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    History

    DEEP WEST: How a little piece of Sunshine ended up in Tsarist Russia

    Delve into the history of Sunshine and its iconic H.V. McKay Memorial Gardens. Learn how this visionary industrialist transformed the suburb and its landscape.

    Newport Substation

    The Newport Substation, established over a century ago to convert power for Melbourne’s electric trains, was constructed between 1915 and 1916. 

    Food, Coffee, Banter

    The ‘Food, Coffee, Banter’ mantra scrawled across the awning of Seddon cafe Fig & Walnut, is a slice of inner-west iconography.

    Then & Now: The Anglers Tavern 1880s

    More than a pub, the Anglers Tavern is a local social icon with a liquid history dating back to the 1860s. Originally known by many names, Anglers Arms, Anglers Rest and Anglers Hotel, it has weathered floods and reinvented itself through the years.

    Ghost Signs – Video Ezy

    The year was 1983. Redgum blasted on the radio, BMX Bandits tore up the silver screen and Nintendo unleashed the pixelated madness of Mario Bros. Amidst this cultural chaos, in a small suburb of Sydney, Kevin Slater, a man with more vision than a marsupial on mescaline, launched a video rental shop called Video Ezy.

    DEEP WEST: Houdini defies gravity in Diggers Rest

    In the unassuming town of Diggers Rest, an intriguing piece of history is etched into the landscape. It was here, over a century ago on March 18, 1910, that the legendary Harry Houdini made aviation history. The world-renowned escapologist and magician achieved the first controlled, powered aircraft flight in Australia, soaring briefly but momentously over the fields. 

    Champions of the West – Living Museum of the West: Peter Haffenden

    The bravery and suffering of Australian soldiers in the various theatres of World War I and II has been covered comprehensively. Less attention has been given to what went on at home during the war years, which explains the importance of The Logic of Logistics, an exhibition by Melbourne’s Living Museum of the West. 

    The history of Footscray’s after-dark entertainment 

    The grandeur and vibrancy ofFootscray’s nighttime past is to be celebrated this October with an exhibition titled Friday Nights in Footscray. The exhibition will tell the story of the 'Cinderella Suburb', a place which once had five picture houses and multiple ballrooms within the main city block.

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    #103 December 2024

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