Moonee Valley Family & Local History Blog

If you're interested in learning more about family history you might like to try the UK's Family History Federation's new podcast, The Really Useful Podcast .  So far they've discussed occupations and young people.

Did you know that while we've been in lockdown access to Find My Past and Ancestry Library Edition has been available from home for library members? If not, now you do! If you're not sure how to access them, give the library a call (Monday to Friday 9am-5pm or Saturday morning) on 9243 1950. At home access to Find My Past is due to end on 18th November, while Ancestry is likely to remain available until the end of 2021. These are both incredibly useful resources for family history research so make the most of at home access while you can!

In September 1943, around 60,000 war-weary Melbournians gathered to enjoy a morale-boosting display of RAAF aerial manoeuvres, but ended up witnessing the tragedy of the Second World War first hand. The North Melbourne air crash occurred just a few hundred metres from where the National Archives’ Victoria office is now located. Discover this fascinating wartime story through records from the National Archives and Public Record Office Victoria collections. Presented in conjunction with the Hotham History Project. Patrick Ferry from National Archives will present a webinar about this tragic event on 21 September 2021. Book your place for this free webinar now: https://www.naa.gov.au/visit-us/events-and-exhibitions/north-melbourne-air-crash

We’re still in the depths of what feels like a never-ending Melbourne winter, but not to worry- our friends at Trove have some ideas to keep us cosy in these chilly months. Usually the first thing that comes to the mind of this Community Heritage Librarian when thinking of Trove is research! But there is so much more to explore, and the experts at Trove have put together some handy searches to help us make the most of the digital resources that are available. Thos. [Thomas] W. Mitchell, Victorian Attorney-general, busily knitting in his office, 1951 . Courtesy of State Library Victoria. If you’re a knitter, quilter or embroiderer, there are some fantastic vintage knitting patterns available to keep your fingers nimble and warm this winter. Some simple searches put together by Trove are available via the links below- Winter knitting patterns in newspapers Quilting patterns in newspapers Embroidery patterns in magazines and journals You can further customise your search by using the f...

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...

Back in May we were happy to announce that remote access to Ancestry.com had been extended until September 2021. Now we’re even happier to announce that this access has been extended further, to December 31, 2021! This means you can access all the records found in the library edition of Ancestry from home until the end of the year, just by logging in with your library card details. Three Boys with Train Set & Teddy, Backyard, Strathmore, 1949 , photograph courtesy of Museums Victoria Ancestry is always adding new records to their database (such as Paris, France, Births, Marriages, and Deaths, 1792-1902 ), and updating the collections that have already been uploaded (like Canada, Newspapers.com Obituary Index, 1800s-current ). So even if you’ve searched Ancestry before and haven’t found the information you were looking for, there’s a chance new records that might help with your research have been added in the meantime. It’s always worth having another search! If you haven’t accessed...

Essendon Airport is gearing up to celebrate it's centenary in August!  Photograph courtesy of Moonee Valley Libraries To mark the momentous occasion, our friends from Essendon Fields have installed a fantastic new display in the Community Heritage area of Sam Merrifield library. Pop into the library and learn about this important piece of Moonee Valley history, and relive your own memories of Melbourne's first airport (and one of the world's oldest!). The display will be in place until August 10th at Sam Merrifield Library, 762 Mt Alexander Road, Moonee Ponds. The airport will also be hosting a range of initiatives and events throughout 2021, keep an eye on the Essendon Fields  website and social media to stay in the loop and celebrate this milestone in our local aviation history. @essendonairport #essendonfields  #essendonfieldsairport