October is History Month Victoria 2022 and time to focus on the history of our local areas. Boroondara Library Service can support your local history research in many ways, such as events, workshops, collections, resources and expert advice. You can find out more about History Month on the History Month website-external site.
Our Local and Family History team recently used these resources to revisit the history of the Golf Links Estate in Camberwell. The team used heritage studies, letters and library resources to uncover this famous local story and to interview some of the residents involved.
Longtime Camberwell locals Warwick Ball and Colin Denovan, recalled when the residents of the Golf Links Estate approached the Victorian Government to protect the unique character of their area. This area also happened to be the childhood home of celebrity Barry Humphries, built by his father, Eric Humphries in the 1930s. They wrote letters to the media, mobilised other locals and called on the support of historian Geoffrey Blainey who featured the Golf Links Estate in his book, A History of Camberwell and succeeded in having a heritage overlay approved.
Our Local and Family History Librarian used the following resources to research the story:
- Camberwell Heritage Study (all heritage studies are available on our Heritage studies and assessments page)
- Heritage overlay information from the Victorian Planning website-external site
- General Heritage information from the Victorian Heritage website-external site
- A History of Camberwell-external site by Geoffrey Blainey, 1980.
If you have a story, articles of photographs about Boroondara's history we would love to have a copy in our collection. Contact us via our Ask a Librarian form or call (03)9278 4666 to get started.
Interested in learning more about the local history of your community? Get started with these History Month Victoria 2022 workshops and events.
- How to Research the History of Your House Tuesday 4 October, 1 pm to 4 pm, Hawthorn Library
- A History of Ashburton's Green Spaces, Thursday 6 October, 1:30 pm to 2:30 pm, Ashburton Library
- Treasures of Trove Wednesday 12 October, 2 pm to 3 pm, Balwyn Library
- Family History Group Tuesday 18 October, 2 pm to 4 pm, Camberwell Library
- Boroondara Building Styles Thursday 20 October, 6 pm to 7 pm, Camberwell Library
Visit our Local and Family History page to find more events, information, and resources. You can also find events and information via our Local Historical Societies on our Research your local history page.