Mayor of Port Fairy 1888Sepia portrait of Mayor in suit belfast, mayor, portrait, government, shire, council, municipal, local-government

Brian Rosse Woods Mayor 1938Black & white portrait of Mayor in suitmayor, portrait, shire, council, municipal, local government

Black & white portrait of Thomas Crowe wearing glasses, mayoral robes and jabotmayor, portrait, shire, council, municipal, local government

Alexander George Hill Mayor 1944 1945 1962 1970 His home and boot shop was in Sackville Street - first shop from the old Post office corner. Alex was very involved in the Port Fairy Football Club.Black & white portrait of Alexander Hill wearing mayoral robes and jabotmayor, government, shire, council, municipal, portrait, local government, football club

John James McLaren appointed Mayor of Port Fairy 1947Black and white portrait of John McLaren wearing glasses, mayoral robes, jabot and gold chainport fairy, mayor, portrait, government, shire, council, municipal, local-government

Black & white portrait of Sydney Watson in a suit and vestmayor, portrait, shire, council, municipal, local government

William Henry Goldsmith appointed Mayor of Port Fairy 1951,1954,1955Black and white portrait of Mayor William Goldsmith wearing glasses, Marsalis robes with jabot and gold chainport fairy, mayor, portrait, government, shire, council, municipal, local-government

John Sarsfield Brophy Mayor 1956 1957 1975 1976 1977 1978 CEO of Port Fairy Hospital Greatly involved in the Moyneyana Festival which raises money for the Port Fairy Hospital or Moyne Health Services as it is now known.Black & white portrait of John Brophy in mayoral robes, jabot and gold chainbelfast, mayor, portrait, government, shire, council, municipal, local-government

Remembered for the time Mayor Ryan challenged the local Member of Parliament Mr. George Gibbs to an elephant race down the length of Sackville Street . The race attracted extensive publicity. In a close finish the Mayor of Port Fairy was declared the winner. Black & white portrait of Samuel Ryan in Mayoral robes, jabot and gold chainmayor, portrait, government, shire, council, municipal, local government

E P Guyett Appointed Mayor of Port Fairy 1964-1967Black and white portrait of Ernest Guyett in Mayoral robes, jabot and gold chainport fairy, mayor, portrait, government, shire, council, municipal, local-government

Humphrys, I.R. Mayor 1968 Black & white portrait of Roy Isaac Humphris in mayoral robes, chain and jabotmayor, portrait, shire, council, municipal, local government

"Picnickers in the Gardens", Port Fairy. Most likely a Terang day because of the tanks, tables and equipment involvedBlack and white Photograph of Ladies serving tea in the botanical GardensBorough of Port Fairy Town Clerkgardens, picnic, botanical, gipps street

Russell Clarke Mayor 1979 1980 1981 Russell was a builder and owned a Carpentry premises in Regent Street Port FairyAn image of Mr Russell Clarke a businessman and a Mayor of Port Fairy for 3 years 1979,80,81.Black & white portrait photograph Of Russell Clarke wearing the robes of Mayor of Borough of Port Fairymayor, portrait, government, shire, council, municipal, local government, russell clarke

James Goldie Mayor of Port Fairy 1915, 1922James Goldie as Mayor had a hand in forming the butter factory industry in Port Fairy and RosebrookBlack and white photographic portrait james goldie, goldie, mayor, port fairy, councillor, borough of port fairy, civic, council

Hughes, Francis Harold, Mayor 1942-1950Image of Mr Frank Hughes Mayor of Port Fairy in the years 1942 and again in 1950Black & white portrait photographmayor, portrait, shire, council, local government, borough of port fairy

Jack Willoughby, Mayor of the Borough of Port Fairy 1972Black & white portrait of Jack Willoughby in Mayoral robes and chainmayor, portrait, government, shire, council, municipal, local government

John Champion Jehu Mayor Of Borough of Port Fairy 1960Black & white portrait of John Jehu in Mayoral robes and chainmayor, portrait, shire, council, municipal, local government, john champion jehu

