Editing Balwyn (section)

==History==
===Etymology===
In the late 1850s [[Andrew Murray (journalist)|Andrew Murray]], commercial editor and political writer for [[The Argus (Australia)|The Argus]] newspaper, bought land on the hill overlooking Canterbury Gardens. He named his house Balwyn from the [[Scottish Gaelic|Gaelic]] ''bal'' and the Saxon ''wyn'', meaning 'the home of the vine'. Balwyn Road and the district were named after it.<ref>
{{Australian Dictionary of Biography
 |last= Camfield
 |first= D.
 |year= 1974
 |volume= 5
 |id2=murray-andrew-4277
 |title= Murray, Andrew (1813–1880)
 |accessdate= 22 November 2014
 }}</ref> The house was located on the site that is now part of [[Fintona Girls' School]].

===Pre-European settlement===
The formally recognised [[traditional owners]] for the area in which Balwyn is located are the [[Wurundjeri]] People, who lived on the land for at least 14,000 years.<ref name=AV>{{cite web|title=Map of formally recognised traditional owners|url=https://achris.vic.gov.au/weave/wca.html|publisher=Aboriginal Victoria|access-date=2 June 2019}}</ref> The Wurundjeri People are represented by the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation.<ref name=WWWCHAC>{{cite web|title=Wurundjeri |url=https://www.wurundjeri.com.au/|publisher= Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation |access-date=2 June 2019}}</ref>

===19th century===
Following the [[Foundation of Melbourne]], Balwyn was part of Henry [[Elgar's Special Survey]] of {{convert|8|mi2|km2}} in 1841, which was subdivided into small farms and grazing runs.

In 1868 Balwyn Primary School was opened in Balwyn Road about 100 metres north of Whitehorse Road. It was moved to its 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.<ref>{{Citation
  | title = Balwyn & Balwyn North, Victoria
  | url = http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/ncas/multimedia/gazetteer/list/balwyn.html
  | access-date = 2010-09-16
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20041013061613/http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/ncas/multimedia/gazetteer/list/balwyn.html
  | archive-date = 2004-10-13
}}</ref>

Balwyn Post Office first opened on 26 August 1874, in a rural area, closed in 1894, then reopened in 1920.<ref name = "a">{{Citation | last = Premier Postal History | title = Post Office List | url = https://www.premierpostal.com/cgi-bin/wsProd.sh/Viewpocdwrapper.p?SortBy=VIC&country= | access-date = 2008-04-11 }}</ref> It faced a second closure on 11 February 2011 but due to a campaign by local residents and the intervention of the Federal Member, [[Josh Frydenberg]], the service was reopened.<ref name="Post Office To Reopen in Balwyn">{{Citation
  | title = Post Office To Reopen in Balwyn
  | url = http://www.joshfrydenberg.com.au/guest/mediaReleasesDetails.aspx?id=39
  | access-date = 2015-05-22
}}</ref>

The [[Outer Circle railway line]], with a station at [[Deepdene railway station, Melbourne|Deepdene]], opened in 1891, was closed in 1893, re-opened in 1900 then finally closed to passenger traffic in 1927.

===20th century===
[[File:Palace Balwyn.jpg|thumb|right|Balwyn Cinema on [[Maroondah Highway|Whitehorse Road]]]]
The [[Trams in Melbourne|electric tram system]] was extended along Cotham Road to terminate at Burke Road, Deepdene, on 30 May 1913. The line was extended along Whitehorse Road, through Balwyn to terminate at Union Road, Mont Albert, on 30 September 1916.<ref>{{Citation
  | title = 1911–1920
  | work = 100 Years of Electric Trams – Tram History – Milestones
  | url = http://www.yarratrams.com.au/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-155/173_read-883
  | publisher = Yarra Trams
  | access-date = 2010-09-16
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110927015813/http://www.yarratrams.com.au/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-155/173_read-883
  | archive-date = 27 September 2011
  | url-status = dead
  }}</ref>
The Balwyn Cinema, currently operated by [[Palace Cinemas (Australia)|Palace Cinemas]], first opened as a single screen theatre in 1930. It was later converted into a 5-screen multiplex in the 1990s, but the foyer was restored in 2010, uncovering the original 1930s tiled floor. Until 2016 it also served as the head office of Palace Cinemas. The cinema's second major restoration in less than a decade saw the former office space converted into 6 extra screens, bringing the total number to 11.<ref>{{Citation
  | title = Balwyn Cinema
  | work = Cinema History Around The World
  | url = http://www.cinematour.com/tour/au/49.html
  | publisher = Cinematour
  | access-date = 2012-03-11
}}</ref>

A considerable number of local churches, such as the Deepdene Methodist Church, were constructed during the post-World War II boom of suburban development in the area.

Balwyn's status as an affluent suburb has seen middle to upper-middle-class families from suburbs such as [[Kew, Victoria|Kew]] and [[Brighton, Victoria|Brighton]] transfer to the area to take advantage of the suburb's relatively large block sizes and proximity to some of Victoria's best private schools including those in the neighbouring suburbs of Canterbury and Kew. Some of the initial development of the suburb occurred along the Whitehorse Road tramline, along which the Wade handbag and the [[Jarvis Walker]] fishing rod factories were once located. 

The south western part of Balwyn was excised as the suburb of [[Deepdene, Victoria|Deepdene]] in 2010.<ref name = "CoB">{{Citation
  | last = City of Boroondara | title = Deepdene – our newest suburb | url = http://www.boroondara.vic.gov.au/news/april/deepdene-our-newest-suburb | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120318001223/http://www.boroondara.vic.gov.au/news/april/deepdene-our-newest-suburb | url-status = dead | archive-date = 18 March 2012 | access-date = 25 July 2011 }}</ref> 

===21st century===
[[File:Entrance to refurbished Balwyn Library (27724654618).jpg|300px|thumb|The refurbished Balwyn Library in 2018. Balwyn is the most popular public library in the state behind the [[State Library of Victoria]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Boroondara Library Services Plan |url=https://www.boroondara.vic.gov.au/media/file/boroondara-library-services-plan.docx |publisher=Boroondara City Council |access-date=21 June 2018}}</ref>]]
Balwyn is consistently ranked as one of Melbourne's 5 most exclusive suburbs. The heritage-protected Reid Estate<ref>{{cite VHD|22177|Reid Estate, Balwyn|ho=192|accessdate = 2014-11-30}}</ref> is especially noted as an area of Balwyn between Mont Albert Road and Whitehorse Road containing many architecturally significant [[Interwar period|Interwar]] mansions. 

The suburb has been immortalised by the [[Skyhooks (band)|Skyhooks]] single named after the suburb, 'Balwyn Calling', while [[The Age]] newspaper once described the suburb as "arguably Melbourne's most loved".<ref>
{{Citation
|first=Larissa |last=Dubecki
|title=Balwyn Sailing
|newspaper = [[The Age]]
|location = Melbourne
|date=21 February 2008
|url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/in-depth/balwyn-mauling/2008/02/20/1203467173800.html
|access-date=2008-03-03}}
</ref>
In the 12-month period to January 2020 Balwyn reported a median house price of A$1.6 million for a three bedroom house.<ref name="domain">{{cite web|url=https://www.domain.com.au/suburb-profile/balwyn-vic-3103|title=Real Estate – Properties for Sale, Rent and Share – Domain|website=domain.com.au}}</ref>