Since coming down to Melbourne from the northern Victorian town of Cobram in 1971, to attend La Trobe University, I have lived in Northcote, and worked in Preston and now Reservoir. The north obviously suits me, and while I miss the mighty Murray, the Merri Creek will do. I greatly appreciate the rejuvenation of this […]
Tag: Northcote
Ben Morgan
Cr. Ben (Baden) Morgan Ben Morgan (c1901-1985) was of Welsh background and Northcote councilor, union organiser and ALP member. Councilor for seventeen years from 1959/60 to 1975/6 though was never a mayor. From 1941 lived at 115 Roberts St. in Northcote. A boilermaker by trade, employed at the Newport railway yards. Was actively involved with […]
The Whalley brothers
The local Leader newspapers were established in 1888, the Preston and Northcote editions being identical except for the masthead. At the outbreak of the war, the papers were published by the Whalley brothers, (John Stott and Richard James Whalley) and local readers were uniquely fortunate that the proprietors were touring Europe when war was declared. […]
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 […]
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 […]
Peacock Inn Hotel
On 7th September 1854 Horace Bastings applied for a liquor license for the Peacock Inn. Whilst Horace was building the Peacock Inn, his brother Edwin was building the general store across the road. The next year Horace passed the license on to 21 year old George Plant, a recent arrival in the colony who became […]