| South Yarra Melbourne, Victoria |
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Chapel Street in South Yarra |
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South Yarra
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| Population: | 17,992 (2006)[1] | ||||||||||||
| Established: | 1850s | ||||||||||||
| Postcode: | 3141 | ||||||||||||
| Area: | 5 km² (1.9 sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Location: | 4 km (2 mi) from Melbourne CBD | ||||||||||||
| LGA: | |||||||||||||
| State District: | Prahran | ||||||||||||
| Federal Division: | Higgins, Melbourne Ports | ||||||||||||
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South Yarra is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 4 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area are the Cities of Stonnington and Melbourne. At the 2006 Census, South Yarra had a population of 17,992.
The area east of Punt Road is in the Local Government Area of the City of Stonnington and the area to the west is in the City of Melbourne.
The main shopping region of South Yarra runs along Toorak Road and Chapel Street. Trade along these two arteries are focused on trendy shopping, restaurants, nightclubs and cafe culture. The area of South Yarra centred along Commercial Road is one of Melbourne's gay villages.
South Yarra is also home to some of Melbourne's most prestigious residential addresses. Residential land price records (per square metre) have been set by properties in Domain Road, Walsh Street and Fairlie Court.
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South Yarra was originally inhabited by the Wurundjeri tribe of the Kulin aboriginal nation.
The area was settled by European settlers in the 1830s around the time of the establishment of Melbourne. During the 1840s, it became popular with wealthy citizens of Melbourne as a suburban retreat from the town. Several large houses were built and, together with neighbouring Toorak, it maintained its upper-class reputation into the post-Second World War period. South Yarra Post Office was open briefly in 1854, then reopened on 21 June 1858.[2]
During the 1920s and 1930s, many of the large gardens of the older mansions were subdivided and blocks of flats became a feature of the area.[3] From the 1930s, the area around Park Street, where large numbers of flats had been built, became a popular neighbourhood for middle-class homosexuals; at that time an illegal subculture in the state of Victoria.
The building of apartment buildings, particularly around South Yarra railway station continued into the 1960s and 1970s and today South Yarra is one of the most densely populated suburbs in Melbourne.
On October 12, 1988, police officers Steven Tynan and Damian Eyre were murdered in Walsh Street, South Yarra .
On July 8, 2002, the Salt nightclub in Daly Street was the site of a dispute which resulted in the murder of three men. On September 19, 2005, seven men were found guilty of murder, in the Supreme Court of Victoria. The nightclub was particularly notorious for criminal activity and was finally shut down.
South Yarra has several local attractions. Perhaps the best known is Chapel Street. The South Yarra section of the famous street is the most fashionable and upmarket end. A major landmark is The Jam Factory, old factories converted into upmarket shopping centre and cinemas. The Como Centre is a large shopping centre on the corner of Toorak and Chapel Streets which combines with an office building, South Yarra's tallest, which houses the headquarters for ATV-10 and Global Television's TV production facilities.[4]
The Prahran Market, located in South Yarra, is one of Melbourne's most popular and historic fresh produce markets.
Toorak Road runs off Chapel Street and although not known as well as Toorak Village, is a popular strip that contains a wide range of shops.
There are also several heritage registered buildings in South Yarra including the Melbourne High School (1928), the former railway station building (1874) and post office (1893).
Many historic mansions can be found in South Yarra. Heritage registered houses include Como House (1847),[5] one of Melbourne's earliest mansions on its large estate on Williams Road now owned by the National Trust and known for its long association with the Armytage family , Richmond House (1859) in Avoca Street, formerly home to Sir Rupert Clarke Bt, Barwon (1881) and Airlie House on Domain Road, once the townhouse of the Chirnside family of Werribee Park fame, which now serves as a leadership college for Victoria Police.
Other grand South Yarra houses include "Wavendon", formerly home to film director Fred Schepisi, in Walsh Street, and "Raveloe" in Domain Road, built by Dame Nellie Melba's father in the 1870s. Domain Road, with its proximity to the King's Domain, the Royal Botanic Gardens and Government House, is at the centre of the exclusive Domain precinct. Fairbairn, built for the pastoralist Fairbairn family and the next-door property, "Poolman House", on the corner of Domain Road and Punt Road, are among the largest mansions in South Yarra. "Poolman House" was built by stock and station agent Richard Goldsbrough in 1865 and extended in 1880. "Poolman House" was owned by the Poolman family from 1921, who entertained grandly in the ballroom they added in 1928. In 1956 Mrs Audrey Poolman donated the house to Christ Church South Yarra who used it as a nursing home for genteel old Anglican ladies for thirty years, until in 1986, the house was bought from the Church of England by international interior designer John Coote, who restored the house at vast expense. Poolman House has been owned by the Matthies family since the year 2000. Snainton at 80 Clowes Street, South Yarra, is a notable example of grand Federation architecture, as is its sister property at 72 Clowes Street, South Yarra, formerly home to the Alstegren family, which sold for a notable $9 million in 2008.
