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The first Chinese market gardens appeared in Northcote in 1887. The Chinese had arrived in Victoria in large numbers during the 1850s gold rushes and many stayed after the rushes ended. German settlers had been operating market gardens in Northcote since at least the early 1860s but in 1887 they sold their holdings to the new Chinese arrivals in Northcote. The first Chinese market garden was at 126 Separation Street Northcote. This block was substantially larger than it is today, stretching from Separation Street back to Mitchell Street. The first occupier was Ah Lan, although early maps show W. Tong as the owner.

Three years later more market gardens were established in Oakover Street, near Scotia Street, by Ah Kit. Over the next fifteen years a number of occupiers were listed in the directories, including Ah Wah, Gee La Wah, Yow Yang and Ah Foy. Both the Separation Street and Oakover Street market gardens vanished around 1906/7.

However the Chinese gardeners had not ...

As a result of a greatly increased crime rate in Victoria due to the gold rush, the government decided to establish a number of penal stockades and also make use of abandoned ships. One of these stockades was set up at Pentridge (the old name for Coburg) to receive, in December 1850, sixteen prisoners from the overcrowded Melbourne Gaol. Pentridge was thought to be a good place for a prison, being near Melbourne, yet isolated from it. Moreover the village reserve was the only Crown Land left unsold. The purpose of the stockade was to provide labour for the construction of the newly proclaimed Sydney Road. There was a lot of bluestone in the area so the prisoners could do 'hard labour' breaking up the stone and working on the unmade road.

Residents were frightened and angry because the stockade consisted only of log huts on wheels behind a low 1.2 metre wooden fence with prisoners guarded by an inadequate number of overseers. Because it was so insecure, mounted aboriginal troopers ...