The City of Malvern (formerly the Shire of Malvern) was originally named 'Gardiner' after John Gardiner, who, in company with Joseph Hawdon and John Hepburn, drove cattle south from New South Wales and claimed an immense grazing lease to the south east of this area. Crown Land auctions began in 1840 with the sale of land adjacent to the Yarra River and Gardiners Creek. Settlement patterns and land prices were strongly influenced by topography: the high ground returned the best prices, while the swampy low-lying land returned far lower prices. Grand mansions were built on the high land.

The Gardiner Road District was proclaimed on 6 October 1856. The boundaries of the municipality were Gardiners Creek, Warrigal Road, Dandenong Road and Kooyong Road. The first recorded use of the name Malvern was in January 1854 when barrister Charles B.G. Skinner named his new hotel (on the corner of Malvern and Glenferrie Roads) the 'Malvern Hill Hotel' after the district in England (Malvern Hills), where his ancestors lived. In 1871 the Shire of Gardiner was declared; on 15 February 1878 it was renamed Malvern. A Shire Hall was opened in 1886. The Shire of Malvern became the Borough of Malvern on 22 February 1901, the Town of Malvern on 24 April 1901 and the City of Malvern on 30 May 1911. The City of Malvern ceased to exist on 22 June 1994, when the City of Stonnington (formerly the City of Malvern and the City of Prahran) was proclaimed. The boundaries of this municipality are the Yarra River, Gardiners Creek, Warrigal Road, Dandenong Road, Queens Way and Punt Road.

The Shire of Malvern issued a medal to celebrate the opening of the Malvern Shire Hall in 1886 (NU 21083, 20871 and 20872); a year later it issued a medal to mark Queen Victoria's jubilee (NU 20402). The City of Malvern issued a medal to commemorate Melbourne's centenary in 1934 (NU 33153 and NU 35366).

References:
City of Stonnington website http://www.stonnington.vic.gov.au/services/library/historypage/about

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