Williamstown is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria,
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, 8 km south-west from Melbourne's
central business districtMelbourne City Centre is an area of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. It is not to be confused with the larger local government area of the City of Melbourne...
. Its Local Government Area is the
City of Hobsons BayThe City of Hobsons Bay is a Local Government Area in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It comprises the south-western suburbs between 6 and 20 km from the Melbourne city centre....
. At the 2006 Census, Williamstown had a population of 12,733.
Williamstown is approximately 15 minutes by car from Melbourne via the
West Gate FreewayWest Gate Freeway is a freeway in Melbourne, Australia, linking Geelong to Melbourne CBD and beyond. It is also a link between Melbourne and the west and linking industrial and residential areas west of the Yarra River with the city and port areas. The iconic West Gate Bridge is a part of the...
or a 30-minute train journey from
Flinders Street StationFlinders Street Station is the central railway station of the suburban railway network of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is on the corner of Flinders and Swanston Streets next to the Yarra River in the heart of the city, stretching from Swanston Street to Queen Street and covering two city...
. Ferries from Melbourne's
Southgate Arts & Leisure PrecinctSouthbank is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia located direct south of the Yarra River opposite Melbourne's Hoddle Grid. The northernmost area is considered part of the Central Business District and Central Activities District of the city. Its Local Government Area are the...
take approximately 1 hour.
Williamstown is also the main town where the Australian Television Program
Blue HeelersBlue Heelers is an Australian police drama series which depicted the lives of police officers stationed at the fictional Mount Thomas police station in a small town in Victoria.- Overview :...
was filmed.
Indigenous history
Aboriginal people occupied the area long before maritime activities shaped the modern historical development of Williamstown. The Yalukit-willam clan of the
Kulin nationThe Kulin nation, was an alliance of five Indigenous Australian nations in Central Victoria, Australia, prior to European settlement. Their collective territory extended to around Port Phillip and Western Port, up into the Great Dividing Range and the Loddon and Goulburn River valleys. To their...
were the first people to call Hobsons Bay home. They roamed the thin coastal strip from Werribee to Williamstown/Hobsons Bay.
The Yalukit-willam were one clan in a language group known as the
BunurongThe Bunurong are Indigenous Australians of the Kulin nation, who occupy South-Central Victoria, Australia. Prior to European settlement, they lived as all people of the Kulin nation lived, sustainably on the land, predominantly as hunters and gatherers, for tens of thousands of years...
, which included six clans along the coast from the Werribee River, across the
Mornington PeninsulaThe Mornington Peninsula is a peninsula located south-east of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. It is surrounded by Port Phillip to the west, Western Port to the east and Bass Strait to the south, and is connected to the mainland in the north. Geographically, the peninsula begins its protrusion...
, Western Port Bay to
Wilsons PromontoryWilsons Promontory is a peninsula that forms the southernmost part of the Australian mainland and is located at . South Point at is the southernmost tip of Wilsons Promontory and hence of mainland Australia...
. The region offered a varied diet to its inhabitants. Not only were shell fish available from the sea, but the many swamps and creeks in the district would have yielded birds, fish, eels, eggs and snakes. Early white settlers in the region noted plenty of kangaroos and possums, which would also have been a source of food.
The Yalukit-willam referred to the Williamstown area as "koort-boork-boork", a term meaning "clump of
she-oaksAllocasuarina is a genus of trees in the flowering plant family Casuarinaceae. They are endemic to Australia, occurring primarily in the south. Like the closely related genus Casuarina, they are commonly called sheoaks or she-oaks, they are notable for their long, segmented branchlets that...
", literally "She-oak, She-oak, many." Around Point Gellibrand people used to be invited to join in ceremony, an indigenous peace festival and food festival where there would be an exchange of water and the leaves of a gum tree as well as feasts of bird meat and fish and shellfish.
The head of the Yalikut-willam tribe at the time of the arrival of the first white settlers was
BenbowBenbow may refer to:* Captain Edwin Benbow of the Royal Flying Corps* Admiral John Benbow of the Royal Navy* Len Benbow , English footballer with Nottingham Forest and Stoke* HMS Benbow, Royal Navy ships...
, who became one of
John Batman'sJohn Batman was an Australian grazier, businessman and explorer who is best known for his role in the founding of a settlement which became Melbourne and the colony of Victoria.-Life:...
guides.
Industrial development, land segregation, racism and a typhoid epidemic saw Aboriginal presence at Point Gellibrand rapidly decline after 1835.
Colonial exploration and settlement
The first European to arrive at the place now known as Williamstown was Acting-Lieutenant Robbins, who explored Point Gellibrand with his survey party in 1803. The mouth of the Yarra River was later inspected in May and June 1835 by a party led by
John BatmanJohn Batman was an Australian grazier, businessman and explorer who is best known for his role in the founding of a settlement which became Melbourne and the colony of Victoria.-Life:...
who recognised the potential of the
MelbourneMelbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
townsite for settlement. The site of what became Williamstown they named Port Harwood, after the captain of one of their ships.
In November 1835, Captain Robson Coltish, master of the
barqueA barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing vessel with three or more masts.- History of the term :The word barque appears to have come from the Greek word baris, a term for an Egyptian boat. This entered Latin as barca, which gave rise to the Italian barca, Spanish barco, and the French barge and...
Norval sailed from
LauncestonLaunceston is a city in the north of the state of Tasmania, Australia at the junction of the North Esk and South Esk rivers where they become the Tamar River. Launceston is the second largest city in Tasmania after the state capital Hobart...
, then crossing
Bass StraitBass Strait is a sea strait separating Tasmania from the south of the Australian mainland, specifically the state of Victoria.-Extent:The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Bass Strait as follows:...
with a cargo of 500 sheep and 50 Hereford cattle which had been consigned by Dr.
Alexander ThomsonAlexander "Greek" Thomson was an eminent Scottish architect and architectural theorist who was a pioneer in sustainable building. Although his work was published in the architectural press of his day, it was little appreciated outwith Glasgow during his lifetime...
. After reaching the coastline of
Port PhillipPort Phillip Port Phillip Port Phillip (also commonly referred to as Port Phillip Bay or (locally) just The Bay, is a large bay in southern Victoria, Australia; it is the location of Melbourne. Geographically, the bay covers and the shore stretches roughly . Although it is extremely shallow for...
, Captain Coltish chose the area now known as Port Gellibrand, as a suitable place to unload his
cargoCargo is goods or produce transported, generally for commercial gain, by ship, aircraft, train, van or truck. In modern times, containers are used in most intermodal long-haul cargo transport.-Marine:...
. Within weeks of the first consignment, a stream of vessels began making their way across Bass Strait. Because of the sheltered harbour, many of these new arrivals decided to settle in the immediate area.
When Governor
Richard BourkeGeneral Sir Richard Bourke, KCB was Governor of the Colony of New South Wales, Australia between 1831 and 1837.-Early life and career:...
and Captain
William LonsdaleWilliam Lonsdale , English geologist and palaeontologist, won the Wollaston medal in 1846 for his research on the various kinds of fossil corals.-Biography:...
visited the emergent settlement at Port Phillip in 1837, they both felt the main site of settlement would emerge at the estuary and they renamed it William's Town after King William IV, then the English monarch. It served as Melbourne's first anchorage and as the centre for port facilities to the Port Phillip district until the late 19th century.
As William’s Town was named for the British sovereign and Melbourne, on the other hand, was named after the British prime minister Lord Melbourne, it has been said that the place was originally intended to be the capital of the new colony, and the first streets of old William’s town were laid out in 1837 with that in mind. A lack of adequate fresh water at William’s town meant that it became necessary to change the city centre to the inland site of Melbourne.
The first land sales in the area took place in 1837. A 30-metre stone jetty was built by convict labour in 1838 where
Gem PierGem Pier is an historic pier on Port Phillip Bay, in Williamstown, Victoria, Australia. The pier is in length and is currently home to the museum ship HMAS Castlemaine and Melbourne Seaplanes.-History:...
now stands. That same year a ferry service between Melbourne and Williamstown was established aboard the
steamerA steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
'Fire Fly'. It was used to convey passengers, as well as sheep and cattle from Tasmania. By 1839, Williamstown had large shipping facilities including a pier and government stores all built by
convictA convict is "a person found guilty of a crime and sentenced by a court" or "a person serving a sentence in prison", sometimes referred to in slang as simply a "con". Convicts are often called prisoners or inmates. Persons convicted and sentenced to non-custodial sentences often are not termed...
labor. During these early times the business heart of the town was centred on Nelson Place. About 100 buildings were built, including two hotels (the Ship Inn and the Woolpack). The first cemetery in Victoria was established at Point Gellibrand at this time.
The first lighthouse, a wooden one with an oil-burning beacon at the top, was erected at Point Gellibrand in 1840. In that same year a water police superintendent was appointed to Williamstown (and Williamstown is the present-day home of the Victorian Water Police).
The first census in Williamstown was taken in 1841, with population recorded as about 259 people. However, it is believed the true population was considerably more. There were three hotels in Williamstown by 1841 and most of the men worked at occupations related to the port. Being a busy port, there were numerous lodging houses and a constantly changing population. During 1842 and 1843, there was an economic recession in the Port Phillip District, and Williamstown's population somewhat declined.
In 1842, the appearance of the ship
Manilus threw the small colony into a frenzy. The ship's immigrants were part of a British labour scheme that paid captains a bounty to deliver passengers in good health. The captain of the
Manilus, known in the Victorian Shipping records as the "Plague ship", would not receive his bounty as forty-five of the ship's 243 passengers had been lost to
yellow feverYellow fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease. The virus is a 40 to 50 nm enveloped RNA virus with positive sense of the Flaviviridae family....
during the journey from
Scotland's shoresScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. The sick were taken to a hastily erected quarantine camp. Those that died were buried in a makeshift graveyard.
Also in 1842, the St Mary's School (the oldest continuously operating
CatholicThe word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
school in
VictoriaVictoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
) was established in a small timber chapel with a wood shingle roof. Mr. John Wilson was the first
teacherA teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
–principal. The earliest available record of enrolment figures is 6 boys and 8 girls, in July 1844.
In 1847, Steamboat Pier was built and a permanent
customsCustoms is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting and safeguarding customs duties and for controlling the flow of goods including animals, transports, personal effects and hazardous items in and out of a country...
house was set up. The water police and customs officers remained here until the Melbourne Harbour Trust developed river channels closer to the Melbourne CBD in the 1890s.
A bluestone lighthouse was built in 1849–50 to replace the original wooden one. It only operated as a lighthouse until 1860, when a Pile Light was built and anchored off Shelly Beach, after which it served as a
time ballA time ball is a large painted wooden or metal ball that drops at a predetermined time, principally to enable sailors to check their marine chronometers from their boats offshore...
tower.
