melbmemories

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PARKMORE HOLIDAY CAMPS, ROSEBUD, VIC 1950s SLV

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Night cart man Eddy Sturmey, 1981, carrying a container of human waste from a house not connected to the sewerage system. Sturmey worked in the Ringwood and Box Hill areas.

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View towards the Yarra River over the south end of Queen Street, c. 1900.

SLV caption - This view shows two of the three identical tall buildings built for F.W. Prell by the architect F.M. White on the south east and south west corners of Flinders Lane and Queen Street circa 1887/8. The Lombard Building can be seen next to the Prell's Building and the Felton Building is the low building next to the Lombard Building. Prell's buildings are characterised by the giant acroteria with faces on the top of the pediments. Information from Professor Miles Lewis.

State Library of Victoria Image H28223

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In 1882 a sanatorium for infectious disease was built by the Central Board of Health on the east side of the present junction of the Altona line from the Geelong main line. The establishment was financed in part by the various municipalities, including Wyndham and Williamstown, until its closure about the turn of the century. A number of patients died there, some of whom were buried on the property. The buildings and headstones have since disappeared, oil tanks and a gas bottling occupied the site until the 1990's when it was established as a public reserve.

Tony Beyer

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YARRA RIVER DIVERSION: 1896 - 1900

(City - Richmond)

These two photos show the 'before and after' of one of Melbourne's early construction feats. The straightening and widening of the Yarra river between the City and Richmond between 1896 and 1900. The aim of the diversion was to eliminate a sharp S-bend in the Yarra River which would've alleviated flooding upstream and provided a smooth flow of water downstream. The 1896 Yarra Improvement Act enabled the Board of Works to carry out the major realignment.

The top photo, taken in 1898 shows the original course of the river and the construction of the new channel. The bottom photo was taken in 1917

Photos: State Library of Victoria

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Hegarty's Ladies' Baths, St Kilda Beach, c. 1910. Note the washing on the line - the ladies swimming costumes.

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Bourke Street Melbourne, looking west from Spring Street 1858~1859

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Ricketts Point, Beaumaris, 1936.

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View looking up Wellington Parade from 1 Spring St before the road was cut down, 1861. Fitzroy Gardens are on the left. Great photo. State Library of Victoria Image H88.21/26

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McIntyre Rd Overpass Sunshine North C1950's

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Buying a color TV - early 1970s

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Electric street lighting comes to Footscray, 1927

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GLEN IRIS TO CAMBERWELL BUS: MELBOURNE. 1932

This is one of two buses operated by brothers Eric and Reg Driver, that helped establish a business that today operates nationally with over 150 coaches.

This seven seat bus was built on a 1931 Pontiac 29-6 chassis. The body was built by Grant brothers.

The little bus is photographed at Glen Iris railway station. Glen Iris is a suburb about 10kms south east of the city. The buses operated between this point and Camberwell, about 4 kms to the north east.

The brothers Eric and Reg Driver, recognised passenger transport as a lucrative growth area and with their father's assistance, had the two 7 passenger Pontiac 6 buses built.

Authority to operate the service was granted in March 1931 and an enthusiastic Reg commenced the first run on the afternoon of March 31st.

by Tony Beyer

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BUSY AFTERNOON ON PRINCES BRIDGE: MELBOURNE. 1908

This 1908 shot - one half of an Underwood & Underwood Stereoscope - was taken from the roof of Melbourne’s Princes Bridge railway station on the Flinders Street/Swanston Street corner.

The photo looks south toward Batman Avenue and beyond to Princes Bridge and St Kilda Road. The shadows show it is early afternoon and the large crowd numbers, showing ladies and gents in their Edwardian finery, suggest the shot was taken on a Sunday.

There is so much of interest here...

The roadway is filled with cable trams and horse-drawn vehicles, while the footpath on both sides is lined with the push-carts of Fruit and Vegetable vendors.

At the extreme left you will note an iron tower built within the railyards. This held Melbourne’s famous Water-Tower clock. The clock had been at the Elizabeth Street entrance to Flinders Street station and was shifted here during the rebuilding of the station. After many moves, this is now in the Collins Street foyer of Southern Cross station. See 1908 and current photo below.

On the horizon in the distance is the Homeopathic Hospital, later to become Prince Henry’s Hospital.

On the right hand side over the bridge is the gable-roofed Wirths Olympia. This area known broadly as Wirths Park was for many years the site of a circus and funpark. To the right of Wirths is Yardley Bros book-binding factory and warehouse. This is today the locale of the Melbourne Arts Centre.

Street lighting you will notice is provided by electric arc lamps, one of which can be seen hanging from a pole mid shot. In the late nineteenth century, electric arc lighting became a popular form of public lighting despite their tendency to flicker and hiss.

by Tony Beyer

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Hostel life in Millers Road Altona Victoria

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STATION PLACE: WERRIBEE. MELBOURNE. 1928/30

Werribee is today a western suburb of Melbourne, about 32 kms south west of the city, with a population of 50,000. At the time of this photo, this was a rural township with a population of fewer than 1000.

It looks south from Station Place toward the Watton Street/Duncan's Road intersection. Mr J. P. O’Toole’s General Store in the middle, was on the south western corner of Watton Street and Duncan's Road.

The church spire seen behind his store is that of the 1884 built Presbyterian Church, now Uniting Church.

The church still stands on the corner of Duncan’s Road (which is the continuation of Station Place) and Synnot Street (Princes Highway). Viewed today however, the spire is hidden behind a multi-level building which stands where Mr O’Toole’s business once did. See this in comments below.

Three lads play on the dirt road and beyond them a horse and gig stands unaccompanied in the middle of the road, the owner obviously trusts his horse to stay put.

A wagon loaded with milk cans is parked on the left, with several more horse-drawn and motorised vehicles in the shot. Note also the horse water trough at left and the electric arc lamp above.

Tony Beyer

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Coles Bourke Street Store No. 12. John Batman Pioneer Diorama and Olympic Torch display during the Olympic Games, 1956.