South Yarra also has some notable clusters of terrace house. Park Street features rows of Melbourne's best preserved, richly decorated and highly sought-after Victorian terrace houses, some as high as three and four storeys. Domain Road, Toorak Road West (overlooking Fawkner Park), Surrey Road as well as Darling and Caroline Street are also known for their double-storey late 19th century terraces.
An important area for Art Deco enthusiasts can be found along Alexandra Avenue, Lawson Grove and Darling Street. This area was subject to renewal in the 1920s and 1930s by an entrepreneurial builder Mr Lawson, as a kind of medium-density village enclave development. As a result, a large number of Art Deco apartment buildings were built in a Hollywood Hills style overlooking the Yarra river. One of the most famous of these apartment buildings, "Beverly Hills" on Darling Street, retains the original 1930s grotto-style swimming pool for the use of all residents. Nearby in Lawson Grove the Lawson Grove café can be found on the ground floor of a 1930s Art Deco building. It was originally intended to run as a convenience store for local residents but is now a chic café for those in the know.
Melbourne Synagogue, which was built in 1929 to the design of Nahum Barnet features a giant order portico and a great copper dome. Christ Church is an historic Anglican church located on the corner of Toorak and Punt Roads. Its tall spire is a landmark. There are several smaller churches secluded in the back streets of South Yarra.
South Yarra's parks and gardens include part of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Fawkner Park (large park bordered by offices on St Kilda Road, private residences off Punt Road, Commercial Road and Toorak Road featuring recreational facilities and grand avenues of trees) and smaller gardens such as the former Greville Botanic Gardens, Como Gardens and the public housing open space.
South Yarra has two railway stations. South Yarra railway station is on the Pakenham, Cranbourne, Frankston and Sandringham lines. It is the junction for the Sandringham line. Hawksburn station is on the Pakenham, Cranbourne and Frankston lines and serves the eastern part of the suburb.
Tram routes 8, 72, 78 and 79 also run through South Yarra.
Major bus routes run along Commercial Road and Punt Road.
Melbourne High School is located in South Yarra, and the 1930s Gothic main building is a local landmark. Melbourne Girls Grammar School Merton Hall campus is located in Anderson Street South Yarra opposite the Royal Botanical Gardens, while its junior school Morris Hall is in Caroline Street South Yarra. Melbourne Grammar School (boys only at senior level) occupies an entire block bounded by Domain Road, St Kilda Road, Domain Street and Bromby Street. It has historic and grand bluestone buildings. In addition, Melbourne Grammar owns many of the terrace houses in Domain Street to provide accommodation for its masters, as well as the grand Victorian terrace house in Domain Road, Creswick House, home to its middle school boarders.
A 2005 report called Liveable Melbourne that was commissioned by The Age and conducted by Tract Consultants and ACIL Tasman, ranked Melbourne suburbs and assigned them scores on fourteen characteristics such as crime, CBD proximity, and traffic congestion. The report found that of all Melbourne suburbs, South Yarra was the most liveable due to good proximity to the CBD, schools, cafes, and restaurants; access to trains, trams, and buses; and abundance of open spaces and trees.[6] On the downside, the same study also found that South Yarra had a very high crime rate.[7]
Hawksburn is a locality in the eastern part of South Yarra bordering Toorak. It is probably best known for its railway station and nearby "Hawksburn Village", a small strip shopping centre on Malvern Road. Many of South Yarra's finest old homes and terraces are situated close to Cromwell Crescent and railway station in the Hawksburn area. The Hawksburn area is a fashionable address, due to its locality at the centre of Stonnington. Hawksburn Post Office opened in 1890.[2]
The "Domain Precinct" is the most prestigious part of South Yarra, traditionally home to many of Melbourne's old money families. Bordered by Punt Road, Toorak Road, Anderson Street, St Kilda Road and Alexandra Avenue, the Domain Precinct has recorded some of Victoria's highest land values on a square metre basis. Driven by proximity to the Botanical Gardens, Melbourne's elite private schools and boutique shopping, this area is graced with both large mansions and high-end apartments. The most valuable streets include Walsh Street, Fairlie Court, St Leonards Court, Avoca Street, Anderson Street, Domain Road and Marne Street.
The suburb has an Australian Rules football team competing in the Southern Football League.[8]
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