Policies & Strategies

Heritage Recognition Program Policy & Strategy

About the Heritage Recognition Program

Over the past several years, the City of Port Phillip has managed a program of heritage site identification and marking. Sites of historical significance have been selected for marking within the City. Each site is marked with a discrete plaque that provides a short paragraph about the site's history. The heritage plaques aim to trigger interest in a place, and to encourage further exploration of Port Phillip's history.

Staff and Councillors work with representatives of the Port Melbourne and St Kilda historical societies to select the sites on an annual basis. Potential sites must adhere to a set of criteria outlined in the Heritage Recognition Program Policy and Strategy.

Twenty-nine sites have so far been selected to be fitted with markers. These sites represent the diverse history of the area, and explore themes such as the arts and entertainment, transport, noteworthy residents, industry, commerce and architecture.
 

Port Melbourne sites

HMAS Lonsdale, Beach Street, Port Melbourne 

HMAS Lonsdale naval base, 1942-1992,  was established on the entrance to the former Sandridge Lagoon, which had been built in by 1928. In the late 1990s Port Phillip Council and residents strongly opposed a State Government decision to allow high-rise development there, and some reduction in height was achieved. In 1999 a new Government established absolute height controls along the foreshore.
Address: Near Lagoon Pier, Beach Street, Port Melbourne (opposite Esplanade East)

To read more about this site, download HMAS Lonsdale Article

Town Pier

Sandridge Town Pier stood for a century at this site after replacing Captain Wilbraham Liardet's original ti-tree jetty in 1849. Bristling with masts during the hectic gold rush days, it was soon joined by the 1854 Railway Pier (now Station Pier). A horse tramway carried coal from here to the Gasworks. Town Pier was demolished in the 1950s, although some remnants can still be seen.
Address: Beach Street, at the end of Bay Street, Port Melbourne

View of Town Pier, Port Melbourne, 1880s. Port Phillip City Collection

Pumping Station

Gigantic machinery within this 1891 building still pumps floodwaters during heavy rainfall. In the early 20th century great gas-driven pumps were operated by George Beazley, whose rain-activated device would wake him when a storm arose so that he could start the machinery. When George retired the pumps were electrified.
Address: Esplanade West, Port Melbourne

Port Melbourne Dispensary

The Port Melbourne Dispensary opened in 1893. A number of organisations operated from the building including the Port Melbourne Benefit Society, the Australian Natives Association and Constance Lodge. Many local residents were members of such lodges and friendly societies, joining for companionship and a sense of cultural identity, and for the health and social insurance that they offered.                                                                                                                                     
Address: 293 Princes Street, Port Melbourne                                            

Sandridge Lagoon

When Sandridge (later Port Melbourne) was first established, this area was a large saltwater lagoon. During high tide it was 27 acres in size and up to 10 feet deep. Bridges crossed the lagoon, and it was popular for boating and fishing. Despite years of debate, the lagoon was gradually filled in by 1929. The reclaimed land is now housing and parkland.                     
Address: Liardet Street, Port Melbourne

Plan of the Township of Sandridge 1855, Port Phillip City Collection
 

South Melbourne Sites

Walter Lindrum's Home

Walter Lindrum, O.B.E. (1898-1960), regarded as the world's greatest billiard player, lived at this address. A member of a family of champion billiard players, he was world champion from 1933 until his retirement in 1950, and established over 50 world records. Lindrum was elected to the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1985.
Address: 158 Kerferd Road, Albert Park

The Biltmore

Designed by W.S. Law and built in 1888, the Albert Park Coffee Palace was a temperance hotel where travellers could avoid the 'demon drink'. Converted into a private hotel in 1928, it was renamed the Biltmore in 1931 and accommodated American army officers during WWII. A nurses' residence from 1950 to 1966, it then became a hotel. It was converted into private residences in 1993.
Address: 152-158 Bridport Street, Albert Park

Allan McLean's Home

Allan McLean (1840-1911) pastoralist, station agent and politician lived here from 1901 until his death in 1911. Elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly for the seat of Gippsland North in 1880, McLean became the Premier of Victoria in 1899 but lost power the following year. In 1901 he was elected to the first Commonwealth Parliament.                           
Address: 121 Beaconsfield Parade, Albert Park

The Paterson Family Home

Artists Esther (1892-1971) and Elizabeth (Betty) (1894-1970) Paterson both lived here as children. Esther remained here with her husband until her death, and Betty lived with them for some years. Esther was best known for her landscapes, portraits and illustrations, while Betty's portraits of babies and young children were popular here and overseas. Their works are held in various galleries around Australia.                                                                                                           
Address: 258 Beaconsfield Parade, Middle Park

