Stories of Geelong from the Geelong Historical Society

Welcome to another episode of Stories of Geelong, where we explore the people, places and ideas preserved in the Geelong Historical Society’s archives. In this episode, we turn our attention to the early field naturalists of Geelong — the enthusiasts, collectors and explorers whose curiosity helped shape the region’s scientific and environmental understanding. Our story...

In this episode of Stories of Geelong, we follow the memories of L. J. Keavy, who spoke to the Geelong Historical Society in 1967 about the small but spirited neighbourhood once known as Little Scotland. His recollections span more than forty years of life and trade in Spring Street — from its gold‑rush origins and...

In this episode of Stories of Geelong, we travel back 190 years to read one of the earliest descriptions of the Geelong area. This topic chose itself. This podcast began its life as a talk to the Ocean Grove & Barwon Heads Rotary Club in February 2026. The events it describes took place exactly one...

In this episode of Stories of Geelong, we explore the rise and fall of a bold publishing venture that once gave its voice to the city whose name it bore: The Geelong Chronicle. Launched in March 1861 by Thomas Allen Sidders, The Chronicle was more than a newspaper. Its editorial stance was fearless, its motto...

Welcome to Stories of Geelong, where we uncover the histories that shaped our community. In this episode, we journey back to the frontier days of early Victoria through the voice of Mary Jane Muirhead. In December 1847, Mary Jane, the Irish‑born wife of squatter Robert Muirhead, wrote a remarkable letter from the Grampians to her...

Stories of Geelong: Enlisting and Resisting Welcome to Stories of Geelong, where we uncover the histories that shaped our community. In this episode, we revisit our November 2025 Society meeting, where Dr Bart Ziino of Deakin University explored a rarely told side of the Great War. His talk, Enlisting and Resisting: Why Did Australian Men...

This episode revisits Bryan Wardle’s detailed account of veterinary practice in Geelong — from its earliest days to the modern profession. At a time when horses powered transport, commerce, and daily life, veterinary surgeons were vital figures. Working alongside farriers and livery-stable keepers, they kept animals healthy and serviceable. Drawing on early directories, advertisements, and...

As the 200th anniversary approached, Michael O’Donnell revisited the epic journey of Hume and Hovell, whose expedition reached the shores of Corio Bay near present‑day Lara on 16 December 1824. In this podcast, he traces how attitudes toward colonial exploration, expansion, and settlement have evolved; while acknowledging the profound and destructive impact these endeavours had...

In this richly textured memoir, Lou Lane departs from her usual focus on Aboriginal history to offer a vivid, affectionate portrait of early 20th-century life in East Geelong. “Those Foreigners” is both a personal recollection and a social snapshot; told through the eyes of a child, but shaped by the voice of a seasoned observer....

In the early 1890s, amid the rise of amateur sport across colonial Victoria, Geelong made a spirited, if short-lived, attempt to establish itself as a centre for organised athletics. Harry Roberts’ meticulously researched article, Geelong Athletics – A False Start, traces the brief but ambitious life of the Geelong Harriers Club, founded in 1892 under...

Ambition and Inheritance: The Making of the Robertson Legacy In January 1836, William Robertson — a Hobart businessman and farmer — crossed Bass Strait to inspect the land provisionally allocated to him as an investor in the newly formed Port Phillip Association. Having arrived in Van Diemen’s Land in 1822, Robertson had already found success...