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 articles
Policing East Melbourne
In 1883 the Police Department rented a house on a wide block of land in Darling Street, East Melbourne. This house would become the residence of the sergeant-in-charge of the new police station. Next door, on the undeveloped part of the land, a small two-roomed, wooden office was erected, and a separate lavatory.
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James Sinclair and his Cottage
In the centre of the Fitzroy Gardens is a cottage almost invisible behind its overgrown garden but it is an interesting little house and worth a more careful look. It was designed in 1866 by Francis Maloney White as the gardener’s cottage. Its first occupant was James Sinclair and hence it is now known as Sinclair’s Cottage.
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Jolimont and Repatriation
By 1917 it was apparent that repatriation services for returning service men and women were inadequate. Soldiers were arriving back in the country in large numbers, most of them damaged by illness or injury. Many of them would not be able to return to their pre-war occupations.
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More than a Kindergarten
An interesting side-light on the changing demographic of Melbourne in the years after the second world war was the decision to relocate the existing City Free Kindergarten in Exhibition Street (on the corner of Little Lonsdale Street) to Powlett Reserve in East Melbourne.
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The Curious Mr Stanford: from East Melbourne to California
Thomas Welton Stanford arrived in Melbourne in 1860 to make money. He achieved this by quickly securing the sole licence to import Singer sewing machines. But it is not for his business success that he is primarily known.
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Forthcoming activities
James Simpson: A reflection of Port Phillip mania
Our speaker, Dr Liz Rushen, currently has an exhibition showing at the Royal Historical Society of Victoria entitled, Hoddle Grid: the great land grab. The exhibition features 29 first purchasers of land from the Crown, one from each block.
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- 200 reads
Recent acquisitions
East Melbourne, Albert Street 83-91
Extract from Capital Gain column in The Age newspaper about the redevelopment of the Albert Heights site at 83-91 Albert Street. The site is for sale with a permit for a four storey building containing 14 apartments.
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East Melbourne, Clarendon Street 150
Real estate article describing apartment 1007/150 Clarendon Street in the lead up to its sale by expressions of interest closing 28 April 2022.
- 20 reads
East Melbourne, Powlett Street 129
Advertisement for sale of 129 Powlett Street. One photo shows the house from the rear, the other shows interiors.
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Jolimont, Jolimont Road 124, Dyason
Article advertising apartments for sale off the plan at 124-126 Jolimont Road. The new apartment block will be known as Dyason, after the existing house on the land. It has been designed by Pandolfini Architects with interiors by Lisa Buxton. Expected completion is early 2025.
- 19 reads
Roccella. Restaurant review
Review of Roccella the restaurant that occupies the ground floor of the apartments at 150 Clarendon Street. The restaurant specialises in pizza but serves other dishes as well. The review concentrates on pizza.
The restaurant is run by Francesco Crifo and brothers Joe and Bruno Ceraso.
- 30 reads