By Arthur B.W. Yong B App Sc JP Many people listen to music for relaxation. Most of us love music: listening, singing, playing musical instruments and dancing to the music. Throughout history, famous writers have said that singing and dancing improves health and wellbeing. Singing and dancing is always with us and you […]
Author: admin
Wikinorthia is managed by the Local and Family History Librarian at Yarra Plenty Regional Library
U3A Darebin
On October 16th 1991 a Public Meeting was held at the Northcote Library to establish the University of the Third Age in Northcote. The meeting was launched by the Mayor of Northcote Cr. Phillip Bain and chaired by Eileen Capocchi. Guest speakers included Phil Slattery and Dame Myra Roper. This meeting was the result of […]
St Mary’s Church, Preston
Reported in The Argus, 06 June 1865 The Argus noted the “the laying of the foundation stone, or more strictly speaking (the building being already partly erected), the laying of the corner stone on an acre of land near the seven mile post on the Upper Plenty Road”. The land was donated to the Church […]
Chinese market gardens
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 […]
Expressive Women
We are Expressive Women. We are an open community choir based in Northcote. We bring women in the community together to explore their voices, the richness of world music, and to connect with one another through song and personal storytelling. Every Tuesday night from 7pm during school terms we meet in the Northcote Uniting Church […]
Star Theatre, Preston
Preston’s first picture venue, the Star Theatre on the south-eastern corner of High and Gower Streets opened on September 28, 1922, the evening of the Show Day holiday. The audience was entertained by one of the cinema swashbuckling sensations of the day, “The Mark of Zorro” starring Douglas Fairbanks, Marguerite De Le Motte and Noah […]
Edwin Bastings
In 1849 Edwin and Horace Bastings arrived in Victoria from London. They possibly sought their fortune in the goldfields before establishing themselves in Northcote in 1850. They built two buildings in the small township, a two storey blue stone general store and a hotel across the road. Edwin established the general store and soon added […]
German Cemetery
The Northcote German Cemetery was established in 1861 when four local German farmers, August Schwaebesh, Albert Fritsche, Moritz Heiner and Edward Hellwig jointly purchased one acre of land in Northcote to establish a cemetery for the German settlers in the area. There had been a strong German presence in Northcote during the 1860s, centered on […]
Lost hotels in Darebin
The first hotel appeared in Darebin in 1844 when Robert Duff opened the Pilgrim Inn on High Street in Thornbury. Over the next two decades a number of new hotels opened their doors. Most proved successful and some are still operating to this day, however some have vanished from memory. These are their stories. The […]
Alphington Hotel
In 1861 Thomas Freeman opened a coaching inn on the west side of Heidelberg Road in Alphington. The hotel served travellers moving to and from the Plenty Valley and was one of several hotels in very close proximity. In 1864 35 year old Joseph Foulkes arrived at Alphington Hotel as the new publican, bring his […]