Claus Ebeling (1859–1948), a pioneering blacksmith and engineer, left a lasting mark on Yarraville’s history.
Growing up on the Victorian goldfields, Ebeling trained as a blacksmith in Maryborough before establishing his works at the corner of Stephen and Castlemaine Streets in 1885. He quickly expanded into shoeing, carriage-making, ironworking, and engineering, earning the trust of local businesses. By the 1890s, his firm had mechanised operations and secured major contracts, including those for the M.M.B.W. sewering programme, and his sons and grandson continued running the business until the 1950s.
During World War II, Ebeling’s factory produced vital components for ships and fabricated rolled sections and castings, employing over 100 workers. Post-war, the company reinvented itself by engineering its own street-sweeping machines, which kept the factory active until its closure in the early 1980s.
Ebeling also contributed to the cultural fabric of Melbourne’s inner west. In 1936, he joined forces with his friend Tom Grieves, a Newport railway worker credited with inventing the unique local sport ‘Trugo,’ to elevate the informal hobby and establish the first Yarraville Trugo Club.
The Ebeling factory site was cleared in 1993 as pictured, and due to heavy soil contamination, it remained a vacant lot for over 20 years. Today, although we miss the space, the site is home to these pictured modern homes and townhouses, while Ebeling’s prominent Glenara residence still stands proudly across the street.
