Latest articles by Ashley Smith
Smoke on the Yarra
The hazardous working conditions of labourers at the docks and wharves in Melbourne made their lives perilous. One of the dangers they faced was the risk of fires, which could easily ignite if flammable materials came into contact with stray sparks or flames.
Read More
Berthing at Little Dock … maybe for a cuppa?
Before the Spencer Street Bridge was built, this was the view from the corner of Spencer and Flinders streets.
Read More
Berthing at Little Dock … maybe for some tea
Before there was a bridge, this scene is what met vehicles at the corner of Spencer and Flinders streets.
Read More
A Clapp of approval
It is November 17, 1937. Australia is climbing out of the Depression as Melburnians gather at Spencer Street Station to celebrate the launch of a new train that would become a feature of the railways for the next half-century, the Spirit Of Progress.
Read More
The House of Stoush
This map shows an empty lot of land near the current railway bridge at Dudley St, West Melbourne. While empty at the time, in the century to follow, generations of dock and railway workers and other Melburnians would flock to the site for an evening’s entertainment.
Read More
The duels of Batman’s Hill
This sketch, drawn sometime after 1863 (according to the annotation), displays the western boundary of Melbourne during the 1830s. Perched on the hill, is a house that once was the home of John Batman, the city’s founder.
Read More
The most modern hotel in Australia
Imagine you’re an eager tourist arriving at Spencer Street Station in the late 1920s or early 1930s.
Read More
Victoria Dock
In the early 1930s Victoria Dock was one of the biggest sites for trade and export in Melbourne. A constant queue of ships sailed in, unloaded their cargo, recharged and reloaded, then left for the next port.
Read More