The City of Cranbourne was a local government area about 45 kilometres (28 mi) southeast of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia.

However, eastern parts of the shire were still rural in character, with dairying, market gardening, potato growing and animal breeding being primary pursuits.

The largest sections were given to the City of Casey, which received Cranbourne itself, as well as Hampton Park and the rural/semi-rural areas of Devon Meadows, Clyde and a number of coastal villages, including Tooradin.

The City of Frankston received Langwarrin, Carrum Downs and Skye, with other smaller transfers included:[4] An article in The Age in July 1994 reported that Cranbourne was "losing the fight to remain separate".

During the submission process, the council had wanted to remain as is with no merger or loss of territory, as it was fast-growing and needed its entire rate base.