The History of Echuca and Moama

Situated on opposite sides of the Murray River, Moama & Echuca have interesting histories.They are due north of Melbourne at the closest point of the Murray River to Melbourne. In 1865 an article in the “Pastoral Times” newspaper declared...

Early Melbourne: a Memoir and a Picture

(Published by Ebenezer and David Syme. Image Source: State Library of Victoria) “The Argus” Tuesday, 28 March 1916, page 5: Interesting memoirs of the boyhood days of Mr. J. W. Miller, one of the oldest members of the Historical Society, depicting life in...

Black Thursday 6 February 1851

( Image Engraved by F. A. Sleap. Source: State Library of Victoria )  The Black Thursday bushfires were a devastating series of fires that swept the state of Victoria on 6 February 1851. They are considered th largest Australian bushfires in a populous...

The Cultural Diversity of the Rioting Irish, Melbourne 1843

1843 saw the first election held in the Port Phillip District to select a member of the Legislative Council of New South Wales. In Melbourne there was to be one representative and before the eve of the election there was only one candidate, the English Catholic,...

Adolphus Goldsmith: Pastoralist of ‘Trawallo’

The Victorian town of Trawalla, east of Beaufort and 41 km west of Ballarat, is named after an aboriginal word meaning ‘much rain.’ It was in this area that the “Trawallo” pastoral run was begun about 1838 by Robert Hamilton, James McGregor...