Henry Beater Christian (1886-1962) , was a descendant of one of the earliest settler families in Kew. Employed at the Kew Asylum as a 'public servant', he was a skilled amateur photographer, photographing numerous scenes in Kew and on his travels around Victoria. The majority of his photographs date from 1916 to 1929. His finest photographs are housed in two photograph albums. Digital copy of a photograph from page 7 of the 47-page photograph album containing 261 gelatinous silver images, loaned by Diane Washfold with permission given to digitise and hold a copy in our collection. This photograph appears to be of the junction of the Yarra River and the Merri Creek."Studley Park / Kew"henry beater christian (1886-1962), landscape photography, kew (vic.) — yarra river, christian-washfold collection, photograph albums, merri creek, yarra river

Self-published book on institutional care around Yarra Bend, Melbourne, including sections on: Merri Creek Protectorate Station and Aboriginal School (1841-51), Yarra Bend Lunatic Asylum (1848-1925), Fairfield Infectious Diseases Hospital (1904-96), Fairhaven (1927-51), Fairlea Women's Prison (1956-96), Thomas Embling Hospital (2000- ), Abbotsford Convent (1863-1975), Kew Lunatic Asylum / Willsmere Hospital (1872-1988), Kew Cottages (1887-2008), Caritas Christi Hospice (1938- ), Villa Alba / Henry Pride hospital services (1954-98), Royal Talbot Rehabilitation Centre (at Kew since 1961), National Guide Dog Training Centre / Guide Dogs Victoria (1962- ). ISBN: 978-0-6480223-0-5"Donated by the author March 2017"merri creek protectorate station and aboriginal school (1841-51), yarra bend lunatic asylum (1848-1925), fairfield infectious diseases hospital (1904-96), fairhaven (1927-51), fairlea women's prison (1956-96), thomas embling hospital (2000- ), abbotsford convent (1863-1975), kew lunatic asylum / willsmere hospital (1872-1988), kew cottages (1887-2008), caritas christi hospice (1938- ), villa alba / henry pride hospital services (1954-98), royal talbot rehabilitation centre (at kew since 1961), national guide dog training centre / guide dogs victoria (1962- )

Marshall White is a former Merri-bek resident and artist. He completed a Fine Art diploma at the National Gallery Art School in 1973. After a severe motorcycle accident left him with quadriplegia in 1977, he returned to university, earning a Master in Painting from what is now the Victorian College of the Arts. White is considered a pioneer of digital art in Victoria. He taught art to inmates at Pentridge Prison, which provided him with access to early computers. Using a Commodore Amiga, Marshall pushed the boundaries of digital art. Strip 1 represents an early contribution to what was, at the time, an emergent art form. Inspired by William Blake and Arthur Boyd, White’s work delves into psychological spaces, addressing themes such as the apocalypse and White’s distain of religion. White's work exemplifies resilience and the transformative power of creativity in the face of challenges.Purchased

Born in Melbourne in 1913, Noel Counihan was a social realist painter, printmaker and cartoonist, and a passionate social campaigner. The namesake of Merri-bek City Council’s Counihan Gallery, his experiences of unemployment and poverty during the 1930s, and his lifelong involvement in protest movements, inspired his powerful and prolific images of the working class. Donated by the De Fazio family

Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program by Diana de Kessler in memory of Thomas de Kessler

