Summary

The Know Your 'Hood project mines the local history memories of your streets getting to know your predecessors, their lives and preoccupations, and the changes that have shaped your neighbourhood.

Description

You can see the full stories by clicking on the link - Know Your 'Hood - Brunswick to Ruckers Hill

This walk is practically a straight line from A to B with a small diversion to follow the Merri Creek path to the bridge that takes you to the Sumner estate and around the Merri Park.

It begins at the western end of Albert Street and heads east, crossing one of the northern surburbs much loved features, the Merri Creek, before continuing eastwards up Westbnourne Grove to Ruckers Hill and High Street, Northcote. You'll meet butchers, steeplechasers, potters, Rechabites, the 'Salvos' and the Sumners, the Cain politicians, nuns and a photograher as well as a number of regular folk. You'll see how the physical landscape along this single stretch of neighbourhood in the inner north has changed in extraordinary ways.

The stories are drawn from the historical records and offer a glimpse into the early subdivision of Brunswick; sporting life during its rural days; the heyday of the potting and brick industry; the development of the Albert Street and Sydney Road 'business centre'; the Rechabite activities in the early years of the 20th century; the Sedgman legacy; the Brunswick Central State School and its transformation into a hospital during the Spanish Flu epidemic one hundred years ago; from grazing cows on Stony Park to providing power from the Brunswick Electrical Station; the Merri Creek's changes, fortunes and misfortunes; the Great Depression at Northcote High School; the Little Sisters of the Poor's new home with its delightful sea breezes then able to reach this far from the Bay; the urbanisation of Westbourne Grove; a day long musical program and ceremony at St Joseph's Church; Harry Ireland's 'private loans from a private house' to assist people 'on account of war'; the Northcote Political Labor Council's activities and success; and the Jubilee Year of Northcote's celebrations.

You can see the full stories by clicking on the link - Know Your 'Hood - Brunswick to Ruckers Hill

1909 Views

Points of Interest

1. 'The very best part in all Brunswick'

The 1839 subdivisions led to long streets from the main track towards Pentridge (Sydney Rd) to the Moonee Ponds or Merri Creeks. Albert St was known as Carmarthen Road at the time.

2. 'The stiff jump being across the drain in Albert Street'

The 1907 writings of Benjamin Cooke as he reminisces on Brunswick in the 1850s reveal a very rural life with a race course and steeplechasing occupying the interests and activities of many residents.

3. The Potters' Street

Brunswick was the heart of brick making and clay working. In Albert Street west alone there were 11 brickyards and terracotta works in 1895. The last, Cornwell's, closed in 1965.

4. Noah's Ark - Albert St in the 1850s

Benjamin Cooke's 1907 reminisces include the details of several people living and working at the intersection of Albert St and Sydney Road.

5. 1960s snapshot of Albert Street

‘In every street there seemed to be factories humming away. Whistles sounded for 'smoko and lunch breaks' and post-war migrants brought new life to the streets.

6. 253 Albert Street, Rechabite Hall

The Rechabites were a significant and supportive community group a century ago and constructed this hall for their activities, now used in much the same way by the local Greek community.

7. The Sedgman legacy: 247-249 Albert Street

Probably built by local carpenter Michael Sedgman, whose large family were memorialised in Sedgman Street further east and whose grandson was the tennis Open and Davis Cup champion Frank Sedgman

8. A State School, the 'Salvos' and the Spanish Flu

Students and Salvos became WW2 friends; while mothers did extra factory shifts for the war effort the kids were fed by the Salvo's canteen and their big, loud Band used the school grounds to practice

9. Stony Park and Electricity Station

After an 1885 fire Stony Park mansion was rebuilt as 'a distorted echo'. In the 20th century it went from 120 acres, to a Marist monastery & boys' school, to modern homes and a power station.

10. The Merri Merri

The Merri, half it's original name of Merri Merri, has become greatly reduced in volatility, flora and fauna and been realigned, used for backfilling the quarries and levelled for sports fields.

11. Northcote High School

An original co-ed state school and the cradle of Labor politics, but in the Great Depression it had many families 'quite unable to pay any fees... The present depression has brought me down to zero'

12. The Little Sisters of the Poor

'a beautiful position...feel sea breezes... in good order. The house is small...a stable, dairy, good vine' This was how 8 nuns from Marseilles found it in 1884 when arriving to establish St Joseph's

13. Bellevue Park Estate

Once Mrs Robinson's Turret House with large paddocks this land off High St was sold as the 'Crown of Northcote' to become the civic precinct and homes of professionals, merchants and public servants

14. The Westbourne Photographer - 91 Westbourne Grove

Before his radiology experiments left him in pain and cut his life short Thomas Beckett's several years in this home were filled with work, a young family and a passion for the new art of photography

15. St Joseph's Church

With a 55-voice choir, a congregation of 900, and a full day of music, 'seldom has a more excellent performance been heard in Melbourne then when the Church opened in 1917'

16. 'Private loans from a private house'

In the 1910s Harry Ireland spruiked his money lending service 'on account of war' or the Melbourne Cup or any other need, and 'Mrs Ireland personally interviews ladies', all done from home.

17. Rechabite Hall

The Political Labor Council Northcote moved from Comrade Nelson's home in Herbert Street to here to seek new members hoping that Jika Jika will soon be won for Labor. It was a good move for them.

18. Ruckers Hil

"[1933] being the Jubilee Year of Northcote ... if a resident who left in 1883 could come back now, the change would surely strike him as magical" Decades later the change would be even more magical

Features

Pram friendly

Historical interest

Local treasures