How Garden City changed Melbourne forever

Hidden in a corner of Port Melbourne, Garden City is a fascinating neighbourhood. Highly innovative at the time, much of Victoria's public housing and modern suburban design can be traced back to this place, built over many years between the 1920s and 40s.
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MORE INFORMATION
City of Port Phillip heritage report (page 40 onwards): www.portphillip.vic.gov.au/me...
Port Places' article: www.portplaces.com/housing-in...
My website: philipmallis.com
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SOURCES
Google Earth, 2024
OpenStreetMap Contributors (c) 2024
Bing Maps, Microsoft Corporation. 2024. www.bing.com/maps/
Roberts, Tom, 'The Big Picture. 1903. Wikimedia Commons. commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
Howard, Ebenezer. 'Garden City Concept'. Wikimedia Commons. upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi... Howard'. Wikimedia Commons. commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
Frazer, E. J.,'Street scene showing trams including one reading "North Carlton, South Melbourne", crowd watching from footpath'. ca. 1902. State Library of Victoria. handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/15559
Godfrey, J, 'Sandridge, Victoria'. ca.1874-1876. State Library of Victoria. handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/80926
Garden City Estate Guidelines. City of Port Phillip. May 1997. www.portphillip.vic.gov.au/me...
Explorbia, 'Welwyn Garden City|Walking tour Dec 2023| United Kingdom'. CC-BY. • Welwyn Garden City| Wa...
'Flag, Melbourne Harbor Trust'. Mission to Seafarers. Victorian Collections. victoriancollections.net.au/i...
State Savings Bank of Victoria, ' Cheque - State Savings Bank of Victoria, Melbourne, Jun 1948'. Museums Victoria. collections.museumsvictoria.c...
State Savings Bank of Victoria, ' Annual Report - The State Savings Bank of Victoria, 30 Jun 1939'. Museums Victoria. collections.museumsvictoria.c...
State Savings Bank of Victoria, ' State Savings Bank of Victoria Designs for Homes'. Public Records Office of Victoria. VPRS 13554 / P0021, Unit 4, Item 5.
Baldwin, Herbert Frederick, Malins, Geoffrey & Wilkins, George Hubert, 'Bapaume to Bullecourt'. March - April 1917. Australian War Memorial. www.awm.gov.au/collection/C18...
Robb, Steven, 'Housing the Heroes: The 1919 Housing Act'. Historic Environment Scotland. 19 August 2019. blog.historicenvironment.scot...
'The History of Council Housing 3 Homes for Heroes'. University of the West of England. 2008. fet.uwe.ac.uk/conweb/house_ag...
Pratt, Charles Daniel, 'Ship being towed into Port of Melbourne'. 20 January 1929. State Library of Victoria.
SECRET SUBURB (1924, May 30). The Sun News-Pictorial (Melbourne, Vic. : 1922 - 1954; 1956), p. 17. Retrieved January 30, 2024, from nla.gov.au/nla.news-article274...
WORKERS' HOMES. (1926, April 14). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), p. 26. Retrieved January 30, 2024, from nla.gov.au/nla.news-article374...
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I acknowledge the traditional owners of the lands on which this video was filmed, the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people. I pay respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and their extensive and continuing connection to land, water and country.

[@HardstylePete]

What a wild concept. A government that cares about housing the population.

[@JoesGuy]

Yeah, that ain't it, bud. At least not anymore.

[@Bobman84]

Conservative government at that, which some will struggle to accept.

[@Custom2011]

The government that F's its people you mean, the most hopeless state in Australia with labor monkeys

[@RiversRun597]

@@Bobman84 well the Liberal Party has changed a lot in the last 20 years or so

[@Brettski_1234]

There's a garden suburb in Adelaide as well, called Colonel Light Gardens which even has its own panhandle which splits the neighbouring suburb of Daw Park into two

[@nickycool77]

Every time I feel confident that I know everything about Melbourne Philip says “hold my beer” and shows me something I had no clue about. Keep up the great work Philip :)

[@steved8610]

During my quite lengthy career, i used to perform domestic waste collection services in the Garden City area for the former garbage collection contractor for City of Port Phillip. During that time, i used to alongside the trucks servicing the Garden City part of Port Melbourne every friday. It gave me ample time to learn and make observations in the area. A very old area rich with history!

