Prior to the establishment of Melbourne, the area was inhabited by the
Wurundjeri peoples. In the 1840s European settlers named it the Parish of
Boroondara – meaning "a place of shade" in the Woiwurrung language. In 1838 Dight travelled down the Yarra from
Heidelberg and decided to locate a water-powered mill on a site adjacent to
Dights Falls; the impressive three-storey mill opened in 1840.
John Hodgson established a squatters run at Studley Park, on the eastern bank of the Yarra River, in 1840.
Studley House, also known as
Burke Hall, built in 1857, was named after Hodgson's birthplace of Studley,
Yorkshire and the house is now on the Register of the National Estate. The house was built in the Victorian Period
Italianate Revival style. Modifications were made to the house in 1875 and 1919. The house was also owned by former bookmaker,
ALP lobbyist, influential Irish-Catholic and millionaire,
John Wren and was donated to
Xavier College by the land developer,
Thomas Burke. It illustrates the importance of a residence in indicating success and status in nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century Melbourne society. The nearby
Villa Alba, built before 1863, is open to the public. In 1851,
Crown land sales occurred in the area. One of the purchasers, Nicholas Fenwick, subdivided his land (which was just further out from the centre of the colony of Melbourne than the area known as
Richmond) and named the region Kew, based on the thought that
Kew in England was near
Richmond. He also notably named its streets after British statesmen. The area quickly became a sought-after suburb for the well-to-do in Melbourne. Access to Kew was originally via
Bridge Road in Richmond, crossing the
Hawthorn Bridge to Burwood Road, until the privately owned Studley Park Bridge (nicknamed the
Penny Bridge) opened in 1857, connecting Church Street Richmond with Studley Park. The commercial precinct known as Kew Junction began to take shape in the 1850s. The first store was opened by Mr. J. J. French in August 1853 and the first post office on 6 October 1856, however, it was not till towards the end of the decade that many shops appeared in High Street. The Kew Hotel opened in 1855, the Prospect Hill Hotel (now the
Dan Murphy's liquor store) in 1857, the Council Hotel about 1860, the Clifton (now Hotel Kew) in 1869 and the Greyhound (now the Skinny Dog Hotel) in 1874. The block of civic buildings comprising the former post office, the former court house and the former police station were built in 1888 as was the
National Bank, at the corner of Walpole and High Streets. In 1856, a site was reserved for a mental asylum next to the river. By 1871
Kew Lunatic Asylum, now known as
Willsmere Estate, was completed. The
Kew Cottages for children were added in 1887. The hospital was built despite objections by residents and the Kew Borough Council and provides an historical example of
nimbyism. Kew Cottages and Willsmere Hospital are listed on the Victorian Heritage Register. Various churches opened in the 1850s, with the first school opened by the Anglican Church in 1856. In 1875
Sacred Heart Primary School was opened. More private schools were opened in 1878, including
Ruyton Girls' School (
non-denominational) and
Xavier College (
Catholic in
Jesuit order). Other private schools soon followed, including
Methodist Ladies' College (
Uniting Church in Australia) in 1882,
Genazzano FCJ College in 1889,
Trinity Grammar School (
Anglican) in 1903, and
Carey Baptist Grammar School (
Baptist) in 1923.
Preshil, The Margaret Lyttle Memorial School, was opened in the early 1930s. In 1960 it was said: "it would be difficult to find any locality so richly endowed with so many and such large educational institutions as are to be found in Kew." A
railway branch line to Kew from
Hawthorn Station opened on 19 December 1887 and was officially closed on 13 May 1957. Kew was proclaimed a town on 8 December 1910, and a city on 10 March 1921. The population of the area tripled between 1910 and
World War II. A former house in Kew was the birthplace of the 21st
Prime Minister of Australia,
Gough Whitlam. As of 2016, due to its demolition, the house no longer exists.
Raheen Raheen is a historic 19th-century Italianate mansion, located at 92 Studley Park Road. It was built in the 1870s, and its name means "little fort" in Irish. Raheen was once the residence of
Daniel Mannix, the former Catholic
Archbishop of Melbourne and was purchased by the
Catholic Church in 1917 with support from
John Wren. It was purchased in 1980 by the Australian businessman
Richard Pratt and his family and is not currently open to the public. Pratt extensively renovated the house and gardens, including the addition of a new wing, designed by
Glen Murcutt. As a consequence, many of these residences now attract some of the highest residential resale values in Melbourne. Streets in the
Sackville Ward (bounded by Barkers, Burke, Cotham and Glenferrie Roads), such as Alfred, Rowland, Wellington, Grange and Sackville, have some exceptional examples of
Edwardian,
Victorian and contemporary architecture. The suburb has been home to numerous Scout Groups since 1st Kew was formed in 1909. Today, only 1st Kew and 4th Kew are in operation. Kew has convenient access to public facilities and transport. The
109,
16 and
72 along with tram route
48 (North Balwyn – Victoria Harbour Docklands)
tram routes pass through the suburb and the City/
Lilydale/
Belgrave train line is easily accessed at
Hawthorn and
Glenferrie Stations.
Kew Station and the
associated railway branch was last served by passenger trains in 1952, with the station site now the headquarters of
VicRoads. {{Gallery ==Demographics==