Jenna Lee dissects and reconstructs colonial 'Indigenous dictionaries' and embeds the works with new cultural meaning. Long obsessed with the duality of the destructive and healing properties that fire can yield, this element has been applied to the paper in the forms of burning and mark-making. In Without Us, Lee uses charcoal to conceal the text on the page, viewing this process as a ritualistic act of reclaiming and honouring Indigenous heritage while challenging the oppressive legacies of colonialism. Lee explains in Art Guide (2022), ‘These books in particular [used to create the proposed works] are Aboriginal language dictionaries—but there’s no such thing as “Aboriginal language”. There are hundreds of languages. The dictionary just presents words, with no reference to where they came from. It was specifically published by collating compendiums from the 1920s, 30s and 40s, with the purpose to give [non-Indigenous] people pleasant sounding Aboriginal words to name children, houses and boats. And yet the first things that were taken from us was our language, children, land and water. And the reason our words were so widely written down was because [white Australians] were trying to eradicate us. They thought we were going extinct. The deeper you get into it, the darker it gets. But the purpose of my work is to take those horrible things and cast them as something beautiful.’Framed artwork

Luke King’s mixed media artwork Portrait (2023) was shown in the group exhibition Fever’Dreams at the Counihan Gallery in 2023. The group exhibition explored the slippery boundaries between abstract and figurative artwork, showcasing local artists with a strong connection to Merri-bek’s arts community. King uses portraiture to highlight the importance of gesture and facial expression in personal storytelling. Exhibition curator of Fever’Dreams, Mitchel Brannan, writes of King’s work: ‘King explores the profound capacity of the human face to convey emotions within the context of constraint. Through his art, King invites viewers to reflect on the complexities of human expression and the underlying dynamics of restraint within society.’

Time is an abstraction, a filing system used to arrange events and memories into a logical system of cause and effect. This new print was created with images arranged from drawings made while sitting by paths near nature, creeks and overlapping streets. I am a local artist and illustrator with a history of drawing, painting and printmaking.10Press brings together a diverse group of creatives who were invited to make a new artwork inspired by the theme of ‘Moreland: its creative future, its past or other hidden stories’. Artists were invited to respond to the prompt ‘Moreland’, using only one or two colours. This body of work was created in 2022 during a significant time in local history, which saw Council’s name change from ‘Moreland’ to ‘Merri-bek’. The printed bellyband of the folio highlights this transition, with the word ‘Moreland’ crossed out and replaced with Woiwurrung language name ‘Merri-bek’. Commoners Press is a Coburg-based print studio that works with artists and designers in Australia and abroad on short run projects. Established by Jan Brueggemeier, Rob Eales and Neal Haslem in 2017, Commoners Press focus on projects that are community-centred, experimental and sustainable. Donated by Commoners Press Letterpress print

When I visit Merri-bek I wonder, when I step on the tarmac of the Barkly Square carpark, what was here before? In fact, at this spot and across Brunswick there were clay pits, which would feed the pottery workshops in Brunswick that produced the pottery, gargoyles and decorative items for Marvellous Melbourne homes and suburbs. Marvellous for those who had profited from gold, property and finance, not so for those working in the clay pits. My print is a contemplation on what is beneath our feet and our relationship to the ground. I am a design academic working at RMIT University and began my print and design practice on a Golding foot-treadle Letterpress machine.10Press brings together a diverse group of creatives who were invited to make a new artwork inspired by the theme of ‘Moreland: its creative future, its past or other hidden stories’. Artists were invited to respond to the prompt ‘Moreland’, using only one or two colours. This body of work was created in 2022 during a significant time in local history, which saw Council’s name change from ‘Moreland’ to ‘Merri-bek’. The printed bellyband of the folio highlights this transition, with the word ‘Moreland’ crossed out and replaced with Woiwurrung language name ‘Merri-bek’. Commoners Press is a Coburg-based print studio that works with artists and designers in Australia and abroad on short run projects. Established by Jan Brueggemeier, Rob Eales and Neal Haslem in 2017, Commoners Press focus on projects that are community-centred, experimental and sustainable. Donated by Commoners Press Letterpress print

