A number of farming properties were established along the Yarra River following government land auctions, between 1845 and 1847. The Wills family established "Willsmere Estate", a grazing and dairying property, with the name now reflected in Willsmere Road and Willsmere Park. William Wade established a farm, named "Belford", next door. A flood in December 1863 devastated the property, which later became the Kew Golf Course. The Harp of Erin Hotel, on the corner of Harp Road and High Street, was established in 1854, by Edward Glynn. It was a centre for race meetings and gave its name to Harp Road, which was part of a route to Lilydale, used by Cobb and Co. Kew East Post Office opened around 1924. The East Kew Maternal and Child Health Centre, in Strathalbyn Street, Kew East, is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register. Opened in December 1925, it is the earliest purpose-built and intact baby health centre in the state.
Street names
Windella Road was originally named Balfour Road, after Kew resident and politician James Balfour. It was renamed to Windella Avenue, after Balfour's residence Windella, due to the similarity of the former name to that of nearby Belford Road. Longstaff, , McCubbin, Newbury, and Streets are all named after Australian painters.
Demographics
As of 2016, 68.2% of residents were born in Australia, 4.3% were born in China, 2.4% in England, 2.1% in Italy and 23% were born elsewhere.
Population
At the 2016 Census, Kew East had a population of 6,669.
Geography
The suburb is bounded to the east by Burke Road, to the north by the Yarra River and to the west by the Yarra River, parts of Kilby and Willsmere Roads and the property boundaries between Willsmere Road and Rattan Avenue. The southern boundary follows Carnegie Avenue, Park Crescent, Earl Street, Asquith Street, property boundaries near Belford Road, High Street and Harp Road. The Eastern Freeway runs across the centre of the suburb from east to west.
Education
There are two co-educational government schools located in Kew East — Kew High School, a secondary college located on Burke Road and Kew East Primary School on Kitchener Street. St Annes Catholic School is located on Beresford Street.
Sport and recreation
Kew Golf Club and Green Acres Golf Club on Elm Grove are located in the north of the suburb. Parks in Kew East include Willsmere-Chandler Park, home of one of the suburb's three soccer clubs, East Kew United Soccer club, and the adjacent Kew Billabong, Hays Paddock on Glass Creek, is home to the Old Xaverians Soccer Club, and Kew Deaf Soccer Club. Hyde Park, Harrison Park and Stradbroke Park are located in the south-east of the suburb.
Shopping
The main shopping area, "Harp Village", is located on High Street, near the intersection with Harp Road. A small local centre, Belford Court Shopping Centre, is located on Belford Road.
Transport
The Eastern Freeway is accessible via the Chandler Highway or Burke Road. The Main Yarra Trail, a shared bicycle and pedestrian path, runs along the north side of the freeway. Belford Road bridges the freeway, providing a link to the northern part of the suburb. The suburb has a single tram line along High Street, which accommodates tram route 48. There are also a number of bus routes which connect the suburb to surrounding areas.
