Early days

In July 1903, Miss Frances Lowe established Cooerwull, a private school for girls, in a house on the corner of Marshall Street and Sherwood Road (opposite the present Junior School).

In 1907, the School and its 36 students, moved to its current location when Miss Lowe purchased a Victorian house called Hillsley on the current site of the School gymnasium.

A kindergarten, called Girton, was established in St James’ Church hall for both boys and girls. Miss Lowe took over this kindergarten in 1920 and it was run by the School until the early 1960s.

Miss Lowe, a member of the St James’ Church, sold the School to the Vestry of St James’ in May 1922 and the School became Ivanhoe Girls’ Grammar School in the beginning of 1923.

At that time the School had 98 students and was located in the school house in Noel Street. The first new building was constructed in 1929 at the corner of Noel Street and Upper Heidelberg Road. The School gradually acquired more property as student numbers increased and there was a major period of expansion in the 1970s.

Growth and expansion

In the 1980s and 1990s there was a considerable redevelopment of the School property to provide improved facilities. The Junior School was relocated in 1981 from the corner of Noel Street and Upper Heidelberg Road to its current location in a series of Edwardian houses in Marshall Street. Other developments included the John Shilliday Physical Education Centre with its gymnasium and indoor swimming pool, the Doris Walker Centre which housed the Frances Lowe Library and VCE Centre and the Collins Wing Science laboratories.

The Performing Arts Centre was built in 1995 on the corner of Upper Heidelberg Road and Noel Street. St James’ House Early Learning Centre was opened in 1998 for girls aged 3 to 5 years. Hillsley – the former Knox Presbyterian Church, was opened at the end of 2001 as the Visual Arts and Hospitality Complex.

The Cooerwull Centre, opened in 2010 by Her Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce AC, Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, was the biggest building project ever undertaken in the School’s history. It incorporated a new Library with Senior and Junior School areas, ICT and audiovisual departments, Staff Centre, a Café, and a terraced recreational area. 

In 2011 Sharwood House was re-opened after extensive renovations which provided state-of-the-art teaching spaces, a central Atrium area and excellent new outdoor sporting facilities and play spaces.

Looking to the future

In 2015, the Doris Walker Centre was redesigned and reconfigured. The Centre is named after the School’s longest serving Principal, Doris Walker, who was the Head for over 34 years from 1929-1963. The Centre houses a 156 seat lecture theatre with a large foyer, a versatile stage area, video conferencing facilities, and flexible learning spaces for VCE students. 

Most recently, the Cooerwull Centre was extended to allow for a new Principal's office and Boardroom, while the Senior Library was reconfigured to make space for the Innovation Station, a state-of-the-art maker space and technology hub.

After well over a century of evolution, Ivanhoe Girls' continues to develop vibrant educational spaces to enable innovative learning programs.