Woodleigh School, Melbourne

Woodleigh School is an independent, co-educational, K-12 day school located in the Melbourne suburb of Langwarrin South, Victoria, Australia. It has two junior campuses; "Minimbah" (38°10′25″S 145°06′49″E / 38.1735°S 145.1137°E / -38.1735; 145.1137 (Minimbah campus)), located in Frankston South, and "Penbank" located in Moorooduc. Its senior campus, "Woodleigh" (38°11′31″S 145°10′30″E / 38.192°S 145.175°E / -38.192; 145.175 (Woodleigh campus)Coordinates: 38°11′31″S 145°10′30″E / 38.192°S 145.175°E / -38.192; 145.175 (Woodleigh campus)), is located in Langwarrin South.

History

Woodleigh School was founded in 1856 as the St. Paul's School,^[1] and operated out of a hall on the grounds of St. Paul's Anglican Church in Frankston.^[1] It was the first school in Frankston,^[1] as well as one of the earliest in the then colony of Victoria,^[1] and is the oldest co-educational school in the state of Victoria.^[1][4]

In 1970, the school moved to a 3.5 ha property off Seaview Road in Frankston South (now Minimbah Court) which it named "Minimbah" – the Bunurong aboriginal word for "place of learning".^[1] In 1975, it purchased the former 12.5 ha farm "Woodleigh" on Golf Links Road in Langwarrin South.^[1] During this time, the Minimbah site became the junior campus and the Woodleigh site became the senior campus of the school.^[1]

After acquiring further land at its Woodleigh site, creating a 22 ha campus, the school changed its name to Woodleigh School in 1999.^[1]

References