Where is Heidelberg?

• Heidelberg is a suburb of Melbourne, Australia.
• It is 11 km north east of central Melbourne, on the banks of the Yarra River.
• In the past, the name "Heidelberg" has been applied to a wider area than the modern suburb.
• It gave its name to an artistic phenomenon, the Heidelberg School.

Our New Exhibition

School depicted above is Heidelberg State School around the 1870s. Notice the dangerous playing equipment!

Heidelberg Museum
& Research Centre

Heidelberg Museum is located in the old Heidelberg Courthouse, Jika Street, Heidelberg. Here we have collections of historical records and objects with facilities for researching subjects of interest.

Periodic exhibitions of special interest are also held at the Museum.

Normal opening hours are 2PM-5PM on Sundays, COVID permitting.

During the year, arrangements can generally be made for visits at other times. A small charge is made for entry to the museum, except for Members, who can enter free of charge.

In addition to physical records and objects, museum volunteers have entered large quantities of records on computer databases, which are also available to visitors and to members.

Volunteers meet at the museum on other days to work on the collections, maintenance and care of the museum's exhibits.

Our Country's History

Some accounts of Australian history have tried to restrict our interest to the last 200 years, since Europeans arrived. This ignores the rich history and guardianship of the land by the First Nations people. So much can be learned from First Nation history.

There is evidence of human activity in Australia for at least 60,000 years. At the mouth of the Hopkins River in Western Victoria, middens have been dated as far back as 120,000 years. At the very least, First Nations people have lived here for tens of thousands of years. European settlers only began to arrive in the this area in 1830s.

Another matter of concern is the struggles between settlers and First Nations people. Some accounts downplay the suffering of the First Nations people, while many more recent historians acknowledge this and seek for better treatment of those who still suffer the effects of their loss of culture and way of life.

Introductions to the history of the district should include such sources as The Wurundjeri Website.

More information about treatment of First Nation people can be found at the Minutes of Evidence Site.

Wurundjeri The First People of this Area

We acknowledge the Wurundjeri people who are the Traditional Custodians of this Land. We also pay our respect to the Elders both past and present of the Kulin Nation and extend that respect to all other Indigenous Australians. Our way forward is to look honestly at the past, avoiding the old distorted historical accounts as much as possible.

Our Areas of Interest

Places of interest to Heidelberg Historical Society include anywhere that was ever in a local government area called "Heidelberg". Fairfield and Hurstbridge, have long ceased to share local governments with us, but we still have some historical information about them.

IVANHOE

Former Hoyts Cinema in Upper Heidelberg Road, near the Ivanhoe Library and Town Hall.

HEIDELBERG

Corner of Mount Street and Burgundy Street, Heidelberg, near Heidelberg Railway Station. Building with distinctive round tower, was constructed around 1920.

ROSANNA

Lower Plenty Road looking west. In December 2016, the railway level crossing at Rosanna was flooded. The course of Salt Creek runs under this site and occasionally shows its presence. By the 2020's, a new railway overpass with including the Rosanna station had been constructed.

More Areas of Interest

VIEWBANK

Silos from the former Viewbank Farm, taken in 2012. Some evidence has been found of the early farm buildings, but large parts of the area are now used for housing in 2024.

DAREBIN CREEK

Heidelberg Road near Darebin Creek bridge.

WEST HEIDELBERG

Heidelberg Bowl, West Heidelberg, Bell Street, July 1969.

WATSONIA

Greensborough Rd Watsonia. Preparations are starting for North East Link

More Areas of Interest

ALPHINGTON

'Bokhara' in View Street, Alphington, 1992. This red brick house was built in 1892.

FAIRFIELD

This track through the grasses is evidence of the location of the old Outer Circle railway line, near Fairfield Railway Station.

MACLEOD

Photo taken from McNamara Street looking east over the railway line and railway reserve to Macleod Park and Aberdeen Road shopping centre. Macleod Station carpark on the left. 1980s.

EAGLEMONT

"Glenarde", Eaglemont, corner of Castle Street and Mount Street, 2007.