Kew Historical Society Inc

Discover the rich history of St John Ambulance in Victoria from the perspective of the many generous volunteers who are the backbone of the organisation. View displays from 1900 to today of First Aid equipment, uniforms, photographs and more. Visit the St John Museum, open to public across from Williamstown Beach.

The Newport Railway Museum hosts an extraordinary collection of steam, diesel and electric trains as well as a host of other railway exhibits. We are open to the general public every Saturday from 12 noon to 5pm. During school holidays it is open both Saturdays AND Sundays from 12 noon to 5pm. The Museum can also open outside of these hours by special appointment for group bookings. It is a popular destination for school excursions, car clubs, photography clubs, RSL and Probus clubs, just to name a few.

Postal Address – PO Box 748 Williamstown, VIC 3016

Friends of Gallipoli work with schools and organisations to develop cultural and educational projects. Our programs create opportunities for Australian youth to visit Gallipoli, Turkey and attend Anzac Day ceremonies. The group actively supports fundraising activities to help schools and youth organisations attract sponsorship, grants and donations.

The main organisation goal is broadening the perspective of Australian and Turkish youth. Promotion of international friendships based around a shared Gallipoli history is key to the facilitation and planning of education projects. Youth tours are central to the groups’ activities and open the door for young people to explore each others’ lifestyle and culture.

Friends of Gallipoli is a self-governing not-for-profit organisation. The group has no political or religious affiliations and is run entirely by volunteers. Features of the organisation’s governance include clear accountabilities and transparency in the conduct and outcomes of our activities.

The group’s patron is Major General [retired] Jim Molan and its Chairman is RSL Anzac Peace Prize recipient Dr V John Basarin . For many years, Dr Basarin has been committed to building understanding of the Gallipoli Campaign through Rotary Youth Exchange. Friends of Gallipoli is his most recent youth project.

The Sandringham & District Historical Society (SDHS) was started in 1986 by a group of like-minded, local history enthusiasts.

With considerable community assistance, rooms were made available over a period of years for meetings and storage of our collected assets.

Eventually the City of Bayside allocated the Society a site of its own, between the library and the senior citizens’ rooms in Sandringham.

Referred to as the ‘Resource Centre’, this site now holds various reading and research areas, a modern computer network, tearoom facilities and the society’s archives.

Visitors are always welcome!

Images: courtesy of SDHS committee member Robyn Watters (2018)

Open Tues & Fri 10am – 3pm

Postal Address – PO Box 6007 Wantirna Mall VIC 3152

Founded in 1996 as the Victorian Jazz Archive (VJA), the Australian Jazz Museum (AJM) came about from the strongly voiced desire to preserve Australia’s jazz heritage, and for it to be readily accessible to musicians, collectors, donors and others throughout Australia.

In 2003 VJA was accredited as a Museum by Museums Australia (Victoria).  In 2014 the VJA changed its name to Australian Jazz Museum – to reflect the Museum’s Australia-wide mission, collection and membership.

Plenty Historical Society Inc was formed in February 2001 and comprises a group of people keen to create and nurture an active and sustainable organisation that is assertive in preserving the unique natural and historical environment and culture of Plenty and district in complement with Nillumbik Shire Council’s Heritage Overlay.

Image: Former Plenty Uniting (Methodist) Church building which has recently been relocated to the Plenty Heritage Park, Memorial Drive, Plenty, by the Major Roads Projects Authority (MRPA), a section of VicRoads, as a result of the need to move it from its former site because of major roadworks being undertaken. MRPA acquired the building from the Uniting Church when they acquired the land for road construction. MRPA is donating the building to the Plenty Historical Society Inc. once renovations and significant other works are completed. The building will then become the new home of the Plenty Historical Society inc. It will be some time before the Society gains access to the building, but we are most grateful that firstly our efforts to save the building from possible demolition and have it relocated to the Heritage Park and eventually acquire the church building have been worthwhile.

