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Does Ashburton need a Historical Society?
First up: I am keen to keep doing my potted histories of Ashburton’s iconic shops. Now the kids are back at school I have all this space...
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- Jan 18
- 12 min
Why the Gold Coast is not like anywhere else in Australia
Writing about the local history of Ashburton and its surrounds for two years has given me a new appreciation for the way Australian...
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- Dec 16, 2022
- 3 min
End of Year Updates
A big thank you to my readers! I've really enjoyed writing this blog this year and will be back with more on Ashburton and its surrounds...
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- Dec 9, 2022
- 3 min
Ashburton's icons: Ken Ross Jewellers
Over the summer – should that ever arrive – I hope to run a series on some of Ashburton’s longest continuously operated shops. On High...
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- Nov 22, 2022
- 8 min
The Stocks Family and the Ashburton Dairy
If you’re a reader of a certain age, you may remember waking up very very early in the morning – far too early for your mother’s liking –...
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- Nov 2, 2022
- 14 min
The Ashburton Stigma
Few people want to go on record with their pre-conceived judgements and assumptions about Ashburton. Or for any other suburb for that...
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- Oct 17, 2022
- 9 min
The History of the Outer Circle Linear Park/Anniversary Trail
In this post, I’m taking a break from writing about Ashburton’s growing list of murderers to cover something far more pleasant: the...
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- Oct 8, 2022
- 1 min
A History of Ashburton's Green Spaces
This week, I gave a presentation at Ashburton Library for Victorian History Month on the history of Ashburton's green spaces. The...
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- Sep 26, 2022
- 5 min
Places to BYO kayak near Eden, NSW
I realise this is a complete departure from the usual subject matter of this blog. However, as I was unable to find much information...
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- Sep 8, 2022
- 19 min
The lasting tragedy of Valerie Dunn’s 1968 murder
Almost a year ago, I began documenting the 1965 murder of a young Jordanville woman called Maureen Ferrari by an Ashburton man. Since I...
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- Aug 25, 2022
- 9 min
For Book Week: a brief history of Camberwell and Ashburton libraries
It’s Book Week! Or, as I call it in my house, F#@king Book Week. I love books. I love them so much I wrote one. You don’t become a...
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- Aug 11, 2022
- 10 min
A Murderer Calls on Glen Iris
On a cool Sunday morning on 8 August 1980, Bertha “Beth” Miller called out a farewell greeting to her housemate/brother-in-law Bill Ross....
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- Jul 29, 2022
- 13 min
The battle to play sport in Camberwell on Sunday
I recently presented on this topic at the Royal Historical Society of Victoria. Just as High Street turns down the hill towards Glen Iris...
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- Jul 8, 2022
- 8 min
Ashburton and the rise of Chadstone Shopping Centre
This is the second post in my series on interesting things I find in Ashburton’s old community newspaper Progress Press (1946-63) In the...
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- Jun 17, 2022
- 10 min
Eight new things I learnt about Ashburton reading Progress Press (1946-56)
Once upon a time in Ashburton, there was a community newspaper called Progress Press. This was a locally produced and edited publication...
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- May 27, 2022
- 12 min
Neville Lee and the fight for Ashburton's kindergartens
When I first started writing this local history blog, a major resource was a document I found called ‘Ashburton through the Ages’, by...
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- May 25, 2022
- 10 min
How to run an Election Day ‘Democracy’ Sausage Sizzle and Cake Stall
For the 2022 Federal Election, the parents of Ashburton Primary School (located in Melbourne's Eastern Suburbs) ran a Sausage Sizzle and...
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- Apr 22, 2022
- 19 min
Why there is no High School in Ashburton
If you’ve lived in Ashburton awhile, you’ll know there is no public or private high school in the suburb. The closest option is Ashwood...
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- Mar 28, 2022
- 23 min
A History of Ashburton’s Green Spaces
Recently, I’ve begun doing some research for the Ashburton Willows Cricket Club. My role in the research is more on the “Ashburton” side...
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- Mar 1, 2022
- 10 min
The little School that Could: a brief history of Solway Primary School
"No one actually knows where Solway is” (Julie Wilkinson, Principal 2007) The idea for a school on the hill between Karnak Road and...
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