Moonee Valley Family & Local History Blog

  Buckley Park is a wonderful green space in Essendon, home to a tennis club, bowls club and the Essendon Doutta Stars football club. But it wasn’t always a space for recreation and has been through many changes- what used to be on the land that we now call Buckley Park? Post European settlement, the land was granted in 1850 to Mr William Hoffman, one of the few Germans living in the area at the time. It was bounded by Hoffmans Road, Keilor Road, Buckley Street and Hedderwick Street. The allotment was later known as Buckely Park Estate and was quite a large bit of land, most of which was used for grazing. Hoffman built his original residence in 1867, and named it ‘Butzbach’ after a town in Germany. It was a lovely large bluestone homestead,  near what is now the corner of Nimmo Street and Spencer Street. A section of the original Doutta Galla County of Bourke Parish Allotments , drawn and reproduced at the Department of Lands and Survey, Melbourne, Victoria. Courtesy of the...

You may be familiar with the name Maurice Blackburn, but who was he, and what was his connection to Moonee Valley? Maurice Blackburn, c.1910-1930, courtesy of National Library of Australia Well, to give you an idea of the character of the man- Robert Menzies, former Prime Minister of Australia, once said Blackburn “brought into public life a rare character, complete indifference to personal consequences, an uncommon scholarship, great zeal for humanity, and a firm belief, which I am happy to share, that men are immeasurably more important than laws.” Another former Prime Minister, John Curtin, stated that Blackburn- “served the people who suffered injustice … He pleaded their cause, and he engaged in the study of how best he could serve them … He would allow nothing to turn him from what he considered to be the right, and however unpopular he might become, however discomforting his attitude might be to his colleagues, the divine monitor within him impelled him to stand for what in his ...

If you have anything more than a passing interest in Melbourne history you’ve probably heard of a man named William Buckley : an escaped convict who lived for years with the Wurundjeri people in what would become the Port Phillip District before reintegrating into white society once Melbourne was established. That William Buckley is a fascinating fellow – but this post is all about a different William Buckley, a man known as “Captain William Buckley” who moved to the Moonee Moonee Ponds District back in 1840. If you look into the origins of the names of Buckley Street and Buckley Park you’ll find they both took their names from Captain William Henry Buckley, a prosperous and prominent early resident of the area who earned enough to fund building a mansion in Ascot Vale by working as a government administrator. So far so dull.  But wait… if he was an administrator – Chief Clerk of the Survey Department at the peak of his career – why is he called Captain? And also, can Chief Clerks...

The public library in Moonee Ponds has been known as “Sam Merrifield Library” since the early 1980s, but who was Sam Merrifield? Sam Merrifield, a man dedicated to ideals of fairness, a history fanatic, and a voracious reader, was a very appropriate person to give his name to a public library. Born in 1904 in Moonee Ponds, young Sam struggled with hearing difficulties, but used reading as a way to compensate in his education.  Sam Merrifield worked as a surveyor early in his career, but eventually – influenced both by his experiences during the Depression and the radical politics of his family – he turned to politics. First elected in 1943, when he won the seat of Essendon for the ALP, Merrifield finally retired from politics in 1970. In politics, he is remembered for his quiet tenacity, always representing “the underdog”. Sam Merrifield is also remembered for his enduring commitment to history, especially local history. In the 1960s Merrifield helped establish the Melbourne ...

If you’ve ever visited Victory Park in Ascot Vale, you've probably noticed a bronze statue of a smartly dressed lady on the corner of Epsom and Langs roads, keeping watch over the intersection. She’s mostly known as Rosemary, or Rosie to her friends. Of the Australian soldiers who returned from the First World War, tens of thousands had suffered physical or psychological injuries which required much care and support. Once they were back home, this role mostly rested with the supportive the women in their lives- mothers, wives and sisters. The Rosemary monument is a life-sized representation of such a lady, dressed in the fashion of 1918. She was erected in honour of these caring women in August of 2015, commissioned by the wonderful organisation Women Caring for Veterans of War after 18 months of fundraising. Rosemary- photograph by Moonee Valley City Council Devastatingly, just 6 months later, the statue was stolen by thieves- leaving behind only Rosemary’s bronze shoes. Where did...

From as early as 1912, buses have been an efficient way for Melburnians to get from A to B. Who were the Moonee Valley locals who drove the first buses from Essendon Station? From what we can tell, it was very much a local family affair! Which perfectly fits August's theme of National Family History Month. The story begins in 1915 with a marriage between a young man from Moonee Ponds and a young lady from Essendon. Sergeant Herbert Vivian Memery, of the 29th Infantry Battalion, married Mona Grant on the 20th of November, 1915 . Shortly afterwards, Sergeant Memery embarked for war in February 1916, along with his brothers John and Samuel, and brother-in-law Edward. Mona was pregnant with their first child, and was living with her father James Grant at his property on Mount Alexander Road while her husband was deployed. Herbert and Mona’s first daughter was born there in 1916. Sadly, Sergeant Memery was injured in battle, but returned home to Mona in 1917. They welcomed a second da...

You may have noticed a quirky sign above the entry to a little café near Newmarket Station in Flemington- Girdwood’s Hygienic Library. These days you can grab a takeaway coffee from the café, but in the past, you were able to borrow a very clean book or two! So, what were hygienic libraries, and how did they come about? In the 1880s, the discovery that disease could be passed on by bacteria led to businesses adapting the way they operated, to reduce the spread of disease. Although there’s mention in newspapers of libraries sterilising their books from the late 1890s (such as this article in the Armidale Express and New England Advertiser in 1899), the practice didn’t become commonplace in Australia until the 1930s. Hygienic lending libraries began popping up, with many in the Moonee Valley area. These private subscription libraries, including one located inside Girdwood’s Newsagency and Stinton’s on Puckle Street in Moonee Ponds, started advertising that their books were wiped with fo...

