During the nineteenth century, the land abutting the south side of the Yarra in Kew was devoted to dairy farming. In the twentieth century, before and after the construction of the Eastern Freeway, much of this low-lying area was used as golf courses and public parks.Real-photo postcard of the farmland in the Yarra Valley in what is believed to be North Kew in 1912. Verso: "Willsmere / East Kew / 1912"yarra river, yarra valley, farming -- kew (vic.)

Published: Age (Melbourne, Vic.: 1854- ), 4 August 1933, page 3 Published title: GIRLS’ SCHOOLS – MODEL YACHTING - FOOTBALL Published caption: The headmistress, Miss H. Daniell, and girls at Ruyton, Selbourne Road, Kew, snapped after school hours. Trove article identifier: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article204381763 Research by Project Volunteer, Louise McKenzie: Rather than the people, this charming building takes the eye! Originally named “Tarring”, it was built in 1872 by Mr Henry Henty and his wife Mrs Marion Anne Henty (nee McKellar) for their family. Located at 82 Selbourne Road, Kew, it is described by Melbourne’s Open House organisation as “… a two-storey, polychrome brick mansion built for them by prominent Melbourne architect Albert Purchas. The house and nearly four acres of grounds served as their family home until the death of Marian Henty in 1919. “ (See below for further information on Albert Purchas.) In 1920 it was sold to Ruyton Girls School. Ruyton was established in 1878 by its first principal, Charlotte Anderson (1838-1906), who named it in honour of the parish in Shropshire, England, Ruyton-XI-Towns, where her great-great-grandfather David Evans had been vicar. Its motto is Recte et Fideliter, meaning "Upright and Faithful", which is also the name of the school song. The original school, one of Victoria’s oldest independent schools for girls, was located at the home of Mrs Anderson at 63 High Street South, Kew. In 1882 she moved the school to Edgecombe in Studley Park Road. Mrs Anderson retired due to ill health and sold the school to her friend Miss Eliza Bromby. One of Ruyton's four Houses, Anderson, is named for Charlotte Anderson. When Ruyton Girls School was moved to the site in 1920 it established the building as a Boarding House, and renamed the building “Henty House” in honour of its original owners. Today the school remains an all girls’ school, and pays tribute to its founder and the historic significance of Henty House and its magnificent Moreton Bay Fig tree, which still stands today. The building retains many original, Victorian-era features, while also showing the layers of change, made over the decades in order to meet the evolving needs of one of Melbourne’s leading schools. The headmistress mentioned in the caption for MCK016 is Miss Hilda Daniell, shown standing in front of Henty House in the midst of a group of Ruyton girls in their school uniforms, some holding hockey sticks. Miss Daniell was the longest serving Principal of Ruyton 1913-1952. She was originally a student in 1893, then joined the teaching staff in 1898. It was under her leadership that the School purchased and moved to “Tarring”. The boarding house included a flat for Hilda to live onsite. An article in the Ruyton Heritage Collection – Bedford Series, dated 21 May 2021 cites that Miss Daniell “was affectionately known as “Dream” by Ruytonians of her era” apparently due to a tendency to quiet reflection. The article continues, “After her retirement in 1952 Miss Daniell was awarded an Order of the British Empire for her many services to education, an award she received from the hands of the Queen during the 1954 Royal Tour. Also in 1952, the Kew Council honoured her by renaming Brougham Place as ‘Daniell Place’.” Arthur Purchas, architect: The architect responsible for the design of “Tarring”. Arthur Purchas, was extremely active and highly regarded at this time. Born in Wales in 1825, he emigrated to Melbourne in 1851 and soon established a private practice as a surveyor and architect, with offices variously in Little Collins, Queen Street, Chancery Lane, and finally 462 Little Collins Street. Wikipedia notes in an early reference to Purchas that “An early story is that one of his first jobs, when he would have been about 25 years old, was a position under Surveyor-General Robert Hoddle, and disagreeing with him over the line for St Kilda Road, appealed to Governor La Trobe, and successfully got the road diverted around the hill which eventually became the site of the Shrine of Remembrance. There may not be much truth to this, since by 1851 St Kilda Road was already a well worn track running around the hill, the top of which La Trobe had reserved for a Government House in 1840.” The timing of Purchas’s arrival in Melbourne was perfect. The Victorian gold rush of the 1850’s generated enormous wealth in Melbourne, and a building boom followed. The Wikipedia entry continues … that alone, or with his brother in law Charles R Swyer, “Purchas is said to have designed over 140 houses, offices, churches, banks and cemetery buildings in Victoria in his long career. Berkely Hall, St Kilda dating from 1854 is one of his first buildings, and still exists, though the original house is obscured by an early C20th verandah. Another notable early design was the head office of the Melbourne Savings Bank, built on the corner Flinders Lane and Market Street in 1857-58, in an elaborately detailed Renaissance Revival style. His churches were mostly Gothic Revival, built for the Anglican Church, along with some parsonages, while most of the bank buildings were Renaissance Revival designs for the Bank of Australasia. He also designed city buildings in the 1860s and 70s, such as the Mutual