The City of Stonnington sits on the Traditional Lands of the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong peoples of the East Kulin Nations.
Both groups camped along the river and creek banks where they sourced food including plants, fish, mussels, eels and waterfowl. Malvern Gardens is on the site of a natural spring, hence the name Spring Road, and was used by the Yalukit willam clan. High Street near Malvern Town Hall was a known meeting place and venue for staging corroborees.
The suburb of Prahran takes its name from the local Indigenous word for the area, Pur-ra-ran, a compound of two words meaning 'land partially surrounded by water'. Surveyor General Robert Hoddle adopted the name Prahran for official use. The name Toorak is a variant of Turrak, an Eastern Kulin word for ‘reedy grass’ or ‘weed in lagoon’.
Indigenous history research
You can read more about the Indigenous history of Stonnington in this detailed report: An Indigenous History of Stonnington: A report to the City of Stonnington(PDF, 22MB). The summary report Stonnington's Indigenous History(PDF, 2MB) contains a brief history, key people, Indigenous clans, countries and languages and significant sites.
Indigenous reconciliation
Stonnington sits on the land of the East Kulin Nations.
Find out more about Reconciliation on our Indigenous Reconciliation page.