Arts & Culture » History
Boer War Memorial, St Kilda Rd
When Australia became a nation in 1900 the new country was already embroiled in war. For some time, the southern tip of Africa had been shared between British colonies and independent republics of Dutch–Afrikaner settlers, known as Boers.
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The Tea House, Southbank
Perhaps the largest and tallest building from the 19th century in Southbank is the Robur Tea House in Clarendon Street.
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Kraft cheese and Vegemite!
Few foods have had the impact on the tastes of Australian society as Kraft cheese and Vegemite – and they were both manufactured in what is now Southbank at the Kraft factory in Riverside Drive.
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In the mail!
One of the major changes resulting from new technology in the past decade is the massive reduction of mail by post.
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Garryowen – who compiled the chronicles of early Melbourne
A major contributor to chronicling Melbourne’s 19th century history was Edmund Finn, commonly known as Garryowen.
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Trees of Southbank
One of the joys of living in Southbank is sharing the many trees in the environment – part of the 70,000 trees that make up the urban forest of Melbourne.
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Marble in Melbourne
One of Melbourne’s classic interwar buildings is the Manchester Unity, which still dominates the corner of Collins and Swanston streets. Designed in 1932 for a major commercial organisation, it combines commercial gothic and Art Deco styling.
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The sounds of 180 Bank St
Buildings often show characteristics of change of purpose, architectural style, design and decorative features.
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Pubs of the South – The Maori Chief: a touch of New Zealand
Numerous pubs were constructed in the 19th century in South Melbourne including in the area now known as Southbank.
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Commonwealth celebrations – May 1901
The month of May 1901 was a major point for the new country of Australia with foundation celebrations taking place across the new nation.
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Southbank swamp
Like other parts of inner Melbourne, such as Port Melbourne and West Melbourne, the area that became Southbank was swampland, with low-lying wetlands that were eventually reclaimed for manufacturing businesses, warehouses and wharves.
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The Royal Melbourne Show – it took off in Southbank!
One of Melbourne’s long-standing cultural, agricultural and industry highlights is the Royal Melbourne Show, held each September at the showgrounds in Flemington. The highly successful event reflects the importance of the agricultural sector in Victoria.
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Telephone exchanges in South Melbourne
Newspapers in 1920 stated their opinion that the day was not far distant when the telephone would be installed in every home, just as the water, mains and sewers are connected in the cities.
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On the ropewalk!
Ropemaking can be traced back to early days of seafaring, and became more necessary with the rigging and lashings of sailing ships, which required large quantities of strong, large diameter ropes for shipping together with ropes for haulage, rope drives, lifting cranes, etc.
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A history of fire in Southbank
“Fire! Fire!” was a cry that was feared during the 19th century in South Melbourne, much of which is now known as Southbank.
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Trouble at the mill!
In the pre-WWII years, the area now known as Southbank contained a number of knitting mills that fuelled the growing Australian domestic market for textiles.
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Mid-century modern on St Kilda Rd
The firm of Bates Smart McCutcheon (BSM) has been a major contributor to architecture in Victoria for more than 150 years.
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New church in Southbank
In the early twentieth century, traditional church denominations in Melbourne were joined by two new churches - the Latter-day Saints (generally referred to as the Mormons) and the Christian Science Church.
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Spencer Street Bridge
At the western end of Southbank lies the Spencer Street Bridge, a major interwar crossing that carried traffic to and from the city over the Yarra River.
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When the circus came to Southbank
It sits on the wall outside Hamer Hall – a mural dedicated to Wirth’s Circus, which occupied part of the St Kilda Rd site from 1907. The circus was touted as the “Greatest Show on Earth” and caused great excitement when it came to Melbourne.
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Austral Otis Lifts
“Mansions” in Southbank
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