Moonee Valley Family & Local History Blog

Feeling cooped up? Try taking a virtual walk. Google Street View allows you to explore places without actually going anywhere. The perfect solution during lockdown! To use Google Street View, go to Google Maps, https://www.google.com.au/maps, and search for a place or address. A map of the place will appear, and down in the far right-hand corner there will be small yellow person icon. Click and drag this icon, and drop it onto the map at the place you'd like to begin your explorations. A photographic representation of the place will appear, and you can click on arrows to navigate around the area. Street View is great for exploring where your ancestors lived. For example, many of my ancestors lived in a town named Mandal in Norway. I've never been actually been there, yet I've enjoyed taking a peek at the pretty lanes, streets and waterways from the comfort of home. Or explore closer to home. Flemington, for example, is an excellent candidate for random roaming. It is so fu...

We have an upcoming talk on the history of public institutions in Flemington and Kensington, happening on Wednesday 18 April, 6.30pm-7.30pm, at Flemington Library. History enthusiast John Dickie, Chair of the Flemington Association Committee, will share his expert knowledge on the establishment and history of local institutions in the Flemington and Kensington area. Learn the history of our library, the police station, churches and various other local institutions. Please contact library staff in person or call 8325 1975 if you require access for a wheelchair or disability scooter before attending an event so that we can ensure appropriate seating is arranged. Moonee Valley Libraries uses Eventbrite for all event bookings. When booking, you will be required to provide your name and contact details. The Eventbrite privacy policy can be found via the Privacy link at the bottom of the page.

Lenore Frost will be leading a guided heritage walk through Flemington, Kensington and Newmarket this Sunday, 3rd May, 2.30-4.00pm. This walk, presented by the National Trust, will highlight how the area was impacted by the First World War. For details on how to book, and more information, see Lenore's blog post here .

Learn about the fascinating history of Flemington at our upcoming talk at Flemington Library. Local identity John Dickie, a member of the Flemington Association and chair of its Heritage Committee, will deliver a talk on the history of the Flemington area. Come and listen to John share his knowledge on Flemington’s past and discover how it has developed into the rich multi-cultural suburb it is today. Following his talk, a staff member will give a presentation showcasing our online local/family history resources. Wednesday, 15 April 2015 from 6:30 PM to 7:45 PM Book online . Watercolour painting by Samuel Charles Brees, ca 1865, showing Flemington Hotel. From the State Library of Victoria .

A library visitor has told us that the couple in these unidentified wedding pictures might be Fred and Ann (or Anne) Dundas of Wellington Street, Flemington. I've been able to find out a little about the Dundas family. They lived in a grand house on Wellington Street named "Misteria" in the 1890s. Frederich was born in Mansfield in 1855, and became a wool and skin trader. Fred and Ann/e married relatively late, and had about three children. Ann/e is believed to have outlived Fred, living into her 90s. I haven't been able to find is any pictures of Fred and Ann/e to confirm it they really are the couple in our photos. If there is anyone out there who could confirm that this is (or isn't) Fred and Ann/e Dundas, please contact the library . And please, if you know anyone who maybe knew the Dundases, please share this post! Also, if you'd like to see more of the "unidentified photos" in our collection, and perhaps help identify some of the peop...

The Flemington Association Heritage Committee will launch a new brochure on some of the treasures of Flemington. The project was assisted by funding from Moonee Valley Council and the brochure will feature 20 self-guided walks across Flemington's heritage areas. The brochure will be available next month to be followed by a website with many aspects of the history of Flemington. For more information read the article 'Walk through time a step forward' by Robert Fedele in this week's Moonee Valley Weekly.