Victorian gold rush and wheat boom
William’s Town had been a primitive settlement until the
Victorian gold rushThe Victorian gold rush was a period in the history of Victoria, Australia approximately between 1851 and the late 1860s. In 10 years the Australian population nearly tripled.- Overview :During this era Victoria dominated the world's gold output...
of the 1850s, but after the gold seekers began to arrive, many from the tin mines of
CornwallCornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, and many more from the
CaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
n gold fields, the settlement’s growth was phenomenal. The first Williamstown Post Office opened on 1 March 1850.
After the separation of the Port Phillip District from the Colony of
New South WalesNew South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
and the creation of the Colony of
VictoriaVictoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Williamstown was granted municipal status in 1851 and the first Council was elected in April 1856. Meetings were held in the Williamstown Court House, near the corner of Cecil and Thompson Streets. By the mid 1850s, many shops, business and residences had begun to be established in and around Newton (which is now known as
Williamstown NorthWilliamstown North is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 7 km south-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Hobsons Bay...
). During this period, Williamstown played a key role in the Colony of Victoria and its connection to the world beyond. In 1853, an astronomical observatory was constructed at Point Gellibrand by the timeball tower, but it was moved to the Kings Domain in
MelbourneMelbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
ten years later when the
Melbourne ObservatoryMelbourne Observatory was founded in 1862 to serve as a scientific research institution for the rapidly growing city of Melbourne, the capital of the colony of Victoria. The observatory was tasked by the Victorian government with maintaining an accurate time reference for the colony through...
was established).
Australia's first telegraph line began operating between Melbourne and Williamstown on 3 March 1854. At this time, the timeball was moved to the Telegraph Station at Point Gellibrand. The
Williamstown Chronicle, the first Victorian suburban newspaper, was established in 1854. The Williamstown Freemasons chapter was also established in 1854.
The first railway in Australia was established by the Hobson’s Bay Railway Company in 1854, and ran from
Flinders Street StationFlinders Street Station is the central railway station of the suburban railway network of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is on the corner of Flinders and Swanston Streets next to the Yarra River in the heart of the city, stretching from Swanston Street to Queen Street and covering two city...
to
Station PierStation Pier is an historic pier on Port Phillip, in Port Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Opened in 1854, the pier is Melbourne's primary passenger terminal, servicing interstate ferries and cruise ships, and is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register....
in Sandridge (Port Melbourne). It went bankrupt, and this vital part of Victorian era infrastructure was only permanently established in the new colony by the Victorian Colonial Government. The first government line in Australia (1857) ran from Point Gellibrand to Spencer Street, at the western end of Melbourne's "golden mile".
Fort Gellibrand was built in 1855 during the
Crimean WarThe Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
, to guard against a possible
RussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n invasion. It was still in use sixty years later for training new soldiers for the Great War.
Wealth created by the Victorian gold rush translated into increasingly sophisticated development of the town. By late 1855, agitation began within the local community for a botanic gardens site to be set aside and following a petition to the government from the residents, a ten acre site on the southern foreshore was marked out by March 1856. A recently discovered report in the 1857 issue of London journal The Athenaeum and a reprint of the same article in the Melbourne newspaper The Argus on 16 March 1857, confirms that Edward La Trobe Bateman prepared the design for the Williamstown Botanic Gardens sometime in 1856. Until 1860, the main activity in the gardens centred on the development of garden beds and construction of the path system. Considerable tree planting was undertaken to establish windbreaks. By April 1859, the design had been laid out by municipal surveyor
William BullWilliam Bull may refer to:* William Bull * William Bull II * William Bull * William Bull , founder of Bilbul, a small town in New South Wales, Australia...
and a gardener appointed to carry out planting. Plants, cuttings and seeds were donated by the local community as well as Baron Ferdinand von Mueller, the government botanist and recently appointed Director of the
Royal Botanic Gardens in MelbourneThe Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne are internationally renowned botanical gardens located near the centre of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, on the south bank of the Yarra River. They are 38 hectares of landscaped gardens consisting of a mix of native and non-native vegetation including over...
. On 2 January 1860, the gardens, believed to be the earliest intact botanic gardens in Victoria, were opened to the public with apparently little ceremony and by 1865, appeared to be too small to accommodate the influx of local and other visitors coming for day excursions to the seaside suburb. Following petitions from the Williamstown Council, the government reserved additional land for the gardens in 1865 and 1878 so that by 1878, the original ten acre reserve (comprising the gardens and pinetum) had doubled to include what is now known as the Fearon Reserve, named after a local sea pilot and sporting identity Captain James Fearon.
By 1858, Williamstown's two hotels had grown to 17. By 1864 there were 26. The Victoria Yacht Club was established in 1856 as yachting on Hobsons Bay became more popular. Also in 1856, a
bathsBathing is the washing or cleansing of the body in a fluid, usually water or an aqueous solution. It may be practised for personal hygiene, religious ritual or therapeutic purposes or as a recreational activity....
complex beside Williamstown Beach was built at the end of Garden Street. The baths were run by Mr Lillington, and was specified as 'ladies only' in 1859.
http://www.heritage.vic.gov.au/page_239.asp?submit_action=detailed_result&ID=239&KW1=Williamstown&query=e82db8dc6517362a4a25678b00095532/bcf6dbc08a84ccdbca2573da00721681?OpenDocument&Highlight=0,Williamstown
Not all in Williamstown were becoming wealthy, and with some impoverished settlers turning to crime, floating prisons on the
President,
SuccessSuccess was a former Australian prison ship, built in 1840. Between the 1890s and the 1930s, she was converted into a floating museum displaying relics of the convict era and purporting to represent the horrors of penal transportation in Great Britain and the United States of America...
,
Deborah and
Sacramento in Hobson’s Bay. By the end of 1853, 455 prisoners were held on these hulks. A fifth hulk, the
Lysander, was added in 1854. By 1856 there were over 6,000 prisoners on these prison hulks, some as young as nine years of age.
The first lightship to mark the reef off Point Gellibrand was the former barque
New Constitution which the Government purchased in October 1856 for £1050. It took up station on 25 July 1859. In May 1860, tenders were called for construction of a new lightship off Point Gellibrand. The new lightship consisted of two white lights of equal height, 24 feet (7.3 m) apart, and was shown from a temporary anchor in 4.5 fathoms of water. This lightship guarded Gellibrand's Point reef from 1861 until 1895.
Williamstown Post Office (the oldest post office building still standing in Victoria) and a Mechanics Institute were built in 1860. By 1861 Williamstown had 13 slips for boat repairs and building, and pier accommodation for 40 vessels. In 1864, the town boundaries of Williamstown were expanded to take in
NewportNewport is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 7 km south-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Hobsons Bay. At the 2006 Census, Newport had a population of 11,244.-History:...
and Spottiswoode, later to become
SpotswoodSpotswood is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 7 km south-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Hobsons Bay...
. Piped water from Yan Yean water supply subsequently arrived, allowing more rapid growth.
The Williamstown Racing Club, founded in 1864, was once one of the senior thoroughbred racing clubs in Victoria. Built in 1872, the Williamstown Racecourse, with its large and elaborately decorated grandstand facing out to the sea, was considered one of the finest in Australia. The
Williamstown Football ClubThe Williamstown Football Club, nicknamed The Seagulls, is an Australian rules football club based in Melbourne and are currently playing in the Victorian Football League...
, an
Australian rules footballAustralian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
club was formed in 1864.
CSS Shenandoah incident of 1865
The
Confederate States NavyThe Confederate States Navy was the naval branch of the Confederate States armed forces established by an act of the Confederate Congress on February 21, 1861. It was responsible for Confederate naval operations during the American Civil War...
warship
CSS ShenandoahCSS Shenandoah, formerly Sea King, was an iron-framed, teak-planked, full rigged ship, with auxiliary steam power, captained by Commander James Waddell, Confederate States Navy, a North Carolinian with twenty years' service in the United States Navy.During 12½ months of 1864–1865 the ship...
, which had successfully attacked several
UnionDuring the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
ships in the
Indian OceanThe Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
, sailed into Hobsons Bay on the afternoon of 25 January 1865.
Captain J. I. WaddellJames Iredell Waddell was an officer in the United States Navy and later in the Confederate States Navy.-Biography:...
said he only wanted to put the ship onto the Williamstown slip for repairs, and to take on food and water. The Shenandoah was forced to wait while the Australians decided if letting the raider into their harbours violated their neutrality. As the only 2 dry docks belonged to the crown, it was decided to rent a dry dock to a private firm who allowed the ship to dry dock, thereby putting the responsibility on the private firm whilst keeping Australia's neutrality.
The visit was ostensibly for a day or two whilst repairs were effected, however she ended up staying for a month. Melburnians flocked to view the raider. Australians were divided over whether to support the ship. The US Consul advocated her arrest. Recruitment of British subjects was something that would not be tolerated. Australia sent 50 troops and 200 police to search the vessel in dry dock for British subjects. Waddell ordered his crew to repel all boarders but offered and had the ship searched several times. Eventually Captain Waddell said that he would surrender his war ship to the British Crown. Australia wanted nothing to do with seizing the Confederate vessel, however this bought enough time to finish repairs and slip the ship back into the water. Forty-two men were actually recruited in colonial Melbourne and this breech of Victoria's
neutralityA neutral power in a particular war is a sovereign state which declares itself to be neutral towards the belligerents. A non-belligerent state does not need to be neutral. The rights and duties of a neutral power are defined in Sections 5 and 13 of the Hague Convention of 1907...
proved costly to the British government.
An 1871 hearing at the International Court in Geneva awarded damages of £820,000 against Britain to the US government for use of the port at Williamstown by the CSS
Shenandoah.
Victoria's major cargo port
Between 1857 and 1889, the main railway workshops of the
Victorian RailwaysThe Victorian Railways operated railways in the Australian state of Victoria from 1859 to 1983. The first railways in Victoria were private companies, but when these companies failed or defaulted, the Victorian Railways was established to take over their operations...
were at Point Gellibrand, and at their height covered 85% of Point Gellibrand. Imported steam locomotives were assembled at the
Williamstown WorkshopsThe Williamstown Workshops was the first railway workshop operated by the Victorian Railways, located in the Melbourne inner western suburb of Williamstown.-History:...
. After 1889 the extensive workshops were moved to nearby Newport.
By 1870, Williamstown was known as the major cargo port of Victoria, with
pierA pier is a raised structure, including bridge and building supports and walkways, over water, typically supported by widely spread piles or pillars...
s,
slipwayA slipway, boat slip or just a slip, is a ramp on the shore by which ships or boats can be moved to and from the water. They are used for building and repairing ships and boats. They are also used for launching and retrieving small boats on trailers and flying boats on their undercarriage. The...
s,
shipwrightsShipbuilding is the construction of ships and floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history.Shipbuilding and ship repairs, both...
