Bentleigh is a suburb of Melbourne, Australia, in the state of Victoria, located within the Local Government Area of the City of Glen Eira. Its postcode is 3204 and it is located 14 km south east of the Melbourne central business district.
Bentleigh was named after the infamous Victorian politician, Thomas Bent.
It is home to Alnutt Park, Victory Park, Halley Park, and Bentleigh Memorial Gardens. Centre Road, Bentleigh, is a strip shopping centre of over 250 retail businesses, with a focus on fresh food, continental delis and cake shops and cafes. Its schools (East Bentleigh included) are Bentleigh Secondary College, Our Lady Of the Sacred Heart College, Tucker Road Primary School, Bentleigh West Primary School, East Bentleigh Primary School, Valkstone Primary School, and St. Paul's Primary School.
The level crossing at Bentleigh railway station was upgraded in 2006 at a cost of AUD$1.2 million and included sirens as well as bells, red man lights, 'Another Train is Coming' lights and latches on the emergency exit . This was after several fatal accidents at the crossing involving pedestrians.
Bentleigh is also serviced by two bus services, the 703 and 701, both are run by Ventura Bus Lines. The 703 is a SmartBus service which runs from Middle Brighton to Blackburn through Bentleigh's main shopping strip Centre Road. The 701 service starts from Bentleigh railway station and terminates at Oakleigh railway station. As part of the State Government's $10.5 billion transport plan the 701 service has been upgraded and the operating hours expanded to run seven-days-a-week for the first time.