City of Stonnington

Stonington mansion after which the City of Stonnington was named

Malvern Town Hall

Prahran Town Hall now houses a library and council offices

Prior to European settlement, the land of the City of Stonnington was occupied by the Wurundjeri, an Indigenous Australian Woiwurrung speaking people of the Kulin nation.

The establishment of European settlers in what was then the Port Phillip District of New South Wales in 1835, was soon followed by pastoralist John Gardiner, together with Joseph Hawdon and John Hepburn, driving cattle south from Yass to Kooyong Koot (later named Gardiner's) Creek, in the area now known as Malvern and establishing a homestead and grazing property.

The year 1840 was the beginning of Crown land auctions of land to the east of Melbourne and south of the Yarra River and Gardiners Creek. The high ground between Gardiner's Creek Road (now Toorak Road) and the river returned the best prices and it was here that most of the grand mansions of the period were built. Much of the land south of Toorak Road was swampy. This area was subdivided into much smaller blocks, for workman's cottages and later to house gold-rush immigrants. The distinction between the two areas remains today in the suburbs of Toorak and South Yarra. Further auctions of land in the Prahran area took place in 1849 and 1850.

The early 1850s saw the return of many miners from the gold diggings to Prahran, resulting in increased development and the gazetting as a municipality in 1855. The population of Prahran at the time of the first council elections was about 8,000. Meanwhile, Government land sales within the area bounded by Kooyong Road, Gardiners Creek and Wattletree Road were held in 1854 and a small settlement grew around Malvern and Glenferrie Roads. The area known as Gardiner (later Malvern) was proclaimed a Roads Board District in 1856 and became a municipality in 1871, taking the name Malvern in 1878.

The 1880s and 1890s saw substantial residential and commercial development in the City of Prahran, such that by 1891 Prahran had a population of almost 40,000. The development of Malvern followed from 1900 onwards and by 1921 Malvern's population was almost 33,000.

The western part of the city, around South Yarra, Prahran and Windsor, were originally part of the River Yarra flood plain and much of the area was covered by swamps, bogs, and creeks, formed from the run-off from the Malvern Hills to the east. The Albert Park Lake to the west is a remnant of the original flood plain.

The City of Stonnington is bounded by the Yarra River and Gardiners Creek to the north, Warrigal Road to the east, Dandenong Road and Queens Way to the south and Punt Road to the west. Stonnington has numerous tree-lined streets and 126 parks and gardens as well as 27 off-leash parks . Many public reserves occur along the Gardiners Creek valley. The city has some of Melbourne's major shopping precincts in Chapel Street, Glenferrie Road, High Street, Malvern Road and Toorak Road, as well as the Chadstone Shopping Centre. Local sporting venues include Malvern Valley Golf Club, Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club and Harold Holt Memorial Swimming Centre.

Suburbs list is previously mentioned

The following demographic information is from the 2011 Census of Population and Housing, Australian Bureau of Statistics.

• Population – Stonnington has a population of 93,145, of which 52% are female. There are 39,105 occupied dwellings in the city.[3]
• Age – The age structure of the population of Stonnington is different from the Greater Melbourne average with a higher percentage of persons aged 25–34 (21.9%) and a lower percentage of children aged under 15 (13.1%).[3]
• Country of birth – Stonnington has a multicultural population with 29% being born overseas. The top five countries of birth are England, India, China, New Zealand and Greece.[3]
• Language spoken – In 27.6% of homes a language other than English is spoken. The top five languages are Greek, Mandarin, Cantonese, Italian, and Hindi.[3]
• Religious affiliation – 20.8% of people stated their religion as Catholic, 27.2% as no religion, 14.9% as Anglican and 5.7% as Eastern Orthodox.[3]
• Weekly income – The median household income is $1,722. Stonnington has a higher household income when compared to the Greater Melbourne median of $1,333.[3]
• Occupation – 57.4% of the populations gave their occupation as Professional or Manager, compared to the Greater Melbourne average of 36.6%.[3]
• Employment – The unemployment rate in Stonnington was 4.4% compared to 5.5% in Greater Melbourne (4.4%).[3]
• Dwellings – Stonnington has a higher proportion of medium or high density dwellings (64%), compared to the Greater Melbourne average of 28%.[3]
• Housing loan repayments – The median monthly housing loan repayment in Stonnington was $2,447, compared to the Greater Melbourne average of $1,800.[3]
• Households renting - 43.4% are renting compared to 27% in Greater Melbourne.[3]

• Armadale
• Glen Iris (Shared with the City of Boroondara)
• Kooyong
• Malvern
• Malvern East
• Prahran
• South Yarra (Shared with the City of Melbourne)
• Toorak
• Windsor (Shared with the City of Port Phillip)

Australia has a system of public (state government) and private (independent) schools. Most public schools are co-educational. Most private schools are administered by their own boards and receive a government subsidy besides having their own fee structure. Schooling is compulsory for students until the age of fifteen, although many students continue on to complete Year 12. The following are Secondary colleges (High schools) in the City of Stonnington:

• De La Salle College, Malvern
• St Kevin's College, Toorak
• The King David School, Armadale
• Korowa Anglican Girls' School, Glen Iris
• Lauriston Girls' School, Armadale
• Loreto Mandeville Hall, Toorak
• Presentation College, Windsor (1873-2020, The School Was Closed Due To Lack Of Enrolments)
• Sacré Cœur School, Glen Iris
• St Catherine's School, Toorak
• Melbourne High School, South Yarra
• Prahran High School, Prahran

Deakin University formerly had its Toorak campus in Glenferrie Road, Malvern, but this was closed in 2006.[5] Swinburne University of Technology Prahran campus in High Street, was replaced by NMIT's Melbourne Polytechnic in 2013.[6]

Stonnington is extremely well serviced by Melbourne's public transport system. Three suburban railway lines and eight tram services pass through the City of Stonnington, as well as a number of bus services, including 12 services to Chadstone Shopping Centre.

In Stonnington is the City of Stonnington's bi-monthly community newsletter that is delivered to all residents. It features a range of information to help keep residents informed of the latest Council news and views, as well as issues affecting the City. In 2014 Stonnington started producing an electronic version of InStonnington along with the printed edition.

In addition to the newspapers, radio and television of the Melbourne media Stonnington has a free local newspaper, the Leader Newspaper Group's Stonnington Leader, which is a part of News Limited. It has a circulation of about 50,000.

• List of Melbourne suburbs
• Malvern Town Hall
• List of mayors of Malvern
• List of mayors of Prahran

• 10 Years in the making 1994–2004
• Betty Malone's introduction to Sally Wilde's 'History of Prahran, Vol II: 1925–1990'. Retrieved 14 March 2006
• City of Stonnington Community Profile. Retrieved 12 March 2006
• Victorian Electoral Commission – Results for Stonnington City Council Elections 2004. Retrieved 9 March 2006
• John Butler Cooper, The History of Prahran. Retrieved 29 June 2009
• John Butler Cooper, The History of Malvern. Retrieved 29 June 2009
• Stonnington Mayors and Councillors : Past and Present. Retrieved 27 June 2009

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Stonnington.

• Official website of Stonnington Council

• Public Transport Victoria local public transport map
• Link to Land Victoria interactive maps