, and gangs of
wharfiesStevedore, dockworker, docker, dock labourer, wharfie and longshoreman can have various waterfront-related meanings concerning loading and unloading ships, according to place and country....
, all working along the shore opposite Nelson Place. As well, the Customs Department,
pilotsA pilot is a mariner who guides ships through dangerous or congested waters, such as harbours or river mouths. With the exception of the Panama Canal, the pilot is only an advisor, as the captain remains in legal, overriding command of the vessel....
, the
Victorian NavyBefore Federation in 1901 five of the six separate colonies maintained their own naval forces for defence. The colonial navies were supported by the ships of the Royal Navy’s Australian Station which was established in 1859...
, and the Harbour Trust all established bases in Williamstown.
The foundation stone of the Alfred Graving Dock was laid on 4 January 1868 by
HRH Prince Alfred, KG, Duke of EdinburghAlfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was the third Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and reigned from 1893 to 1900. He was also a member of the British Royal Family, the second son and fourth child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha...
, who arrived in the
Royal NavyThe Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
's first ironclad,
HMS WarriorHMS Warrior was the first iron-hulled, armour-plated warship, built for the Royal Navy in response to the first ironclad warship, the French Gloire, launched a year earlier....
. Large excavations were necessary before the construction of the dock commenced. It was necessary to build an immense cofferdam, consisting of two curved walls, 1000 feet (304.8 m) in length, constructed of hardwood sheeting five inches (127 mm) thick. It was completed in July 1869, when boilers, engines and pumps were placed in position and pumping operations commenced. The cofferdam continued to perform its important function until March 1872, when following a south westerly gale, a portion of the north western area collapsed, and the dock was flooded to within four feet of the top of the masonry. It was subsequently discovered that the cofferdam in this section was erected over a vessel that had been sunk at the spot some years before. Four weeks elapsed before repairs were completed. When the water was pumped out, it was found that the masonry had not been appreciably damaged. The graving dock was completed on 14 September 1873, but the dock caisson was not finished and in position until February 1874.
HMCS NelsonHMS Nelson was a 126-gun first rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 4 July 1814 at Woolwich.She was converted into a screw ship in 1860, being cut down to a two decker and fitted with an engine of 2,102 ihp for a speed of ....
was the first to enter it (in 1874). Following the opening of the graving dock, many ships of various sizes and types were docked and repaired over the next 30 years.
The Alfred Graving Dock is historically significant as the first graving dock in Victoria and the third in Australia at that time, for its role in the development of the shipping industry in Port Phillip, for its continuous use as a Dockyard since its completion and for association with
William WardellWilliam Wilkinson Wardell was a Civil Engineer and Architect, notable not only for his work in Australia, the country to which he emigrated in 1858, but also for having a successful career as a surveyor, and an ecclesiastical architect in England and Scotland before his departure.In Australia,...
during his term as Inspector General of the Public Works Department.
Williamstown Baptist Church was officially founded in 1868, though a congregation had begun to form eight years earlier in response to an advertisement in the
Williamstown Chronicle dated Saturday, 24 November 1860. Baptismal services were performed at the back beach at Williamstown from 1861 through to 1868, the first being performed 10 March 1861 by the Rev. David Rees of South Yarra. The Oddfellows' Hall was rented for services from December 1868. The Presbyterian schoolroom in Cecil Street was later used, followed by the Temperance Hall from April 1870. The Tabernacle, now the Church of Christ on Douglas Parade, was used after this. In January 1876 services reverted to the Oddfellows' Hall. In 1884 the Baptist Church building on Cecil Street was officially opened.
In 1873, the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, founded in May 1853 as the Port Phillip Yacht Club, moved to its present site at 120 Nelson Place, adjacent to Gem Pier.
Williamstown North Primary School was established in 1874 and in that same year part of the market reserve was purchased from the Williamstown Council by the Education Department in order to build the Williamstown Primary School No. 1183. The school had first opened in 1873 at the Mechanics Institute, with increasing numbers of pupils necessitating the leasing of additional rooms for classrooms in the Temperance Hall in 1875 and the Methodist Church in 1876. In 1877 tenders were called for the erection of a new school building, a bluestone neo-Gothick edifice which was completed in 1878. Prior to its completion, children not enrolled in private schools in the area were taught at the Mechanics’ Institute. A model of the school was sent to the
1878 Paris ExhibitionThe third Paris World's Fair, called an Exposition Universelle in French, was held from 1 May through to 10 November 1878. It celebrated the recovery of France after the 1870 Franco-Prussian War.-Construction:...
, and it was cited as the best school in the Australian colonies.
A rifle range was opened at Williamstown in July 1876. This became the focal point for target rifle competition in Victoria for over a hundred years.
A Sailor's Rest establishment was built on Nelson Place in 1878, but for those sailors who sought more intoxicating entertainment there were innumerable local hotels.
In 1885, the prison hulks moored off Williamstown were ordered to be broken up.
Success escaped this fate. In 1890, it was bought by entrepreneurs and fitted out as a floating museum with life-like wax figures wearing prison clothes and manacles to depict the sensationalised stories of the convicts who had filled its cells while a prison hulk.
By the end of the nineteenth century, Williamstown was promoting itself as a holiday destination and 'health resort'. Its purity of air and seawater and the 'extent and natural beauty' of the Williamstown Beach (the Back Beach), combined with the adjacent Botanic Gardens were extolled as the perfect place for a summer retreat.
The Williamstown CYMS football club was formed in 1886 and remains one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia.
The Hobsons Bay Yacht Club, situated on Nelson Place at the end of Ferguson Street and adjacent to the pier, was established in 1888.
The foundation stone for the Masonic Hall for the Excelsior Lodge of Industry in Williamstown was laid by Sir WJ Clarke Bart LLD MLC on 16 August 1890. Designed by the prolific local architect, CJ Polain, it was constructed by local contractor, Robert Thomas Leak and completed by 1891. The design incorporated elements that expressed its Masonic function such as beehives (symbols of industry) and tablets.
The Yacht Club Hotel was built in 1892 at 207 Nelson Place, a site previously occupied by an iron-framed 'wooden' hotel called the Lord Clyde. It was owned by Carlton and West End Breweries, later the Carlton Brewery Ltd.
The Williamstown Hospital opened in 1894 when the community responded to the increasing risk of accidents from a busy port, the railway workshops and the growing industrial area of
NewportNewport is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 7 km south-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Hobsons Bay. At the 2006 Census, Newport had a population of 11,244.-History:...
,
SpotswoodSpotswood is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 7 km south-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Hobsons Bay...
and
FootscrayFootscray is a suburb 5 km west of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its Local Government Area is the City of Maribyrnong. At the 2006 Census, Footscray had a population of 11,401....
to establish Melbourne's first suburban public general hospital.
Williamstown Central Tennis Club was established in 1896 on a site at the corner of Ferguson Street and Melbourne Road.
The Williamstown Lacrosse Club was founded in 1898 at a meeting in the Williamstown Baptist Sunday School called by Arthur Whitley (son of the Minister). Arthur Whitley became the first Captain and Fred Scott the first secretary.
In 1899, the bodies that had been buried at Point Gellibrand were exhumed and reburied within the 70 acres (283,280.2 m²) of land on Champion Road that had been gazetted as the Williamstown Cemetery in 1857.
Early 20th century
By 1904, the population of Williamstown was about 15,000. The description of Williamstown in the 1904 edition of The Australian Handbook notes that principal hotels in Williamstown at that time were: the Steam Packet, Royal, Newport, Prince of Wales, Yacht Club, Morning Star, and Pier. There were also a further 34 hotels in the area. A 1904 guide to Williamstown promoted angling as one of the city’s attractions, though it advised that, for a better catch, it was best to row a little distance out into the Bay.
Williamstown Pier railway station was opened on 8 January 1905. The station existed primarily to serve the Williamstown docks precinct and was the terminus of the Williamstown line.
In 1906, one of the largest undertakings attempted by ship repairers in Australia was successfully accomplished at the Williamstown Dockyard. SS
Peregrine, a 1,660
GRTGross register tonnage a ship's total internal volume expressed in "register tons", one of which equals to a volume of . It is calculated from the total permanently enclosed capacity of the vessel. The ship's net register tonnage is obtained by reducing the volume of non-revenue-earning spaces i.e...
vessel of the Howard Smith Line, was lengthened amidships by 40 feet (12.2 m). This was perhaps the first jumboising operation undertaken in Australia.
In 1907, Mr Edwin Gaunt (owner of the Alfred Woollen Mills) opened the 'Empress Pavilion' for the entertainment of his workforce. The pavilion was a large building containing novelty rides, a roller skating rink, an ice-cream stall and a stage. Gaunt soon passed the building on to a new owner who established an open-air picture palace in conjunction with the Pavilion.
On 29 August 1908, a visiting American Fleet, consisting of sixteen battleships and six auxiliary vessels, steamed up Port Phillip. This was the famous '
Great White FleetThe Great White Fleet was the popular nickname for the United States Navy battle fleet that completed a circumnavigation of the globe from 16 December 1907 to 22 February 1909 by order of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt. It consisted of 16 battleships divided into two squadrons, along with...
' of the USN. During the 'Fleet Week' celebrations that followed, a collision occurred in Hobson's Bay on 4 September between the collier
USS AjaxUSS Ajax was a collier in the United States Navy. Originally she retained her previous name of Scindia, and was renamed for the mythical Ajax in 1901. In 1921, she became a receiving ship and was redesignated AC-14...
and the steamer SS
Leura. The latter vessel was crowded with sightseers. The tug
James Patterson went alongside and took on board the passengers from the SS
Leura. The vessel was towed up the river Yarra for repairs. The Alfred Graving Dock was hastily prepared for USS
Ajax, which proceeded there with pumps working continuously to keep down the in-rushing water. USS
Ajax was docked and a new stern, 63 feet (19.2 m) in length, was constructed and fitted.
The
Shipbuilding Yard at WilliamstownWilliamstown Dockyard was one of Australia's principal ship building yards at Williamstown, Victoria, Australia.The Colony of Victoria decided to construct a large slipway at Williamstown to provide ship repair facilities in 1856 and the Government Patent Slip was opened in 1858. Slip Pier was...
was officially opened by the Governor of Victoria,
Sir John FullerSir John Michael Fleetwood Fuller, 1st Baronet KCMG , was a British Liberal Party politician and colonial administrator....
, on Monday 7 April 1913. Soon after the Declaration of War on 4 August 1914, the Commonwealth Government requested the Williamstown Dockyard to undertake the conversion of merchant ships into transports. By 30 November the employment figures at the Dockyard had reached the record total of 1,500 men. Over the next two years, continual disputes between the State and Federal Governments over the use of non-union labour in the Dockyard led to a gradual decrease in the orders for fitting out troop transports.
In 1911, the Williamstown Picture Theatre opened in a building on part of the then future Town Hall site on Ferguson Street.
