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East Melbourne Historical Society

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Welcome

2007 07 East Melbourne Google EarthWelcome 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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Site statistics

Catalogue items:
2287
Biographies:
802
Building histories:
245
Gallery images:
585
Maps:
52

Recent articles

Dr Bertram Wainer and the Struggle for the Right to Abortion

On 24 June 2022, in the case of Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organisation the U.S. Supreme Court overturned its 1973 ruling, made as result of the now famous Roe v Wade case, that gave a fundamental right to women to access abortion under the Fourteenth Amendment.

Protestors outside the East Melbourne clinic, 1976.  Reproduced in The Age, 28 O
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Oscar Oeser - Man of Mystery

In 1946 Oscar Oeser, like many men who had fought in World War 11, migrated to Australia. His arrival had already been announced in an ‘Age’ article of 24 November 1945.

Professor Oscar Oeser. Department of Psychology collection, c.1950. Picture: Uni
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George Page Cooper - Art Collector

East Melbourne Historical Society is researching the lives of the names that were on the World War 1 Honour Roll of the old Yarra Park State School that was situated on the corner of Wellington Parade and Punt Road between 1874 and 1987. There are many interesting stories that have come out of this research, and one such story is that of George Page Cooper.

George Page Cooper. Photo: ancestry.com.au
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Kalingra: a story of firsts

East Melbourne is rightfully known for its Victorian era streetscapes.  However, between the wars it went through a period of re-development resulting in a scattering of buildings that are markedly different in style.

Edith Ingpen. Australian Home Beautiful, 1 Aug 1936
109 George Street. Photo Gavin John
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Salad Days

In the Victorian era when architectural style leaned heavily towards the Italianate one East Melbourne house stood out.

Watercolour by William Tibbits, 1879.  State Library of Victoria, accession no.
Mrs J S Gotch’s ‘At Home’.  Punch, 23 Nov 1905.
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Forthcoming activities

The Men Who Went to War

Presenter(s): 
Major-General Mike O'Brien
Start: 
Wednesday 19 Apr 2023 - 7:30pm
Location: 
East Melbourne Library, 122 George Street, East Melbourne
Entry fee: 
Members free; non-members $5.00

In 2014, Major-General Mike O’Brien gave us a list of men with a connection to East Melbourne who had volunteered for the 1st World War.

As a result of enthusiastic volunteers, we now have an archive of around 600 war records. some of which we would like to share with you at our April meeting.

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Recent acquisitions

East Melbourne, Grey Street 129, Ormiston

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Black and white photo of a large Victorian era house with elaborate timber verandah and balcony.

At the time the photo was taken the house was the home of Ormiston Ladies College.  Students and teachers are gathered on the verandah and balcony.

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Kiosk Refreshment Rooms c.1910

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Postcard.  Colour print.  Printed in Melbourne by F.W.N. & Co. (Francis Wilson Niven)

The image shows the old kiosk in the Fitzroy Gardens as it appeared when first built. A history of the building can be found using the link below. It was demolished in 1963 to make way for the current building known as The Pavillion. 

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Che Fortuna

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The author, Dominic Bonadio, describes his book as follows:

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Spring Street, Melbourne, c.1900

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Postcard. Colour print.  The reverse is undivided.  Division creating space for a message and another for the address first appeared in 1905.

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  • 114 reads

Aerial Photograph of Yarra Park and MCG 1928

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Aerial Photo of Yarra Park and MCG looking west from a point above Punt Road Oval. Taken in 1928 by Charles Daniel Pratt.

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