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Town Hall, 333 Bay Street, Port Melbourne
Town Hall, 333 Bay Street, Port Melbourne

Foundation stories

Places, Port Melbourne HistoryOctober 10, 2013
PMHPS finds it endlessly fascinating that it is still possible to 'read' the shaping stories of Port Melbourne in its street layout - the influence of the Lagoon and the Railway in particular. Township of Sandridge 1860, State Library of Victoria This is well explained in this report: "Perhaps the most significant element of Port Melbourne's infrastructure in terms of its ability to…

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Ghost signs

Port Melbourne HistoryOctober 3, 2013
Dr Stefan Schutt is documenting 'ghost signs' around Melbourne. That led to thinking about signs in Port Melbourne. Port Melbourne's most splendid signs would have to be those that adorned the UDL building (now the id apartments) on Pickles St. They were painted by sign writer Keith Martin. UDL was a successor company to Joshua Bros Distillery which made brandy, whisky…

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Remembering Letty Bellion

People, Port Melbourne HistorySeptember 26, 2013
Letty Bellion Margaret Bride tells the story of her grandmother Letty Bellion. Her story is a window into Port life through the 1890s depression, the First World War and the difficult post war years that followed. The story tells of a disappeared cluster of shops in Graham St, and the shadow cast on this family and community by the First World War.…

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The first Australian railway

Places, Port Melbourne HistorySeptember 12, 2013
Flinders Street Station c1854. Australia's first railway. Sketch by S.T. Gill showing the first station buildings and the single line from Sandridge.: Culture Victoria 'Yesterday was memorable in the annals of Victoria and of Australia, for the opening of the first Australian railway' (The Argus 13 September 1854) On 12th September 1854, the first journey on the first steam railway in…

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The electorate of Melbourne Ports

People, Port Melbourne HistorySeptember 5, 2013
Existing since Federation, Melbourne Ports has been held by the Labor Party since 1906 and has had only five members in 107 years since. Former members of the seat were Jim Matthews 1906 - 1931 E J Holloway 1931 - 1951 Frank Crean 1951 - 1977 Clyde Holding 1977 - 1998 Michael Danby since 1998   Postscript: On 5 July 2018, Michael Danby announced he would not contest…

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Random post about dogs

Collection, People, Port Melbourne HistorySeptember 4, 2013
There is something in the Society's collection for every interest. A leather bound alphabetical index book lists all dogs registered in Port Melbourne in 1892 by owner surname. Even in 1892 there were dogs large and small - from Newfoundlands to poodles. The names of the dogs are not recorded - that would have been revealing. Register of Dogs 1892. PMHPS…

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Port Melbourne’s History On Display

Port Melbourne HistoryAugust 30, 2013
In one week, The Borough and Its People: Port Melbourne 1839 to 1939, by members Margaret and Graham Bride has been spotted on display at the State Library of Victoria, the Port Melbourne Library and the Prahran Mechanics Institute Victorian History Library. Congratulations! At the State Library At the Port Melbourne Library At the Prahran Mechanics Institute Victorian History Library

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The Great White Fleet and Port Melbourne

Port Melbourne HistoryAugust 28, 2013
President Theodore Roosevelt commissioned 16 new battleships between 1904 and 1907. He sent them on a 15 month goodwill visit around the world. Prime Minister Deakin invited them to visit Australia. The young Australia was feeling exposed following the defeat of the Russian Navy by Japan in 1905. The British Navy had withdrawn its warships from the Pacific. The visit…

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Port Melbourne Historical and Preservation Society celebrates 20 years

Port Melbourne HistoryAugust 22, 2013
What tales have been told, what stories recorded in that time! A chronicle of the work packed into those twenty years and the companionship enjoyed along the way will be documented in the Annual Report. The impressive number of publications created over the time are available for sale from the PMHPS online shop. Those publications weave into the larger Victorian and Australian…

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PMHPS acknowledges the generous support of the City of Port Phillip.

 

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Acknowledgement of Traditional Custodians

We respectfully acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we meet and work, the Bunurong Boon Wurrung and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples of the Eastern Kulin Nation and pay respect to their Elders past, present and emerging.