The Williamstown Hospital was expanded with the addition of the Male Ward in 1911 and the Female Ward in 1917.
Williamstown Sailing Club was formed in 1914, its facilities situation on The Strand at the end of Stevedore Street.
Extensive remodelling of the 1878 Williamstown Primary School building was undertaken in 1915. Between 1915 and 1919, new buildings were added to the former Grammar School building to form a quadrangle, and the new Williamstown High School was officially opened by Sir Alexander Peacock on 15 May 1921.
Heidelberg SchoolThe Heidelberg School was an Australian art movement of the late 19th century. The movement has latterly been described as Australian Impressionism....
impressionistImpressionism was a 19th-century art movement that originated with a group of Paris-based artists whose independent exhibitions brought them to prominence during the 1870s and 1880s...
artist
Walter WithersWalter Herbert Withers was an Australian landscape artist and a member of the Heidelberg School of Australian impressionists.- Biography :...
painted numerous landscapes of Williamstown around 1910, at a time when fellow Heidelberg School impressionist artist
Frederick McCubbinFrederick McCubbin was an Australian painter who was prominent in the Heidelberg School, one of the more important periods in Australia's visual arts history....
was also painting the Williamstown landscape. Between 1909 and 1915, McCubbin visited Williamstown on numerous occasions and produced sketches and watercolours of the foreshore and the old shipyards. He also produced a major oil painting of the Williamstown docks in 1915.
Inter-war period
Williamstown was proclaimed a
CityThe City of Williamstown was a Local Government Area located about southwest of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The city covered an area of , and existed from 1919 until 1994.-History:...
on 17 May 1919. Construction of the
Williamstown Town HallWilliamstown Town Hall is a civic building located in Williamstown, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia.The hall was built in the 1920s in the Greek revival style, and opened officially in 1927 ....
on Ferguson Street commenced a year earlier in 1918, but it was not officially opened until 1927.
In 1919, when Melbourne was struck with the dreaded
Spanish fluThe 1918 flu pandemic was an influenza pandemic, and the first of the two pandemics involving H1N1 influenza virus . It was an unusually severe and deadly pandemic that spread across the world. Historical and epidemiological data are inadequate to identify the geographic origin...
, the Williamstown Primary School was closed and used as a makeshift hospital for the ill.
In 1920, the Williamstown railway line was electrified.
The Williamstown Swimming and Life Saving Club was formed in 1922. Its clubhouse, at the western end of Williamstown Beach, was built much later, in 1935.
The Williamstown Croquet Club was formed on 18 October 1926 at a meeting in the Town Hall attended by Williamstown's Lord Mayor Councillor JJ Liston. A committee of nine was elected with Mrs. Liston as President. Many of the 39 lady members at the next meeting in December 1926 were prominent in Williamstown as the wives of local businessmen and city councillors, including the horse racing Underwood family, and the Keigs who owned Williamstown's largest department and haberdashery store. At this time women could play sport at the Williamstown Ladies' Bowling Club in Lyons Reserve (which had its own greens and pavilion next to the men's club), and at the Williamstown and Esplanade Tennis Club. However, croquet offered a more socially exclusive club for its members. Williamstown Council assisted the Club by offering land in the Victoria Street Council reserve and in January 1927, the Town Clerk confirmed the land was large enough for two A class Pennant Lawns. In July 1927, the Club paid a 200-pound contribution towards the Council's cost of establishing the lawns, which were officially opened in February 1928.
The Clubhouse was opened on 19 December 1929 by the mayoress, Mrs AG Paine.
Situated within foreshore parkland adjacent to the Williamstown Football Oval, the Williamstown Lawn Tennis Club pavilion was opened in September 1928.
In 1930, a
Royal CommissionIn Commonwealth realms and other monarchies a Royal Commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue. They have been held in various countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia...
was appointed to inquire into certain matters affecting the municipal government of the City of Williamstown.
The Williamstown and Newport Anglers Club was formed in 1933 and rented premises at 221 Nelson Place, moving next door to 223 in March 1935. In August 1939 the club was granted a site on the Esplanade and in 1941 a clubhouse was opened. A jetty and slipway were built the following year.
In 1934, the bluestone time ball tower (the former lighthouse) was extended by 30 feet (9.1 m) with a circular brick tower on top. The extension was then painted with a coat of aluminium paint and it was re-established as a lighthouse due to the loss of singularity against the light of the City behind the Point Gellibrand Pile Light. It was electric, gave a green and red light, had a visibility of 15 nautical miles (27.8 km) and operated as a lighthouse from 1934 to 1987.
A fierce storm struck Williamstown in 1934. The timber sea baths, which had stood at the eastern end of Williamstown Beach, were destroyed. The Williamstown Dressing Pavilion was constructed at the sea baths site in 1936. It was constructed as part of a sustenance works program. Also constructed as part that program was a pool on The Strand, near the Williamstown Sailing Club.
In 1936, the Royal Victorian Motor Boat Club (now known as the Royal Victorian Motor Yacht Club) was granted by the Melbourne Harbour Trust a lease to use land for clubrooms at 260 Nelson Place, a site formerly used as a woodyard.
Racing at Williamstown Racecourse ceased in 1940. The course, like the
Melbourne Cricket GroundThe Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
, was used to house troops. Racing was due to recommence after the war’s end, but fire destroyed the two grandstands.
Post-war period
Entering the post-war period there were homeless families living in dire conditions in makeshift shanties and tents in Williamstown. The Housing Commission of Victoria developed the Champion Road (Williamstown North) and West Newport estates during the mid to late 1940s. These estates represented a new approach to housing provision to address criticism of the poor quality of earlier estates. The semi-detached, gabled houses arranged in mirror-image pairs within the Champion Road Estate were constructed of red or clinker brick or stuccoed concrete walls.
In 1945, Williamstown defeated Port Melbourne in the Victorian Football Association's Grand Final, starting a golden era for the Williamstown Football Club during which its senior team played in 16 finals series, including 10 Grand Finals.
In 1946, the Williamstown Swimming and Life Saving Club wrote to the
Borough of QueenscliffeThe Borough of Queenscliffe is a municipality in Victoria, Australia. It is situated on the south coast, south-east of Geelong on the Bellarine Peninsula south of Swan Bay and next to the Port Phillip Heads, the entrance to Port Phillip Bay from Bass Strait.The Borough has an area of...
, suggesting that there was a need to establish a Surf Life Saving Club in Point Lonsdale.
Also in 1946, nine Williamstown residents met to form the Williamstown Little Theatre Movement. Through the 1950s and '60s, Williamstown Little Theatre had several homes in Williamstown; from the Mechanic’s Institute to the Williamstown Town Hall Supper Room and the former Missions to Seamen building in Nelson Place. In 1967 the theatre company moved into its current venue, a converted bakery on Albert Street.
In 1948, an electoral redistribution saw Williamstown included in the new Australian Federal electoral
Division of GellibrandThe Division of Gellibrand is anAustralian Electoral Division in Victoria. The division was created in 1949 and is named for Joseph Gellibrand, a pioneer settler of the Melbourne area...
, named after
Joseph Tice GellibrandJoseph Tice Gellibrand was the first attorney-general of Van Diemen's Land .-Early life:Joseph Tice Gellibrand was born in England, second son of William Gellibrand and Sophia Louisa, née Hynde...
(1786–1836). It was proclaimed in 1949 and was first won in that year by the
Australian Labor PartyThe Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
candidate, John Michael Mullens. He held the seat until 1955.
The
Rotary ClubRotary International is an organization of service clubs known as Rotary Clubs located all over the world. The stated purpose of the organization is to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help...
of Williamstown has established in March 1949.
After World War II, hundreds of thousands of displaced persons and assisted migrants came to Australia from Britain and Europe. Assisted migrants were guaranteed accommodation by the Australian Government and displaced persons who were assisted had to 'work as directed' for two years after their arrival. Government hostels were set up in a number of places in Victoria, including Williamstown. Williamstown Hostel (renamed Wiltona after 1969) opened in 1949 based at the Williamstown Racecourse. Migrants were housed in huts that had been used by the army during its occupation of the course during World War II. By 1952 there were 800 migrants here, mostly from Central Europe.
The destroyer
HMAS AnzacHMAS Anzac was a Battle class destroyer of the Royal Australian Navy . Named after the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, the destroyer was commissioned in 1951. The ship served on two tours of duty during the Korean War, and attempts to distinguish herself from British ships led to the...
was commissioned at Williamstown Naval Dockyard on 14 March 1951 under the command of Commander John Plunkett-Cole RAN.
In the 1950s and '60s, the popularity of Williamstown declined and it was viewed as a run-down industrialised centre.
The Department of the Army took control of the Fort Gellibrand site in 1959 and continued to use it predominantly as a proof
range. Repeated requests from the local community for proof range activities to cease eventually succeeded in 1962. Thereafter the Fort became an administrative centre and a holding depot for stocks for proof ranging at other Defence sites.
The Merritt Rifle Range at Williamstown was the rifle-shooting venue for the
1956 Olympic GamesThe 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, which could not be held in Australia due to quarantine regulations...
.
In 1958, the Williamstown and Newport Anglers Club was granted extra land and a new clubhouse and boat storage facility were officially opened on 18 November 1961.
In May 1962, the City of Williamstown annexed 83 hectares (205 acres) from the
Shire of AltonaThe City of Altona was a Local Government Area located about west of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The city covered an area of , and existed from 1957 until 1994.-History:...
.
Fort Gellibrand became the training and administrative centre for the 2nd Commando Company in 1966 and has continued to remain in this use since that time.
The Pile Light fire of 1976
The Pile Light anchored off Shelly Beach in 1860 was destroyed in 1976 when it was hit by the
Melbourne Trader, a vessel of 7,000 tonnes. The force of the collision snapped the piles at waterline area, the light was sheared off its piles at water level, pushed 7 metres (20 ft) sideways, and was left hanging precariously on several of the remaining piles. The engine room and lower deck were submerged and the house and light tower were balanced on a knife edge, threatening to topple over into deep water. At the time the piles were 70 years old and their diameter had diminished from 2 foot (0.6096 m) to about 9 inches in the tidal zone thus reducing the strength of the piles. The harbour master of the day was not prepared to risk any of his men to secure or repair the structure, as it was considered to be on the brink of tumbling into the sea, so reluctantly Ports & Harbours gave the order to set fire to it at 11 am on 23 June 1976.
Rifle range residential redevelopment and nature reserve
In 1987, the Victorian Government's Urban Land Authority purchased the former rifle range at Williamstown (comprising an area of around 110 hectares) from the Commonwealth Government for $11.7 million.
The development of the estate was accompanied by extensive public consultation, which emphasised creation of open space for passive recreation and preservation of the coastal strip. The coastal area had been virtually untouched by European settlement due to the 'protection' offered over the years by the active rifle range.