[@chezzachezza7325]

Im from Garden City . People looked down on Port Melbourne now look at them spending millions

[@woah6958]

I can't understand how housing developments could be planned thoughtfully all those years ago (parkland, shops within walking distance, community centres) and yet the practicalities are often completely ignored now.

[@garytrueman7717]

My Father and Uncles grew up in 70 Dunstan Parade, My Grandfather worked at Commonwealth Aircraft Factory until his retirement in the early 70's

[@A_massive_wog]

My workmates and I have breakfast at that row of shops nearly every morning

[@tillitseac3774]

I lived there for 30 years , loved it, but had to move to accommodate the redevelopment on Barak Beacon. I hope the redevelopment is done with sensitivity and respect for the history. I look forward to seeing the result. Have many fond memories of the place 😊

[@icascone]

I've often wondered on how the nature strip came about as it sometimes just feel like nuisance lol (the person owning the property in front of it hast to mow it despite it being owned by the council! Really really really insightful!

[@noiamspartacus8965]

The best designed garden suburb I have experienced is Hampstead Garden Suburb in London, near Temple Fortune. Detached and semi detached well designed houses on serene, leafy avenues,. Churches, but no shops, schools or businesses, although all such amenities nearby. The sort of serene surroundings that allow safe, civil and friendly "middle class" ways of life to flourish. Melbourne's Garden City seems to show a similar vibe.

[@messywill]

Nice to see the history of my childhood. It has changed a lot in my lifetime, a lot cleaner now but still has some charm.

[@Xylos101]

Sweet my house is in this!

[@philipbyrne3037]

A similar garden city suburb in Sydney is Daceyville between Kingsford and Pagewood and near Maroubra. It has maintained public housing but has somehow managed to have a large population of older people and people with disabilities so has a low public profile. The inner city of Canberra is essentially a Garden City. I had also noticed some of these duplexes cycling towards Williamstown bicycle punt. All these places are great to meander around on a bicycle.

[@msg5507]

Best channel of its type in Melbourne. Always look forward to a new Phil video...

[@anthonymorris479]

This was the first one of Phillip’s that I came across. It was great. Subscribed!

[@splashpit]

Malvern and outer suburbs have hundreds of those precast concrete houses , they are strange as they sit on stumps hard to work on but solid as a rock and worth big bucks now.

[@lukeo5908]

My partner grew up in Welwyn Garden City Hertfordshire, and now lives in Fishmans Bend. Thanks for bringing this interesting historical connection to light!

[@philroberts7238]

Not that's it's at all important, but it's pronounced "Wellin', as your partner will no doubt confirm. As a child I really enjoyed 'Welgar Shredded Wheat' as a breakfast cereal and have looked for it in vain in Australia, despite my late (Aussie) father-in-law describing eating it as like swallowing like wire wool! Does it still exist, I wonder?

[@alextricolas3630]

It pretty much looks like older inner suburbs of Canberra

[@scana1979]

Another similar project from this era from the new Housing Commission was that on John Wren's former Richmond Racecourse off Bridge Road - single and two storey duplexes and like Garden City some of the early use of cul-de-sacs off the main street, built as part of the slum abolition program in 1938-9. Like Garden City is remains intact under a heritage overlay. Richmond itseld was the home of trotting in Melbourne before moving briefly to one of Wren's other tracks as Ascot opposite Flemington which lasted until World War 2 and itself was developed after the war by the Housing Commission.

[@nancycurtis7315]

Hi. Greetings from Dimboola, in Victoria. Ex husband (dec), had auntie and uncle that lived in Garden City. Howe? Rd. He was known as " basher Barnes", playing football for Port Melbourne!! Many, many years ago. I was raised near St Vincent Gardens. Brooke St. The housing flats were opened when I was little. We got to ride on the lift, before they were rented out. Ah. Memories........Thanks for video. Kindest regards, Nancy.

[@xr6lad]

I’ve always known of it as a former SBV project. My partner works nearby. The homes themselves specially the ones facing the bay are VERY expensive to buy now (we are talking $million+) and have been renovated or rebuilt beyond their 1920’s/30’s style.

[@Adrian-mu7ph]

We lived there when my mum and dad came here from Italy in 1955

[@GH-hh8cm]

Live here and love it ❤

[@NeilBolandGuitaristWriter]

'Housing displaced people from the former slums' (presumably Fitzroy, Collingwood etc)'. Amazing - there's no way governments/housing commissions etc would would put public housing near the water/coast/sea any more; all that is reserved for the rich now, (and the real estate industry that capitalises off it) so people in need are put further out into the public transport-less outer sprawl zones instead. In my home city of Wollongong, there are housing commission estates (possibly former housing commission now) in the south east suburbs that amazingly go right up to the beach (Warilla, for example). There was something so much more humane about public housing back then.

