Harkness, Victoria

{{Use Australian English|date=August 2019}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2017}}

{{Infobox Australian place

| type = suburb

| name = Harkness

| city =

| state = vic

| image = Harkness Shopping Centre 001.JPG

| caption = Shops in Harkness, 2018

| lga = City of Melton

| postcode = 3337

| pop = 12,463

| pop_year = {{CensusAU|2021}}

| pop_footnotes = {{Census 2021 AUS | id = SAL21140 | name = Harkness (Suburbs and Localities) | accessdate = 23 July 2022 | quick = on}}

| area =

| est = 2017

| alternative_location_map = Australia Victoria metropolitan Melbourne

| pushpin_map_caption = Location in metropolitan Melbourne

| coordinates = {{coord|37|39|15|S|144|32|45|E|display=inline,title}}

| stategov = Melton

| stategov2 =

| fedgov = Hawke

| dist1 = 38

| dir1 = W

| location1 = Melbourne CBD

| near-nw = Coimadai

| near-n = Toolern Vale

| near-ne = Toolern Vale

| near-w = Long Forest

| near-e = Kurunjang

| near-sw = Long Forest

| near-s = Melton West

| near-se = Melton

| local_map = yes

| zoom = 12

}}

Harkness is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, {{convert|38|km|abbr=on}} North west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Melton local government area. Harkness recorded a population of 12,463 at the 2021 census.

The suburb was gazetted by the Office of Geographic Names on 9 February 2017,{{cite web|title=Locality boundaries|url=http://www.dtpli.vic.gov.au/property-and-land-titles/naming-places-features-and-roads/naming-proposals/locality-boundaries|website=Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning|publisher=State Government of Victoria|accessdate=25 February 2017}} following a proposal for eleven new suburbs by the City of Melton. The new name officially took effect from 23 August 2017.{{cite news|last1=Landy|first1=Samantha|title=Eleven new suburbs to be established in the Melton growth area, west of Melbourne's CBD|url=http://www.realestate.com.au/news/eleven-new-suburbs-to-be-established-in-the-melton-growth-area-west-of-melbournes-cbd/|accessdate=25 February 2017|work=Herald Sun|date=10 February 2017|url-status=bot: unknown|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170225081712/http://www.realestate.com.au/news/eleven-new-suburbs-to-be-established-in-the-melton-growth-area-west-of-melbournes-cbd/|archivedate=25 February 2017|df=dmy-all}}{{cite web |title=New suburbs|url=http://www.melton.vic.gov.au/Council/About-the-City/New-suburbs |publisher=City of Melton |accessdate=3 January 2018}}

Prior to the suburb's creation, the area was mostly part of Melton West, in addition to a small section of Toolern Vale in the north.

The name "Harkness" was the surname of an early settler, William Scott Harkness, who was born in Roxburghshire, Scotland in 1839 and arrived in Melbourne at Port Phillip in 1852. He was the manager of Strathtulloh and a farmer. He died in 1908.{{cite web |url=https://www.vec.vic.gov.au/files/RepReviewSubmissions/MeltonCityCouncil/preliminarySubmissions/02-09-15%20Melton%20City%20Council.pdf |publisher=City of Melton |title=Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting of Council |date=21 October 2014 |via=Victorian Electoral Commission |accessdate=3 January 2017}}