Kew, Victoria

Kew Melbourne, Victoria
Aerial view over northern residential parts of Kew looking southwest showing Studley Park (top); Kew Asylum (right) and Eastern Freeway Earl Street exit (bottom right)
Kew
Coordinates	37°48′19″S 145°2′9″E / 37.80528°S 145.03583°E / -37.80528; 145.03583Coordinates: 37°48′19″S 145°2′9″E / 37.80528°S 145.03583°E / -37.80528; 145.03583
Population	23,876 (2011 census)
• Density	2,274/km2 (5,889/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	3101
Area	10.5 km2 (4.1 sq mi)
Location	6 km (4 mi) from Melbourne
LGA(s)	City of Boroondara
State electorate(s)	Kew
Federal Division(s)	Kooyong
Suburbs around Kew: Alphington Kew East Balwyn North Fairfield Kew Balwyn Abbotsford Hawthorn Hawthorn East

Kew is a suburb of Melbourne, Australia, 6 km east from Melbourne's Central Business District. Its local government area is the City of Boroondara. At the 2011 Census, Kew had a population of 23,876. Kew used to be a city in its own right. But in 1994 the cities of Kew, Hawthorn and Camberwell were amalgamated to form the City of Boroondara. The suburb borders the Yarra River to the west and north, with Hawthorn to its south and Balwyn to its east.

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 the 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 T. M. 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.