Pakenham is a suburb of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia, south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District and the most populous in the Shire of Cardinia. Pakenham recorded a population of 54,118 at the 2021 census.
Pakenham has become a major growth area in south-eastern Melbourne as new housing developments have boosted its population and infrastructure, as exemplified in the development of the Lakeside, Heritage Springs and Cardinia Lakes estates.
History
Pakenham is situated in the Kulin nation traditional Aboriginal country. The Boon Wurrung people are local custodians within the Kulin nation.
Pakenham was named after Sir Edward Pakenham (19 March 1778 – 8 January 1815), a British Major General who fought in the Peninsular War. On 8 January 1815, Pakenham was killed in action while leading his men at the Battle of New Orleans. The Neville and Bourke families arrived in Sydney on the Alquis in 1837, sponsored by the Governor George Gipps to migrate and settle in Melbourne. They arrived in Melbourne on the John Barry in 1839 and selected 5 miles by 5 miles of land now known as the area of Upper Pakenham.
The original Pakenham Post Office opened on 1 February 1859, was renamed Pakenham West on 1 October 1971, and was closed on 15 January 1974. The existing Pakenham Post Office was opened on 11 June 1888 as Pakenham Railway Station Post Office, was renamed Pakenham East in 1908, and further renamed Pakenham on 1 October 1971. The railway station was opened on 8 October 1877 and was a part of the east link connecting Melbourne to Pakenham and other eastern towns.
In Pakenham there is the Cardinia Civic Concert Band Hall. The band originally started out as a brass band in the late 1880s. In the 1970s the band became a concert band and now has 60 members of all ages, abilities and instrumentations. The band currently performs at various events around the Cardinia Shire.
Demographics
In Pakenham 71.2% of people were born in Australia. The most common ancestries in Pakenham were English 27.3%, Australian 25.5%, Irish 6.7%, Scottish 6.2% and German 2.8%. The most common countries of birth outside of Australia were England 4.0%, India 2.8%, New Zealand 2.3%, Sri Lanka 1.3% and Philippines 1.0%. 0.9% of people in Pakenham are Aboriginal. The most common responses for religion in Pakenham were No Religion, so described 34.8%, Catholic 21.2%, Anglican 11.1%, Not stated 8.5% and Christian, nfd 3.8%. In Pakenham, Christianity was the largest religious group reported overall 53.8%.
Transport
Pakenham is on the main railway line between Melbourne and Gippsland, and its railway station marks the end of the suburban electrified service. Pakenham Station is the termination point of all services operated by Metro Trains Melbourne heading out of the city, but V/Line trains to and from Gippsland also serve Pakenham.
Rail transport
Cardinia Road railway station is located west of Pakenham station, between Pakenham and Officer. It carried its first train services on Sunday 22 April 2012.
Road transport
Pakenham is also on the Princes Highway. The Pakenham Bypass allows road traffic between Melbourne and Gippsland to bypass Pakenham, both shortening travel times and alleviating traffic congestion within Pakenham. The main north–south roads through Pakenham head north to Healesville and south to Koo Wee Rup. Buses run from the train station to the other parts of Pakenham.
Media
Pakenham is serviced by one local newspaper: Star News Group's The Pakenham-Berwick Gazette, available every Wednesday for $1. Star's widely distributed Pakenham News, is dropped into mailboxes free every Thursday around the town.
Well over 100 years old, Star News Group houses its main headquarters on the Princes Highway in Pakenham.
Pakenham is in the coverage range of all the commercial radio stations in Melbourne, yet are also locally serviced by 94.3 Star FM, whose studios are situated in Warragul, about 45 kilometres (28 miles) away from the town.
Television services in the town are exactly the same as Melbourne's, yet being in the Gippsland area, regional television can also be accessed. Services such as WIN Gippsland and Southern Cross Nine are available to viewers, yet the signal strength tends to become stronger in the east of the town.