Mechanics' Institute

Built in 1857 and designed by architects Knight and Kerr, the Mechanics' Institute provided space for Emerald Hill's first Free Library and public, municipal and political gatherings. It was sold in 1881 and in 1884 a new façade was erected. Renamed Mayville Hall, it was used for dances from 1905. It was then occupied by the Italian Club Cavour from 1928 to 1980.
Address: 170-172 Cecil Street, South Melbourne

South Melbourne College

South Melbourne College, an early co-educational establishment, moved to this site in 1905. It had a reputation for academic excellence, especially in the education of girls who competed on equal terms with the boys. Notable author Katherine Susannah Prichard was one of the school's students. The college closed in 1916 and the building was demolished in 1933, leaving the name 'College Place' as its only trace.
Address: 76 Kerferd Road, South Melbourne

Park Towers

When this thirty-storey building was completed for the Housing Commission of Victoria in 1968, it was the tallest block of prefabricated flats ever built in Australia. Four streets and 83 buildings were demolished to make way for the development, part of the slum clearance and public housing program which had begun before WWII. Many of the demolished wooden houses had been built in the 1850s.
Address: 332 Park Street, South Melbourne

James Service's House

The 1854 to 1862 home of James Service, first Chairman of the municipality of Emerald Hill and twice Premier of Victoria (1880 and 1883-1886). He initiated the first successful sustained campaign for a federal union of Australian colonies. During his political career Service declined a knighthood. Born in Scotland in 1823, he arrived in Melbourne in 1853, becoming a successful merchant and shipowner. He died at St Kilda in 1899.
Address: 337 Dorcas Street, South Melbourne

To read more about this site, download James Service's House article

James Service's residence, 1855. Port Phillip City Collection
 

St Kilda Sites

The Jewish Almshouses

The Jewish Almshouses erected on this site in 1870 operated as a support service for early Jewish immigrants to Melbourne. They were founded by the Melbourne Jewish Philanthropic Society. Inaugurated in 1848, and now part of Jewish Care (Victoria) Inc,  this is the oldest continuously running philanthropic group in Melbourne. The original buildings were replaced in the mid 1960s. 
Address: Corner Union Street and St Kilda Road

The Jewish Almshouses, 1940, from Melbourne's Grand Boulevard: The Story of St Kilda Road, J. Buckrich, 1996.

St Kilda Railway Station

Built in 1857 to face the sea, this is the oldest surviving railway station building in Victoria. The construction of the St Kilda line enabled many residents to reach their businesses in Melbourne quickly and conveniently. With refreshment rooms and bar, the station also thronged with holiday makers and day trippers visiting St Kilda.
Address: 60 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda

Brunning's Nurseries

George Brunning established plant nurseries on the sandy loam soils of this area. He rented a block of land in 1862 and by 1885 his nurseries stretched over ten acres to Rippon Lea. He popularised many plant species, including the pepper tree, and developed a new variety of Lambert's cypress hedge from a tree that grew across Brighton Road.
Address: Corner Brunning Street and Brighton Road, St Kilda

Wattle House

The oldest house in St Kilda and one of the oldest in Victoria, Wattle House was erected in the 1840s on a large block known as Wattle Paddock. Built in a Rustic Gothic style, it was the home of eminent architect Samuel Jackson. It has been a girls' school, guesthouse, brothel, special accommodation and a backpackers' hostel.
Address: 53 Jackson Street, St Kilda

Albert Tucker's Home

Artist Albert Tucker lived at 55 Blessington Street with his wife, Barbara, from 1980 until just prior to his death in 1999, aged 84. The house was built in 1868 and designed by noted architect George R. Johnson. Tucker painted here and in the two storey stables at the rear. He is especially remembered for his series 'Images of Modern Evil', painted in St Kilda during the1940s.
Address: 55 Blessington St, St Kilda

Sidney Nolan's Childhood Home

Artist Sidney Nolan lived in a house on this site as a young boy from 1925. He attended St Kilda Primary School in Brighton Road and later studied design and crafts at Prahran Technical School. In the 1940s Nolan painted a notable series of works from memories of his St Kilda childhood. He described living here as a boy as 'kitsch heaven'.
Address: 63 Pakington Street, St Kilda

St Moritz

From 1939 to 1982 this was the site of St Moritz, Melbourne's favourite ice skating rink. Before that it was the Paradise of Living Pictures, the Wattle Path dance hall and café and the Streets of Paris dance salon. For part of the 1930s it was the Efftee Studios, its name derived from the initials of its famous thespian owner Frank Thring.
Address: Hotel Novotel, 16 The Esplanade, St Kilda

