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.
- Read more
- 20970 reads
Site statistics
Recent articles
Joe Pearce - Informant Saw Him Killed
On 17 August 1914 Arthur Mueller ‘Joe’ Pearce enlisted to fight in the Great War. He was the eighth man from Essendon to sign up and the first VFL footballer to volunteer for the war. He had played 152 games for the Melbourne Football Club from 1904-1913, and in a game where players had fixed places on the ground, had kicked five goals. The Argus newspaper nominated him as ‘a
- Read more
- 223 reads
Vernon Ransford: the elegant left-hander
The holiday season is with us, and top level cricket at the MCG makes its seasonal appearance in the East Melbourne area, the high point being the Boxing Day Test, this year being an Ashes series against England. The MCG was of course the place where Test cricket was born in 1877, and was also the venue of the first One Day International in January 1971.
- Read more
- 117 reads
That was Then, This is Now
If you stand on the corner of Powlett Street and Wellington Parade looking east, there’s the 7-Eleven store, the dry cleaner, a couple of cafes, the Il Duca restaurant and, at the end of the line, the Post Office, an unassuming, utilitarian modern building.
- Read more
- 139 reads
Former Yarra Park School
The East Melbourne Historical Society is undertaking a project on the history of the former Yarra Park State school.
- Read more
- 201 reads
"Art making and art collecting are vitally intertwined and mutually dependent."
Hello fellow East Melbourne community members,
I am seeking a community of people in East Melbourne who love art, and chose to collect art objects for their homes. My name is Kayla, and I live locally on Gipps Street. I am studying Art History and Curation at Monash University. Currently I am working on a curatorial project that will attempt to survey the works of art in homes in East Melbourne. By doing this I aim to initiate a community discourse surrounding art collecting, and explore an alternative method of creative placemaking. I am interested in learning anecdotal local histories through a person's art collection. This project aims to identify why and how East Melbourne locals collect art. I’m keen to understand my local community’s interests when it comes to the art they choose for their homes. I hope to connect with local people with a shared passion for art.
- Read more
- 204 reads
Forthcoming activities
Recent acquisitions
Browsing the aisles of serendipity
Review of an exhibition held at the State Library of Victoria entitled Velvet, Iron, Ashes. Many of the apparently disparate items have a greater or lesser connection with Janet, Lady Clarke, wife of Sir William Clarke of Cliveden, Wellington Parade, East Melbourne. The article stresses her prominence in the life of Melbourne, not because of her social standing as the wife
- 133 reads
Beck passes on 50 years of wisdom to next generation
Article reporting on the career of Max Beck who with Michael Buxton founded the property development firm of Becton. Becton was the developer behind Wellington Gardens, East Melbourne.
- 307 reads
Games guru Gosper quietly pockets a festive $7m
Report on sale of Kevan Gosper's house at 54 Powlett Street, East Melbourne
- 140 reads
East Melbourne, Wellington Parade South 201
Advertisement for the auction of apartment 31, 201 Wellington Parade South, East Melbourne, scheduled for 23 Sep 2018.
- 249 reads
It's a Steal: cut price bag flushes out thieves
Report on theft of valuable Louis Vuitton handbag from the home of local resident, John Khoury.
- 265 reads