Kew, Victoria - Today

Today

Kew has grown steadily since the early Bridge Road crossing development and is renowned as one of the most prestigious suburbs in Melbourne. Town Planners were not constrained by the smaller lot allocations found just to the west over the Yarra and allotments in Kew were developed usually with much greater size and fronted wide, leafy boulevards.

As a consequence, many of these residences now attract some of the highest residential resale values in Melbourne. In many cases, the large allotments have been subsequently redeveloped into townhouses or duplexes and have thus appealed to a newer demographic (primarily dual-income parents with one or more children), keen to be close not only to the Melbourne CBD but also to the excellent schooling facilities available nearby.

Streets within the Sackville Ward (bounded by Barkers, Burke, Cotham and Glenferrie Roads), such as Alfred, Rowland, Wellington, Grange and Sackville, have some exceptional examples of Edwardian, Victorian and contemporary architecture. There has also been a recent trend towards the development of larger retirement-living complexes, aimed principally at downsizing couples wishing to remain in the area. However, one negative aspect of this increased living density is that the infrastructure within Kew is becoming taxed and will need continuous government and private-sector investment to operate efficiently.

Nonetheless, Kew has convenient access to public facilities and transport. The 109, 16 and 72 along with tram route 48 (North Balwyn - Victoria Harbour Docklands) tram routes pass through the suburb and the City/Lilydale/Belgrave train line is easily accessed at Hawthorn and Glenferrie Stations. Kew Station and the associated railway branch was last served by passenger trains in 1952, with the station site now the headquarters of VicRoads.