Coburg Historical Society

18/10/2026

If you missed the fabulous live projection event “Coburg Close up” back in June, come to the Coburg Library meeting room 7:30 pm this Wednesday, 21st October for a special screening of the projections. Bookings are filling up, there are only a few places left. Details and link to eventbrite on the Merri Bek library page.

18/09/2026

Thank you to Greg Gardiner for his terrific presentation on Melbourne trams earlier this week. Greg took us on a wonderful journey back in time to the horse drawn and cable trams of the 1880’s, up to the present day brand new “G” class trams. Shout out to Mal Rowe from the Melbourne Tram Museum who was also at the talk; Mal has also been one of our guest presenters for CHS.

We had a full house of 60 attendees on the night, and it was lovely to meet and chat with some of the first time visitors - hope to see you again at another CHS presentation this year or next year! Keep an eye on our website and follow us on social media to stay up to date with our CHS events.

Those keen to learn more about Melbourne trams might like to buy a copy of Greg’s book from local book shop “Brunswick Bound”; borrow a copy from the Coburg Library, or visit the Melbourne Tram Museum - the next open day is in the middle of the school holidays, Saturday 26 September 11am- 4pm.

15/09/2026

Trams have been travelling up and down Sydney Road for over a century.
Come along to the presentation at the Coburg Library meeting room, 7:30pm Wednesday 16 September to learn some of the history and stories of Melbourne trams; from former tram driver and “Connie” ( tram conductor) Greg Gardiner.

15/09/2026

Melbourne and Coburg Trams with Greg Gardiner
Presented by the Coburg Historical Society Join us to hear Greg talk about some of his favourite tram lines and share anecdotes from his time as a conductor and driver. He will also discuss what the system has meant for our city in terms of its development and also our emotional attachments to it. His book Tram combines history, memoir and imagination, and follows the key events and people from the 1800s to today, as well as taking the reader on a journey around our wonderful system
📅 Wednesday 16 September
🕐7.30pm
📍Coburg Library
🔗Register to save your spot: https://bit.ly/3Sqy3FZ
Please contact us a week prior to the event if you have any other access requirements for you to fully participate.

07/09/2026

Presentation Wednesday 16th September at the Coburg Library meeting room - Coburg Trams.

The new Phonak Soundfield system (used at the AGM last month) will be in use to provide clear sound access and live captions.

Melbourne and Coburg Trams with Greg Gardiner
Presented by the Coburg Historical Society Join us to hear Greg talk about some of his favourite tram lines and share anecdotes from his time as a conductor and driver. He will also discuss what the system has meant for our city in terms of its development and also our emotional attachments to it. His book Tram combines history, memoir and imagination, and follows the key events and people from the 1800s to today, as well as taking the reader on a journey around our wonderful system
📅 Wednesday 16 September
🕐7.30pm
📍Coburg Library
🔗Register to save your spot: https://bit.ly/3Sqy3FZ
Please contact us a week prior to the event if you have any other access requirements for you to fully participate.

28/08/2026

How did I miss “ International Dog Day” ?
Fabulous photos of some family dogs from the State Library collection.

21/08/2026

Thank you to all the CHS members who attended to AGM on Wednesday night; welcome also to the visitors - and new members - who joined us for the meeting.

The AGM provided a terrific opportunity to use the MerriBek library’s new Soundfield system - I had to turn the volume up during the meeting due to the noise of the heavy rain outside!

If you were at the AGM - did you find the sound system, and the live captions helpful? Please let me know in the comments.

03/08/2026

Calling all amateur historians and community minded people! The Coburg Historical Society’s Annual General Meeting will be held at the Coburg Library meeting room at 7:30pm, on Wednesday 19th August.
Current CHS members and interested members of the general public are welcome to attend the AGM. We have a big couple of years ahead of us, with the plans for the new building well underway - featuring an exhibition space, storage, office and collection preparation area, research space, and walkway through to the restored Bluestone Cottage! Restoration of the cottage is also part of the project.

There is a LOT of work to be done - cataloging and packing the entire collection to go into storage; planning for the new displays; planning for some outreach events; revising policy and planning for the future.

Committee of Management meetings are held once a month, on a Thursday night at the Coburg Library. We have a very small band of dedicated volunteers, but would very gladly welcome more members on the committee. More people means more input and ideas, as well as opening up the possibility of setting up special interest sub committees for specific tasks.

Our wonderful volunteer secretary Tim will be stepping down from the role, so we are putting the call out for a new secretary.All committee positions will be declared vacant at the AGM, so why not come along to the AGM and nominate for one of the positions!

Hope to see you there,
regards,
CHS Committee of Management .

26/07/2026

Interested in collecting your family’s oral history? Learn more at this upcoming symposium.

The OHV Annual Symposium is fast approaching and this year will focus on precarious oral histories. Last year, the Identifying Victorian Precarious Oral History Collections project was hugely successful in identifying close to 10,000 oral history recordings in the Victorian community at risk of being lost without support for their sustainable preservation.

Join us for a conversation with our fantastic panellists (see details in the tickets link) as we reflect on the state of precariousness of oral history collections and what we can do to move from a phase of identification to preservation for more of these critical historical and cultural materials.

Date: Friday Aug 21st, 20206

Time: 9:30am – 12:30pm

Location: Royal Historical Society of Victoria, 239 A’Beckett St, Melbourne, 3000, and online on zoom.

Tickets: https://events.humanitix.com/victoria-s-precarious-oral-history-collections-from-identification-to-preservation

Make a day of it and join the afternoon training session 'Oral History for the Future: Preservation and Accessibility.' Detail here: https://events.humanitix.com/oral-history-for-the-future-preservation-and-accessibility

13/07/2026

Please note - the presentation this Wednesday has unfortunately been cancelled. We will keep you posted when a new date is scheduled.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, our event on Wednesday 15 July, Billibellary's different courage with Professor Richard Broome has been postponed. Registered attendees will be emailed shortly.

Subscribe to our newsletter or keep an eye on this page to learn when the event will be rescheduled.

📧Subscribe today: https://bit.ly/44m7nIR