Welcome
Welcome to the East Melbourne Historical Society.
East Melbourne is a tiny suburb adjoining the city of Melbourne bounded by Treasury and Fitzroy Gardens to the west, Victoria Parade to the north, Hoddle Street to the east and Yarra Park to the south, home of the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground. East Melbourne was included in Robert Hoddle's original 1837 plan for the city but the first private house was not built until 1853. The suburb today reflects a history of Victoria with its beautiful gardens, grand houses of the gold rush era and workmen's cottages. Cast iron lacework adorns the houses, bluestone cobbled lanes lead to old coach houses and brick dunnies. Artists, scientists, politicians, judges, educators, priests, explorers, entrepreneurs, courtesans, philanthropists and social activists lived here and many a tale is told of characters wild and exotic.
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Recent news
President's Christmas Letter & Membership Renewal
Dear Members,
It has been a topsy turvy year for us all but thankfully we seem to be headed in the right direction in managing the spread of the COVID virus.
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- 1000 reads
Streets of fear in city's wealthy enclave
Article in the Australian 24 August 202 midst covid-19
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- 1202 reads
Reopening of St Peter's Plaza Eastern Hill, 10 November 2019
On 10 November, St Peter’s Plaza and the restored ‘Cross of Sacrifice’ were re-opened to the public. Dating from 1924, the cross is a memorial to the fallen soldiers of World War 1, modelled on wayside crosses in France and is the only one of its kind in Australia.
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- 1973 reads
Jolimont Station: submission
The East Melbourne Historical Society has recently nominated Jolimont Station for inclusion on the Heritage Victoria register. The station has been a long overlooked part of our history. It does not appear even on the City of Melbourne's Inventory of Heritage Places.
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- 2285 reads
Phil Ruthven Slides Available
There was an excellent attendance at our event on Wednesday 21 June 2017 when Phil Ruthven took us on a trip down Memory Lane looking back to Australia, Melbourne and East Melbourne in 1853 and 1953 to the present day. He also had the courage, audacity some might say, to predict what the circumstances might be in 2053.
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Forthcoming activities
Cliveden Mansions - A Sequel
Bruce Trethowan, heritage architect, will follow up on his earlier talk on Cliveden as the family home of Sir William Clark with the story of its conversion into luxury apartments and its new inhabitants.
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Robert Russell: Surveyor, Architect and Artist
Following our AGM AT 7.30 Fay Woodhouse, professional historian and editor of the book, Robert Russell: Artist of Early Melbourne will take us through the life and work of the man who laid the foundations of our city but about whom relatively little is known.
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- 23 reads
Recent acquisitions
Video of presentation by Gary Presland on pre-European history and culture of Victoria
On 16 June 2021 Dr Gary Presland, historian and authority on Aboriginal history, presented to EMHS his insights into the life and culture of the Aboriginal peoples in our local area. The video is posted here.
- 77 reads
Memories of Bims Restaurant
Wendy Pomroy's memories of Bims and Vagn Ove Gunness and their restaurant, Bims at 366 Albert Street. Previously the pair had taken over Mirka, Mirka Mora's restaurant in the city, which they renamed Danish Delight.
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East Melbourne from Studley Park
One of 16 views of Melbourne suburbs issued as a pictorial supplement with The Australasian newspaper of 6 April 1872. The pictures were drawn by Thomas Carrington (1842-1918) and engraved by Rudolph Jenny (1827-1905).
- 78 reads
The Zoological Gardens 1858
The proposed plan for the Zoological Gardens which was to be established in the southern-most part of the Richmond Paddock, now roughly the site of AAMI park.
- 105 reads
Jolimont, Jolimont Terrace 028, Bromo
Brochure advertising the auction of 28 Jolimont Terrace, Jolimont, scheduled for 4 June 1993.
- 80 reads