Geelong in the 1860s

160 YEARS AGO IN GEELONG (From the pages of the Geelong Chronicle) Daryl Wight’s 1864 piece on pawn broking opens a rare window onto a Geelong caught between respectability and hardship, where the quiet traffic of pledges and repayments revealed as much about the town’s social fabric as any official record. Drawn from the pages of the Geelong Chronicle, his article treats the pawn shop not as a curiosity but …

In 1864, Geelong marked the Queen’s Birthday with a dazzling display of fireworks that lit up the night sky and stirred the town’s imagination. Though not as riotous as Guy Fawkes Night — with its bonfires and effigies — the celebration was no less spirited. The Geelong Chronicle described the spectacle in vivid detail: rockets, Roman candles, and Catherine wheels bursting above the rooftops, drawing families and onlookers into shared …

1864: from the pages of The Geelong Chronicle In 1864, Geelong was a town in transition; but at its heart it was a community shaped by the rhythms of rural life, the bustle of commerce, and the diversions of entertainment. Its journey was faithfully recorded in the Geelong Chronicle, a newspaper that captured both the ordinary and the extraordinary moments of the year: from the challenges of thistle eradication to …

In March 1864, Geelong’s Irish community and their friends turned St Patrick’s Day into a showcase of sport and celebration. Though the banks stayed open and the day was not a public holiday, Belmont Common became the centre of excitement with horse races, hurling, and foot contests drawing crowds. Rival events sprang up at Bell Park and Gnarwarre, offering sack races, wheelbarrow challenges, and even the comic spectacle of “catching …

Adams’ Circus: Clowns, Acrobats, and Colonial Applause In the autumn of 1864, Geelong welcomed a week of wonder as Adams’ Circus pitched its tent and dazzled the town. Eschewing exotic animals, the company offered a refined spectacle of equestrians, acrobats, clowns, and gymnasts — proudly billed as “the most talented company ever to visit Australia.” With performances tailored for both adults and children, and ticket prices scaled to suit every …

For the last Jigsaw Puzzle of the year, Don has selected an early photograph from the corner of Fitzroy and Corio Streets in about 1862. It captures the reality of the post-gold rush Geelong, with the Gaol rising formidably over the streetscape. Geelong c. 1862 with Geelong Prison in background Jigsaw Puzzle …

Lou Lane’s article, Waurn Ponds National School, was published in Investigator Magazine Vol 26 No 3 in September 1991 Pp 116-119. In this short article, Lou Lane traces the little-known story of the Waurn Ponds National School; an early and short-lived educational outpost on the rural fringe of Geelong. Drawing on archival records, Lane reconstructs the challenges faced by James Gleeson, a pioneering teacher who arrived in 1859 to find …

You can listen to a reading of this article by clicking the following Link: These excellent and historically valuable sketches of Geelong from the 1850s and 1860s are the work of Joseph Masters. The artist was an amateur, although he did gain some recognition in his lifetime. Sadly his death at forty robbed both his family and our community of an amazing talent. The existence of the collection come to …

Don Patterson has selected a fabulous lady’s “day dress” that looks it has come straight from the Bright & Hitchcocks’ catalogue! It is typical of the clothing from the period 1865 – 1870. Lady’s Day Dress from Bright & Hitchcock c1865-70 Courtesy NGV Collection Jigsaw Puzzle …

PHOTOGRAPHY CAPTURES GEELONG’S EYE The 1863 Geelong Industrial Exhibition captured Geelong’s attention with thousands attending. One of the exhibits captured the attention by improving the quality of photographic images. It also served to draw attention to the increasing wealth within the community. Large albumen prints of the 1860s were typically rich brown-purple in tone and glossy. They were sold for framing or for compilation in albums. A new photographic process, …

Geelong celebrates as it gets a day off work! In 1863 the Geelong community embraced the celebrations of the future Edward VII’s marriage: with a day off work, flowers, marches and in the evening fireworks and bonfires. However, it seems so did the town’s publications with one of their number hosting a free three-hour beer fountain! The choice of topic seems almost banal but that might just be its charm …

Two nights of grand operatic entertainment. The Geelong Chronicle of February 1863 was very supportive of a local musician’s efforts to bring a program featuring the latest works to Geelong. First performed at the Theatre Royal and then the Temperance Hall in Little Malop Street the soloists and chorus were applauded for their efforts. However Mr W Stoneham, our plucky musical entrepreneur, was not lucky enough to make a profit …

On New Year’s Day 1863 Geelong bridged its differences. In 1862, as it is today, it is not always possible for a community to pull together on important issues, even when common benefit is at stake. Here Daryl Wight takes the reader back to the pages of the Geelong Chronicle and the construction of the Prince Albert Bridge, the third to span the Barwon River. With construction funded by the …

BARBER SHOP OR WELLNESS SPA? Daryl Wight continues to intrigue us with his choice of articles drawn from the 1860s pages of the Geelong Chronicle. This article’s unnamed author eschews the prosaic and favours a richly evocative style that easily transports the reader to a different time and place. One may hope that any current attempts at Geelong gentrification are as cleverly memorialised as they were 160 odd years ago …

MR KREITMAYER’S MUSEUM OF ILLUSTRATIONS. In this article Daryl Wight highlights an amazing travelling show that comprised a number of wax figurines depicting points in the history of European exploration and exploitation of our continent. As a centrepiece was an evocative portrait of the ill-fated Burke & Wills expedition of just a few years prior which we can also see in this article, courtesy of the SLV collection. Mr Kreitmayer, …

HURLING IN GEELONG: From the pages of the Geelong Chronicle Hurling became hugely popular in Geelong in 1863. The sport had been played in Ireland for many years. A similar game, shinty, was played in Scotland. Not unlike hockey, Hurling involves hitting a ball, with a stick, towards the goal. The hurley, or stick, was generally about three feet (90cms) in length, with one end widened to resemble a paddle. The …

HERR CHRISTOFF THE TIGHTROPE-WALKING WONDER 160 YEARS AGO IN GEELONG: From the pages of the Geelong Chronicle Herr Christoff, the renowned tightrope walker, was one of the star attractions when Gardiner’s American Circus came to Geelong in 1863. The circus set up its pavilion in the Market Square for four nights only. The proprietor, Charles Gardiner, advertised ‘an unrivalled troupe of equestrians, gymnasts, acrobats and tightrope dancers’. Seats in the …

In 1863, there were two main breweries in Geelong: Volum’s Geelong Brewery, in Corio Street and Powell’s Corio Brewery, in Little Malop Street. Other breweries had come and gone over the previous twenty years or so but these were the two stayers. A reporter from the Geelong Chronicle tasted the wares of both establishments and made his comparison known. He seemed to have a bob each way! “A tankard of …

ANCIENT ORDER OF FORESTERS. It was a big year for the Ancient Order of Foresters in Geelong in 1863. Three new branches (called Courts) were established that year – at Belmont, Breakwater and Ashby. The Order of Foresters was a friendly society, first established in Yorkshire, England, in the 1700s. Its purpose was to support members and their families in times of unemployment, sickness, disability, old age and death. Members …

of Yarram Yarram and Osborne House By Daryl Wight Robert Muirhead (1813? – 1862), shepherd and squatter, was born in Stirlingshire, Scotland, son of John Muirhead. He was already ‘accustomed … to the management of sheep’ when he boarded the ship Rajah, at Leith, in April 1838, for the long journey to Australia. The ship arrived in Hobart, Van Diemen’s Land, on 22 August 1838. Robert’s colonial hopes were quickly …