The Curr Sisters

The memoirs written in the early 20th century by two daughters of Edward Curr provide fascinating information about the lives of children in the early days of pre Separation Melbourne and early post goldrush days in country Victoria. Elizabeth Sarah was the fourth of...

John Allen, Pioneer of Melbourne’s Gas Supply

Reverend John Allen (1804-1861) The establishment of a gas supply for Melbourne owes much to the efforts of the Rev. John Allen. He arrived at Port Phillip on 1 November 1849 with his wife and family on the ship “Travancore” from London, England. The...

Following the Footsteps of Batman

John Daniels Maps Out a New Theory of the Route Taken by John Batman’s Party One hundred and eighty years have passed since John Batman arrived in the Port Phillip District from Van Diemen’s Land to make a treaty with the local aborigines, and the actual...

Captain John Eddington of Ballingeich

Captain John Eddington (1798-1873) John Eddington was born in 1798 into a military family in Scotland. On 25 December 1802 at a very early age his name was entered for a commission in the Royal Scots by the Duke of Kent, a friend of his father, and when he was about...

The History of the City Mission

Dr Roslyn Otzen, former School Principal and Deacon of Collins Street Baptist Church, received her Doctorate for her history of the Melbourne City Mission and its founder John Singleton. John Singleton, Chemist and Physician, was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1808. He...

Michael Dawson: Man of Property

Phoenix Park, Home of Michael Dawson, Esq. In 1849 Michael Dawson, one of the original land purchasers in Brunswick, completed work on an ivy-covered mansion on his property called Phoenix Park. The property was named after Phoenix Park near Dublin, Ireland. Dawson...