In the late 1850s Andrew Murray, commercial editor and political writer for The Argus newspaper, bought land on the hill overlooking Canterbury Gardens. He named his house Balwyn from the Gaelic bal and the Saxon wyn, meaning ‘the home of the vine’. Balwyn Road and the district were named after it.The house was located on the site that is now part of one of Victoria’s most prestigious private schools, Fintona Girls’ School.
In 1868 the Balwyn Primary School was opened in Balwyn Road, about 100 metres north of Whitehorse Road. It was moved to the present site, south of Whitehorse Road, in 1880, opposite Murray’s property. Balwyn’s first town centre was near the intersection of Balwyn and Whitehorse Roads, containing a few shops, a blacksmith and the athenaeum or mechanics’ institute. Anglican services began in 1868 and the St. Barnabas church, Balwyn Road, was opened in 1872.
Today, Balwyn is filled with a diverse range of Australian and New Zealand native trees and shrubs. Treescape has performed many works along the beautiful tree-lined Mont Albert Rd.