Last week, Steve Tserkezidis introduced members to the wealth of resources available at the Public Record Office of Victoria. It just so happened that this week, the PRO's record of the week relates to a Port Melbourne story: Women convicted of Murder.
Here is the sad story of Emma Courtenay Williams, Prisoner 6391, 1855 - 1895:
'Emma and her husband arrived…
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…
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…
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…
There are endless stories to tell about the former Sandridge Lagoon and environs. But you've got to begin somewhere. This account by Josephine Liardet, daughter of Wilbraham Liardet, is especially evocative.
She recalled that in the early days "The lagoon was covered with wild ducks and in the trees were cockatoos, plovers, pigeons. Hector and Jack used to get up between 3…