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The Museum is located at the corner of Jika Street and Park Lane, opposite Heidelberg Park.

The Heidelberg Historical Society Museum and research room is open on Sunday afternoons, 2PM - 5PM.

Our first opening day for 2025 will be Sunday 2 February.

Where is Heidelberg?

  • Heidelberg is a suburb of Melbourne, Australia.
  • It is 11 km north east of central Melbourne, on the banks of the Yarra River.
  • In the past, the name "Heidelberg" has been applied to a wider area than the modern suburb.
  • It gave its name to an artistic phenomenon, the Heidelberg School.

Our New Exhibition

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School depicted above is Heidelberg State School around the 1870s. Notice the dangerous playing equipment!

Guest Speaker Dr Allan Mawdsley

7.30PM on Tuesday 11 February 2025
Uniting Church Community Centre,
Seddon Street, Ivanhoe. Enter from Car Park at rear.

Dr Mawdsley will speak about his recent biography:

"A Formidable Man: the life of John William Springthorpe"

Springthorpe was a prominent general physician, lecturer and writer who was a key figure in the reform of hospitals for patients with mental and intellectual issues in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was very influential in the development of the Mont Park Hospital. He is commemorated, of course, in the name of the Springthorpe estate. A man of many interests, intellectual and physical, John William Springthorpe was a fascinating character.

Allan Mawdsley OAM is a retired child psychiatrist. He was Director of the Alfred Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service. He has been a member of St John Ambulance for 75 years and is honorary curator of their museum at Williamstown Beach. He is a Knight of the Order of St John and the immediate past president of the St John Ambulance Historical Society of Australia.

Dr Mawdsley will have copies of his book for sale at the meeting for a discount price of $20.00.


Our Country's History

Some accounts of Australian history have tried to restrict our interest to the last 200 years, since Europeans arrived. This ignores the rich history and guardianship of the land by the First Nations people. So much can be learned from First Nation history.

There is evidence of human activity in Australia for at least 60,000 years. At the mouth of the Hopkins River in Western Victoria, middens have been dated as far back as 120,000 years. At the very least, First Nations people have lived here for tens of thousands of years. European settlers only began to arrive in the this area in 1830s.

Another matter of concern is the struggles between settlers and First Nations people. Some accounts downplay the suffering of the First Nations people, while many more recent historians acknowledge this and seek for better treatment of those who still suffer the effects of their loss of culture and way of life.

Introductions to the history of the district should include such sources as The Wurundjeri Website.

More information about treatment of First Nation people can be found at the Minutes of Evidence Site.

Wurundjeri The First People of this Area

We acknowledge the Wurundjeri people who are the Traditional Custodians of this Land. We also pay our respect to the Elders both past and present of the Kulin Nation and extend that respect to all other Indigenous Australians. Our way forward is to look honestly at the past, avoiding the old distorted historical accounts as much as possible.

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By the Yarra

Our Areas of Interest

Places of interest to Heidelberg Historical Society include anywhere that was ever in a local government area called "Heidelberg". Fairfield and Hurstbridge, have long ceased to share local governments with us, but we still have some historical information about them.

IVANHOE

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Former Hoyts Cinema in Upper Heidelberg Road, near the Ivanhoe Library and Town Hall.

HEIDELBERG

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Corner of Mount Street and Burgundy Street, Heidelberg, near Heidelberg Railway Station. Building with distinctive round tower, was constructed around 1920.

ROSANNA

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Lower Plenty Road looking west. In December 2016, the railway level crossing at Rosanna was flooded. The course of Salt Creek runs under this site and occasionally shows its presence. By the 2020's, a new railway overpass with including the Rosanna station had been constructed.

More Areas of Interest

VIEWBANK

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Silos from the former Viewbank Farm, taken in 2012. Some evidence has been found of the early farm buildings, but large parts of the area are now used for housing in 2024.

DAREBIN CREEK

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Heidelberg Road near Darebin Creek bridge.

WEST HEIDELBERG

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Heidelberg Bowl, West Heidelberg, Bell Street, July 1969.

WATSONIA

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Greensborough Rd Watsonia. Preparations are starting for North East Link

More Areas of Interest

ALPHINGTON

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'Bokhara' in View Street, Alphington, 1992. This red brick house was built in 1892.

FAIRFIELD

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This track through the grasses is evidence of the location of the old Outer Circle railway line, near Fairfield Railway Station.

MACLEOD

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Photo taken from McNamara Street looking east over the railway line and railway reserve to Macleod Park and Aberdeen Road shopping centre. Macleod Station carpark on the left. 1980s.

EAGLEMONT

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"Glenarde", Eaglemont, corner of Castle Street and Mount Street, 2007.


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Heidelberg Historical Society (Inc. No. A0042118P)