederick Liardet, the younger brother of Frank Liardet, built the residence in a French Colonial Gothic Revival style designed by their father, Wilbraham Liardet. Today, the house is recognized on both the Victorian and Australian heritage registers through the National Trust of Australia and is managed by the Frankston Historical Society, which offers tours and maintains a local history museum at the estate.

Community infrastructure also began to take shape during this period. A site was reserved for a Church of England (Anglican) on the corner of Bay Street and High Street in the Frankston CBD, which included a school area and a temporary burial ground. In 1856, a temporary hall was built to serve both as a place of worship and as a school, eventually evolving into the Woodleigh School. Frankston’s first post office opened on 1 September 1857, initially operating from this same hall, reflecting the early establishment of civic services.

By the late 19th century, Frankston had grown from a fishing village into a burgeoning township, with hotels, heritage homes, pastoral enterprises, religious institutions, and educational facilities laying the foundations for the suburb’s long-term development and community identity.

Frankston’s early economy in the 19th century was driven largely by fishing and coastal trade. Thomas McComb funded the construction of Frankston Pier in 1857, which allowed local fishermen to more easily transport their catches. In 1863, following a petition from residents, the pier was extended into deeper waters, equipped with a gas lamp and lamplighter. The Frankston Fish Company, established in 1867 by local businessmen including Thomas Ritchie, enabled bulk transport of fish to markets in Melbourne, further boosting the local economy.

In 1870, Thomas Ritchie opened his first general store at the southwest corner of Playne Street and Nepean Highway, marking the beginnings of Ritchies Stores—the largest independent grocery chain in Australia today, still headquartered in Frankston.

Hospitality also flourished. On 15 November 1873, William Davey Jr., grandson of early settler James Davey, obtained a licence for the Bay View Hotel, constructed with a guest house shipped from Jersey. Mark Young purchased the Frankston Hotel in 1875, renaming it the Pier Hotel, and invested heavily in its improvement, making it one of Victoria’s premier hotels at the time.

Education and civic services developed alongside commercial growth. Grace McComb petitioned for the first government school, which opened in 1874 on Davey Street as the No. 1464 Frankston School (later Frankston Primary School) with 45 students. The Mechanics’ Institute, built on the former site of the Cannanuke Inn in 1880, became a hub for education and community life, supported by local societies and donations, including the first 400 books donated by banker H.D. Larnach to establish the Frankston Free Library.

Financial services arrived with the opening of the Colonial Bank of Australasia branch in 1881, located adjacent to Mark Young’s Pier Hotel.

Transport infrastructure also advanced during this period. The railway line from Caulfield to Frankston was extended between 1881 and 1882, primarily to service a proposed metropolitan cemetery. Although the cemetery plan was eventually abandoned due to soil and geological concerns—later established in Springvale in 1901—the railway significantly improved access to Frankston, facilitating both commerce and tourism.

By the late 19th century, Frankston had evolved from a simple fishing village into a bustling seaside community with a diversified economy, including fishing, retail, hospitality, and transport services, laying the foundations for its continued growth into the 20th century.

The late 19th century marked Frankston’s rise as a premier seaside resort, spurred by the extension of the railway line from Melbourne. Travel time to the city was reduced from several hours by horse-drawn carriage to just 90 minutes by steam train, making the town an attractive destination for weekend visitors and holidaymakers.

In 1883, Mark Young constructed enclosed sea baths roughly 100 metres off Frankston Beach on a granite bed, at a cost of £950. These baths were connected to the coastline by a wooden pathway and a suspension bridge over Kananook Creek leading to Young’s Pier Hotel, blending leisure with coastal accessibility. By 1884, The Argus newspaper reported that Frankston was “going ahead rapidly,” with 50 to 60 new houses built over the previous three years, two hotels, a wine shop, four boarding houses, three general stores, two saddlers’ shops, and five brick-yards. The town’s Market Gardeners’ and Fruit Growers’ Association was established to transport produce to New South Wales and Tasmania, highlighting Frankston’s growing role as a regional trade hub.

Hospitality continued to expand. On 8 December 1884, John Storey Petrie opened the Prince of Wales Hotel at the southwest corner of Davey Street and Nepean Highway in the CBD. This, along with Young’s Pier Hotel and Davey’s Bay View Hotel, formed the famous “hotel corner,” later known as “pub corner,” which became a central social hub for the town.

Industrial development also contributed to the local economy. The Frankston Brick Company, founded in 1886 by local businessmen including William Davey Jr. and Thomas Ritchie, consolidated several brick-yards near Frankston Pier and produced approximately 50,000 bricks per week, capitalizing on the Melbourne land boom. The Victorian colonial government also established a large military camp at Langwarrin in 1886, further boosting population and infrastructure in the region.

Educational and religious institutions expanded alongside commercial growth. By the mid-1880s, Frankston School (No. 1464) served around 250 pupils, prompting the construction of an additional brick schoolhouse in 1889, now operated as an education history museum. Anglican and Roman Catholic communities were also established, with St. Paul’s Anglican Church opening in 1887 and St. Francis Xavier’s Roman Catholic Church opening in 1889.

Civic governance progressed with the incorporation of the broader Frankston area and the eastern Mornington Peninsula riding as the Shire of Frankston and Hastings on 20 October 1893. Early council meetings were held at the Frankston Mechanics’ Institute, and Cr. Edward McGurk was appointed as the inaugural shire president.

By the end of the 19th century, Frankston had grown from a quiet fishing village into a vibrant seaside resort, complete with hotels, leisure facilities, educational institutions, religious establishments, and civic governance, setting the stage for its continued development in the 20th century.

At the turn of the 20th century, Frankston saw significant civic and healthcare advancements. In 1900, Dr. Sidney Plowman, a British doctor and former Director of the Melbourne Pharmacy School, opened Frankston’s first hospital from his residence, The Lofts, at 20 Davey Street in the CBD. Designed as a Queen Anne-style California bungalow by Blackett & Rankin Architects and built from locally made bricks, The Lofts operated as a private day surgery and hospital until Dr. Plowman’s death in 1937. The building is now listed on the Victorian and Australian heritage registers through the National Trust of Australia and has been incorporated into Frankston’s Australian Government Building, housing the Australian Electoral Commission offices and the local parliamentary member for the Division of Dunkley.

Land that was previously proposed for a metropolitan cemetery in 1909 was converted into a pine forest plantation under the Victorian State Forestry Commission. After a devastating fire on 2 January 1955 destroyed most of the plantation, the state Housing Commission developed the Pine Forest housing estate in 1958, now known locally as "The Pines," forming the modern suburb of Frankston North.

Civic services expanded with the opening of Frankston’s first Commonwealth Postal Service office on 12 September 1910 at the southeast corner of Davey Street and Main Street (now Nepean Highway). Constructed in an Edwardian brick design by the Victorian Department of Public Works, the post office was later updated with a telephone exchange in 1927 and expanded in 1941. It operated as a post office and telephone exchange until the mid-1980s, after which the building was repurposed as a restaurant and later a nightclub. Its exterior was partly restored to its 1941 design in 2013.

These developments during the early 20th century laid the foundation for Frankston’s transformation from a seaside resort town into a modern urban community, with healthcare, housing, and civic services supporting its growing population and shaping its future growth.