Councillor George Haynes a native of Staffordshire, England settled in Belfast in 1854 where he carried on the business of Draper and general merchant. George was also one of the original founders of the Mechanics Institute in Port Fairy. He was also a member of Belfast Municipal Council (later Borough of Port Fairy) for 18 years and was it’s first Mayor. he was President of the Hospital Benevolent Asylum Committee and for some years a member of the School Board of Advice.Black and white portraitbelfast, president, portrait, government, shire, municipal, local-government, george haynes, mechanics institute

This book is a black and white facsimile of the coloured, commemorate album presented to Queen Victoria on her Diamond Jubilee in June, 1897, celebrating the 60th Anniversary of her reign on the British throne. The Municipalities also received original copies, each numbered as limited editions. The first two pages of the album are an address to Queen Victoria from the Municipalities of the Colony of Victoria, Australia, written in fancy Old English calligraphy. The remaining twenty-three pages display images representing each of the 208 municipalities as in 1897 and include a medallion of their Coat of Arms and statistics such as population, size and valuation, signatures of the Shire Presidents and Secretaries. The album’s publisher, Sands & Mc Dougall Limited, was first established in Sydney. This book was published by the Melbourne Branch. Local areas mentioned in the album include – Town of Warrnambool, page 5, Borough of Portland, page 7 Borough of Port Fairy, page 9 Borough of Koroit, page 9 Shire of Belfast, page 10 Shire of Portland, page 10 Shire of Warrnambool, page 10 Shire of Mortlake, page 12 TRANSCRIPTION OF THE ADDRESS TO QUEEN VICTORIA – “May it please Your Majesty, We Your Majesty’s most dutiful and loyal subjects, the representatives of the Municipal Government of the entire Colony of Victoria, humbly approach Your Majesty with earnest assurances of our attachment and devotion to Your Majesty’s Throne and person. We beg to offer to Your Majesty respectful and heartfelt congratulations on completion of the 60th Year of Your Majesty’s reign and to express our grateful recognition of the beneficent influence exercised by You as our Queen during that long period. We are proud of the honour that united, we form the Colony which bears Your Majesty’s name and the unity of this, our expression of congratulation and thankfulness, is truly typical of the united love of the people of this Colony for You as our Queen and for our Nation. With devout thankfulness to our Almighty God for wisdom, guidance and strength vouchsafed in You as our Sovereign, and for unexampled blessings bestowed upon us Your people, we offer earnest prayer that the continuance of Your Majesty’s reign may be a season of peace amongst the Nations of the World and of closer and still happier kinship between the many and wide unretruding sections of our Empire. As witness, the Corporate Seals of the 208 Municipalities of the Colony of Victoria. This 21st day of June 1897.”This facsimile album is significant for its association with early Australian history, the influence of the British Monarch over its Colony, and the establishment, growth and extent of the Colony of Victoria. The album gives a summary of a set year and the statistics of each Municipality. This gives added significance to the history of South-West Victoria, including Warrnambool, allowing a comparison of then and now. The album's inclusion of the Address to Your Majesty shows the respect of the people of Victoria towards the British Monarchy.Book, hard cover, bound in black leather with gold embossed title and border on the front cover, gold lines top and bottom of spine and gilt edged pages. Inside covers are lined in white embossed fabric. Twenty-five pages are all thick, cream coloured card with a rectangular border in the centre of each page. Attached inside the boarders are black and white copies of illustrations and text. A green printed label is attached inside the back cover.“SANDS & Mc DOUGALL LIMITEDN/Manufacturers/MELBOURNE”flagstaff hil, warrnambool, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, queen victoria, diamond jubilee, 60th anniversary, album, municipalities of victoria, colony of victoria, 1897 statistics of victoria, sands & mcdougal, facsimile album, australian history, victorian history, historical document, address to your majesty, address to queen victoria, victoria queen of britain, queen of the united kingdom, 60th anniversary of reign, 1819-1901, jubilee 1897, 208 municipalities, seals of victoria, statistics in victoria 1897, presentation album, british monarchy

