Moonee Valley Family & Local History Blog

Christmas is looking a little different in Moonee Valley this year, but one thing that hasn't changed is the Christmas lights adorning houses in our local streets. Warm summer evenings are perfect for strolling the streets with your family, and keeping an eye out for some dazzling displays. Hunting for Christmas lights is also a great chance to wander down some streets that you might not have been down for a while, and check out the fabulous architecture of houses in your area. Moonee Valley has some fantastic grand mansions, which look even more amazing than usual when lit up with festive lights! It’s a perfect opportunity to see your local streets in a different way, and get in the Christmas spirit! From us at the Moonee Valley Family and Local History Blog, we wish you all the best for the festive season, and the new year. Merry Christmas! A Merry Christmas , 1911. Image courtesy of State Library Victoria.

Came across this gorgeous new book this morning...   Called All the buildings in Melbourne... that I've drawn so far , by artist James Gulliver Hancock, it is brimming with lovely artworks of iconic and interesting buildings from all over town. It is brand new and lovely, and so unsurprisingly we have a queue of folks waiting to borrow our copies. You can add yourself to our request list via our catalogue .

Looking for something to do this weekend? Want to discover more of our great city? Get along to one of the many buildings open this weekend as part of Open House Melbourne 2016. With building like Willsmere Asylum being open for the first time and the new Peter Mac Cancer Centre, this is a great chance for you to see part of Melbourne's history and some of the amazing architecture around Melbourne. For information on what's open and to get tickets to some events, visit:  http://www.openhousemelbourne.org/ 

The Walter Burley Griffin Incinerator in Holmes Road, Moonee Ponds was built in 1929 from designs by W. Burley Griffin and is one of the few surviving examples of his work. In the 1920's, incinerators were seen as a solution to shortages of suitable waste lands within municipalities for the tipping of household refuse. The decision by Essendon Council to build one caused much controversy, mainly due to the perceived unsightliness. The method of waste disposal was developed by local Moonee Ponds engineer John Boadle and produced pollutant free emissions. It ceased operations as an incinerator in 1942. For more information go to Sam Merrifield Library 's Local History Room where the vertical file contains newspaper articles, journal articles about the iconic Incinerator.