I saw a post this week published on the Fairfield 3078 Facebook Group. I thought everyone would enjoy this snippet of it … (thanks Agnese for putting this info together).

Did you know that in 1919 the school holidays were extended due to the first wave of the Spanish flu? And Fairfield Primary School became a temporary hospital? The first patient was admitted on 16 February under the care of Dr Heffernan, a matron, an ambulance driver, two nurses, two wardsmen and a cook. The services of the hospital were free, but patients were asked to provide certain items of clothing and sheeting should the need arise. The telephone, gas and electricity were laid on to the school, and beds, bedding and medical equipment purchased.

The service lasted less than a month and in early March the school building was disinfected and fumigated in readiness for the children who returned to the school on 8 March.

And the bit I liked the most … the advice of the Minister for Health in 1919,

Travel as little as possible, avoid crowds, live as much as possible in the open air and lead quiet and cheerful lives.

GREAT advice right … especially the last bit. Lead quiet and cheerful lives …

From the State Library archives.

Yarra City Council has produced a number of heritage walks. Collingwood, Abbotsford, North Carlton etc.

Here’s the link check them out.

The farm of Mr Perry on the Yarra 1855 - Eugène Von Guerard

This painting of the farm Fulham Grange, is the first commissioned work by Eugene Von Guerard in Victoria (after he’d failed to make his fortune on the goldfields).

It depicts the Yarra in the foreground, the native vegetation being cleared, and the farmhouse, orchard and vineyard that were to become well-known as Perry’s Nursery Garden and Orchard. It’s a painting of our backyards 150+ years ago.

Richard and Elizabeth Perry purchased the uncleared land in the early 1850s, and with their 3 oldest sons, developed it into a successful business.

They capitalised on the demand for fresh fruit and vegetables following the goldrush. By the late 1860s the farm had 100,000 apple, pear, plum, peach, apricot, damson, quince, lemon, orange and pomelo trees and a canning facility that produced tons of jams, marmalades, condiments, jellies and bottled fruit each year.

The farm was also a tree nursery, which stocked almost every variety of exotic tree available in the colonies. 

It was in 1884 that the property was subdivided and sold off in allotments to create one of Melbourne's first garden suburbs.

And, here’s a pretty fascinating picture of a house built in that first subdivision. Built by Thomas Stokes, completed in 1886. This house called Edgebaston is at 1 Tower Avenue, Alphington. Look at all the paddocks around! Maybe the next time you take a walk in the ‘hood you could wander past and see what it looks like today …

Edgebaston - one of the first houses built on the subdivided Fulham Grange farm.

And so, finally, for all of us that live on Perry Street, Grange Road or Fulham Road - did you know where these names came from?

Source info from here and here.

Did you know that Fairfield used to be called Fairfield Park? I’d quite like to live in Fairfield Park …

Here are some pictures of the station and the shops in Railway Place from 1900 and 1910.

1900

1910 with the pedestrian overpass

Railway Place