Tuesday, 22 January 2008

Williamstown on YouTube

Here are a collection of YouTube videos featuring Williamstown.

Henderson Kids - 1987 - Filmed in Williamstown:



Model plane with camera on board over The Strand:



Camera on a plane or helicopter flying down the Yarra to Williamstown:

Friday, 8 June 2007

Newport link in rail celebration

From The Star

By Kerri-Anne Mesner

5th June 2007 11:05:49 AM


THE DAYS of steam locomotives will be recalled throughout June as part of the 150th anniversary celebrations of the Geelong and Melbourne railway.

The Williamstown Historical Society has set up an exhibition of rail memorabilia to commemorate the anniversary of trains running from Geelong to Newport.

Society president Joan Ridley said the exhibition featured a wide variety of items, including photographs, old railway uniforms and gifts to a past stationmaster, including a gold watch and a portable writing bureau.

The exhibition will be displayed at the Mechanics Institute, Electrica St, Williamstown for the month.

Opening hours are Sunday and Wednesday 2pm to 5pm, with an entry fee of $3 to the museum and $2 for concession card holders.

The exhibition is part of the Geelong Rail 150 activities, which have been organised to celebrate the anniversary of the Geelong and Melbourne railway.

The railway was built and operated by a private company, the Geelong and Melbourne Railway Company. At 64 kilometres, it was the first long-distance country railway line in Australia.

Displays will be held at Geelong, Lara, Little River, Werribee and Williamstown. Celebrations will focus on the weekend of 23 and 24 June, but some displays will extend through June until late July.

All displays and events will be at, or within close walking distance of, railway stations. Visitors are encouraged to travel by rail to the display locations, using the frequent V/Line Passenger train services. Heritage diesel and steam trains will also operate on the Geelong line on Sunday 24 June, providing a link between the display sites.

All V/Line and heritage trains have charges for travel.

Details of all heritage train services are available at the website www.geelongrail150.com.au/trains.php.

Saturday, 14 April 2007

Steve Bracks Profile

This is an interesting profile on the State Member for Williamstown and Premier of Victoria, Steve Bracks from The Brisbane Times, Fairfax's new online venture in Queensland.

It tells a bit of his history and gives an analysis of his current standing amongst the Premiers and in the national political scene.

I remember the glorious day when he won the election against Jeff Kennett in surprising circumstances. It seemed like the end of tyranny was nigh and that you could smell the Labor air.

All the scare-mongering of "the guilty party" has been proven meaningless by more than a decade of steady, popular and fiscally responsible government by Bracks and his ALP team.

On another note, I wonder what it is about Williamstown that two of the last three Premiers have been the local member.

Friday, 13 April 2007

How times change

When I first lived in Williamstown in 1996, you could still buy a house for under $200,000. Granted it would have been in need of some TLC and maybe a full scale renovation, but it could be done.

Back then, there were precious little modern places built, now Williamstown has become funked up, real estate wise.

The Osborne Street house in this link is a case in point. Once, this sort of thing wouldn't have been seen outside Prahran, now Williamstown seems to have more and more places over the million dollar mark that bear no resemblance to the old worker's cottages that once dominated in this constantly gentrifying suburban village.

Monday, 2 April 2007

Football pics

Here are some excellent pictures of the final practice match at Burbank Oval on 1st of April between Williamstown and North Ballarat.

Final score:
Williamstown def North Ballarat 20-16-136 to 13-8-86

Saturday, 31 March 2007

Not Williamstown

These are some pics I took of some buildings in Melbourne from the roof top car park of the South Melbourne Market.


Docklands apartments


Park Tower - DOH apartments


Eureka Tower pre-completion


Top of Eureka Tower


Top of BHP House


Melbourne Central Tower


Rialto Towers and Southbank apartments

Friday, 16 March 2007

Kororoit Creek Boatshed Owners to Fight Council Ultimatum

From The Star

KOROROIT Creek boatshed owners have been given an ultimatum by Hobsons Bay City Council — sign up or ship out.

After only two of the 14 boatshed owners signed the three-year licence agreement to remain on the site, the council has directed others to reconsider before 23 March.

In a letter to owners at Kororoit Creek Fishing Village it states that failure to sign the agreement by 23 March “may result in notification for you to vacate the site and remove all improvements and possessions”.

The licences, originally to be signed by 22 January, define uses and activities allowed at the site, require grey water and septic systems to be disconnected to protect the creek and outlines site holders’ rights.

Allison McAdam, Boatshed Owners Association of Port Phillip Bay and Victoria president, said she would never sign and would physically protest against any eviction.

“Good luck in trying to get rid of me — I will padlock myself to the front of the shed,” she said.

“That is my family history down there and they’re not going to move me or my family.”

Ms McAdam said boatshed owners had been advised by lawyers that they “would be mad” to sign the agreements.

“They (council) are saying that after three-years goes by we will have the first right of renewal if they choose to give it to us,” she said.

“And it states the licence can be changed at any point in time.

“Who would sign it?”

She said the boatshed owners would consider taking legal action against the council if they were removed from the sheds.

“They are trying to say we have no tenancy rights but we have paid rates and fees for decades,” she said.

Hobsons Bay mayor Leigh Hardinge said it was unfortunate the situation had “deteriorated so dramatically” but the boatshed owners were breaking planning controls.

“The council has been extremely lenient with site holders, particularly as residential occupation of the boatsheds is contrary to the planning scheme and the intent of the original permission to use the sites,” Cr Hardinge said.

Williamstown North Ward councillor Peter Hemphill said the council’s request was “fair and reasonable” and aimed to protect the environment.

“The council wants the fishing village to be cleaned up and kept tidy,” he said.

“We also want to stop grey water and sewerage from entering Kororoit Creek and Port Phillip Bay and reduce the risk of loose materials being flushed out into the bay during flash floods.”

Late last year local boatshed owners were celebrating a Magistrates’ Court decision that said Wyndham City Council could not force Campbells Cove boatshed owner Duncan Colbron to remove or vacate his property for refusing to sign a three-year licence.

Ms McAdam said the Kororoit Creek Fishing Village boatshed owners were considering similar action.

“We have been told we can certainly do that,” said Ms McAdam.

“We will fight this.”