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Extreme Weather
With an extreme cold snap hitting Melbourne this weekend, it seemed like a good time to have a look back at the outer limits of weather in our city. Melbourne people talk a lot about the weather, and...
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Prince Wikyama and His Amazing World Record Dive
Let's be clear before we start. There was no Prince Wikyama. And he definitely didn't complete a world record dive. But the title of this piece is in keeping with the the story that I'm going to...
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Evan Dando at The Hi Fi
The Lemonheads in 1987. The Lemonheads were formed by a group of high school friends in Boston in 1986. They came to prominence in the early 90s; their jangling guitars and bittersweet, melodic pop...
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Suburbs That Changed Their Names
In some ways, Melbourne is a chameleon city. Consider the following; it has had a number of names (starting with 'Bearbrass'), has evolved through a number of distinct eras (illegal farming outpost,...
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How The Yarra Changed Its Course
The Yarra has always been the gateway to Melbourne. Before the arrival of European settlers, our coastline was a windswept, swampy place, a haven for birds but little else. Westerners arriving by ship...
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The Trades Hall Robbery Shoot Out
Opening in 1859, the Victorian Trades Hall on Lygon Street is one of the oldest organised labour buildings in the world. Its construction was funded by local tradesman, flush with success from their...
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Highlights from the NGV
Founded in 1861, the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) is the oldest public art gallery in Australia. Its first home was the State Library, where it resided for more than 100 years, before moving to...
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The Heavenly Queen of the Maribyrnong
Standing on a nondescript bend in the Maribyrnong River, between Footscray and Flemington Racecourse, is a most unexpected sight. Rising above a former industrial block, towers the Heavenly Queen of...
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Then and Now: Manchester Unity Building Rooftop
The Manchester Unity Building is one of the architectural jewels of the Melbourne. While researching the broader history of this iconic landmark, I came across this amazing photo: It seems that from...
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James Stephens and the 8 Hour Day
This weekend is the Labour Day long weekend in Melbourne (and in most of Australia), so I thought it would be a good time to have a look at the origins of this holiday. Like most of our long weekends,...
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Williamstown Racecourse
Williamstown is one of the oldest suburbs of Melbourne. Situated at the Western mouth of the Yarra river, the town arose naturally after the founding of the city, as it proved a good location for a...
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Fire from the Sky
September 28, 1969: Two months after NASA landed a manned spaceship on the moon, an extraterrestrial visitor returned the favour; a chunk of ancient rock streaked high above Victoria. Coming to ground...
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Prince at Bennett's Lane
On April 21, 2016, the musician known as Prince passed away. The exact cause and circumstances of his death are unknown at time of writing, although it has been widely reported that he was addicted to...
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Television City
Bendigo Street, Richmond runs from behind the local Officeworks down to the busy hubbub of Swan Street. The houses are mostly from the 60s and 70s, and look well kept. At the top of the street is a...
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10 Classic Vintage Billboards
1918 'Buy War Bonds' In every sense, war is expensive. The financial costs alone are enormous, and the revenue raising required to conduct warfare is so large, and so controversial, that they stand...
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Before Melbourne Central
Situated on a busy Swanston Street corner, opposite the State library, there are few structures in our city as well known as Melbourne Central. With a distinctive glass cone on the roof, a train...
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Melbourne in the 70's - Photo Gallery
Please note: The following photos have been sourced from public domain sites, or other blogs. Please contact me if any of the images I have used violate copyright, and I will remove. PEOPLEBon Scott at...
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The Six O'Clock Swill
You knock off work at 5pm. It's been a long day and you decide to go to a bar for a drink with some of your workmates. It's a mixed group, men and women, and you split up at the entrance. The girls go...
View ArticleChange of Location
Hi all, For anyone who has stumbled across this blog, a short note to say that I am re-locating to a new site, which you can find here:museumoflost.com'The Museum of Lost Things' will continue my...
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Liardet's Beach
Sailor, artist, businessman and iconoclast, Wilbraham Liardet was one of early Melbourne’s most unique inhabitants. Read about him on my new site, The Museum of Lost Things, by clicking here...
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The St Kilda Sola System
Stretched along the St Kilda foreshore, south west of the city, is something unlikely; a to-scale model of our entire Solar System. St Kilda is one of the few places you will find that actually has...
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The Point Nepean Quarantine Station
At the tip of Point Nepean, south of Melbourne, is a sprawling reminder of a less advanced era; the city’s former Quarantine Station, where many thousands of sick people were interred on arrival. Read...
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The Field Show
When it opened in 1968, Melbourne’s National Gallery Victoria made a bold choice for its first exhibition; weird, curious, cutting edge art from a group of young, unknown artists. Welcome to ‘The...
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When Houdini Jumped in the Yarra
At the start of the 20th century, Harry Houdini was the world’s most popular entertainer, and one of its most famous celebrities. In 1910, he came to Melbourne.Houdini jumps into the YarraI have...
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An Artist Named Turbo
From a riverbank in Mildura, to the streets of Melbourne, to the world’s most prestigious art galleries: this is the story of artist Trevor ‘Turbo’ Brown.Trevor 'Turbo' Brown and one of his colourful...
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