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…
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…
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).…
In April 2013, John Gilchrist walked the places where he grew up. The walk triggered these memories:
John's family came to live in Port Melbourne from Warburton following the devastating Black Friday bushfires of January 1939.
His father was a forester, but it was his mother who brought up the three boys - first from a small house on the south eastern corner of Bridge St…
Tasmanian blue gum on Liardet Street, December 2007
Not a trace remains of the huge Tasmanian bluegum that was such a presence on Liardet Street for many years.
Tasmanian bluegums are not indigenous to this area, of course. Perhaps the tree was planted in the eighties when there was renewed interest in Australian trees.
Earlier this year, I spoke with the arborist who…