The Authority developed 60 hectares of the estate for housing and related commercial and community activities. Residential allotments were progressively released for sale from May 1991. The historic armoury building of the old rifle range was preserved, refurbished and is now as a funeral home set in a large formal garden.
The remaining 50 hectares was reserved for the protection of the surrounding environmentally sensitive area. This area, now known as the Jawbone Flora and Fauna Reserve consists of open grasslands for passive recreation, two wetland lakes, the saltmarsh and mangrove conservation area, Wader Beach and the
Kororoit CreekKororoit Creek is a major waterway of over 80 km in length in the north-west and western parts of Melbourne. Its headwaters are north of Sunbury at 400m above sea level in ordovician geology...
.
Present
In the past decade Williamstown has received a face lift and become a major
tourismTourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
drawcard. It retains the coherence and charm of a maritime village, due, in no small part, to the many historic buildings. A proliferation of cafes and restaurants are a major feature of Nelson Place which runs adjacent the foreshore while boats, yachts and dinghies decorate the shoreline and ships sail through the estuary en route to the
Port of MelbourneThe Port of Melbourne is Australia's busiest port for containerised and general cargo. It is located in Melbourne, Victoria and covers an area at the mouth of the Yarra River, downstream of Bolte Bridge, which is at the head of Port Phillip, as well as several piers on the bay itself...
.
The 2006
censusThe Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
puts the number of occupied private dwellings in Williamstown at 5,035, states that 66.5% of occupied private dwellings were family households, and the number of families is given as 3,372. The 2006 Census data also shows that 74.6% of persons usually resident in Williamstown stated they were born in Australia. Other common responses within Williamstown were:
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
4.8%,
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
1.5%,
ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
1.2%,
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
1.1% and
GreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
0.8%. The data also showed that 88.5% of persons usually resident in Williamstown were Australian citizens, 19.6% were born overseas and 0.7% were overseas visitors.
Williamstown is within the Victorian
electoral district of WilliamstownWilliamstown is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Victoria. It is a 33 km² urban electorate in the inner south-western suburbs of Melbourne, encompassing the suburbs of Brooklyn, Newport, Spotswood, Williamstown and Yarraville...
. The 2007 by-election was triggered by the resignation of
Steve BracksStephen Philip Bracks AC is a former Australian politician and the 44th Premier of Victoria. He first won the electoral district of Williamstown in 1994 for the Australian Labor Party, and was party leader and Premier from 1999 to 2007....
as both Premier of Victoria and the Member for Williamstown. Wade Noonan successfully contested the election with 61.7% of the primary vote. The Liberal Party did not contest the seat in 2007.
The November 2010 State Election saw a very different result with a huge swing against the government. The ALP's primary vote was 46.75% (compared to 61.7 in 2007), with the Liberal Party polling 32.5% of the primary vote.
The community had been very vocal in the lead up to the election in their opposition to plans for a modern, high-rise and high-density development planned by Evolve Development, which if built would overlook the Point Gellibrand Coastal Park and Historic Williamstown (former Naval) Shipyards. 2010 saw major protests and community rallies in Williamstown against the Minister for Planning's (Justin Madden) decision to rezone the former Port Phillip Woollen Mill site (owned by the O'Brien family) and adjacent land to RESIDENTIAL without allowing the responsible authority (Hobsons Bay City Council) to manage the planning process. This exclusion of the community in deciding the outcome of the historic Point Gellibrand site and being seen to support inappropriate development in this historic precinct saw a swing away from the government greater than the state average even though the local member, Wade Noonan, publicly supported the community in their stand against the high-rise, high-density development.
The community is now (as at December 2010) waiting to see if the new Coalition Government will in fact honour their campaign pledges re inappropriate development in Williamstown and throughout the state.
Heritage buildings and sites
- Williamstown Landing Place (Syme Street). The eastern end of Commonwealth Reserve was used as an early landing place to unload stock as early as 1836, and was probably near or on the subsequent site of Gem Pier. This led Governor Bourke to recommend the installation of quay facilities here in 1837. Around that time, Nelson Place was occupied by primitive wharves, substantial warehouses, blacksmiths, carpenters, merchants, watermen, pilots and customs officers who occupied structures built of split timber and bark. Originally there was only a narrow strip of land between the Road and the high water mark, until the foreshore land in this area was reclaimed by the Melbourne Harbour Trust from 1879 to 1881 to create the Commonwealth Reserve.
- Gem Pier & Commonwealth Reserve (Syme Street and Nelson Place). A 30-metre stone jetty was built by convict labour in 1838 where Gem Pier
Gem Pier is an historic pier on Port Phillip Bay, in Williamstown, Victoria, Australia. The pier is in length and is currently home to the museum ship HMAS Castlemaine and Melbourne Seaplanes.-History:...
now stands at the end of Syme Street. Permanently stationed at Gem Pier is the Bathurst class corvetteThe Bathurst class corvettes were a class of general purpose vessels produced in Australia during World War II. Originally classified as minesweepers, but widely referred to as corvettes, the Bathurst class vessels fulfilled a broad anti-submarine, anti-mine, and convoy escort role.Sixty Bathurst...
HMAS CastlemaineHMAS Castlemaine , named for the city of Castlemaine, Victoria, was one of 60 Bathurst class corvettes constructed during World War II, and one of 36 initially manned and commissioned solely by the Royal Australian Navy ....
(1942) - a World War II minesweeper which was built at the local shipyards. It is now used as a maritime museum. Aside from the ship itself there is a collection of nautical memorabilia and exhibits within its confines. Bay cruises and returns trips to SouthbankSouthbank is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia located direct south of the Yarra River opposite Melbourne's Hoddle Grid. The northernmost area is considered part of the Central Business District and Central Activities District of the city. Its Local Government Area are the...
depart from Gem Pier. Commonwealth Reserve is located in the heart of historic Williamstown, on the foreshore adjacent to Gem Pier. The park was originally a mudflat adjacent to the Bay, before being reclaimed. The planting style consists of formal avenues of elms. A number of heritage items are located in the reserve including the Tide Gauge House (formerly at Point Gellibrand), the anchorAn anchor is a device, normally made of metal, that is used to connect a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the vessel from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ancora, which itself comes from the Greek ἄγκυρα .Anchors can either be temporary or permanent...
of HMS NelsonHMS Nelson was a 126-gun first rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 4 July 1814 at Woolwich.She was converted into a screw ship in 1860, being cut down to a two decker and fitted with an engine of 2,102 ihp for a speed of ....
and the Wilkinson Drinking Fountain.
- Tide Gauge House (Nelson Place). Built by convict labour at Point Gellibrand in 1857 to house one of three tide gauge
A tide gauge is a device for measuring sea level and detecting tsunamis.Sensors continuously record the height of the water level with respect to a height reference surface close to the geoid...
s that arrived from England in 1855, the bluestone Tide Gauge House is associated with the origin of the Australian Height DatumThe Australian Height Datum is a geodetic datum for altitude measurement in Australia. According to Geoscience Australia, "In 1971 the mean sea level for 1966-1968 was assigned the value of zero on the Australian Height Datum at thirty tide gauges around the coast of the Australian continent...
. The tide gauge continued to operate where it was originally constructed until 1943 when silting up of the site reputedly interfered with its operation. The filling in of the boat harbour in 1955 required that the building be moved to its present site in the Commonwealth Reserve.
- Former Bank of Australasia (189 Nelson Place). Designed by Reed and Barnes and constructed by Pearce and Murray in 1876-77, this was the eighth branch to be constructed for the Bank since its incorporation in 1835 and is believed to be the first suburban example. The bank reputedly paid £47 per foot frontage for their site, conducting an extensive examination of the soil conditions before building. Accommodation was provided upstairs for the manager and between 1877 and 1902 the bank managers were William Pestell, Henry Crossley, and John Davies. It became a branch of the ANZ bank in 1951. Today the building is occupied by Banque Restaurant.
- Former Bay View Hotel (175 Nelson Place). Described at the time of its construction as 'a reflex of internal comfort' as well 'as a marked improvement' to the architecture of Nelson Place, this hotel was designed by Gordon McCrae and built by Mr Ingham in 1910, soon after the establishment of the Licenses Reduction Board in 1906. As with many other Williamstown hotels (refer to 39 Cecil Street, 3 Electra Street) there was an earlier wooden hotel of the same name on the same site. The building is now used as a restaurant.
- The Wilkinson Memorial Drinking Fountain (Cnr Syme Street and Nelson Place). Inaugurated on 17 October 1876 by the Bishop of Ballarat, Dr Thornton, in the presence of the Mayor of Williamstown, ministers of all denominations and over 2000 people, the Wilkinson Memorial Drinking Fountain is the earliest known memorial drinking fountain in Melbourne. The cast-iron drinking fountain, imported from Possilpark
Possilpark is a district in the Scottish city of Glasgow, situated north of the River Clyde. Following the closure of the Saracen Foundry in 1967, this section of Glasgow has become one of the poorest in the United Kingdom, with an above average crime rate....
, GlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
where it had been cast in the Saracen FoundryThe Saracen Foundry was the better known name for the Possilpark, Glasgow based foundry company W MacFarlane & Co. Ltd, founded and owned by Walter MacFarlane. Macfarlane's was the most important manufacturer of ornamental ironwork in Scotland....
of Walter Macfarlane & Co, had been paid for by public subscription to commemorate the Reverend George Wilkinson, the local Anglican minister who had died the previous year. The elaborate canopy comprises four columns rising to form arches with decorated mouldings, encircling ornamental shields, one of which reads 'Wilkinson Memorial Drinking Fountain 1875', inscriptions on two sides of 'Keep the pavement dry', and carvings of griffins, all surmounted by a richly decorated dome culminating in a crown. The pedestal and basin are also highly decorative, including carved reptilian creatures on the pedestal. The original copper water beakers were removed about 1935.
- Former English, Scottish and Australian Bank (139 Nelson Place). Also known as the Mission to Seaman, and now occupied by Breizoz Crêpes, this building originally housed the second suburban branch of the fifteen ES&A banks known to have been built in Victoria. It was the first major purpose built bank branch in Williamstown.
- Williamstown Customs House (Cnr Syme Street and Nelson Place). A stuccoed structure erected from 1873, to designs presumably by the Public Works Department of Victoria, the building is architecturally significant as a fine and relatively intact example of conservative Classical revival style architecture. It served as a Customs House, offices and residence.
- Jacks & McIntosh Boat Repair Facilities (120 Nelson Place and 36 Syme Street). One of the first private boatbuilders in Williamstown, Jacks and McIntosh boatbuilders and shipwrights were located at the end of Thompson Street in 1841. Immigration and Harbour Master's Offices had taken over the site by 1856 and a stone jetty had been built in the NE corner of the site diagonal to the current shoreline. By 1877, the site was occupied by both a 'yacht club', and the water police situated in the site's SE corner with a jetty on the eastern waterfront. By 1894, the Nelson place end of the site was occupied by the water police with an associated jetty, boat ramp or slipway. The site is now occupied by the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria.