Insurance Co, Northern Insurance Co, and the first premises for George & George, destroyed by fire in 1889. One of his most outstanding designs is St George's Presbyterian Church in Chapel Street, St Kilda (1877–80), in a striking polychrome brick Gothic Revival style, unusually carried on through to the interior. Purchas produced one of the few published maps and compilations of the early pastoral settlers runs in Victoria in 1853. In the same year he designed the layout of the Melbourne General Cemetery, the first 'garden' cemetery in Victoria, a curvilinear layout with extensive plantings, as well as the gate lodge and gates (the gates lodge were demolished and the gates relocated to their present position in the 1930s). He was a long time member of the Cemetery Trust, serving as secretary from 1876-1886. He was also Chairman of the Boroondara General Cemetery Board of Trustees 1867 to 1909, and designed many aspects of the cemetery, including the landscape, the cast iron entrance gates (1889), the rotunda (1890) and the surrounding brick wall (1895–6). Purchas was a keen inventor having applied for a patent for an invention for lighting a railway carriage with gas in 1861, and won a competition for a model farm complex, in 1862. This unusual design had the dairy either underground or half underground, to keep it cool, with a 'dry lining' around the outside of the sunken portions. In 1883, with fellow architect Alfred Smith, he took out a patent for fire-proof floors, arches, staircases and other parts of buildings.” Purchas died in his home in Kew in 1909 and, not surprisingly, was buried at Boroondara Cemetery. Henty family history in Australia: Henry Henty (b.1833-d.1912) was a successful businessman, and briefly a MLA for the seat of Grenville, Victoria in 1866. He was one of three sons of James Henty, and nephew of Edward Henty who is considered to be the first permanent European colonist to take up residence in Victoria. The Australian Dictionary of Biography provides a riveting overview of the complex and enthusiastic activities of the Henty family, and its entanglement in the development of mercantile life in WA, Tasmania, SA and Victoria from 1828 onwards. The family had a focussed commitment to creating thriving businesses in Australia, despite being regularly thwarted by legislative pushbacks and law changes, instigated in Britain as the Australian colony developed. Areas of greatest influence were merino sheep, beef and horse breeding, whaling, farm establishment, membership of the legal and political fraternities, sporting prowess, and board directorships in banking and railways. The Dictionary of Biography summarises: “As settlers the Henty men were notable not merely for being the first to settle in Victoria but also for their number and quality: a father and seven educated sons experienced in farming and trading, occupations of prime importance to a new colony, and importers of unusually substantial capital in money, skilled workers and thoroughbred stock.” As well as Tarring, the Henty family Melbourne residences included Findon (in Kew, overlooking Studley Park), Offington (St Kilda Road overlooking Albert Park) and Field Place (Henty Court, Kew), and descriptions of the houses in Wikipedia –Melbourne Architecture 1870s - reflect the development of Melbourne society. References RUYTON (1934, December 15). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), p. 18. Retrieved March 12, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11001092 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruyton_Girls%27_School#:~:text=Ruyton%20Girls'%20School%2C%20commonly%20referred,of%20Melbourne%2C%20Victoria%2C%20Australia. https://www.ruyton.vic.edu.au/our-school#:~:text=With%20an%20international%20reputation%20as,opportunity%20and%20challenge%20for%20girls. https://victoriancollections.net.au/items/5bea06b121ea690bf4eb08ed https://www.ruyton.vic.edu.au/our-school/campus-and-facilities Biography of Edward Henty and family: https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/henty-edward-2247 Article on Offington House: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article196554993 Article on Field Place House : https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/places/64881 Article on Findon: https://www.facebook.com/KewHistoryGroup/posts/in-the-book-jubilee-history-of-kew-1803-1910-by-fga-barnard-there-is-a-photo-of-/4389837914376555/ Charlotte Anderson/Ruyton: https://victoriancollections.net.au/items/5be4b8c821ea6a039c7a13e3 https://victoriancollections.net.au/items/6179e90da912eb195970bdf8 https://victoriancollections.net.au/items/5bea06b121ea690bf4eb08ed https://victoriancollections.net.au/items/65d3e05c5b5e5c61346420a2 Photo of Charlotte Anderson: https://viewer.slv.vic.gov.au/?entity=IE1515776&mode=browse Photo of Charlotte Anderson: https://victoriancollections.net.au/items/6179e90da912eb195970bdf8 https://victoriancollections.net.au/items/5be4b8c821ea6a039c7a13e3 Wikipedia: Architecture of Melbourne: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architecture_of_Melbourne Open House Melbourne: Henty House: https://www.universe.com/events/henty-house-ruyton-girls-school-tickets-Z45LYH Albert Purchas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Purchas Leader (Melbourne, Vic. : 1862 - 1918, 1935), Saturday 3 June 1876, page 9 – Article on Offington http://www.ohta.org.au/organs/organs/BoxHillUC.html Melb Architecture 1870s - Wikipedia Victorian Collections: Letters of Hilda Daniell https://victoriancollections.net.au/items/65d3e05c5b5e5c61346420a2 Photographer notations on slide: "Ruyton Girls School 1933".schools, 1930-1939, architecture, victorian architecture, trees, architects

