Heidelberg Historical Society

28/05/2026

Our 126-year old Courthouse is looking beautiful since our recent painting and concrete repair work to the exterior of the building.

Jamie from PBE Solutions gave the woodwork a fresh coat of paint, and cleaned and painted the concrete work on the gables of the roof and other surrounds of the building.

We are very grateful to DEECA for the funding provided to undertake this work, enabling us to keep this jewel of 'old Heidelberg' in such good condition.

23/05/2026

We have become accustomed to our three plastic rubbish bins but 100 years ago, the introduction of a metal garbage tin was a new thing.
In 1922 Heidelberg Shire Council passed by-law No. 60 that directed that garbage had to be placed in a covered bin. The council made available for sale a number of 5 gallon oil drums that were compliant with the by-law.
In 1926 there was a crackdown on people putting their bins into the street or footpath: instead they had to place the bin inside the fence within 10 ft of the gate.
It took a while for garbage collection to be extended to 'new' suburbs. For example, the Berlin Estate bounded by Bell St, Edwin St, Banksia St and Upper Heidelberg Rd was subdivided in the 1910s but it did not receive a rubbish collection until 1926- and even then it was only on the first Friday of each month.
Until about 1923 rubbish was burned at the Council Depot in Waterdale Rd until there were so many complaints about the smell that they decided to bury it there instead.

We have lots of information about daily life in Heidelberg, Ivanhoe and surrounding suburbs in our Research Room. Why not visit us on a Sunday between 2.00 and 5.00 p.m. and check out our collection and view our current exhibition 'The Heidelberg of the Heidelberg Artists'.
Entry $5.00, children under 16 and members free.

09/05/2026

The Rosanna Rd/Burgundy Street intersection in the 1980s, prior to the construction of Warringal Shopping Centre. The large building at the rear the Ampol Service Station was the Granny Davis Bread factory, which faced onto Cape Street. The smell of freshly baked bread wafted over Heidelberg every day. The building on the right of the petrol station facing onto Rosanna Rd was Associated Seals.

You can stand outside our museum and look across at the same intersection today, with all of these buildings demolished and replaced by Warringal Shopping Centre. In fact- you could do it this Sunday while visiting our 'Heidelberg of the Heidelberg Artists' exhibition! We're open every Sunday 2.00-5.00 p.m. $5.00 entry, free for members and children under 16.

30/04/2026

If you regretted missing the Enid Gilchrist talk, you can view it on our YouTube channel. See more details at:
https://www.heidelberghistoricalsociety.com.au/hhs/hhs.php?action=showblog&Blog_ID=229

23/04/2026

Cemetery Tour Melbourne General Cemetery.

This two hour tour will introduce you to the Chinese graves of this historic cemetery. Stories about some of these graves will provide you with an understanding of the history of Chinese migration to Melbourne and the impact of the Chinese on the local culture and society.

You will be shown the locations of the Chinese graves, and some hidden ones and learn about the tales that they could tell. Researchers or family historians might find it interesting to learn about how to interpret the writing on the headstones as well as about Chinese burial customs.

The walking distance will be about 3kms, mostly on flat ground but may include some uneven surfaces. Comfortable walking shoes are recommended.

This tour is part of the Australian Heritage Festival and run in partnership between the Museum of Chinese Australian History, Chinese Australian Family Historians of Victoria and Southern Memorial Cemeteries Trust.
Introduction by Mark Wang, CEO Chinese Museum

Saturday 9 May 2026
2 sessions
10 -12pm
1 - 3pm

Melbourne General Cemetary
College Cres, Parkville VIC 3052

Bookings via

This two hour tour will introduce you to the Chinese graves of this historic cemetery. Stories about some of these graves will provide you with an...

09/04/2026

TALK: Tuesday 14 April 2026 7.30 p.m.
Ivanhoe Uniting Church, Seddon Street Ivanhoe

Meet Enid Gilchrist OAM: Popular fashion designer, magazine
contributor and Heidelberg local from the 1940s to the 1970s.