Merri-bek’s bi-annual collection and the communities’ tendency to dump rubbish makes these temporal sculptures part of the visual landscape of walking in Merri-bek. The collections of personal items, untold stories and connections which we all piece together whilst on an afternoon stroll. Over the years trends in pet ownership and technology advances can be documented in discarded items, also commenting on wealth and material value of objects. I have been living, parenting, working and volunteering in Merri-bek for the last 9 years. As time passes the community and landscape shift and change as does my connection to it. A once dedicated art practice is now tumbled around with life and family. Photography, video, drawing and painting are used to explore ideas around the everyday and meaning we attach to small moments of time.10Press brings together a diverse group of creatives who were invited to make a new artwork inspired by the theme of ‘Moreland: its creative future, its past or other hidden stories’. Artists were invited to respond to the prompt ‘Moreland’, using only one or two colours. This body of work was created in 2022 during a significant time in local history, which saw Council’s name change from ‘Moreland’ to ‘Merri-bek’. The printed bellyband of the folio highlights this transition, with the word ‘Moreland’ crossed out and replaced with Woiwurrung language name ‘Merri-bek’. Commoners Press is a Coburg-based print studio that works with artists and designers in Australia and abroad on short run projects. Established by Jan Brueggemeier, Rob Eales and Neal Haslem in 2017, Commoners Press focus on projects that are community-centred, experimental and sustainable. Donated by Commoners Press Letterpress print

With two young kids, I often find myself at Coburg Lake on a weekend, playing amongst the natural beauty of the park area, rugged embankments, local birdlife, and... ‘Bin Chicken Island’. Bin Chicken Island has become a running joke in the community, known for its wafting stench and as an environmental eyesore (never go to the park on a warm day with an easterly breeze). So much so that someone added a campground listing on the island to Google Maps. Whenever I drive past the lake, I always keep an eye out for disgruntled backpackers who have realised that the only camping to be had is by the Bin Chickens themselves. I am a local graphic designer who lives in Pascoe Vale and works in Brunswick. I head up the design studio, Atticus Design.10Press brings together a diverse group of creatives who were invited to make a new artwork inspired by the theme of ‘Moreland: its creative future, its past or other hidden stories’. Artists were invited to respond to the prompt ‘Moreland’, using only one or two colours. This body of work was created in 2022 during a significant time in local history, which saw Council’s name change from ‘Moreland’ to ‘Merri-bek’. The printed bellyband of the folio highlights this transition, with the word ‘Moreland’ crossed out and replaced with Woiwurrung language name ‘Merri-bek’. Commoners Press is a Coburg-based print studio that works with artists and designers in Australia and abroad on short run projects. Established by Jan Brueggemeier, Rob Eales and Neal Haslem in 2017, Commoners Press focus on projects that are community-centred, experimental and sustainable. Donated by Commoners Press Letterpress print

The image is based on a 3D component of one of my recent series of jewellery artworks. The heart metaphorically alludes to two locations of Merri-bek. One is Moreland Road, the other is Wallace Street in Brunswick. These locations pinpoint a time of collective trauma and communal experiential reflection. I was born in Brunswick in 1984 and have lived and worked there since. Brunswick for me is filled with stories of family, community, growth, tragedy and history experienced across a Greek Diasporic framework.10Press brings together a diverse group of creatives who were invited to make a new artwork inspired by the theme of ‘Moreland: its creative future, its past or other hidden stories’. Artists were invited to respond to the prompt ‘Moreland’, using only one or two colours. This body of work was created in 2022 during a significant time in local history, which saw Council’s name change from ‘Moreland’ to ‘Merri-bek’. The printed bellyband of the folio highlights this transition, with the word ‘Moreland’ crossed out and replaced with Woiwurrung language name ‘Merri-bek’. Commoners Press is a Coburg-based print studio that works with artists and designers in Australia and abroad on short run projects. Established by Jan Brueggemeier, Rob Eales and Neal Haslem in 2017, Commoners Press focus on projects that are community-centred, experimental and sustainable. Donated by Commoners Press Letterpress print

