James Charlton, Christmas Hills, a native of Ireland, who came to Victoria in 1854, was up to the latter part of 1855 employed on a farm, after which he proceeded to the Ballarat gold diggings where he remained until 1877, being fairly successful. In that year he went to Christmas Hills, and purchasing 160 acres, […]
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Wikinorthia is managed by the Local and Family History Librarian at Yarra Plenty Regional Library
Floridia Cheese
When Mauro Montalto, his wife Carmela and their three young sons migrated to Australia from Sicily in 1952, they brought with them a largely self-sufficient way of life and those aspects of Italian culture that allowed them to survive and at least feel at home in a very different cultural environment. This included the cheese […]
John Bower
Bower, John Thomastown, was born in 1828, in England, and came to this colony in 1848 by the ship Manchester. He acted as cook and hut-keeper on a station for six months, and later, settled at his present location, where he bought 2 acres of land as pounds 32, 10s. per acre, and where he […]
Alice Broadhurst Collection
A collection of unique photographs is now in the local history collection at Yarra Plenty Regional Library. The Alice Elizabeth Broadhurst collection includes over 1,300 photos from 12 photo albums broadly spanning 1895-1926 but mainly covering the period 1918-1926; depicting the 16th Australian General Hospital, Mont Park (Macleod West, now part of LaTrobe University and […]
Ivanhoe Library 1965-2020
At a time when local governments were debating over spending rate payers money on installing sewerage systems or building public libraries, the City of Heidelberg opened Ivanhoe Library on 8 October 1965. Located in a prime position at the top of the hill next door to the Town Hall, it featured two main floors with […]
Thomas M. Bell
Thomas M. Bell of Yarra Flats, was born in Scotland in 1821, and came to Australia in 1839. He and his father first went to Heidelberg for a time, and afterwards to the Stringybark Forest to cut timber for building purposes. Mr Bell purchased a piece of land at Kangaroo Ground, which was his residence […]
John Batchelor
John Batchelor of Thomastown, was born in Warwickshire, England, in 1851, and came to Victoria in 1857, by the ship Speedy. On leaving school, which he attended at Preston, he spent five years on the Barrabool Hills. He holds his present farm on a seven years’ lease, has four horses and other stock, &c.,, of […]
West Heidelberg RSL
West Heidelberg RSL sub branch now known as RSL on Bell is located at 180 Bell Street, Heidelberg Heights, opposite the Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital. Members were eager to raise funds for their building with local newspaper reports going back as far as 1947. A regular fund-raiser included the annual horse gymkhana at Warringal Park, Heidelberg. […]
Coulstock’s Mill
George Coulstock Port Phillip, later to become Melbourne was first permanently settled by the white man in 1835. Very shortly after, in 1837, the first crop of wheat was raised. It was ground into flour by hand-cranked mills, the only option until the first powered mills were built in the 1840’s. In 1833 a George […]
Wollert District Youth Club
Transcribed from hand written notes on four pages by Mr Geoffrey Howell in 1970. Donated to City of Whittlesea and forwarded to Yarra Plenty Regional Library by Sandra Scott (nee Scurlock) April 2019. Began in 1950, March (I think) at the request of 2 people aged about 15. I was approached and asked if I […]