Beautifully located some 3 km from the CBD of Melbourne, South Yarra is nestled between St. Kilda Road to Williams Road, in Toorak; Commercial Road in Prahran; the Domain and the Botanic Gardens and along the banks of the Yarra River.
In 1840 Lt Colonel Charles Forrest built 2 residences in what became known as Forrest Hill, South Yarra; the bricks were made of local clay, and the South Yarra brickworks grew on that site. 'Como', the superb residence, was built 1847 - 1855 with grounds extending to Toorak Road. Until the Princes Bridge was opened in 1850, access to South Yarra from Melbourne was by boat or punt - hence Punt Road; by 1879 the primary school, a Presbyterian church school, Christ Church, Melbourne Grammar School and the splendid new Government House was built in south Yarra. East of Punt Road, South Yarra was connected to Melbourne by rail in 1859, and extended to Caulfield and Gippsland in 1879.
 | |  |
Many 19th century South Yarra homes survive today and 2 of Melbourne's famous shopping areas; Chapel Street and Toorak Road are in South Yarra, with the emphasis on fine fashion, food and entertainment. Interestingly, Chapel Street, north Commercial Road, including the Prahran Market has a South Yarra postcode, as does Hawksburn.
The close proximity of South Yarra to the joys of the Melbourne CBD and the Melbourne Convention Centre are icing on the cake of this prestigious residential suburb. South Yarra is a delightful pedestrian area, with numerous places and buildings on the Historic Buildings Registers; see 'Como', the Royal Botanic Gardens, Government House, the former Melbourne Observatory and La Trobe cottage in the Domain area. Melbourne High School, Melbourne Church of England Grammar School, Christ Church and 6 domestic residences in the south Yarra area are also listed.
