The history of “the Tan”
11 Aug 2026One of the treasures of Southbank is the Tan, a track that winds along the edge of the suburb for about four kilometres.
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Latest articles by Robin Grow
Roy Park – a community legend
7 Jul 2026Few locals had the impact on the community in South Melbourne displayed by Dr Roy Park who practised medicine in Cecil St. He was an outstanding doctor, a war veteran, champion league footballer, and a State and (briefly) a Test cricketer.
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Most hated building in Melbourne: Princes Gate Towers
10 Jun 2026On the edge of the city (above Princes Gate railway station) stood the Princes Gate towers, commonly referred to as the Gas and Fuel building after its major tenant.
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Letting the fumes out at Southbank!
12 May 2026One of the most distinctive structures in Southbank sits in the small park along Grant St, next to the yellow Vault sculpture, itself a work of renown for the district. But it is not a dwelling – it’s a ventilation stack to release the fumes from the freeway that runs beneath.
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Mapping Southbank
7 Apr 2026In the years from 1970 to 1974, people in South Melbourne became used to seeing men in the rear cab of a ute with a large camera taking photos of the houses and other buildings that made up the streetscape.
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Designing in Southbank
10 Mar 2026One of the many stylish blocks of apartments in Southbank is situated on Wells St. Unusually, the four-storey block in a garden setting runs through to Dodds St, at the rear of the Malthouse.
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Bond Store, Southbank
10 Feb 2026In an area that contains numerous cafes, the Bond Store in Southbank, located at 1 Riverside Quay near to Eureka Tower and Freshwater Place, is one of the oldest coffee shops.
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Tractors lined up in South Melbourne
10 Dec 2025This iconic image shows a line-up of International Harvester (IH) tractors lined up outside Harvester House in City Rd, South Melbourne in 1941.
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Massacre in Botanic Gardens, January 1924
12 Nov 2025The Botanic Gardens are treasured by residents of nearby Southbank, but they haven’t always been peaceful. In the previous decade to 1924 the world was in turmoil, suffering the Great War and the Spanish Flu. But chaos was giving way to order.
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The remarkable life of Edward “Weary” Dunlop
8 Oct 2025Among the many statues in Kings Domain is one dedicated to Sir Edward Dunlop.
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Up and away over Southbank
10 Sep 2025People who live in Southbank are used to seeing hot air balloons in the early morning, with up to eight at a time. Each balloon holds about four people who start the day at dawn.
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Hot water in Southbank
6 Aug 2025In the 1920s City Rd in South Melbourne was coming into favour with firms in search of sites for warehouses and industrial enterprises, and it became a major thoroughfare after World War One largely due to its proximity to the city.
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