[@elipotter369]

In days gone by in Sydney, housing commission was often cheap housing near docks and industrial areas- so workers could live walking distance to their smelly noisy workplaces.

[@NeilBolandGuitaristWriter]

@@elipotter369 Yeah that, too. It's either the environmental delight of the ocean, or the practicality of living near where you work. Likely another reason why in places like Melbourne, govt housing complexes are being built further out, away from the 'nice things', because that's where the factories, warehouses etc are. The outer north here is just that.

[@robertmcnamara5407]

Garden City has always been a favourite spot as long as I can remember. Love the architecture of a lot of the houses and it has a quiet, calm uniqueness. One hopes it never sees bulldozers/developers.

[@1greenMitsi]

8:05 interesting, same design in that of Napier st Fitzroy

[@gordonayres2609]

So interesting. I used to live in Melbourne for 5 years back in the 1980s and found its architecture and history so interesting. I am sure I came upon this locality at the time , but did not know of its origins. I now live on the Isle of Arran off the coast of Ayrshire in Scotland.

[@blodknut5595]

The information you provide reminds me if some of the planning features around Canberra. Which I suppose were influenced by themes in urban planning that you describe. Love your work Phillip!

[@Arrigo888]

Brilliant video, Philip. I learn so much about this marvellous city of ours because of what you post on your channel. Thank you.

[@StKildaBlvd]

Fantastic doco, I'm ashamed I had no idea of the history of this area of Melbourne, thank you for sharing.

[@v.a.7594]

Thanks for the great video. I grew up in Port Melbourne and I didn't know the history of Garden City.

[@MelodyMan69]

Hey Phil, silly me. I was once told that Garden City was built as an Olympic Village for the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. I do remember there was an Olympic Village in Heidelburg, as well. Can you cinfirm ?

[@gorgen23]

Yes Heidelberg has an Olympic village. A.K.A Mini Chicago

[@philipmallis]

Yes you're right! I've done a video on that as well: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d5LRfJ2ao52eaLc

[@james7149]

Another superb production Phillip. I remember on a Sunday drive my father taking us from Dandenong (in the 1960’s) to see Garden City and the Port area. Even as a child it seemed a different world to any other part of Melbourne I’d experienced! My Mother helped to build aircraft at CAA so there were memories for her. This is the first history of the area I’ve seen and it was much appreciated! Keep up the great work and passion you give these videos👏

[@boxboxbox196]

Very good video - Two of my grandparents had homes in Garden city. Thanks for showing one of their old houses in Griffin Cres. It appears that an extension has been done which thankfully was complementary to the original construction. Keep up the good work Philip

[@Havencheese]

Griffin Cres was named after my Great Uncle Tom Griffin, who was both mayor of Port and President of The Borough for twenty odd years. It's a lovely little street.

[@boxboxbox196]

Thanks for that interesting fact. Great to see you are keeping the memory of your Great Uncle alive.

[@tdb7992]

Ahh, I lived in Melbourne for twelve years (now back in the People's Republic of Western Australia) and never visited this part of Melbourne. Now I wish I had, it'd be an interesting area to explore. Brilliant video mate, I always enjoy your content. Do you have a presence on other forms of social media or a Patreon account? I'd like to be able to support you as we don't have too many really interesting channels like this regarding Australia. If you ever decide to do a video on Western Australia, I'd be happy to support you with research and getting any footage you may need.

[@TheDirge69]

WA grubement still kicking 'goals' eh?!

[@ACDZ123]

I thought Victoria was the people's Republic of Australia..you know, chairman Dan 🤔

[@philipmallis]

Thank you! And yes I do, I'm on Mastodon, Flickr and a few other places. It's all over on my website if you're interested :) philipmallis.com And thank you for the offer but I don't have a Patreon or similar account. I earn enough from ad revenue to keep the channel going so I don't feel the need to ask for more

[@pervertt]

Back in the mid 80s I had a job in the western suburbs and I would drive past Garden City every working day. The name intrigued me but I couldn't see any reason to stop and look around. This was well before Beacon Cove was built. If only I had known how expensive properties in Garden City would later become.

