Moonee Valley Family & Local History Blog

Once again, we find ourselves spending more time at home and many of us are getting re-acquainted with our local streets on our daily walks. If you’ve walked the same path every day and are looking for a way to change up your walks around your neighbourhood, we’ve got you covered! Your local Community Heritage librarians have put together self-guided history walks for four neighbourhoods in Moonee Valley, which you can access through our library catalogue . The walks include a stroll along the river in Aberfeldie, through Queens Park in Moonee Ponds, and around the streets of Niddrie and Strathmore. If these areas fall within your 5km radius, we invite you to take a (safe and socially distant) winter walk and visit points of historical interest in your area- you might even learn some fun local trivia tidbits! The Moonee Ponds Creek flooding in 1963 near Wallace Crescent in Strathmore. This view looks east towards Pascoe Vale South. (Photograph courtesy of Moonee Valley Libraries) Foll...

Now that the weather is warming up and we can venture a little further from home, why not take advantage of a sunny day and enjoy a walk along the river? With our self-guided history walk, you can get to know a little more about the history of Aberfeldie while taking a stroll along the lovely Maribyrnong River. This walk begins outside the iconic Incinerator Gallery on Holmes Road in Aberfeldie and follows a gentle westerly path with stops along the Maribyrnong River, concluding at the newly restored Afton Street bridge. View of the Afton Street Bridge from the Afton Street Conservation Park. August 2020, photograph by S. Holmes. Click  here  to download the Aberfeldie Self-Guided Walk PDF, and either print it, or follow it on-screen on your phone or tablet. The PDF also contains links to photographs, newspaper articles, websites and items in the Moonee Valley Libraries catalogue, so you can look further into Aberfeldie’s interesting history in your own time, from home. We hop...

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...

Maribyrnong River , photograph (c. 1910-1930) Robert Macedon O’Brien, courtesy of State Library Victoria. As restrictions start to ease during these pandemic times, we're all pretty ready to stretch our legs and get out and about (safely, and practicing proper social distancing of course!). The fine folk at Victoria Walks have compiled a fantastic collection of guided walks throughout Victoria, with many in our own Moonee Valley. Click here to see the walks available in your local area. You can enjoy a stroll along the Maribrynong River, a walk through the streets of Ascot Vale, explore the trails throughout around Woodlands and Napier Park and many more. Learn a little more about your area by exploring it on foot- the walks may take you down paths you've never wandered before, or help you to see familiar sights with fresh eyes. There's plenty of other walks throughout Victoria on the Victoria Walks website, so if you feel like venturing further afield, Victoria Walks is ...

Try our self-guided history walk through Queens Park in Moonee Ponds. Download it , then print it or use it on-screen to guide yourself through some of the history of this beautiful reserve that has been part of Moonee Ponds since 1839. It is a lovely, flat circuit along pathways that wind from the War Memorial near the main entrance, through the oak trees, along the edge of the lake, along one of Moonee Pond's finest streets, back into the park and through the fernery, past a beautiful stone cottage, and back to the start. The Fernery, Queens Park, Moonee Ponds, c.2018 Hope you enjoy your history walk!