Photograph of a small display in the showcase at Kew LibraryBorn digital image of a display in the Kew Library of historic photographs and items relating to farming in Kew. The display was mounted using Kew Historical Society images and artefacts.kew (vic) - agriculture, exhibitions - kew historical society

One of a series of photos created for an exhibition by the City of Kew of notable locations. The photos represent a snapshot in time.Enlarged photograph mounted on board, donated to the Kew Historical Society by the City of Kew on 10 April 1991.hays paddock - kew east (vic), kew (vic) - history, kew (vic) - public parks, kew (vic) - farming

North Kew, now divided between Kew and Kew East, bordered the Yarra River. As such, it was a region subject to flooding in the Yarra Valley. Development beyond this point (ie Kellett Grove) was limited by the City of Kew's planning regulations. Prior to urban development, the area since European settlement and the first land sales in the district in the 1840s, had been used for dairy farming. Small sepia snapshot taken of the front of 8 Kellett Grove, in what was then known as North Kew. Verso: 8 KELLETT GROVE / NORTH KEW / 1929 / 418 kellett gove -- north kew, californian bungalows, houses -- kellett grove -- kew (vic.)

Flooding of the Yarra Valley, including that section of the Yarra bordering Kew and Kew East in the north and west of the municipality, was a regular occurrence. Extreme flood events of the Yarra River are recorded to have occurred in 1891, 1901, 1916, 1923 and 1934. The Municipality of Kew's response to these floods was to enact planning decisions restricting residential development in flood prone areas following the floods of 1916, 1921 and 1934. While floods continued after the development of the Upper Yarra Reservoir (construction 1948-57), the regularity and extent of these inundations diminished. During the nineteenth century, the land abutting the south side of the Yarra in Kew was devoted to dairy farming. In the twentieth century, before and after the construction of the Eastern Freeway, much of this low-lying area was used as golf courses and public parks.One of a collection of photographs of flooding in the Kew section of the Yarra Valley which are in important research resource for the location and extent of flooding in the first half of the twentieth century. Flooding of the Yarra Valley at East Kew in 1916. The view is taken from the intersection of Kilby Road with what is believed to be Birdwood Street, looking across the flood waters to Ivanhoe. The extensive flooded area shown in the photograph would have included the Kew Golf Club. Verso: "Floods along Kilby Road / near Birdwood St? & Kilby Road / 1917? / 87yarra river, yarra valley, floods -- kew, kilby road -- kew (vic.), kew golf club

Flooding of the Yarra Valley, including that section of the Yarra bordering Kew and Kew East in the north and west of the municipality, was a regular occurrence. Extreme flood events of the Yarra River are recorded to have occurred in 1891, 1901, 1916, 1923 and 1934. The Municipality of Kew's response to these floods was to enact planning decisions restricting residential development in flood prone areas following the floods of 1916, 1921 and 1934. While floods continued after the development of the Upper Yarra Reservoir (construction 1948-57), the regularity and extent of these inundations diminished. During the nineteenth century, the land abutting the south side of the Yarra in Kew was devoted to dairy farming. In the twentieth century, before and after the construction of the Eastern Freeway, much of this low-lying area was used as golf courses and public parks.One of a collection of photographs of flooding in the Kew section of the Yarra Valley which are in important research resource for the location and extent of flooding in the first half of the twentieth century. Flooding of the Yarra Valley at East Kew in 1916. The view is taken from a street (maybe Birdwood Avenue) intersecting with Kilby Road looking northeast across the flood waters to Ivanhoe and Heidelberg. The extensive flooded area shown in the photograph would have included remnant dairy farms and the Kew Golf Club. Verso: "Floods / Yarra River / East Kew / Kilby Road / 1917? / 87"yarra river, yarra valley, floods -- kew, kilby road -- kew (vic.), kew golf club

Land along the Yarra River in Kew is now either designated open space, parkland or public golf links. By the 1930s much of this area remained open farmland, bought at auction for dairy farming in the 1840s.Original, black and white positive print of what is said to be the Yarra Flats near Burke Road Bridge. On the horizon, building can be seen, whereas in the middle ground, farm fencing and a windmill are the main features as well as remnant Eucalypts. Inscribed verso: "Yarra Flats near Burke Rd Bridge 1937" studley park -- kew (vic.)

Henry Beater Christian (1886-1962) , was a descendant of one of the earliest settler families in Kew. Employed at the Kew Asylum as a 'public servant', he was a skilled amateur photographer, photographing numerous scenes in Kew and on his travels around Victoria. The majority of his photographs date from 1916 to 1929. His finest photographs are housed in two photograph albums. Digital copy of a photograph from page 4 of the 47-page photograph album containing 261 gelatinous silver images, loaned by Diane Washfold with permission given to digitise and hold a copy in our collection. This photograph of hop farming coveys the various uses for which low lying fertile flood prone land beside the Yarra River was used."Yarra at Kew"henry beater christian (1886-1962), landscape photography, kew (vic.) — yarra river, christian-washfold collection, photograph albums, agriculture, hop farms