City of Stonnington

The City of Stonnington is a Local Government Area located within the metropolitan area of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It comprises the inner south-eastern suburbs, between 3 and 13 kilometres from the Melbourne CBD. The city covers an area of 25.6 square kilometres and includes the suburbs of South Yarra, Prahran, Windsor, Toorak, Armadale, Kooyong, Glen Iris, Malvern and Malvern East.

Within 20 years of the settlement of Melbourne in 1835, the Prahran Municipality (later City of Prahran) was formed in 1855, followed by the Gardiner Road Board (later City of Malvern) in 1856.

The late 19th century saw substantial residential and commercial development such that by 1891 Prahran had a population of almost 40,000 and Malvern 11,000. Following the election of the Kennett government in the Spring of 1992, as part of a comprehensive reorganisation of local government in Victoria, the Cities of Malvern and Prahran were amalgamated to form the City of Stonnington. The Malvern Town Hall was renamed the Stonnington City Centre and it became the corporate headquarters of the new Stonnington City Council.

The name Stonnington comes from Stonington mansion, the Charles D'Ebro designed mansion built in 1890 for a founding partner of Cobb and Co, John Wagner, who named the house after his wife’s birthplace in Stonington (sic), Connecticut, USA. The house is located in Glenferrie Road, Malvern.

The city had a diverse (27% born overseas) population of 93,145 at the 2011 Census, with a higher proportion of 18 to 34 year olds than the Melbourne average. The population are also greater users of public transport which provides a comprehensive service to the municipality.