Hotham History Project

The Melbourne City Council is buying up a North Melbourne block. The buying program started about six years ago and the council now owns at least half the Capel Street ...
Read More

This video shows a method of making huge images smaller while still maintaining image clarity. Video here ...
Read More

Optical character recognition is the electronic or mechanical conversion of images of typed, handwritten or printed text into machine-encoded text, whether from a scanned document, a photo of a document, ...
Read More

Long-time North Melbourne identity Nancy McIntosh passed away recently at the grand age of 98. The last issue of the News published a moving obituary written by her daughter June ...
Read More

In the 1930s, there were strict rules about who could visit hospitals and who could not. The rules were very strict for children, the reason being that visitors only upset ...
Read More

Abbotsford Street runs like a spine through North and West Melbourne. Its unusual name springs from a connection with famous Scottish novelist Sir Walter Scott and his home in the ...
Read More

Since 1791, Irish people have emigrated to Australia. Emigration initiatives such as the Earl Grey scheme for orphan girls in the 1840s, and events such as the Irish Famine in ...
Read More

This sketch of a group of houses in Chapman Street, North Melbourne, is by Ailsa O'Connor in 1972, who was a teacher at Flemington High School when it was housed ...
Read More

Sir, Mr Jas Cooney’s letter in “The Age” of 27th October asked whether anyone can remember Mr Dott’s glass works in Munster terrace – also the Crocketts. I knew them ...
Read More

The Royal Historical Society of Victoria (RHSV) has some wonderful old scrapbooks of press cuttings in its collection. Long before TROVE existed some HHP members were trawling through these scrapbooks ...
Read More

Three Historical Sites The letter of “J.H.K.” in “The Age” entitled “Three Historical Sites” is opportune, since an illustrated brochure containing an historical review of the schools that were first ...
Read More

ORIGIN OF THE TOWN. Owing to the discovery of gold in Victoria in the year 1851, thousands of people from all parts of the world hastened to Australia, buoyed up ...
Read More

This mural was designed by Kaye Hopwood and painted at a North Melbourne Street party on the 27th February 1982, photo by Peter Elliott. On the left of the mural ...
Read More

In North Melbourne, the streets are alive with the sound of literature. We have a Byron Street, and Lothian, Dryburgh and Abbotsford streets are all echoes of Sir Walter Scott ...
Read More

Antonino Misale puts on his classic cap and blazer and takes to the streets of North Melbourne. The sprightly 94-year-old offers a smile and a wave to everyone he meets ...
Read More

Just imagine how proud and accomplished the members of our local community must have felt after raising sufficient funds to design and construct the North Melbourne Town Hall (previously called ...
Read More

PREFACE The attached sermon focusing on the life and service of Canon Michael Henry Becher (1819-1883) was delivered by the current incumbent, Canon Matt Williams, at the Annual Pioneer Service ...
Read More

Dear "Northern Advertiser”, - Is this the oldest house in North Melbourne? The following is an extract from National Trust Newsletter February 1971, page 5:— "1857 House Threatened." "The simple ...
Read More

A book is being published by friends of the late Ailsa O'Connor. It is entitled "Unfinished Work ... articles and notes on Women and the Politics of Art". As the ...
Read More

The National Trust has classified eleven buildings and two organs in North and West Melbourne. CLASSIFIED PROPERTIES "Brassey House", 111 Chapman Street, 1888 Former Cable Tram Engine House, Corner Queensberry ...
Read More

PAGES FROM THE PAST A page from the 1 860 North Melbourne Directory lists the names and occupations of the citizens of our district over one hundred years ago. What ...
Read More

When veteran locals get together, we often chat about how the area has changed. There is so much to remember. For example, there are the trams. They are still sometimes ...
Read More

In 1971 after the inaugural meeting of the Keep Victoria Market Association, a public meeting was held at 44 Errol Street, North Melbourne. It was chaired by the late Rev ...
Read More

Lively anecdotes about the past were greatly enjoyed by the audience when Dr. J. R. Blanchard gave the report for the History Work Group. This Work Group has acquired a ...
Read More

For the next few weeks readers have an opportunity of seeing a unique display of material on the history of North Melbourne. The History Work Group of the North Melbourne ...
Read More

HOTELS AND HISTORY Following some historical references in last week's column the following chronicle on local hotels has come to hand. The first hotel erected was the North Melbourne Hotel ...
Read More

The earliest of Melbourne’s public city parks, Flagstaff Gardens in West Melbourne was the original cemetery of the early settlement. First known as Burial Hill, the first interment was carried ...
Read More

Originally territory north of the Yarra was called North Melbourne, of which Hotham was the smallest part. On November 1, 1886, the Borough Council of Brunswick applied to be called ...
Read More

John Laurens deserves to be remembered by people who live in North and West Melbourne. He was the first treasurer of the Hotham Mechanics Institute, which later became the North ...
Read More

James Munro was a temperance man. He represented North Melbourne in the colonial parliament and was briefly premier of the colony. His fellow member in North Melbourne, John Curtain, was ...
Read More