City of Monash

The City of Monash was once hunting grounds for two groups of First Nations peoples, the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung in the north and the Bunurong people in the south.

The City of Monash, named after World War I commander Sir John Monash^[3] and the local Monash University (established 1958), was created on 15 December 1994 when the state government amalgamated local councils all over Victoria, merging a substantial portion of the former City of Oakleigh with the whole of the former City of Waverley.^[4]

At the 2021 census, the city had a population of 190,397 up from 182,618 at the 2016 census.^[5]

^ - Territory divided with another LGA

Monash has a diverse population, with 52% of its residents born overseas (compared to 29.0% across Melbourne),^[12] coming from more than 30 countries,^[13] with significant Chinese, UK, Greek, Indian, Malaysian and Sri Lankan populations.^[12] 42.4% of residents own their own home outright, compared to 33.1% in Melbourne,^[14] and 37.3% across Australia.^[15] The city is well educated, with 25.1% having a bachelor or higher degree (compared to 19.6% across Melbourne).^[16]

The Museum of Australian Photography (MAPh) collection has over 3,800 photographs reflecting the history and development of Australian photographic practice from the 19th century to today. The collection is diverse and includes many iconic images and the work of photographers recognised as nationally significant.^[20]

The museum began as the Waverley City Gallery in the late 1970s, housed in a residential home in Mount Waverley.^[21] In 1990 the gallery, designed by Harry Seidler, was opened on the current site. When the councils of the City of Oakleigh and the City of Waverley were amalgamated to form the City of Monash in 1994 the gallery was renamed the Monash Gallery of Art,^[22][23] and renamed in 2023 as the Museum of Australian Photography (MAPh).

Speak the Wind, an exhibition of photographs by Hoda Afshar, took place from 29 April to 22 May 2022, as one of a series of official exhibitions of PHOTO 2022: International Festival of Photography, taking place in Melbourne and regional Victoria.^[24] Afshar published a book of the same name in 2021, which includes an essay by Michael Taussig^[25] and documents the landscapes and people of the islands of Hormuz, Qeshm, and Hengam, in the Persian Gulf off the south coast of Iran.^[26][27][28]

• Monash Public Library Service provides library service through six branch libraries: Clayton, Glen Waverley, Mount Waverley, Mulgrave, Oakleigh and Wheelers Hill, as well as a Home Library Service.^{[citation needed]}