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A haven for wandering souls
Sailors are the life blood of any port colony.
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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 MoreBig dreams, even bigger nightmares
Established in 1877, the Melbourne Harbour Trust was the first organisation of its kind in Victoria.
Read MoreA 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 MoreThe 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 MoreThe 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 MoreVictoria 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 MoreAll aboard for Spencer Street
While hauling goods and passengers to and from the nearby wharves and the city, a single steam engine stops at Spencer Street Station (now Southern Cross Station) to smile for the camera.
Read MoreThe city’s light source
As William St lies eerily quiet, a lone chimney stands far away from the throng of houses and Spencer Street Station.
Read MoreA Grand office
Now known as the Grand Hotel, more than a century ago the building at 67 Spencer St was not only shorter and considerably less grand, but also went under a different name and served a different purpose.
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