[@honguenloh4612]

I happened to come across this channel. Thanks for doing a very insightful and interesting video on a part of Melbourne that I am not so familiar with. I stayed in Melbourne close to 10 years. It was indeed the best time of my life. Sadly due to the draconian and myopic policies of the current immigration by laws I am unable to return to Melbourne even to visit my relatives or friends there despite the fact that I graduated from Monash University as well as studied there during my formative years in various private schools. It’s really disappointing and depressing for me as getting a visitor’s visa to Australia is so hard and difficult nowadays. It never dawned on me that Australia would be so cold and inhospitable! I always thought of Melbourne as my favourite hometown, sadly returning there or even visiting there is nothing but a piped dream….

[@bigbangger998]

Interesting how pre fab slabs are back in a big way,like some sort of a new creation . A blast from the past.

[@leongt1954]

I lived in garden city as a kid it use to be a working class suberb but not these days, I can still remember catching the garden city bus right next to the huge BP fuel tanks that are gone now with a row of houses where they once were

[@17_73]

When I was a teenager I lived in Sth Melbourne and we use to call Garden City Baghdad. I don't know why but I had a girl friend who lived in Garden City me and my mates use to ride our unregistered motor bikes down by the Gas works fun times great memories of Baghdad.

[@createandliveyourbestlife]

Thank You for sharing, wonderful to see the liveability of the area, wide footpaths with planting, Green park spaces, minimal high rise buildings and homes built not only for families , but also couples and singles. How wonderful if this style of urban housing and communities was adopted today, in preference to the current thinking of cram as many people into one area as possible, it should be about people and true liveability. Areas with old Terrance housing had small front yards and small back yards allowing home dwellers to get out in the fresh air at home .

[@chuningsong4905]

There is another very interesting housing commision area - the Wingate Avenue Community in Ascot Vale.

[@scana1979]

John Wren’s former Ascot Racecourse which was taken over by the Army for World War 2 along with the Showgrounds. The Victorian Government stopped the resumption of racing at Ascot and bought the site for development in 1946 by the Housing Commission. The street names have a World War 2 theme running throughout - Weary Dunlop, Thomas Blamey, Orde Wingate, Winston Churchill, George Vasey, Stanley Savige and Viscount Portal.

[@Ben-jq5oo]

I think any suburb, no matter how humble its origins, is transformed with large scale tree planting and verge side maintenance. Public housing residents shouldn’t have to sacrifice the benefits of natural beauty in exchange for an affordable home.

[@Snoweecat]

Loved it! My grandparents lived in one of those housing commission places in Dunstan Parade! The were relocated from slums in South Melbourne. Thank You!!!

[@markielinhart]

I’ve always liked this part of Melbourne because it reminded me of towns to the north of London where I grew up. Thanks for the video, I found it very fascinating✌️

[@trcs3079]

I'm glad such styles stayed there though. I cant imagine such designs fitting in the overall aussie architecture haha

[@nigelhorsley7395]

As someone that lives in the UK those homes look like they could be in Britain.

[@mrt4937]

Awesome! I immigrated & settled Howe Pde 25yrs ago. Very fond memories. Thank you for posting this clip & sharing the history of that area 🫶

[@soutarm]

Love your work! So comprehensive and interesting plus it's great to see you go the extra mile to get archive footage and film your own. Thanks!

[@kingslj]

Thanks for the content. I have lived in Melbourne for decades & I’ve never heard of this suburb called Garden city. Maybe this is where the Garden state car number plates came from.

[@ChocolateDealer]

Love this video and insight. Every time I’m in Garden City I’m struck by the architectural style and how much it reminds me of houses in the UK, which all makes sense now with the English influence in urban planning.

[@VanillaMacaron551]

Fascinating - thank you!

[@Emily-the_funny_guys]

Awesome video Philip. I like the change from train info.

[@JulianCole]

Thanks so much for the video! I lived in the area and was always fascinated by the suburb and its past. You filled in a lot of gaps in my knowledge!

[@robertgraps8039]

I was catching busses that originated at either Northland shopping centre or Latrobe university to Garden City for many many years until the bus route was cut off to Queen street Melbourne CBD maybe ten years ago? Fourteen years ago I would hop onto a bus from Latrobe university and get off at Garden City shops for work and the locals would complain that they were being forced to relocate because foreigners were driving up the prices of rent in the local area.

[@AnneMB955]

First time I’ve come across your channel. I’m assuming there’ll be more stories of our history. I love Melbourne.