- Williamstown Immigration Office and Depot (120 and 123 Nelson Place). These offices were established in Nelson Place near the corner of Thompson Street in the mid to late 1850s to process new arrivals during the gold rush.
- Craigantina (125-129 Nelson Place). Comprising three two storey shops and residences, Craigantina was constructed in 1886 for John Harker Craig. The City of Williamstown rate books show Mr Craig as the owner of this site in 1885-86 when it was described as containing a house with a Net Annual Value of £65. By the following year, the new buildings are described; the larger corner building was occupied by Mr Craig himself, while the others were rented to a draper, Andrew J Aitkens, and a baker, Frederick Woods. Mr Craig was a Williamstown City Councilor between 1887 and 1891, and served a term as Mayor in 1888-89.
- Former Royal Hotel (85 Nelson Place). The grand scale of the Royal Hotel is a consequence of change to Victoria's licensing laws in 1877, which required hotels to have a minimum of 30 rooms of minimum dimensions to be licenced. The architect of the brick hotel, completed by 1893, was hotel specialist T. Anthoness and the builder was Henry Hick.
- The Old Morgue (Ann Street). Now situated in the old Port of Melbourne Authority site, the former morgue is one of Williamstown's early structures, important architecturally but more especially for its role in Williamstown's history. The Georgian style building is believed to be the first morgue erected in Victoria (at its original location near Gem Pier in 1859) and was constructed in bluestone
Bluestone is a cultural or commercial name for a number of dimension or building stone varieties, including:*a feldspathic sandstone in the U.S. and Canada;*limestone in the Shenandoah Valley in the U.S...
with convict labour. The building was subsequently relocated three times.
- Williamstown Dockyards, including Alfred Graving Dock (Ann Street and Nelson Place). A number of historically significant piers, slipways, docks and shipyards have been located in the Williamstown Dockyards precinct. Slip Pier was built in 1858 and was used in conjunction with the Government Patent Slip. It was later known as the Lady Loch Jetty after the similarly named Government steamer. The pier and Government Patent Slipway were demolished in 1919. In 1858, the Victorian Government recommended that a reserve be set aside for a graving dock and dockyard. Construction commenced in 1868, and was completed in 1874. The dock was designed by William Hardell for the Public Works Department, and it was the largest structure of its type in the southern hemisphere. The Dockyard Pier, originally known as Dock Pier was constructed in 1874 for use with vessels engaged in pre/post docking in the Alfred Graving Dock. In the 1870s, the railway department contracted for the construction of a new pier to meet increased demand imposed by wool and later grain handling. When completed in 1878, it was initially referred to as the Western Pier, but was later renamed New Railway Pier. It was rebuilt in 1915 and 1927 and was renamed Nelson Pier in 1923. The pier and surrounding land was purchased by the Commonwealth in 1967, and use of the facility declined. Demolition work began in 1979 due to its poor condition. Nelsons Pier West was constructed in 1978 to replace the nearby Nelson Pier. It provided two cranes and two berths for the refitting and outfitting of warships. Reid St Pier was constructed for the Melbourne Harbour Trust for exclusive use with its own floating plant in September 1891. It was later used to house the tug fleet, and was rebuilt in 1949.
- Former Oriental Hotel (55 Nelson Place). There has been a hotel on this site since 1856 when the original 'Barkly Arms' was erected. Constructed c.1871 after a fire destroyed the older building, it was renamed the 'Oriental' in 1881.
- Former Prince of Wales Hotel (1 Nelson Place). Originally constructed c.1857, possibly to a design by Charles Laing, this is one of the oldest hotels and public buildings in Williamstown. It was first owned by the surgeon John Wilkins. Today it is occupied by the Titantic Theatre Restaurant.
- Gellibrand Pier and Breakwater Pier (off Battery Road). The Gellibrand Railway Pier was constructed between 1854 and 1859 by the Melbourne Mount Alexander and Murray River Railway Company. The first stage of the work, undertaken by contractors Musson and Bourne, involved the construction of a solid embankment, some 244 metres long, into the bay, part of which is now covered by the approaches of the existing pier. In 1857 contractors Evans Merry & Co built a 183 metre timber extension. The original two major wings on each side of the Pier were altered and extended until their removal sometime between the early 1880s and 1894. The Pier was remodelled and extended in 1963 to take tankers. Breakwater Pier was constructed as a timber breakwater with an embanked approach from 1859 to 1861 by contractors McKay and McDonald. The Pier, which incorporated an earlier (1857) octagonal tide gauge house, was constructed over an existing stone pier which had been built by convicts in 1852-53. The pier structure was designed as a two level structure on the landward end to allow access to the tide gauge house on one level with the railway on the other level. The side of the pier was straightened in the 1880s and it was lengthened in 1933-34. The pier was remodelled in 1954 to take tankers, at which time the tide gauge house was relocated to Commonwealth Reserve.
- Williamstown Lighthouse
The Williamstown Lighthouse is situated at Gellibrand Point, in the Melbourne suburb of Williamstown. It was erected in 1852, and replaced earlier navigational aids established from the time of the first settlement in 1835. Built of local basalt, the unusual square plan form is the second oldest in...
or Timeball Tower at Point Gellibrand (Battery Road). Built in 1855 by convict labour, this bluestoneBluestone is a cultural or commercial name for a number of dimension or building stone varieties, including:*a feldspathic sandstone in the U.S. and Canada;*limestone in the Shenandoah Valley in the U.S...
tower originally operated as a lighthouse and still operates as a timeballA time ball is a large painted wooden or metal ball that drops at a predetermined time, principally to enable sailors to check their marine chronometers from their boats offshore...
. The tower is part of the Point Gellibrand Coastal Heritage Park, which is managed by Parks Victoria-Department:Parks Victoria was established in December 1996 as a statutory authority, reporting to the Minister for Environment and Climate Change. The Parks Victoria Act 1998 makes Parks Victoria responsible for managing national parks, reserves and other land under the control of the state,...
.
- Fort Gellibrand (Battery Road). A 2.8 hectare site located near Point Gellibrand at the southernmost tip of Williamstown, Fort Gellibrand is of historical importance to the State of Victoria for its association with the development of defence strategies for the colony in the nineteenth century and for its association with the convict hulk period of the penal system in the colony. The Point Gellibrand shore batteries were first developed as part of an immediate defensive system for the city and port of Melbourne, prior to the establishment of batteries at the Port Phillip
Port Phillip Port Phillip Port Phillip (also commonly referred to as Port Phillip Bay or (locally) just The Bay, is a large bay in southern Victoria, Australia; it is the location of Melbourne. Geographically, the bay covers and the shore stretches roughly . Although it is extremely shallow for...
heads. The fort site contains the only remaining visible physical evidence of the system of four battery positions at Point Gellibrand from this period. The batteries at the fort were upgraded in the 1870s and 1880s, and the fort remained an integral part of the defensive system for Port Philip up until the late 1880s and 1890s. Today, the Fort is home to a reserve commando regiment of the Australian Army, the 2 Commando Company of the 1st Commando Regiment.
- Williamstown Beach (The Esplanade). The wide, sandy beach is 880m long and faces almost due south, receiving waves during strong southerlies. It is fronted by an attached bar that widens to the west. At low tide, it can be a 100 metres wade before you can swim off the bar. A foreshore reserve is located at the eastern end and contains the Anglers Club, the pier, a car park, a park and a picnic area. Williamstown Swimming and Life Saving Club is located at the western end where the bar is relatively shallow and it is safest to swim. Close to both Williamstown
Williamstown is a railway station in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia located in the suburb of Williamstown, and is the terminus of the Williamstown railway line...
and railway stations, this is a very accessible and popular beach.
- Former Lawn House (92 The Esplanade). In 1889-90 Williamstown's prolific contractor, John Garnsworthy, built this house for his own use and lived there for at least the following fifteen years until the construction of his last residence, 'White House', at 5 The Strand. Mr Garnsworthy performed a number of large civil contracts throughout the State as part of the firm of Garnsworthy & Smith. These include the first contract for the costly formation of the entrance to the Gippsland Lakes (1883 for £13,328) and the Warrnambool breakwater (1884). Locally, his firm constructed part of the MMBW pumping station and the Melbourne Glass Bottle Works complex, both in Spotswood. Mr Garnsworthy was also on the first 'election' committee for the Williamstown Cottage Hospital after its incorporation in 1893.
- The Williamstown Hospital (Railway Crescent). The Williamstown Hospital was opened on its present site in 1894. Enlarged and extended many times over the years, only part of the original building still survives and is only partly visible from Stewart Street.
- Williamstown Croquet Club Pavilion (Victoria Street). Designed by Morsby & Coates and constructed in 1930, the Williamstown Croquet Club pavilion illustrates the development of Victoria Street as a fashionable middle class enclave in Williamstown during the Interwar period.
- Williamstown Station precinct (Ann and Thompson Streets). The Williamstown railway station
Williamstown is a railway station in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia located in the suburb of Williamstown, and is the terminus of the Williamstown railway line...
building and platform canopy, brick toilet block, timber and corrugated iron shed, platform, the Ann Street footbridge and the Thompson Street road bridge are all listed on the Victorian Heritage Register as it is the only substantially intact station precinct remaining from the original construction period of the Williamstown railway line. Builders Kerr, Hodgson and Billings commenced work on the timber building in 1858. Williamstown railway station is of architectural significance as the second oldest railway station in Victoria to survive relatively intact and as the oldest timber railway station building to survive in the State. The strap-work truss and timber Ann Street footbridge with cast iron step stringers and columns was installed c 1883. The Thompson Street Road Bridge was also part of the initial works on the Williamstown line in the 1850s, and the bluestone construction of the abutments is indicative of the stone quarrying industry already established at Point Gellibrand at that time.
- Williamstown Mechanics Institute (Electra Street). One of Hobsons Bay's most historic sites, the foundation stone of the present building, originally a Mechanics Institute was laid in 1860. The institute now houses the Williamstown Historic society and a wealth of memorabilia about the local area and its development through the years, in addition to the thriving Williamstown Musical Theatre Company (WMTC) which has a vast history itself and stages various Musicals, Revues and Festiavls throughout the year. www.wmtc.org.au
- Excelsior Lodge of Industry Masonic Temple (Electra Street). Located close to the Mechanics Institute, this single-storey, red brick hall with a symmetrical Classical facade provides a powerful illustration of the importance of Masonic associations in the development of the Williamstown community during the nineteenth century and early twentieth century.
- Park House, former Presbyterion Manse (27 Lyons Street). Designed by architect David Ross and built in 1856, this two-storey bluestone Georgian building was purchased in 1886 by Henty Hick and renamed Park House.
