2005 History Walk - Institute for Public History
The Golden Mile Walk: 10 May & 22 October
In 2005 the IPH conducted Melbournes Golden Mile Walk with Professor Graeme Davison in two stages: In May the walk commenced at the Immigration Museum and ended at the Block Arcade, allowing plenty of time for the party of thirty walkers to feast on afternoon tea at the Windsor Hotel. The second walk in October set off from the Melbourne Town Hall and finished at the Royal Exhibition Building before taking afternoon tea at the Treetops, a private venue at Melbourne Museum. Our thanks to those who contributed photos of the walks.
Review of The Golden Mile Walk, 10 May 2005, by Alumnus Maureen Pearl
Having previously taken a guided walk in East Melbourne, and seen a fascinating photographic exhibition at the Town Hall of this great city of Melbourne, my interest was sparked by the possibility of Alumni Golden Mile Walk. I guessed correctly that the Golden Mile referred to mostly buildings from the gold rush days. Coming from a family of builders and an ancestor who died of miner's disease during the gold rush in Bendigo, having studied Australian History at Monash in the late 1970's and planning to sew a quilt of different architectural styles one day, I simply had to go on this walk. It was also about time I learned more of the history of the city in which I had lived for 60 years!
The spectacularly opulent buildings were what I most wanted to see, but the more mundane ones have character too. My favourites are those in the Venetian Gothic style. All five of those in a row on the south side of Collins Street are wonderful. The old Rialto (now Le Meridien) is said to be the most magnificent, but I prefer the Olderfleet building because of the elaborate detail of its facade, and the little clock tower that looks as if it was added as an after thought. The photo shows this beautiful building in striking contrast to the modern monstrosities around it! The ANZ (formerly ES & A) Bank building (Gothic Revival) in Collins St. is also splendid, as are the interiors of the gold leaf decorated banking chamber, the equally ornate Great Hall (early Stock Exchange) behind it, and the former Commercial Banking Co. of Australia opposite with its inward facing false balconies.
Many times we walk the streets of this city without looking up, or if we do we often do not know the significance of what we see. It is possible to do this walk on one's own; a booklet giving directions is available at the Immigration Museum, and detail may be found also at www3.visitvictoria.com. However, the expert commentary by Professor Graeme Davison provided relevance to what we were seeing in a more personal way, and the company of 29 other alumni was an added pleasure. We covered the western half of the Golden Mile Walk, that is, from the Immigration Museum in Flinders Street meandering to The Block, noting that the financial character of the city changed to retail east of Elizabeth St., which was once a creek. We then took a tram ride up the hill in Collins Street for a delicious afternoon tea at the Windsor Hotel, which was a fitting finale to a very enjoyable afternoon exploring some of the historical sites in marvellous Melbourne. Thanks to the School of Historical Studies staff who organised it, and to Professor Davison for his guidance.
As a mature-age student at Monash, Maureen Pearl studied Australian History in 1977, and other history subjects from 1975 to 1981. While her two daughters were growing up and also studying at Monash, she worked in Administration at Monash University and CSIRO, then studied for, and now practices, Naturopathy.