Toorak sits 5km south-east of the CBD in the City of Stonnington, postcode 3142, and it has been Melbourne’s prestige address since the 1850s gold rush money built the first mansions along the ridge above the Yarra. The name itself comes from “Toorak House,” a grand estate that once occupied the land near the corner of Toorak Road and St Georges Road. Today the suburb runs roughly from Orrong Road in the west to Glenferrie Road in the east, with the Yarra River forming the northern boundary and Malvern Road to the south.
The bones of the suburb are grand Victorian and Edwardian estates — many subdivided over the decades but still visually imposing along streets like Irving Road, Albany Road, and St Georges Road. Toorak Village on Toorak Road between Canterbury Road and Wallace Avenue is the commercial heart: designer boutiques, European-style delis, and cafes where the median coffee order probably costs more than a meal in Footscray. The village isn’t large — maybe 400 metres of shopfronts — but it concentrates wealth in a way that feels almost self-conscious.
Como House on Como Avenue is the suburb’s cultural anchor: a National Trust property dating to 1847 with gardens that host summer picnics and twilight events. It’s one of the few grand estates that survived intact while its neighbours were carved into townhouse developments.
Getting around Toorak
Toorak station sits on the Glen Waverley line and gets you to Flinders Street in about 12 minutes. Tram 8 runs along Toorak Road connecting to the CBD via Domain Interchange, and tram 58 also services Toorak Road heading toward South Yarra and the city. Kooyong Road runs north-south through the suburb and connects to the Monash Freeway for drivers heading east. Canterbury Road provides an alternative east-west route parallel to Toorak Road, quieter and preferred by locals who know the traffic light sequencing.
For the full breakdown, see our Toorak transport guide.
What to eat and drink in Toorak
Toorak Road and Toorak Village carry the dining scene. France-Soir on Toorak Road has been serving French bistro classics since the 1980s and remains a genuine institution — the steak frites and the waiters have both been here for decades. Kazuki’s on Canterbury Road does modern Japanese with a seasonal tasting menu that serious food people travel across Melbourne for. The village delis stock European cheeses, cured meats, and bread that costs what it should.
The cafe scene is polished rather than experimental. You’re more likely to find a perfect flat white in a marble-tiled fitout than a pour-over in a converted garage. Toorak Road cafes cater to the school-run crowd in the mornings and the ladies-who-lunch demographic from 11am onward.
Explore our guides to Toorak’s best restaurants, best cafes, and best bars.
Living in Toorak — what it actually costs
Toorak is Melbourne’s most expensive suburb and has been for most of the past century. Median house prices sit well above $4 million. Apartments are the entry point, and even a one-bedroom unit on the village fringe commands $400–$500 per week in rent. Two-bedroom apartments run $550–$800 depending on how close you are to Toorak Road and whether there’s parking. The trade-off is proximity to some of Melbourne’s best private schools, and a postcode that still carries weight.
Is Toorak good for families?
Absolutely — if you can afford it. Melbourne Grammar, Lauriston Girls’ School, and St Kevin’s College are all within the Toorak orbit. Como Park and Toorak Park provide green space, though they’re modest compared to what you’d get in suburbs further out. The streets south of Toorak Road are genuinely quiet, tree-lined, and feel safe enough that kids ride bikes unsupervised. The school-run traffic on Canterbury Road and Kooyong Road is the main family annoyance.
The honest take
Toorak is beautiful, expensive, and slightly insecure about being slightly boring. The suburb doesn’t have the creative energy of Fitzroy, the nightlife of South Yarra, or the multicultural buzz of Richmond. What it has is immaculate streetscapes, excellent schools, quiet wealth, and a village strip where the greatest act of rebellion is ordering a long black instead of a latte. If you value polish over personality, Toorak delivers exactly what it promises — and the money you spend here buys a specific kind of Melbourne life that nowhere else quite replicates.
Keep exploring
- Living in Toorak — The Honest Guide — Pros, cons, and the unfiltered version
- Is Toorak Good for Families? — Schools, parks, safety
- Is Toorak Good for Young Professionals? — Social scene, commute, rent
- Is Toorak Good for Retirees? — Quiet streets, healthcare, community
- Cost of Living in Toorak — Rent, daily costs, comparisons
- Getting Around Toorak — Trains, trams, driving
- Toorak Neighbourhood Guide — Streets, pockets, where to be
- History of Toorak — How the suburb became Melbourne’s address
Suburbs near Toorak
- South Yarra — Chapel Street shopping, Botanical Gardens, and Melbourne’s see-and-be-seen brunch scene
- Hawthorn — Glenferrie Road shops, Swinburne Uni, and heritage homes across the river
- Prahran — Greville Street boutiques, Chapel Street nightlife, and a grittier energy next door
- Richmond — Bridge Road, Victoria Street Vietnamese, and inner-city edge 10 minutes away
Got something to add about Toorak? Reckon we missed something? Email [email protected].