- Former George Hotel (Lyons Street). An original timber building established in 1863 was replaced by the present building in 1872. The first licensee was George Gobal, a local councillor who served as Lord Mayor in 1879-80. The hotel was delicensed in 1927 and became a rooming house until 1978.
- Former City of Williamstown Municipal Offices and Town Hall (Ferguson Street). The former Williamstown Municipal Offices uses an austere form of Italian and French Renaissance typical of the 1920s in Melbourne, were opened by the State Governor, Sir Arthur Stanley, in May 1919, almost one year after the foundation stone had been laid by the Mayor of Williamstown, Cr C Knowles on 5 June 1918. Following the amalgamation in 1994 of the City Williamstown with the City of Altona (and parts of other municipalities) the majority of municipal and administrative functions were transferred to the civic centre at Civic Parade, Altona. The buildings are currently undergoing restoration.
- Former Williamstown City Council Electricity Supply Department (Bath Place). A near original example of an Interwar industrial building, the Williamstown City Council Electricity Supply Department building was designed for the Council by architects Frederick Morsby and HF Coates and constructed in 1929. This building in one of only two identified in the municipality that were directly associated with the Electricity Supply Department; the other is a former substation building in Stevedore Street.
- Former Punshon's Store (Ferguson Street). Designed by C. J. Polain, construction of this General store with cellar and roof garden was completed in 1890.
- Former Melbourne Savings Bank (Ferguson Street). This building, now a residence and Dive shop, was opened as a branch of the Melbourne Savings Bank on 14 February 1887. It became a branch of the State Savings Bank of Victoria
The State Bank of Victoria was a bank that existed from 1842 until 1990 when it was taken over by the Commonwealth Bank. It was owned by the State of Victoria....
or 'State Bank' in 1912. In 1991 it became a branch of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia until 30 June 1995.
- The Williamstown Rowing Club (End of Stanley Street, The Strand). Whilst the Rowing Club began in 1869, it did not purchase this site until 1875. The boathouse was added in 1876.
- Ruffle's Pier (The Strand). Pilot Thomas Ruffle built a stone jetty on the Strand, angled to the shore to reach deep water, sited nearby the present Anchorage Restaurant. His residence, Maxwelton, was located across the road from it. Ruffles advertised a ferry service in Sept 1856 and 1860, established at North Williamstown, to ply between his pier and Dalgano & Co. wharf, and to service steamers plying the Yarra. Ruffles died after an argument with locals over theft of stone from the pier structure. The wooden upper section of the jetty was removed sometime after his death in 1863 and before the construction of Barber's Pier in 1879.
- Mandalay (24 The Strand). This two storey, colonial, Georgian derived style house was erected to the designs of surveyor William Bull in 1858 for ships chandler captain William Probert. Constructed of stuccoed bluestone, Mandalay is representative of the substantial houses which lined Hobsons Bay in the nineteenth century, many with their own piers across The Strand.
- Craigdoon (14 The Strand). Constructed in 1876-77 for Peter Murray, who sold groceries, wine and spirits at his shop in Nelson Place, three doors west of Ann Street, from the late 1860s. Mr Murray remained in this house until at least 1910, adding five rooms from 1885 onward.
- William Thomas Liley's House (12 The Strand). This stone house with six rooms was built in 1862 for one of the longest serving pilots on the harbour, William Thomas Liley. He owned the house and resided there until after 1896. John Garnsworthy lived here for a time early this century prior to building the 'White House'.
- Terrace Houses (10-11 The Strand). These two brick houses, each of six rooms, were built in 1881 for Samuel David Thomas, who had earlier been a successful gold miner and property speculator. He retained ownership of both houses until at least 1896, living in 10 and leasing 11 to various professional gentlemen, including Alex Wilson, an engineer; Richard Dowman, a Councillor; Robert Williams, a contractor; and a sea captain, Walter Vincent.
- Cast iron fence and gates of Maritimo (8-9 The Strand). On this site in 1885, William H Croker, a local solicitor who specialized in maritime law, built his impressive boom-style towered mansion. He named it 'Maritimo'. It is presumed that the fine cast iron fence was constructed sometime soon after. Maritimo was demolished in 1973, despite a long and concerted battle by local residents and conservation groups to save it, but the early front fence was saved.
- White House (5 The Strand). Prominent Williamstown builder, John Garnsworthy (by then retired), commissioned this initially seven room stuccoed concrete house in 1907 at a reported cost of £1100. The villa was designed by him and erected under his supervision. The foundations alone cost £200, apparently in a bid to defeat the uncertain footings which had caused severe cracking in most of Williamstown's major masonry buildings. He employed a similar approach in the Modern Buildings.
- Ferguson Street Pier (Intersection of Nelson Place, The Strand and Ferguson Street). Initially called the Rosny Pier, tenders were called to construct this pier in 1924. Due to a dispute between over jurisdiction, the shoreward bluestone section of the pier was built by the Williamstown City Council, and the seaward end was built by the Melbourne Harbour Trust. In 1965, the Hobsons Bay Yacht Club was granted permission to moor its vessels on the south side of the pier, and has since expanded to occupy both sides of the pier. The pier was reconstructed in 2002/03.
- Harts boatbuilding yard (Nelson Place near Ferguson Street). Sandwiched between the Ferguson St Pier and The Dredging Depot, it constructed small boats and yachts. The boatyard was offered for sale in 1893, and the land appears to have been purchased by the Hobsons Bay Yacht Club, who still occupy the site.
- Former Port Health Officer's residence (231 Nelson Place). Listed in the Victorian Heritage Register, this former residence and surgery is a distinctive and important example of a classical Revival town residence. It was built in 1852.
- Blunts Boatyard and Slipway (Nelson Place). A rare operating example of the many small scale boat-building and repairing businesses which have operated on the Williamstown foreshore from the 1850s on, the Blunt family boat building business has operated continuously on this site in Williamstown since the 1880s. The site is entered in the Victorian Heritage Register.
- Wlliamstown Navy Sea Cadets depot (Nelson Place, between Pasco and Parker Streets). The White Brothers operated a slipway here from at least 1877. The slipway was built on the northern side of the site, with a jetty the same length to the south. The facility is known to have been still operating in 1894. Substantial land reclamation was undertaken at the site sometime prior to 1907. Early photographs show the long pier still standing on the site in c 1925.
- The Modern Buildings (213-215 Nelson Place). In 1909, on the former site of a timber auction rooms and wood merchant's yard owned by John Morgan, two concrete masonry shops and residences were erected by Williamstown builder John Garnsworthy. His tenants included a boot maker, a boot seller, and a watchmaker. The site is now occupied by Hobson's Choice, a restaurant.
- Former Advertiser Building (205 Nelson Place). Built between 1885 and 1888 for the proprietors of the Williamstown Advertiser, it served as both a printery for the newspaper and a shipping exchange. The building features a richly decorated facade with a frieze depicting William Caxton
William Caxton was an English merchant, diplomat, writer and printer. As far as is known, he was the first English person to work as a printer and the first to introduce a printing press into England...
.
- Former Williamstown Post Office (Cole Street). Built in several stages, beginning in 1859 just after the municipality was constituted, the Post Office typified public works design of the period. Extensive alterations transformed the building in 1895.
- Steam Packet Hotel (corner Aitken and Cole Streets). A two storey Classical Revival structure built in 1863 (to replace an earlier building), the Steam Packet Hotel was first opened in the mid 1850s.
Schools
Primary schools in the area include
St. Mary's Primary School,
Williamstown Primary School and
Williamstown North Primary School.
State High schools in the area include Bayside Secondary College and
Williamstown High SchoolWilliamstown High School is a Public secondary school located in the Melbourne suburb of Williamstown. The school consists of two campuses both located in Williamstown.It is possibly the best school in victoria and everyone there is the bomb...
, (Pasco and Bayview Street Campuses). In 2008 Williamstown High School’s new $11 million Bayview Street campus development won the Victorian Premier's Sustainability Award. Students are able to compare their resource usage on a daily basis and between other facilities as an integrated energy monitoring system has been installed displaying water, gas and electricity consumption on screens around the school.
The Junior School at the Williamstown campus of
Westbourne Grammar SchoolWestbourne Grammar School is an independent and non-denominational Christian co-educational day school in Truganina, in the western suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
is housed in the National Trust classified Victorian mansion "Monomeith" at 67 The Strand.
Places of worship
- St. Mary's Catholic Church (Cecil Street).
- St Andrew's Presbyterian Church (Cecil Street).
- Holy Trinity Church of England (Nelson Place). A Gothic Revival style bluestone Church constructed to the designs of architect Leonard Terry between 1871 and 1874 to replace an imported prefabricated iron structure erected in the 1850s, it is distinguished by its two roof pitches, large west window, varied window forms and proportions generally. A five bay Church with side aisles and nave, it was not erected to its planned size and the projected tower and spire were never built.
- St. John's (Methodist) Uniting Church (Electra Street).
- Williamstown Gospel Mission Church (Electra Street).
- St. Stephen's Uniting Church (179 Melbourne Road).
- Stevedore Street Uniting Church (Stevedore Street, east of Douglas Parade). A Gothic Revival style bluestone Church designed by architect Joseph Schneider
Joseph Schneider was an Australian architect active during the 1850s through 1870s.Among his works is the Stevedore Street Uniting Church in Williamstown, Victoria. It is a Gothic Revival style bluestone church designed built ca. 1870. The proportions of the lantern and spire to its base and the...
and built c1870. The proportions of the lantern and spire to its base and the detailing of the enframed storey are unusual.
- Church of Christ (Douglas Parade).
Industry, commerce and tourism
Representative of Williamstown’s maritime history, large scale maritime industry dominates Williamstown's piers precinct and a maritime theme characterises the Nelson Place tourism precinct.
BAE Systems AustraliaBAE Systems Australia, a subsidiary of BAE Systems plc, is the largest defence contractor in Australia. It was formed by the merger of British Aerospace Australia and GEC-Marconi Systems and expanded by the acquisitions of Armor Holdings in 2007 and Tenix Defence in June 2008.-History:BAE Systems'...
's Marine division (formerly Tenix) has operated out of Williamstown dockyards for nearly 20 years, during which time it has built
ANZAC-class frigatesThe Anzac class is a ship class of ten frigates; eight operated by the Royal Australian Navy and two operated by the Royal New Zealand Navy...
for the
Royal Australian NavyThe Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...
, and will also conduct completion of the Canberra class Landing Helicopter Dock vessels.
The Nelson Place tourism precinct offers some of Melbourne's best waterfront eateries, many catering for
al fresco dining and some with spectacular views of Melbourne's city skyline through the masts of bobbing boats on the foreshore. Also located on Nelson Place is a diverse range of arts, crafts and other speciality shops.
Around the corner from Nelson Place there is a local retail sector operating on Ferguson Street and Douglas Parade. Ferguson Street has a mix of restaurants, cafes, two hotels and a range of retail shops. This mix of small retail businesses extends around the corner into Douglas Parade.