[@diltonweany7003]

Amazing video! I never realised... I'll have to visit for an explore someday.

[@johno01970]

Bravo again Philip..very informative. Also those shops have great feeds!

[@paulmatters2641]

Wonderful report. Thank you so much. Used to live in Port many years ago.

[@aussietaipan8700]

Another great video matey, I never knew Melbourne had slums, most interesting.

[@gitgit1995]

Much nicer than the Perth 70s stuff!

[@sentimentalbloke185]

They were known as the Bank houses. The SSB was one of Victoria's great institutions, ruined by the Cain-Kirner Labor government, one of the great disasters of the 1980s.

[@caeserromerosorangewedges]

Great report Philip, thanks.

[@luciusverus7697]

Awesome vid as always, Phil! Just a little note on pronunciation. 'Howe pde' is pronounced with a single syllable and no vowel at the end. Exactly the same as the question-word 'How'. Source: I grew up on Howe pde. 😊

[@philipmallis]

Thank you! On pronunciation, I've heard Howe Parade pronounced both ways by locals and I haven't been able to find a definitive ruling one way or the other

[@luciusverus7697]

@@philipmallis Interesting! I've never encountered it being pronounced that way myself, but of course will take your word for it! The street was named after a former mayor of Port Melbourne, William Howe. The pronunciation was definitely 'How' during that time as apparently locals believed (falsely) that their mayor had a family connection to Admiral Lord Howe of Lord Howe (how) Island fame. In current times, it's also odd to hear of the pronunciation 'How-ee', with the name regularly heard in the media with Collingwood footballer Jeremy Howe (how) having been quite prominent for the last decade or more. In any case, linear-phonetic pronunciation of English is becoming more popular amongst young people now i.e. some now pronouncing Roxburgh Park as 'Rox-burg' Park etc. so I can indeed see how How-ee parade may have taken hold!

[@tastigr]

Thanks, Philip. Well presented

[@The_Real_DreamM]

Awesome video Philip. Thank you

[@phillipnoone8044]

That was fascinating! Garden City is charming!

[@catherinehall8065]

Great to know the history of the area

[@thomasewing6215]

There is another weird garden city (very much a garden suburb...) in Albion in the Western suburbs. There are still a few people in the area who lived here when the houses were built 70 or 80 years ago!

[@JodieMiners]

Great overview, thank you!

[@andrewwmitchell]

Another terrific video Phillip. Thanks so much. I don't know that area well so all this was new to me and so fascinating. Actually there was one part that I knew - I remember the State Bank and had an account with them for years.

[@andydye2487]

Great episode on this often overlooked suburb and nice to see my birthplace - Welwyn Garden City - referenced (though the second W is silent).

[@chiko88rocket]

My fave part of melbourne, I used to work for the council there, I'd love to live around there. Nice channel mate

[@dartharpy9404]

Excellent. I knew they were called bank houses but not much more. Excellent video 😊

[@youmesuzie]

Great video Phillip! I love seeing how planning done years and years ago still has such an impact on a suburbs liveability and vibes. I wonder if you've ever been to Albion in Melbournes west, it's another garden city suburb built by the sunshine harvester works for its factory workers.

[@philipmallis]

Thank you! Yes those areas are very interesting as well. I have the Sunshine Harvester Works in the mix of future videos and I'll definitely cover the housing situation too.

[@onlinedrifter]

Very interesting. Keep up the good work.

[@GeelongCableLocations]

This is brilliant, great work Phillip.

[@annehammill276]

One of Melbourne's first attempts at housing commission was on Montague St near the infamous bridge. But the only ended up building 14 semi detached houses. These houses are heritage listed ( thanks in part to my mum) but i think pretty much all of them have been updated inside. My mum bought one of these houses before i was born in 1983 and we lived there on and off untill she passed in 2005. There's a lot of crazy things i could tell you about living there.

[@annehammill276]

Also Garden city was also known as the mystery place all of Melbourne's busses seemed to go to.

[@detectiveofmoneypolitics]

Economic investigator Frank G Melbourne Australia is following this very informative content cheers Frank 😊

[@Philipk65]

Some of the smaller single story dwellings shown remind me of a lot of houses in the suburb of Doveton. Interesting video Philip

[@flamingstag2381]

love to get your take on RUCKERS HILL i read that it once was a meeting place where many tribes planned a war on the new settlers in melb

[@philipmallis]

Will have a look, thanks!