My work is dedicated to the animal residents that cohabit with us in the suburbs. I focused on the Red Wattlebird, as it is always a welcome visitor across the gardens and parks of Merri-bek. The frayed edges of the page from my notebook are reminiscent of the act of note taking and how we remember and observe things in our daily lives. I am a local artist and writer living in Naarm with a studio in Coburg as part of Schoolhouse Studios.10Press brings together a diverse group of creatives who were invited to make a new artwork inspired by the theme of ‘Moreland: its creative future, its past or other hidden stories’. Artists were invited to respond to the prompt ‘Moreland’, using only one or two colours. This body of work was created in 2022 during a significant time in local history, which saw Council’s name change from ‘Moreland’ to ‘Merri-bek’. The printed bellyband of the folio highlights this transition, with the word ‘Moreland’ crossed out and replaced with Woiwurrung language name ‘Merri-bek’. Commoners Press is a Coburg-based print studio that works with artists and designers in Australia and abroad on short run projects. Established by Jan Brueggemeier, Rob Eales and Neal Haslem in 2017, Commoners Press focus on projects that are community-centred, experimental and sustainable. Donated by Commoners Press Letterpress print

Ancestral Bouquet is a visual homage to the different plant species each migrant community brought with them to the lands of Merri-bek. It is a celebration of these plant communities and those (elderly migrants) who still know and practice traditional forms of food harvest and preparation. I was born and raised in unceded Wurundjeri Willum Country, in Coburg. My Father lived in the Southern Suburbs of Naarm as a refugee from Palestine, and eventually found Coburg as a place he could fit in as a migrant. My arts practice varies in modalities, and always comes back to the story of displaced cultures, my folklore, and my connection to Coburg and the Merri Creek.10Press brings together a diverse group of creatives who were invited to make a new artwork inspired by the theme of ‘Moreland: its creative future, its past or other hidden stories’. Artists were invited to respond to the prompt ‘Moreland’, using only one or two colours. This body of work was created in 2022 during a significant time in local history, which saw Council’s name change from ‘Moreland’ to ‘Merri-bek’. The printed bellyband of the folio highlights this transition, with the word ‘Moreland’ crossed out and replaced with Woiwurrung language name ‘Merri-bek’. Commoners Press is a Coburg-based print studio that works with artists and designers in Australia and abroad on short run projects. Established by Jan Brueggemeier, Rob Eales and Neal Haslem in 2017, Commoners Press focus on projects that are community-centred, experimental and sustainable. Donated by Commoners Press Letterpress print

This image of Coburg Olympic Swimming Pool represents my connection to Merri-bek / Moreland. Being brought up around water, swimming has played a key role in my family and I feel a sense of the community when swimming in a public pool. The gum trees and the proximity of this pool to the river reminds me of my home town, Albury. For me, a public pool is a gathering place, a place of leisure and play, somewhere to learn and grow, spend time and let go.10Press brings together a diverse group of creatives who were invited to make a new artwork inspired by the theme of ‘Moreland: its creative future, its past or other hidden stories’. Artists were invited to respond to the prompt ‘Moreland’, using only one or two colours. This body of work was created in 2022 during a significant time in local history, which saw Council’s name change from ‘Moreland’ to ‘Merri-bek’. The printed bellyband of the folio highlights this transition, with the word ‘Moreland’ crossed out and replaced with Woiwurrung language name ‘Merri-bek’. Commoners Press is a Coburg-based print studio that works with artists and designers in Australia and abroad on short run projects. Established by Jan Brueggemeier, Rob Eales and Neal Haslem in 2017, Commoners Press focus on projects that are community-centred, experimental and sustainable. Donated by Commoners Press Letterpress print

merri creek

merri creek

Negative (120) of a view of a W7? crossing the Merri Creek Bridge in Queens Parade Clifton Hill - notes provide date of 1956. A low resolution A4 laminated was received with the negatives. Hi Res image filed in the dbtext/hawthtramcoll/Large Images/htd3588large.jpgtrams, tramways, queens parade, clifton hill, merri creek, bridges