In Williamstown North there remains a rump of railway engineering industry. There is also a light-industrial/commercial park.
Arts and culture
The Williamstown Festival, held each year in March/April, is the major Community Festival for the Western Region of Melbourne. It celebrates and promotes the unique identity of Williamstown, focusing on its spectacular seaport setting as well as the community's vibrant cultural life. The festival theme for 2008 is "The Circus is Coming to Town".
Now in its seventh year, the Williamstown Literary Festival (held in May) is a popular local cultural event focusing on literature, drama and writing which presents established and emerging writers and literary figures. There is a strong focus on local participation, with the annual Peoples Choice awards showcasing aspiring local writers and poets. The annual Ada Cambridge short story prize gives local scribblers another opportunity to strut their literary stuff and is unique to the West.
The theme for 2011 is Taking A Line for a Walk and takes place from 25 April to 1 May, at the Williamstown Town Hall.
A maritime museum is located on board the
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
minesweepingA minesweeper is a small naval warship designed to counter the threat posed by naval mines. Minesweepers generally detect then neutralize mines in advance of other naval operations.-History:...
corvetteA corvette is a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft or fast attack craft , although many recent designs resemble frigates in size and role...
HMAS CastlemaineHMAS Castlemaine , named for the city of Castlemaine, Victoria, was one of 60 Bathurst class corvettes constructed during World War II, and one of 36 initially manned and commissioned solely by the Royal Australian Navy ....
, which is tied up at Gem Pier adjacent to Commonwealth Reserve.
Williamstown Little Theatre, located at a converted bakery at 2-4 Albert Street, is one of the leading non-professional theatre companies in Melbourne. Since 1946 it has presented quality, affordable theatre to the people of Williamstown and the wider community.
Sports and recreation
There is a strong maritime feel to Williamstown, created by both the presence of the
Williamstown LighthouseThe Williamstown Lighthouse is situated at Gellibrand Point, in the Melbourne suburb of Williamstown. It was erected in 1852, and replaced earlier navigational aids established from the time of the first settlement in 1835. Built of local basalt, the unusual square plan form is the second oldest in...
,
BAE SystemsBAE Systems plc is a British multinational defence, security and aerospace company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, that has global interests, particularly in North America through its subsidiary BAE Systems Inc. BAE is among the world's largest military contractors; in 2009 it was the...
(ship building yard proprietors) and the many yachts floating on Hobsons Bay. The Williamstown Sailing Club, Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, Hobson's Bay Yacht Club, and Royal Victorian Motor Yacht Club are all located on Nelson Place.
The Williamstown Seagulls are a semi-professional
Victorian Football LeagueThe Victorian Football League which evolved from the former Victorian Football Association , taking its new name as from the 1996 season, is the premier Australian rules football league in Victoria The Victorian Football League (VFL) which evolved from the former Victorian Football Association...
team that plays out of
Burbank OvalBurbank Oval, formerly known as the Morris St. Oval, is located at Morris Street, Williamstown, Victoria. It backs onto Port Phillip Bay, and is next to the Esplanade....
, experiencing recent success with a premiership in 2003.
Williamstown CYMS Football Club is the senior amateur football club of Williamstown. It is located down the road from Burbank Oval at the scenic Fearon Reserve adjacent to the Williamstown Botanic Gardens at Williamstown Beach. The CYs were formed in 1886 and currently field three teams in the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA) winning back to back premierships in both senior and reserve grade in 2008-09.
The Williamstown Juniors Football Club fielded 17 teams in the WRFL for 2007, the highest of any club. Notable AFL players from Williamstown Juniors are Daniel Giansiracusa of the Western Bulldogs, and Ben Davies of the Collingwood Magpies and North Melbourne Kangaroos.
Williamstown Cricket Club is the third oldest in Victoria having run continuously since 1852. The Club run four senior sides as well as a women's team and nine junior sides. Williamstown Cricket Club compete in the Victorian Sub District Cricket League and ended season 2006/07 as Premiership Champions.
Williamstown Imperial Cricket Club is located on the Fearon Reserve closest to Williamstown Beach with three senior sides holds the Williamstown & District Cricket Association record of 7 consecutive A Turf Premierships.
The Williamstown Magic Basketball Club and Williamstown Cannons Basketball Club
both field many junior teams in the Altona Bay Basketball Association.
Williamstown is also home to a local soccer club, the Williamstown Bandits.
LacrosseLacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
, a minor sport in Australia is also popular in Williamstown. Three clubs, the Williamstown Lacrosse Club, Williamstown Women's Lacrosse Club and Newport Ladies Lacrosse club all use the Fearon Reserve as their club house and home field.
For the
1956 Summer OlympicsThe 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, which could not be held in Australia due to quarantine regulations...
, the city hosted the pistol and rifle portion of the
shootingAt the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, seven events in shooting were contested, all for men only.-Medal summary:-Medal table:...
and the shooting part of the
modern pentathlonAt the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, two events in modern pentathlon were contested.-Medal summary:-Medal table:...
events.
International tennis star
Mark PhilippoussisMark Anthony Philippoussis is an Australian tennis player. He turned professional in 1994. His father is Greek, while his mother is of Italian ancestry....
grew up in Williamstown. Other notable sports stars who live in the area include Australian Football League players
Chris GrantChristopher Lee "Chris" Grant is a former Australian rules football player in the Australian Football League, and a legend of the Western Bulldogs Football Club...
and
Rohan SmithRohan H. Smith is an Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League.Debuting in 1992 after being recruited around 1990, Smith has long been one of the Bulldogs' favourite sons, with his reputation rising during the mid-1990s when he became one of the best half-backs in the league...
both of the
Western BulldogsThe Western Bulldogs are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based at the Whitten Oval in West Footscray, an inner-western suburb of Melbourne...
in the
Australian Football LeagueThe Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
.
The
Hobsons Bay Coastal TrailThe Hobsons Bay Coastal Trail is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians, which follows the coast line of Hobsons Bay in the inner western suburbs in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The trail forms part of the western half of the Bayside Trail which encircles Port Phillip...
runs through Williamstown and is a very popular trail with recreational users. A section of the trail is used by the Hobsons Bay Running Club for their monthly handicap.
Scouts AustraliaScouts Australia is an organisation for children and young adults from 6 to 26 years of age. Scouts Australia is part of the global Scouting movement and has been a national member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement since 1953...
has a Sea Scout and a Scout group in Williamstown.
Transport
Williamstown is serviced by three railway stations: , and
WilliamstownWilliamstown is a railway station in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia located in the suburb of Williamstown, and is the terminus of the Williamstown railway line...
, all on the Williamstown line.
There are three bus routes which connect Williamstown with surrounding suburbs.
The principal road connections from Williamstown are Kororoit Creek Road leading westward toward
AltonaAltona is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 13 km south-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Hobsons Bay. At the 2006 Census, Altona had a population of 9685....
and two roads which head northward to
NewportNewport is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 7 km south-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Hobsons Bay. At the 2006 Census, Newport had a population of 11,244.-History:...
and
SpotswoodSpotswood is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 7 km south-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Hobsons Bay...
, namely Douglas Parade and Melbourne Road. The latter connects to central Melbourne via the
West Gate BridgeThe West Gate Bridge is a steel box girder cable-stayed bridge in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It spans the Yarra River, just north of its mouth into Port Phillip, and is a vital link between the inner city and Melbourne's western suburbs with the industrial suburbs in the west and with the city...
.
In 2005, a proposal was considered by the Victorian state government and the
City of Hobsons BayThe City of Hobsons Bay is a Local Government Area in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It comprises the south-western suburbs between 6 and 20 km from the Melbourne city centre....
including four options for a new
WilliamstownWilliamstown is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 8 km south-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Hobsons Bay. At the 2006 Census, Williamstown had a population of 12,733....
tramway, including a line from North Williamstown station running along Ferguson St to the Strand operated by heritage cars; closing Williamstown railway line and replacing with a tram service ; Constructing a line from Newport station to Williamstown via Melbourne Road and Ferguson St; Rebuilding a short section of line from Williamstown to Williamstown Pier
Notable residents
- The Hon Dr Steve Bracks
Stephen Philip Bracks AC is a former Australian politician and the 44th Premier of Victoria. He first won the electoral district of Williamstown in 1994 for the Australian Labor Party, and was party leader and Premier from 1999 to 2007....
AC, former Premier of Victoria and former MP for Williamstown
- The Hon Joan Kirner
Joan Elizabeth Kirner AM , Australian politician, was the 42nd Premier of Victoria, the first woman to hold the position, which she held for two years prior to a landslide election defeat.-Biography:...
AM, former Premier of Victoria and former MP for Williamstown
- The Hon Ralph Willis
Ralph Willis AO , Australian politician, was Treasurer for the final years of the Keating Labor Government.-Career:Willis was born in Melbourne to Stan and Doris Willis and educated at Footscray Central School, University High School and Melbourne University, gaining a Bachelor of Commerce degree...
AO, former Member of the Federal Parliament, Federal Treasurer and former Federal Member for Gellibrand
- Wade Noonan
Wade Noonan is an Australian politician. He has been an Australian Labor Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly since September 2007, representing the electorate of Williamstown. He entered parliament in a by-election caused by the retirement of sitting Premier Steve Bracks.Noonan...
, Australian politician and member for Williamstown
- Brad Johnson
Brad Johnson is a former Australian rules footballer who was the captain of Australian Football League team Western Bulldogs...
Western Bulldogs captain
- Rohan Smith
Rohan H. Smith is an Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League.Debuting in 1992 after being recruited around 1990, Smith has long been one of the Bulldogs' favourite sons, with his reputation rising during the mid-1990s when he became one of the best half-backs in the league...
Western Bulldogs footballer
- Scott West
Scott West is a former Australian rules football player who played for the Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League...
Western Bulldogs footballer
- Shaun Micallef
Shaun Patrick Micallef is an Australian actor, comedian and writer. After ten years of working in insurance law as a solicitor in Adelaide, Micallef moved to Melbourne to pursue a full-time comedy career in 1993...
, comedian and television presenter
- Mark Philippoussis
Mark Anthony Philippoussis is an Australian tennis player. He turned professional in 1994. His father is Greek, while his mother is of Italian ancestry....
, tennis player, starred on Mark Philippoussis' Age of LoveAge of Love was an American reality TV dating series that ran for one season in summer 2007.The show featured then-30-year-old Australian tennis star Mark Philippoussis as he looked for love among a group of women ranging in age from their early 20s to their late 40s.Hosted by Mark Consuelos, the...
- Mark Viduka
Mark Anthony Viduka is a former Australian soccer player who played as a centre forward. He captained the Australian national team at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany to the last 16.-Melbourne Croatia:...
, Soccer Player, many clubs overseas and the Socceroos Captain at the 2006 World Cup
External links