[@jjfruitcake]

The older parts remind me of the council houses my Dad grew up in the U.K. Coincidentally, he used to work for Port Phillip C.C. Wish developers would follow the Garden city principles.

[@emmicllns]

love this!

[@gav240z]

The thumbnail of this video made me think it was the UK... I know the area well, my cousin and best friend growing up lived in Port Melbourne and a high school friend actually lived in this pocket in 1 of the cul de sacs. Close to the city and beach.

[@thisislilraskal]

Ahh now i know why my Mum used to say "the bank owns the house" when growing up in the area. Awesome childhood memories

[@Pappazeko]

G'Day, Great Video, as an old port boy I found this video facinating. Pity they cant fix up Station Pier before it falls into the bay. Regards PW.

[@kippen64]

This was really interesting.

[@peregrinemccauley5010]

Very interesting.

[@daryl7222]

My mother grew up here with her parents from roughly 1945 to 1960, at 48 Edwards Avenue. Not sure what year they moved in there. I remember them talking about "the Bank houses"

[@Ben-jq5oo]

Subscribed ❤

[@maia_key]

The funniest thing is that there is a suburb in NSW called Garden Suburb

[@Scotty-P]

Yes, it is such an interesting are. I've only ever been past there once. It's SO English looking!

[@jamesmitchell65]

Very well researched. Just a small point. There is no "Bay" after "Port Phillip".

[@Domenico_Mazza]

Great topic to pick! Albion (near Sunshine) in Melbourne is possibly a better example of a Garden City. It had the industrial and residential mix, with the railway line through the middle and a big park in the heart of the residential side.

[@philipmallis]

Thanks! I do have that area on my list for a future video

[@markwng]

Well, I had no idea. Living 250 k east puts me out of the loop and have never spent any time in the Port Melbourne area. I was most interested in the State Bank involvement and wonder if we should work towards a state owned competitor to corporate banking again.

[@guaxary]

I love going for walks there! Should we have a walking tour one day there?

[@bryan3550]

Fascinating as ever, Philip! Interesting to note the use of concrete roadways in this area. Perhaps in response to the land being reclaimed?

[@philipmallis]

Thanks! From what I understand, concrete was the typical road surface of choice for the period across Australia - bitumen wasn't commonly used for roads until after the Second World War.

[@paulhicks3595]

Really, really excellent. I’ve driven around and through this area for years and , apart from knowing it was built by the State Bank on English Garden City principles, knew nothing of the other details. I still wonder if they took an English plan and reproduced it exactly and , if not, what were the differences and why. I’d also be interested in other developments like the identical mini shop/ dwelling developments found at the corner of South Rd and Bluff Road Hampton and Elizabeth st Coburg which seem like a post war idea.

[@paulz4632]

What a difference the state bank gave low interest loans to help people get there own home, now the privatised banks rip us off with profits of over 5 billion, with never ending expectations to make more profit. How much profit does one need. Imagine if 1 billion was given to Hospitals or the ambo service it would be a significant improvement. But no the only question shareholders ask and expect is "how do we make 6 billion dollars next year"

[@vsvnrg3263]

very much enjoyed. i grew up in port and delivered morning papers in port and gardo. hey, how come you know the correct way to pronounce 'howie' parade? its how us locals could spot an outsider. do you also know the local way to pronounce liardet street?

[@tillitseac3774]

I always thought of the place as a very well kept secret 😉💞 but it seems the secret is out ...

[@margaretkelly5096]

Thank you. Great video. I can remember the first time I hopped on a bus labelled Garden City just to see where it went and found myself in this unique place. However I am disappointed that you touched so briefly on the destruction of Barak Beacon estate which historically was built as an extension of Garden City following, as you mention, similar design principles. Beacon Cove is a much more recent addition to the area and unfortunately led to Barak Beacon’s destruction as developers found how much money could be made. When I moved here, nobody wanted to live here and it was a cut of little part of the world. If anyone wants to see Barak Beacon before the wreckers moved in and hear more about the current government’s privatisation of public housing, this is a link to a video filmed during the campaign to try and save it . kzbin.info/www/bejne/kGrJZaqkZ79rY8k

[@MegaOrwell84]

My family moved to Port Melbourne 1975 and into the Barak Beacon estate late 1981. Mum was moved out when the evictions began. Luckily she is now in a great aged care facility. I remember being looked down upon for living in Port. The estate was tough however I remember the good times as well as the tragic.