Sandridge Lagoon – Port Melbourne Historical and Preservation Society

The Pumping Station – The Beazley Family Connection

People, Places, Port Melbourne HistoryDecember 13, 2024

For many years the Beazley family were fisherfolk, working the Bay and selling their catch from the garage next to their home in Dow Street. Leonard 'Dugga' Beazley was the last of the fishermen retiring in 2016 after participating in the buy-out of the Port Phillip Bay commercial fishing licences. But the Beazley family also had a close association…

McCormack: A Slender Street in Two Parts

People, Places, Port Melbourne HistoryNovember 1, 2024

by David F Radcliffe In her 2014 article on McCormack St, Robyn Clinch sketched the life of publican Thomas McCormack, after whom the street was named. The McCormack family lived on the southern part of this slender street between Bridge Street and Esplanade East. McCormack Street also extends northward from Bridge Street to Spring Street East. Each part has a distinct…

Growing up in Port Melbourne – Leisure

Growing up in PortMay 29, 2024

From a young age most children spent their free time unsupervised by adults. Sometimes an older sister or brother would be put in charge of their siblings, the one ‘in charge’ sometimes only seven or eight themselves. The freedom enjoyed by children even involved them going to the beach to play, although they might be forbidden from going in the…

Lyons Street

Places, Port Melbourne HistoryApril 5, 2024

by David F Radcliffe Lyons Street runs parallel to Bay Street, from Liardet Street over Bridge Street and Spring Street East before curving, parallel to Crockford Street, to intersect with Raglan Street. However, this was not always the case. The existence and evolution of Lyons Street reflect the physical geography and the development of Sandridge/Port Melbourne. Lyons Street, Port Melbourne…

Piecing Together the Past

Places, Port Melbourne HistoryNovember 18, 2022

by David F Radcliffe When researching the story of the entrepreneurial Otto Schumacher, one question proved very difficult to answer. When did the small factory he built on Esplanade East in 1890 turn into the impressive building that defined the corner of Graham Street and Esplanade East from the 1920s? With its distinctive red brick and white stucco façades and flanked…

The Lagoon – Greg Ades

Port Melbourne History, PresentationsOctober 25, 2022

Greg Ades was the guest speaker on the topic of The Lagoon at the PMHPS October 2022 meeting. Greg has been a practicing artist for over 40 years. For a number of years he was artist in residence at Port Melbourne Primary School. At one stage, with Artists in Schools funding, he created a large painting with the students…

‘Lagoon Reserve’: Residential or Recreational?

Port Melbourne HistorySeptember 30, 2021

by David Radcliffe In the 1890s, the name ‘lagoon reserve’ applied to any part of the strip of reclaimed land, bounded by Esplanade East and Esplanade West, extending from Bridge St to Rouse St. Formed by filling in the Sandridge Lagoon, it was also known as the ‘lagoon lands’. The recreational park we know today as Lagoon Reserve, between Liardet…

Smells

Port Melbourne HistorySeptember 10, 2021

Swallow & Ariell viewed from Princes St 1987 PMHPS Collection The National Trust has argued that the smell of Vegemite, produced at Fishermans Bend, warrants recognition as part of the heritage of the place. This has prompted a post on how many Port stories are associated with smells. The fetid Sandridge Lagoon gave rise to virtually a whole vocabulary of smells…

Now and Then 2021 – HMAS Apartments and Lagoon Pier

Port Melbourne HistoryAugust 2, 2021

Completed in 2001, the HMAS Apartments were designed by the renowned architectural firm of Fender Katsalidis, who also designed Eureka Tower, Australia 108 and many other striking buildings. The towers of this apartment complex are visible from many parts of Port Melbourne. The name reflects the history of the site which was the location of the naval base HMAS Lonsdale…

Now and Then 2021 – Lagoon Reserve

Port Melbourne HistoryAugust 2, 2021

Lagoon Reserve is a popular place for dogs and their owners to meet up especially in the late afternoon. The reserve is lined on its eastern side by the Park Apartments and across Graham Street by the Portside Apartments. Both art deco inspired designs were developed by Becton Pty Ltd during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Lagoon Reserve (2021).…

Acknowledgement of Traditional Custodians