Set of 17 colour slides of tramway shelters, poles, and substations by Robert Green c1990. Shelters by the PMTT, HTT and MMTB 1 Tramway Shelter (PMTT) - Cnr Balaclava and Orrong Road, Caulfield 2 - ditto 3 - Tramway Shelter (PMTT) - Cnr. Cotham Road and Burke Road, Deepdene 4 - Tramway Shelter (PMTT) - Cnr. Cotham Road and Burke Road, Deepdene with telephone box alongside. 5 - Cnr. Malvern Rd and Orrong Road, Toorak 6 - Cnr. Malvern Rd and Orrong Road, Toorak 7 - Cnr. Dandenong Road and Hawthorn Road, Caufield 8 - ditto 9 - PMTT Substation - Rusden Street, Elsternwick 10 - PMTT poles cnr. Dandenong Road and Wattletree Road 11 - Tram shelter (HTT) Riversdale Road and Highfield Road - Camberwell - Highfield Park 12 - Tram shelter (HTT) Riversdale Road and Wattlevalley Road, Camberwell 13 - ditto 14 - Tram shelter (HTT) Camberwell Road, cnr Bowen St. Camberwell. 15 - Tram Shelter (HTT) Camberwell Depot, Riversdale Road, Hawthorn 16 - Merri Creek Bridge, St. Georges Road, North Fitzroy 17 - Merri Creek Bridge, St. Georges Road, North Fitzroy - foundation stone Yields information about Melbourne's tramway stop shelters and other infrastructure.Set of 17 Kodak colour slides in plastic mounts.tramways, shelters, caufield, deepdene, toorak, orrong road, cotham road, balaclava road, pmtt, htt, mmtb, riversdale road, camberwell depot, merri creek bridge, foundation stone, dandenong road, poles, rusden st, substations, hawthorn road, st.georges road

Digital image of a Pamphlet - A4 4 pages, titled ""Bridge Strengthening works High St Northcote"" for dates 28/11/2021 to 6/12/2021, published by Yarra Trams, gives details of bus replacement and tram stops. Pavement and foundation reconstruction of tracks over the Merri Creek. This section of track was subject to a speed restriction. Gives details of the work and photos of the bridge itself. See also Reg Item 6095.3 - for another pamphlettrams, tramways, yarra trams, high st, northcote, bridges, merri creek, trackwork

Image from CD (Compact Diskette for use in computers) - see Reg Item 135. Image titled "Merri Creek on CD, of looking from above Rushall station towards Clifton Hill Station with the Merri Creek on the left side of the photo. Shows cable trams in Queens Parade, cable trams shunting, the Clifton Hill cable tram depot, and the railway bridge over Merri Creek. 1930's? Photo has lots of white spots on the image.trams, tramways, merri creek, clifton hill, rushall station, cable trams

Set of two comb bound drawings for the "St Georges Road - Merri Parade to Miller St - Rehabilitation of Tramway and Divided Road", stippled card covers, providing details of plans, drainage, cross sections, track locations for the reconstruction of the roadway. Prepared Dec. 1988, used 1989. 621.2 Second volume titled "Amended Cross Sections" Prepared by the Road Construction Authority - RCA - Road Design Group Team 2. See Reg item 2653 for reports prior to the work being undertaken.trams, tramways, st georges rd, thornbury, northcote, tramways, road works, construction

Black and White photograph of a butchers truck (K. Potts?) truck having collided with the rail over road bridge, Merri Parade Northcote, possibly c1980. MMTB Photograph - same handwriting as Reg item 288. Has a policeman walking alongside, the damaged truck, other vehicles including a Clifton Bricks truck. The bridge has the low clearance sign in metres, but with a newer imperial sign alongside.In ink on rear "Merri Road Northcote"trams, tramways, northcote, bridges, collision

merri-bek public art collection

merri station