Warm Up this Winter – Walk Robin Boyd’s Neighbourhood!

South Yarra’s layered architectural heritage, streetscape and social history character make it one of Melbourne’s most iconic suburbs.

It’s the neighbourhood where Australian modernist architect, author, critic, and public educator Robin Boyd designed his family Boyd House II, or ‘Walsh Street’, as locals fondly refer to it, in 1957. The experimental and greatly celebrated residence is now the home of the Robin Boyd Foundation, whose custodianship sees ‘Walsh Street’ operate as both a house museum and a place for discussion that promotes the understanding of the diversity of Boyd’s practice.

Many other leading architects contributed to the development of South Yarra, including Reed & Barnes, Frederick Romberg, Walter & Richard Butler, Harold Desbrowe-Annear, Anketell Henderson, Yuncken Freeman, and Neil Clerehan, resulting in a rich diversity of styles.

You can now discover the precinct on the Robin Boyd Foundation’s two Walking Tours: ‘Robin Boyd’s Neighbourhood’ and ‘Stories of South Yarra’ – each journey offers a different slice of the suburb.

Held once a month on Saturday mornings and afternoons, the Walking Tours are a leisurely-paced 2.5km and take 2 hours. Robin Boyd Foundation volunteer guides provide storytelling along the way. 

‘Marne Street is the highlight of my South Yarra walk’, says Robin Boyd Foundation volunteer tour guide Nick Heydon, ‘This leafy street is a living history of Melbourne flats, you’ll find Arts and Crafts to Deco, mid-century modernist to contemporary all sitting side by side. I love watching people’s faces light up as the magic of Marne Street is revealed’.

Walking Tour attendees, meet in the Royal Botanical Gardens to acknowledge the significant cultural site for the local Kulin Nation, before heading up to weave through the leafy streets between Toorak and Domain Road. Throughout each carefully planned route, Walking Tour attendees learn about the area’s transformation, when grand Victorian homes and gardens were replaced by modern houses and flats, Boyd’s critique of architectural styles, and local efforts to preserve built heritage. 

Jamie Paterson, who leads the Robin Boyd Foundation volunteer program, notes, ‘Since launching our Walking Tours in 2024, the local community has embraced us and enriched our storytelling – we’ve learnt so much by having South Yarra residents join on the tours, chat with us on the street, and even invite some lucky tour goers inside their homes’.

The next Walking Tours are scheduled for Saturday 16 May at 10.30 am and 1.30 pm, Saturday 13 June at 10.30 am, with more dates to come.

For more information and booking go to robinboyd.org.au