The church building has been assessed as historical significant on a local level, for its long association with religious community gatherings and activities in the Plenty farming area. It should be seen as a locally significant representative of the Methodist revival of the 1920s, in which rural home missionaries played an important and distinctive role in sustaining local religious communities. Methodism was a Christian sect originating in England from the teachings of Wesley, born out of concern in the 19th century that the established church ‘had little or no desire for the salvation of the masses’ (Benson 1935:8) As a form of ‘social Christianity”\’, it emphasised missionary work among the poor, workers, and remote communities. It was a powerful force in educating the working class and evangelising its moral code. Travelling preachers and lay helpers drawn from its own ranks thus quickly multiplied and chapels were erected in centres of population predominantly using funds raised from its congregations, The Home Mission, established in 1875 to spread Methodism throughout the remote communities of the British Empire, trained and deployed ‘home missionaries’ who were the ‘shock-troops’ of the church. Their activity made Methodism, despite its relative youth, a strong presence in the colonies and the dominions, and Methodists regularly ranked among the main religious groups in new Victorian settler Communities

The former chapel is locally significant as one of a small number of buildings representing the establishment of the township of Plenty in the 1920s based around its small farming community. Plenty district developed following the arrival of the railway, even though the railway was some distance away. It developed as a community of small farmers. Plenty was then a developing orchard and farming district. Its school opened in 1922, with 29 pupils. The post office opened in 1923. The 1920s, when the church was built was thus an important period of growth in the history of Plenty.

Methodist services were first held at Plenty in 1925, under the auspices of the Diamond Creek Methodist Home Mission Station, which had six churches throughout the Diamond Valley. Other Churches were at Diamond Creek, Arthurs Creek, Cottles Bridge, Hurstbridge and Wattle Glen. In 1925, the Victorian Methodist Church encouraged the building of new country churches by offering £50 to communities who could raise £100. The Methodists of Plenty took advantage of the offer, and their wooden chapel was opened in December 1925. Within five years of opening the church was debt free. (Source: “Independent Panel Hearing Statement of Evidence on Former Methodist Church” January 2012)

The Friends of Cheltenham and Regional Cemeteries Inc. was formed on 9 May 2007 after the amalgamation of the Brighton General Cemetery Trust with the Cheltenham and Regional Cemeteries Trust.

On 1 March 2010, the Cheltenham and Regional Cemeteries Trust was absorbed by Necropolis Springvale to form the Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust.

We are a not-for-profit community group comprising a team of dedicated volunteers who have a passion for the Cheltenham cemeteries.

The Friends of Cheltenham and Regional Cemeteries Inc. is an incorporated association affiliated with the Royal Historical Society of Victoria Inc., the South Eastern Historical Association Inc. and the Bayside Historical Network.

Opening Times
Thursdays 10am-12noon
Sundays by appointment only

The Andrew Ross Museum was officially opened in March 1993 and through the hard work and dedication of its volunteers is now fully accredited with Museums Australia.

The Museum’s namesake, Andrew Ross, was the first schoolmaster in the district as well as a keen recorder of contemporary life and he left a remarkable written legacy to the Kangaroo Ground community. Our exhibitions explore the life and times of Andrew Ross and also Kangaroo Ground, the land and its people from pre-European time to the present.

We maintain collections that include the old schoolhouse building that the museum is house in, artefacts of local significance, a photographic collection and an extensive archive of documents relating to the district. Publications relating to local history are also available.

The Altona Historical Society was formed in 1961, incorporated in 1996 and in 2000 amalgamated with the Laverton Historical Society to form the Altona-Laverton Historical Society Inc.

Its aim is to encourage the study of the history of Altona and Laverton area through the acquisition of relevant objects, photographs, information and archive material, making these available to members and the community for their research.

The society also hosts a number of events at the Altona homestead and in the park including ghost tours organised by Lantern Ghost Tours and visits by many clubs and schools. Information about these events can be found by visiting the Altona-Laverton Historical Society website.

Homested Opening Times

Tuesdays 11-2pm
Saturday 10-12pm
First Sunday of the month – 10.30-2.30pm