Aberfeldie is a lovely suburb in Moonee Valley with plenty of green spaces, and has its southern border along the Maribyrnong river. But how did it get its interesting name? The land which would become Aberfeldie Estate was purchased from the crown by Mr. James Robertson in 1845. The homestead was the first house built in the area, and was located on the corner of what are now Aberfeldie Street and Park Crescent. Mr. Robertson took the name from the market town of Aberfeldy in Scotland- quick Google reveals that Aberfeldy is also located along a lovely stretch of river, so perhaps that was the inspiration for the name! Aberfeldie was known for it’s grazing land, and often hosted cattle inspections and auctions in the 1850s-1880s. The Aberfeldie Coursing Association (of which Mr. Robertson was president) also held many successful meets on the property, and the Aberfeldie Plate a well-known greyhound event. Aberfeldie Estate Land Sale, 1888 Back when Mr. Robertson bought his land it was ...

Have you ever strolled along the Maribyrnong River in Moonee Ponds and wondered about the steep, bluestone and grass terraces that line the river by Maribyrnong Park? It’s certainly a nice spot to sit and watch the river, but why were they built and what were they used for? Henley Terraces The terraces have been known by various names, including the Henley on Maribyrnong Terraces, and the Henley Grandstand. But what was this ‘Henley’?  The Henley on Maribyrnong was an annual water carnival run by the Essendon River League from 1912, to raise funds for their work protecting, improving and beautifying the Saltwater (now Maribyrnong) River. The carnival was modelled on the popularity of a similar carnival- the Henley on Yarra- and included activities such as rowing, swimming, novelty events and fairground attractions. The first Henley on Maribyrnong drew a crowd of 20,000 – 30,000 spectators! It was quite an event on the social calander for local residents. And these spectators would ...

We used this blog to ask if anyone could tell us more about gun emplacements that were in Niddrie during World War II. http://mooneevalleyfamilylocalhistory.blogspot.com/2020/05/historymysterymonday-mystery-of.html And we got an answer! Peter Willoughby of Essendon Historical Society has shared a fascinating article with us that he wrote originally for their newsletter, back in 2013. The gun placements were part of an anti-aircraft gun station set up during the Second World War. Their site, on Keilor Road, was chosen because it allowed the guns to protect both the Essendon Aerodrome to the north and the Maribyrnong explosive factory complex to the south. At the time the site was open paddocks. Now, its around where the car park sits for Wallis mall. The decision to set up the station was made in August 1940 when defence planners meeting at Victoria Barracks saw conflict with Japan as inevitable, and the chosen land was compulsorily requisitioned indefinitely in September. Soon “Es...

You may have noticed that over the last few weeks most Mondays on this blog we post about a local mystery. We call it History Mystery Monday. The mysteries we'd most like to answer are Moonee Valley History Mysteries, particularly the mysteries members of our community might have been wondering about, as I explain in this short video. So send us your #MooneeValleyHistoryMysteries (posted to comments below, emailed to librarian@mvcc.vic.gov.au or shared on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. And perhaps get ready to help solve some mysteries too.

While walking and chatting on a Local History walk in Niddrie last year, a participant mentioned that there were gun placements built in Niddrie during World War II, facing towards what is now Matthews Avenue. Do you know anything more about this History Mystery? Essendon Airport was substantially commandeered by the RAAF during WWII, and played a strategic role in the defence of the nation. A number of barracks were erected on the western side of Wirraway Road to accommodate this use, as well as machine gun batteries and defensive trenches. It seems likely that there would have been several gun placements, as the airport would have been a target during the war. Does anyone have any local knowledge about Niddrie's mysterious military past? We'd love to hear it! Share your information by emailing  librarian@mvcc.vic.gov.au , or add a comment below. Essendon Aerodrome, 1945 . Photograph by Charles Daniel Pratt, courtesy of the State Library of Victoria.

“Davey the Basket-Man” was the nickname given to an early market-gardener from Keilor; his real name was David Milburn, but he became known as the basket-man because he sold his fruit, vegies and butter by the roadside to diggers on their way to the goldfields. “Davey” invented an irrigation system, and was in fact the first person to use irrigation in Victoria. He arrived in Victoria, from Yorkshire in England, in 1853, lured by the goldrush. Not having made his fortune on the goldfields he came to Keilor in 1857, initially employed by William Taylor at Overnewton. That same year, 1857, he developed a hand pump to draw water from the Salt Water River (now the Maribyrnong). By 1860 Milburn had 165 acres of market gardens and fruit orchards! The family market gardening business, G.S.Milburn and Sons, continued in Keilor for 146 years, until the December 1999 retirement of two of Davey the Basket-Man’s great-grandsons. Learn more about Davey from the Keilor Historical...

Image credit: Julia Marshall, Napier Park, Strathmore, December 2018 In all of Melbourne, Strathmore’s Napier Park is unique. It isn’t a huge park, but it is unusual – a pocket of tranquil bushland, with native grasses and river red gums and sometimes (after enough rain) ever a small watercourse – all on land that was never cleared or farmed after European settlement. And all tucked unexpectedly amongst surburbia. The park owes its existence to a man ahead of his time. Theodore Napier was the son of a Scottish builder, Thomas Napier, who’d bought 100 acres in the area way back in 1845 – the very year Theodore was born. Seventy-five years later Theodore, who had inherited the land from his father, and who had always loved the native vegetation, wanted to gift 10 acres to the community as a park. He offered it to the City of Broadmeadows, but they rejected his conditions about retaining the natural character of the land. As the land happened to be right on the border with th...