A BIKE RIDE THROUGH THE HISTORY & ENVIRONMENToƒ PORT MELBOURNE

I have been a Port Melbourne resident since 2010. I love the quiet, relaxed atmosphere as well as the natural beauty. Because I want to contribute to long lasting and beneficial change in the area, I am a volunteer and member of the Social Health and Inclusion Port project (SHIP), the Port Phillip Bicycle User Group (BUG) and the Vibrant Village Partnership Group.

I developed this easy, self-guided bike ride map tour for people to discover the beauty of the environment and the fascinating history of the area. The ride is

flat and suitable for riders of all ages and abilities, approximately 11.5 km long and 2.5 hours in duration. Much consideration has been given to rider safety, using mostly shared paths, some bike paths, and keeping away from busy car and truck routes.

The traditional owners of the land on which our bike ride takes place are the Yalukit Willam clan of the Boon Wurrung people. Yalukit Willam means ‘river home’ or ‘people of the river’. The land was a flood plain surrounded by sea, river, creeks, lakes and lagoons. For more information

keep an eye out for a set of 10 Indigenous Landmarks which the City of Port Phillip has installed, two of which can be found in Port Melbourne in Lagoon Reserve and Bay Street.

The first European family of Port Melbourne (Wilbraham and Caroline Liardet and their eight children) settled on a sandy ridge east of the Yarra River in 1839. By the following year they had cut down some of the plentiful tea tree and made a track to deliver the mail to Melbourne – that track is now Bay Street. Our ride starts nearby, on the beachfront at the Rotunda on Beach Street.

Rochelle Bell

INTRODUCTION

CENTENARY BRIDGE MEMENTO2

WOMEN’S COMMITTEE ROTUNDA1

STATION PIER3

The bridge used to take road traffic over the rail lines that led to Station Pier. It was built, using Depression era labour, to mark the state of Victoria’s 100th year. When it was demolished in 1991, a single pillar was left as a memento.

Station Pier, first called Railway Pier, has been in continuous use for shipping since 1854, bringing the world to Melbourne – from the Gold Rush adventurers of the 1850s to the holiday-makers on the cruise-ships of today.

The rotunda for brass bands was built by the Port Melbourne Women’s Welcome Home Committee in 1918. Their ‘Welcome Home’ was for Australian soldiers returning on ships to Port Melbourne following the end of the First World War (1914-18). The Rotunda is heritage listed.

c 1907

THE BEACONS4

PRINCES PIER5

SANDRIDGE BEACH6

In the past, the twin beacons performed an important maritime function. By lining up the two lights a ship coming into Port Melbourne could be certain it was ‘on course’ and in the deep channel. Today the Rear Beacon still performs the original function electronically. The light appears white to a ship correctly positioned, but appears red if the ship is too west or green if too east.

‘Sandridge’, the colonial era name for the whole Port Melbourne area, is remembered in the name of this beach. The rocky groynes stabilise the beach terrain, facilitate drainage and create promontories for sight-seeing and fishing.

When it was opened in 1915, Princes Pier was the longest wooden pier in the world. In the 1990s it was closed, then restored and re-opened as a public space in 2011. The forward section of bare pylons has not been restored to date.

WESTGATE PARK7

The park was established in 1985 as 40 hectares of inner city ‘wilderness’ beneath the five-lane Westgate freeway. After more than a century of pollution and neglect the sandbelts and wetlands of the lower Yarra were reclaimed.

The eight rock and timber sculptures by Lynn Moore are titled Earth Series. Detailed information about the flora and fauna of the park can be found at:

http://www.westgatepark.org

Trugo is still played at the Sandridge Trugo Club located in the reserve. The game was invented in the 1920s by Melbourne railway workers. The Victorian Trugo Association calls their sport “a cross between croquet, wood chopping, lawn bowls and AFL football!”

http://www.trugo.org.au

HISTORIC HOUSING ESTATES10

From the 1920s the State Savings Bank of Victoria built an estate of substantial homes (dubbed ‘Bank Houses’) in Garden City. The estate was influenced by English town-planning. During World War II, the Housing Commission of Victoria developed an adjoining estate of more modest homes for low-income families.

1930s

1938

GARDEN CITY RESERVE11

LIARDET COMMUNITY CENTRE13This was once the site of a Senior Citizens’ Centre, and before that, a Temperance Hall. The Temperance movement campaigned against the destructive effects of alcohol. The site has therefore had continuous use as a community resource in Port Melbourne.

Reclamation into parkland occurred

1888-1929.

After European settlement the lagoon

waters became polluted with industrial waste.

Gasworks Park is another story of reclaimed wasteland. It was once a gigantic coal gas plant, which operated round the clock and employed over 1000 workers. The tank is visible in the photo of the lagoon above. The gas-polluted soil was decontaminated and the whole area rejuvenated with native vegetation. It’s now a vibrant local arts precinct.

c 1870

LAGOON RESERVE14

GASWORKS ARTS PARK15

c 1900

PICTURE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSCentenary Bridge (National Trust); Railway Pier c1907 (State Library of Victoria); Princes Pier Pylons and The Beacons (Muzza from McCrae); Bank Houses 1930s (Port Phillip City Collection); Trugo Inventors 1938 (The Victorian Trugo Association); Temperance Hall Image (Port Melbourne Historical and Preservation Society); Lagoon Reserve c1900 (State Library of Victoria) South Melbourne Gasworks c1870 (Gasworks Arts Park).

I would like to thank my friend and SHIP colleague Alice Turnbull for the historical research that has so enriched this map project. For their expert advice I am grateful to the Port Melbourne Historical and Preservation Society. My thanks also to the whole SHIP team, especially Danielle McCaffrey, for all their support in helping me to realise my idea. All the information is given in good faith and is correct to our knowledge at the time of printing. I believe this resource can only benefit from your feedback. If you enjoyed the ride, or would like to suggest changes or improvements for the next edition, please get in touch. Rochelle

© Rochelle Bell 2017

shipportmelb@gmail.comContact me at:

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