150 years: South Yarra Primary School

Learn about the history of South Yarra Primary School, one of Victoria's oldest public schools.

Key information

Address:
601 Punt Road , South Yarra, 3141
Opened:
28 August 1854
School type:
Primary
School number:
583
Other names:
South Melbourne Free Church School, South Yarra State School

Search for more school profiles

The history of South Yarra Primary School

  • 1854

    The school opened as the South Melbourne Free Church School in 1854. The first head teacher was William Wattie. The school building was also used as a church. 

  • 1873

    The school became a state school when the new Education Act of 1872 came into effect in 1873.

  • 1877

    A new brick school building replaced the original building in 1877. 

  • 1900

    Black and white photograph of students in front of the South Yarra school building. Class photo in front of the South Yarra school building circa 1900. Source A. E. Clark and the State Library of Victoria

  • 1906

    The caretaker's residence was demolished in 1906. Classrooms were built in its place. 

  • 1924

    The school was remodeled in 1924. Classes were held in the Punt Road Drill Hall while the work took place. A large load of 'rubbish' was removed, including old papers and school records. This explains the many gaps in the school's story. 
     

  • 1946

    The school was almost completely destroyed by fire in 1946. Students went to Prahran and Hawksburn while the school was rebuilt.

  • 1948

     A new school building opened in 1948. 

  • 1970

    The school was renamed South Yarra Primary School in 1970.

  • 2000

    The ground floor of the building along the western boundary of the school was built in 2000. It was used for Out of School Hours Care. Before this was built the students attended Out of School Hours Care at the nearby Ivy Brooks Centre. This service was originally operated by the City of Melbourne.

  • 2010s

    Another level was added to the existing facility overlooking Fawkner Park between 2010 and 2011. A new art room was added to the northeastern corner of the existing grounds (Punt Road). A three-storey portable was added in 2017.

    The front of the school was demolished in 2017 and 2018. The front office area and four classrooms facing Punt Road were removed. A new three-storey Permanent Modular Building (PMB) and administration area were built.

  • 2019

    The school marked its 165th Anniversary in 2019. An aerial photo was taken of the staff and students forming the numbers 1,6 and 5 in Fawkner Park.

  • 2020s

    The school moved to remote learning multiple times between 2020 and 2021. The school closed for a day in May 2022 due to a fire in the adjoining Christ Church Kindergarten.

  • 2022

    South Yarra Primary School is still in operation and 455 children were enrolled in December 2022.

Find more interesting facts about this school

The Public Records Office (PROV) is the archive of Victoria's State and local government. They look after some of our oldest school records, and we can use these records to help us understand what school life used to be like.

Now it is your turn to do some detective work. Take a look to see what information they have on this school.

Find all the records PROV holds for this school(opens in a new window)

Updated

Back to top