The St. Moritz ice-skating rink and Earl's Court, St. Kilda c1939-44. Port Phillip City Collection

Scheherazade

Established by Avram and Masha Zeleznikow in 1958, Scheherazade became an important gathering place for the local community. As a café serving traditional eastern European fare, it was a haven for many refugees. It also attracted writers and artists who would work for hours from a corner of the café. Since the Zeleznikows' retirement in 1999 the business has passed into other hands.                                                                                                                            
Address: 99 Acland Street, St Kilda
 

East St Kilda Sites

Graham Kennedy's childhood home

Graham Kennedy, 'The King' of Melbourne radio and television, lived here from about 1940. As a young child, he moved with his mother into his grandparents' house at this address. He attended Euston College, on the corner of Chapel and Carlisle Streets, then Caulfield North Central School. Kennedy lived here until at least 1957, when he first appeared on In Melbourne Tonight.
Address: 32 Nelson St, Balaclava

St Kilda Cemetery

This is one of the oldest suburban cemeteries in Melbourne, having been laid out by Surveyor-General Robert Hoddle in 1851. Since the burial of ten year old Charlotte Green in 1855, over 55,000 people have been buried here. The cemetery holds the mortal remains of many eminent people including Sir Ferdinand von Mueller, Alfred Deakin and Albert Jacka V.C.
Address: Dandenong Road, East St Kilda

Postcard of front entrance to the St Kilda Cemetery, c1900-10. Port Phillip City Collection

Ardoch

Ardoch has had many lives. From 1867 it was the home of William Wardell, architect of St Patrick's Cathedral and Government House. During the 1920s, Arts and Crafts style flats grouped around a shared central garden became a unique expression of the Garden Suburb Movement in Melbourne. From 1978 a small, vibrant alternative school thrived in the relaxed and home-like setting. In 1993 Ardoch returned to private housing.
Address: 226 Dandenong Road, East St Kilda
 

Elwood/Ripponlea Sites

The Railway Tram

Between 1906 and 1959 this was a stop on the St Kilda to Brighton Electric Street Railway line, known as 'the Railway Tram'. It was the first public electric tramway in Victoria, and was the result of prolonged resident lobbying. Trams initially ran from St Kilda Railway Station to the Elwood depot on St Kilda Street, and later extended to Brighton Beach.
Address: Corner of Broadway and Glen Huntly Road, Elwood

Postcard of Broadway, Elwood c1920. La Trobe Picture Collection, State Library of Victoria

Point Ormond

For thousands of years there were Aboriginal campsites on Point Ormond. Early settlers called it the Red Bluff. In 1840 a quarantine station and a graveyard were established here for the fever ship Glen Huntly. By 1905 part of the Red Bluff had been removed for landfill for the Elwood swamp. Beacons were lit here for the Separation celebrations in 1851 and the Bicentennial celebrations in 1988.
Address: Point Ormond Reserve, Elwood 

To read more about this site, download Point Ormond Article

Brinsmead's Pharmacy

One of the most intact Edwardian style shops in Australia, this has always been a pharmacy. It was built in 1918 and retains original custom made shop fittings. The shop dates from a time when pharmacists were on call 24 hours a day and pills were made by hand. James Brinsmead's pharmacy was particularly famous for its hand cream.
Address:  73 Glen Eira Road, Ripponlea 

The Abattoirs

The St Kilda Municipal Abattoirs operated near here from 1862 until 1899, despite residents' objections to the foul odours and dumped offal in the Elster Creek. Adding to the smell were the 'manure depots' much appreciated by the market gardeners of Brighton. Elster Creek was later transformed into the Elwood Canal.
Address: Robinson Reserve, 393 Barkly Street, Elwood

3rd St Kilda Scout Group

This has been the home of the 3rd St Kilda Scout Group since 1957. Established in 1924, this Jewish scout group held its first meetings in the St Kilda Synagogue. It then moved to three old train carriages in the Montefiore Homes' grounds before settling in Avoca Avenue. The group became known as 'Danglow's Own' after its years of association with prominent Rabbi Jacob Danglow.                                                                                                                                                         Address: 26 Avoca Avenue, Elwood

Visit the Sites
 

Read More About the Program: News Item

 Port Phillip Marks History
 

Contact 

Use eServices to ask us a question, request information or give us feedback online about the Heritage Recognition Program. If you prefer call ASSIST on (03) 9209 6777 or TTy (03) 9209 6713 and ask for Cultural Heritage Coordinator.