A leading Melbourne fashion and homewares designer, Enid Gilchrist OAM shaped Australian home dressmaking from the 1940s to the 1970s. Her patterns appeared weekly in The Argus and later New Idea, and she published 66 pattern magazines that sold millions of copies locally and overseas.

A pioneer of practical and sustainable fashion, Enid empowered home dressmakers through simple drafting methods, clear instructions and affordable, durable designs. As a working mother, she championed adaptable clothing, reuse and DIY creativity.

Enmeshed in her Heidelberg community, she employed neighbours and family, used local children as models, and contributed to public service and charity, including work with the Infant Welfare Division and the Red Cross.

Our speaker, Dr Annette Shiell is a curator, historian and educator specialising in arts and heritage, with a focus on collections and overlooked histories.

All welcome.

02/04/2026

Staying close to home this Easter? Why not be a holiday tourist in your own city and visit the Heidelberg Historical Society this Sunday between 2.00 and 5.00 p.m. (Last entry 4.30). You can catch the train to Heidelberg, take a gentle stroll down Burgundy Street and visit our museum, have a walk through Heidelberg Gardens then face the slightly-more-energetic stroll back up the hill to the station.
Your $5.00 entry includes our 'Heidelberg of the Heidelberg Artists' exhibition and access to the thousands of photographs, maps and brochures in our archives.

31/03/2026

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/my-suburb-is-so-safe-that-if-i-collapse-a-doctor-will-trip-over-me-on-their-way-to-get-coffee-20260320-p5rb5s.html

Quote: "Just up the road from the court and police station is a building that houses the quaint Heidelberg Historical Society, open for three hours every Sunday thanks to passionate volunteers..."

Did you see us in The Age on Tuesday 31 March? Why not follow Nicolas Brasch's example and come to visit us at the Old Heidelberg Court House museum, Jika Street Heidelberg. Entry is $5.00, free for children under 16 and members. You can see our wonderful 'Heidelberg of the Heidelberg Artists' exhibition and access our maps, photos, brochures and more.
We're open this coming Easter Sunday between 2-5 p.m.

I live surrounded by hospitals and medical centres. I know because I’ve been to many of them. I’ve even walked to emergency, rather than call an ambulance because it was quicker.

21/03/2026

TICK TOCK (2) The clock tower on top of the former Heidelberg Town Hall (now the Centre) can be seen for miles around. Its formal name is "The King George V Memorial Clocktower" even though there was quite a gap between George V's death on 20th January 1936 and the official opening of the Town Hall in April 1937.
Apparently it often used to show a different time on each face of the clock, which would have been rather confusing!
When I photographed it a couple of weeks ago, only one clock face had all the lights working properly with the double circle surrounding the numbers.
Originally the lights around the clock were red, but they were changed to green because it was confusing for the aeroplanes heading towards Essendon Airport.

Speaking of time elapsing, make sure that you don't miss our current exhibition 'The Heidelberg of the Heidelberg Artists' open every Sunday (except Easter Sunday) between 2.00 and 5.00 p.m. Entry is $5.00, free for children under 16 and members.

28/02/2026

Heidelberg Park has long been a popular spot for picnics and sports, and here are the employees of Kinnears Rope Works of Ballarat Rd Footscray, enjoying their second annual picnic at what is still recognizably Heidelberg Park. Their first annual picnic had been held at Heidelberg Park the previous year too, but at the end of March instead. Perhaps they decided to go for the warmer weather on Wednesday 26th February 1908- almost exactly 118 years ago!

They need not have worried- the 26 February 1908 was a balmy 28 degrees, with an overnight low of 13.

The Old Courthouse Museum is located in Jika Street, Heidelberg, just across the road from Heidelberg Gardens and Heidelberg Park. We are open on Sundays between 2.00 and 5.00 p.m. and our current exhibition is 'The Heidelberg of the Heidelberg Artists'. Entry $5.00, members and children under 16 free.

Image source: SLV https://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/242122