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BALWYN

 

Balwyn is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 10 km east of Melbourne's Central Business District. Its local government area is the City of Boroondara. At the 2011 Census, Balwyn had a population of 12,944.

 

Reid Estate, Balwyn

The Reid Estate, Balwyn, is an area of heritage significance for the following reasons:

• The large detached houses which adopt a range of interwar architectural styles and demonstrate a high quality of architectural design (particularly those constructed during the 1930s). This architectural quality is combined with the visually unifying factors of lot and frontage size, materials, and uniform set backs to create a cohesive and notable interwar heritage precinct.

• The place contains individually significant buildings in a range of interwar architectural styles, which have highly publicised associations with successful building designers, see, for example, Basil Hayler's houses in Highton Grove.

• The housing types and styles physically demonstrate the appeal of Balwyn as one of Melbourne's most fashionable new suburbs on the 1930s. This status was maintained in the development of areas further north and to the immediate east after 1945.

• The place is a generally intact interwar landscape containing concrete roads, mature gardens and street trees, and some original fencing.[2]

 

Maranoa Gardens

The story of Maranoa Gardens began in 1901, when Mr J M Watson purchased 1.4 hectares in Balwyn, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia, for a private garden. He planted many Australian and New Zealand native trees and shrubs and the area was maintained purely as a garden. The former City of Camberwell (since merged into the City of Boroondara) acquired the area in 1922 and continued the planting, gradually removing all non-native plants.

 

In 1962, the original Gardens were doubled in size by expanding east into Beckett Park, with the construction of the rockery as the major thrust of this expansion.

 

Development has been ongoing, including the temperate woodland/heathland in 1986. During 1987, the rockery area was expanded and replanted, the theme of this area being more specific to plants considered more difficult to grow in Melbourne's climate.

Maranoa Gardens is one of the few public gardens in Victoria dedicated to Australian plants, and it is considered to be one of the best.

 

With some 5000 plants, most of which are named, Maranoa Gardens has been recognised through registration with the National Trust as an important part of Australian gardening history.[3]

 

Brilliant Schools

Some of the best high schools are in the area, namely:

 

Balwyn High School

Balwyn High School is a co-educational school of 1,900 students from Years 7 to 12. It has a dedicated, professional team of 180 teachers and support staff. Established in 1954, the school has developed a rich intellectual culture. This culture manifests itself in an outstanding record of achievement, proof of the excellence and leadership that the school has offered to Victorian education.[4]

 

Fintona Girls School

Fintona is an independent, non-denominational day school for girls from Prep to Year 12 and offers a co-educational early learning program for girls and boys. The International Baccalaureate is taught from ELC to Year 6.

 

Fintona's VCE results consistently place it among the top performing schools in Victoria and are the culmination of the personal attention students receive in a small school. From its commencement in 1896, Fintona has espoused the view that 'girls can do anything' and has encouraged students to be critical, independent thinkers empowered to take their place as active, effective citizens and leaders.[5]