On 1 July 1851, the Port Phillip district formally separated from New South Wales to become the colony of Victoria. From the 1840s onwards there was growing discontent in the Port Phillip district. People complained of being in 'the thrall' of New South Wales and that insufficient resources were directed towards the urgent and growing needs of Melbourne and the Port…
George Samuel Walter Memorial Garden
Picking up on last week's watery theme, this post turns to Councillor Walter's connection with metropolitan water supply.
This week, price increases for water were approved by the Essential Services Commission. The increases were largely attributed to the desalination plant.
The Argus of 28 March 1936 contains an article Story Behind the Tap: Our Water Supply cost millions…
It is shaping up to be our wettest June in many years. It prompted a look at the place names that reveal Port Melbourne's watery foundation. A particularly flood prone spot was, and remains, the area around Ingles and Crockford St. In December 1863 "... a flood of unexampled severity occurred, which overwhelmed the low-lying land along the river course…
Mike Brady's huge contribution to Australian life has been recognised in the Queens Birthday Honours with an AM.
A less well know part of his story is the time his family spent in the migrant hostel in Fishermans Bend after their arrival in Melbourne in the '50s. The experience of life in the hostel is described in a colourful way by…
Do you remember that a previous post on the beacons mentioned that the off shore beacon used to have a timber walkway connecting it to the shore? These two great images from the City of Port Phillip's collection show this perfectly.
view to the shore, Commonwealth Engine Works (left) and the Mission to Seamen (right)
The citation says the photos were taken…
This is not the place to tell the tale of Farams because it has been done with so much care by Kevin Anderson in his film The Last of the Independents. People often mention having seen it when you say you come from Port.
'Farams' has become the word that seems to capture the feeling about the changes in Port over…
The layout of Edwards Park has adapted to a range of activities over time. The radial paths meeting in the centre create a setting that lends itself well to Port's current preoccupation with exercise, health and fitness. A playground for children has been a part of Edwards Park from the beginning.
Edwards Park was once part of the tapering Sandridge Lagoon. The…
Journey no 2
Here is an account of some research recently completed by member Jack Bolt.
Jack says in summary:
'Read a book, find an item interesting, go to the book's references and web, do more personal research closer to home, find some more information/data, and inadvertently meet a PMHPS member who is part of the story. It only took about a week. …
The off shore beacon is being painted.
Off Shore beacon gets a coat of paint, May 2013
The beacons are a much loved and defining feature of Port Melbourne. Wide Beacon Vista with its generous front setbacks reflects the historic need to maintain a line of sight and clearance between the beacons. Until Princes Pier was refurbished, the off shore beacon was…
Beards have perhaps not made as much of a come back in Port as in some suburbs north of the river. Nevertheless, this post takes a look at some of our former Port leaders from a beard perspective.
Thomas Swallow, founder of the Swallow and Ariell biscuit company, sported a neat and trim sort of beard.
Thomas Swallow
PORT PHILLIP CITY COLLECTION
Swallow went…