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Timor St Warrnambool
Following the controversial purchase of the Warrnambool Post Office by the Warrnambool City Council and its announced closure, this might be an appropiate time to have a look at some of the landmark buildings along the street.
Timor St was the main street in the town for the first 50 years and contains many of the cities most historic buildings
The council’s decision to close the post office and to relocate all services to its current branch office in the centre of the city has created considerable comment from a wide cross section of the community who are concerned about the lack of access and difficult parking in its new location.
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The first postal system in Warrnambool dated back to 1848 when the Postal Department would appoint a local resident to, take charge of the mail. The first to be entrusted in Warrnambool was "Mr. Joseph Coulstock until his death in 1850, he was suceeded by Thomas. Denney, who received and distributed the mail from his store in Banyan-street. Mr. John Macdonald, the auctioneer, accepted the responsibility and the modest allowance in 1853, to be quickly followed by Mr. John S. Manning. Then the Government sent their own Postmaster, Mr. E. Margetts, who arrived in 1854 and opened a post-office in Liebig-street near the Commercial hotel. (the picture above was taken in 1907 )
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| In 1855 it was transferred to a small wooden building on the eastern corner of Merri and Liebig streets, and in 1857 the post-office was built on the Government reserve where the present building stands. This was also the home of Warrnambool’s telegraph service where in March, 1858, Mr. Thomas Rackham was appointed the first electric telegraph operator. The present building was built in 1875 and commenced operation in 1876 |
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Cramond and Dickson Stores
John Glass Cramond and James Dickson both came to Australia from Scotland in 1852 Cramond came looking for gold but instead decided to open a store in St Kilda . Dickson was the son of a farmer but when he arrived in Melbourne got a job as a general labourer for a builder, from there he spent some time looking for gold in Bendigo, however success eluded him and he returned to Melbourne where he met and formed a business relationship with John Cramond and shortly afterwards they opened a store in Lonsdale St.
(The photo above was taken in 1856 and possibly shorty after their new store had opened )
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By 1855 the Western district was beginning to attract a lot of attention and they decided to go to Warrnambool and investigate the possibility of opening a business in the township.
They were both so impressed, they decided immediately to set up shop in the town and returned to Melbourne the next day on the ship they had arrived in. Within a month they had established a small shop in Timor St selling groceries, drapery and ironmongery and within 12 months had built a new shop on the corner of Liebig St and Timor St. They were both very civic minded and were heavily involved in civic and community affairs.
(by 1907 it had acquired a new verandah and had become on of the town most respected businesses - note the ornate gas lamp
in the centre of the intersection )
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In 1884 John Cramond retired and moved back to Melbourne where he became managing director for Ball and Welsh and James Dickson continued to manage the Warrnambool business. The business continued in the Dickson family until 1974 when James Dickson’s grandson, David retired and sold the business after a 119 years of continious trading
(The Cramond and Dickson building today is occupied by two restaurants, hairdresser and accounting offices) |
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| The Western Hotel - Built
in 1876 on the corner of Kepler St and Timor St, the Western
Hotel was the epitome of modern luxury accommodation in Warrnambool
and would have been the "local pub" for many of the
white collar workers in Kepler street, and judging by the number
of gentlemen in suits, most of Kepler streets businessmen were
present for this photo. This picture was taken sometime in 1890
and shows the Cobb and Co coach service about to depart from
outside Western Hotel. The large number of people outside the
hotel and also piled on top of the stage coach suggests that
it may have been a special occasion that prompted the photo.
It is possibe that this photo may have been taken to record
the last Cobb and Co service to leave Warrnambool. |
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The Cobb and Co service was discontinued
in 1890 with the arrival of the rail service to the town and
Warrnambool's first telephone exchange opened on the 1st of
February 1890 ( note the telegraph pole on the right of the
picture above) so the first half of 1890 would be a safe guess
for a date for this photo.
Today the Western Hotel is looking a little the worse for
wear and the hotel is now empty, however new owners are hoping
to renovate the buidling in the near future .
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| Timor St in 1902 - This
east-west section between Kepler St and Liebig St was one of
the cities busiest thoroughfares during the late 1800's and
with three banks, two hotels, post office, police station town
hall and the law courts all located in this block. ( the last
four being out of picture to the right) it was the centre of
activity in the town |
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| Today many of the original buildings
remain intact and this section of Timor St is still a busy part
of the city. The Post Office, Town Hall( which is now the Performing
Arts Centre) are still in the same location with the Police
station and Law courts now relocated to Koroit St. |
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| Robe
- a picturesque , historic fishing village
with great beaches in the middle of Australia's premier wine
growing region. It is a little bit off the beaten track which
means that you don't have fight your way through crowds of tourists. |
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| Robe also has great seafood
restaurants, lots of local wineries and loads of history - so
if you are planning a relaxing spring holiday then visit our
Robe Accommodation page |
Fletcher
Jones Story
David
Fletcher Jones left school before his 13th birthday and worked
in a small market garden before enlisting in the army and serving
in France during WW1. A shell burst just metres away, left him
severely |
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and he was told by army doctors that he would never work
again. In spite of his injuries, a scant education and a profound
stammer, went on to become the worlds largest clothing manufacturer.
Now some 40 years after his passing, the Warrnambool manufacturing
facility has gone and factory he built has been sold to a developer
- To find out more about this inspirational man then click the
photo or the link above |
Port
Campbell one travel writer described
Port Campbell as a windswept village with one pub and a few
take away food places that catered to passing tourists!!
Was he having a bad day or did someone in the town offend him??
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| To find
out more about this historic little coastal township you need
to read our Port Campbell / Peterborough accommodation page
to find out when and where to stay |
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Lake
Pertobe
Mini Golf
open 7 days a week from 10 AM to 4 PM
close to the beach on Pertobe Road Warrnambool
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| Port
Fairy a small historic fishing village
and one of Victoria's earliest settlements. The town has over
50 historically listed buildings and a lot of the town remains
substantially unchanged over the last century |
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| In recent times a lot
of "top end of town" investment money has poured in
the township creating some up market accommodation that has
added to the towns existing motels, B&B's and caravan parks.
So to find out where to stay and how much you will pay then
you should look at out Port Fairy Accommodation
page |
| Apollo
Bay Apollo Bay seems
to have become the new "in" place to visit, as seaside
towns close to Melbourne become increasingly crowded and very
expensive over the summer months. |
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| More people
are now looking for a quiet holiday beside the sea and Apollo
bay is becoming the destination of choice for International
and domestic traveler's alike. If you are looking for accommodation
in Apollo Bay then read our Apollo Bay
Accommodation Guide |
Grampians
in Bloom
If you are planning a weekend escape then a short spring break
in the Grampians might be the answer - Sunny spring days (
ideal for bushwalking ) and cool nights - curled up in front
of an open fire.
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If that sounds like the sort of spring holiday you would like,
then follow the links to the Grampians
Accommodation Page |
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