Collection or topic
East Melbourne Historical Society
In this collection
94 records and collections
Story
Salad Days
In the Victorian era when architectural style leaned heavily towards the Italianate one East Melbourne house stood out. It was beautifully depicted by artist, William Tibbits, in 1879. Burnell, as it was later known, at 109 Albert Street, was built for John Speechly Gotch, founde...
Story
Smelling History
Smells trigger memory just as effectively as old photos or objects. Think of some of Melbourne’s more famous smells such as tomato sauce from the old Rosella factory in Richmond, or baking bread from the Capitol Bakery in South Yarra, or even roasting coffee from Quists in Little...
Story
Snapped: Melbourne in a moment exhibition at East Melbourne Library
All shortlisted and winning entries from the biennial amateur photography competition, Snapped: Melbourne in a moment, are now on display upstairs at East Melbourne Library.
Collection item
Spotted Pardalote in Agnes Street, Jolimont
Spotted Pardalote observed in Agnes Street, Jolimont on 26 July 2022. An extremely noisy demolition was taking place a couple of houses down and the bird seemed very agitated. Its call could not be recorded above the noise. A few days later it was found in same cottage garden but...
Story
Spotted: a Spotted Pardalote in Jolimont
This tiny Spotted Pardalote was recorded in a cottage garden in Agnes Street, just up the road from a huge demolition taking place on Jolimont Street. It was nervously flitting between a branch and a small verandah ledge. The noise from the jack-hammers and diggers was too great...
Story
Streets of fear in city's wealthy enclave
Topics coronavirus COVID Publication date 25 August 2020 Article in the Australian 24 August 202 midst covid-19
Story
That was Then, This is Now
If you stand on the corner of Powlett Street and Wellington Parade looking east, there’s the 7-Eleven store, the dry cleaner, a couple of cafes, the Il Duca restaurant and, at the end of the line, the Post Office, an unassuming, utilitarian modern building. It’s hard to believe t...
Story
The Changing Face of Darling Square
In the time before white settlement the area around what we know as Darling Square in East Melbourne was swampland, and was a source of plentiful foodstuffs enjoyed by the local Wurundjeri people. However, it was not long before white people made ‘improvements’. Bit by bit the ed...
Story
The Curious Mr Stanford: from East Melbourne to California
Thomas Welton Stanford arrived in Melbourne in 1860 to make money. He achieved this by quickly securing the sole licence to import Singer sewing machines. But it is not for his business success that he is primarily known.
Story
The Early Days of Women's Cricket
With the MCG within its boundaries East Melbourne has more than its fair share of sporting stories. One that is probably not so widely known is the foundation of women’s cricket as an organised sport. Women's cricket had been played sporadically since 1874 as a social game, often...
Story
The East Melbourne Historical Society Receives a Special Grant
Project team members: - Jill Fenwick, Nik Iljin, Wendy BabiolakisThe East Melbourne Historical Society has received a grant of $2,290 from Museums Australia (Victoria) to digitise its collection. Digitising involves creating high quality electronic images of items in the collecti...
Story
The Fitzroy and East Melbourne Bowling Club
In Fitzroy in 1865 the idea of a local bowling club finally came to fruition. A committee was elected. The name was confirmed as the Fitzroy Bowling Club and rules were put in place. The next task was to find a green. Within a month the Fitzroy council had granted the club permis...
Story
The Fitzroy and East Melbourne Bowling Club
In Fitzroy in 1865 the idea of a local bowling club finally came to fruition. A committee was elected. The name was confirmed as the Fitzroy Bowling Club and rules were put in place. The next task was to find a green. Within a month the Fitzroy council had granted the club permis...
Story
Valetta - an East Melbourne story
East Melbourne’s first crown land sales were held on 16 June 1852. Prior to this the area had been a popular place for local Aboriginal groups who were attracted to its swamps and lagoons as fishing grounds. Then came Captain Lonsdale in 1836 and Superintendent La Trobe in 1839,...
Story
Vernon Ransford: the elegant left-hander
The holiday season is with us, and top level cricket at the MCG makes its seasonal appearance in the East Melbourne area, the high point being the Boxing Day Test, this year being an Ashes series against England. The MCG was of course the place where Test cricket was born in 1877...
Story
Yarra Park - MCG Responds
Our continuing campaign to improve the well-being of Yarra Park has achieved some modest improvements of late. Construction vehicles have been causing quite a bit of damage plane trees to the south-western corner near the hump-backed bridge. The cabman's shelter has also been und...
Collection item
Yarra Park Heritage Listing 2010
The record of the decision of the Heritage Council of Victoria on 19 April 2010 to include Yarra Park in the Heritage Register. The outcome was the result of a strong campaign by the East Melbourne Group. (See news item link below.) Also included is a related newspaper clipping (...
Story
Yarra Park State School Comes Back To Life
Yarra Park State School In East Melbourne was located in a very prominent position - the intersection of Punt Road and Bridge Road. The building that still occupies the site and which housed the former school is familiar to generations of Melburnians who have passed through that...
Story
Yarra Park added to Heritage Register
Yarra Park 1864In culmination of a long campaign by the East Melbourne Group, the Heritage Council of Victoria has added Yarra Park to the Heritage Register. This means that any major developments will require a permit from Heritage Victoria.
Information page
Yarra Park at its Lowest Point?
Yarra Park 2 August 2010The East Melbourne Historical Society has published a gallery of photographs recording the current condition of Yarra Park, perhaps at its worst in living memory.
Map
bw3234 MMBW Plan - Grey St, Hoddle St, Hotham St, Powlett St
MMBW detailed plan of East Melbourne published in 1895 covering Grey Street, Hoddle Street, Hotham Street, Powlett Street, Gipps Street and Simpson Street.
Story
‘Better to have a loaf on the table than a loaf in the Pub’
The Band of Hope was formed in England in 1847, with a more formal organisation set up in 1855. It was seen by many as a way to develop self-reliance in working men who could use temperance as a means to self-improvement by renouncing alcohol. It was a non-denominational movement...