This document, also referred to as a word picture or Tablet, is framed in glass and timber with gilt trim, is handwritten with colour highlights. The penned letters rest on ruled guide lines, decorated where the lines intersect. The writing gives a description of the state of Borough of Warrnambool around 1875; its location, the area it covers, its population, Harbour and facilities, public buildings and institutions, imports and exports, financial worth, number of houses, connection with other areas of the Colony. A possible reason and origin for the document is found in an article ‘Link with US Exhibition’ from the Warrnambool Standard of December 19, 1981, written by local historian Bruce Morris. The writer mentions that the Warrnambool Borough Council met on 15th June 1875 and recorded a letter from G.C. Levey , secretary to the Melbourne group of commissioners representing the Colony, and Victoria in particular, for the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition of 1876. The letter asks Council to provide “statistics as to the population, social condition and commercial and industrial state of the district in and around Warrnambool.” A sub committee was formed for the project. The Mayor, Cr. Thomas King, wrote and signed a Report, presented to the council on July 14, 1875, in which “The Committee … begs to recommend that a Tablet be prepared setting for the particulars respecting the following matters relating to the Borough”. The matters included area, population, annual income, churches, schools, other public buildings, societies and companies, general description of houses erected, and returns of exports and imports for 1874. The minutes note that the Report was adopted. The article above also notes the opinion of Warrnambool printers who have examined the document; it is almost certainly to be an old lithograph, which means there could be several copies. It is possible that there may be a copy in Melbourne and another in Philadelphia. It is interesting to note that (1) the quoted location co-ordinates are for an “Unnamed Road, Packsaddle NSW 2880, Australia”, and that the DMS co-ordinates for Warrnambool’s Council Offices differ, being 38.23.9.12 South, 142.28.52.887. (2) the date for “Exports and Imports for the Year Ending 30th June 1875” is different to the period mentioned by Cr. King in the sub committee’s Report of recommendation “returns of exports and imports for 1874”. The information required to have the figures for the end of June 1875 would need to have been compiled very quickly for the Tablet to be ready for the opening of the Philadelphia Exhibition on 10 May 1876. The document/certificate shows the following – - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - “Victoria Australia, Borough of Warrnambool. Latitude, 30.24.50 South, Longitude 142.32 East The Principal Port in the Western District of the Colony and the Centre of its Choicest Agricultural Lands. Established a Municipality in 1855, and Created a Borough 1863. Population in 1875 4,500. Warrnambool is the nearest Port to Melbourne on the Western Seaboard, being about 160 miles distant. Coaches run to and from the Metropolis daily, in connexion [connection] with the Railway of Geelong and Steamers belonging to Local Companies sail between Melbourne, Warrnambool, Belfast [renamed Port Fairy], and Portland several times weekly. The Harbour is known as Lady Bay, and is partially protected by a reef of rocks stretching from the mouth of the Hopkins River. The formation of a Breakwater has been decided upon by the Government, to extend 600 yards, at an estimated cost of £100,000. There are two substantial Jetties, one of 800 and the other of 600 feet in length. The former is connected with the Town by means of a Tramroad, along which Goods, inwards & outwards, are conveyed, & the latter has been constructed solely for the purpose of facilitating the transit of material for the formation of the Breakwater. In addition to the trade of the Borough and District, the principal Townships up country receive their supplies from Melbourne and ship their exports through Warrnambool. Potatoes form the staple produce of the district, and the richness of the soil can be estimated by the fact that the Government Statistics for 1875 give as the average yield a return of Seven Tons to the acre. Several thousand acres between Warrnambool and Tower Hill are now being laid down in Potatoes by Tenants who have leased the lands at rates up to £5 per acre for the season 1875-6. Wool, Tallow, hides &c are also largely exported, while the shipments of all descriptions of Farm Produce are annually increasing. Area of Borough, 3362 Acres. Net Annual Value £27,000. Annual Revenue £5,500. Number of Houses in Borough 800. Public Buildings and Institutions Churches. Church of England, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Wesleyan, Congregational and Baptist. Schools. Three State Schools, average attendance nearly 1000. New Building in course of erection. Several private establishments. Banks. Bank of Australasia, Bank of Victoria, National Bank, Colonial Bank and Savings Bank. Public Buildings. Court house, Custom house, Post & Telegraph Offices, Survey & Land Offices, Shire £, Town Hall, Mechanics Institute, Volunteer Orderly Room, Odd Fellows Hall, Hospital & Benevolent Asylum, Temperance Hall &c. Companies & Societies. Steam Navigation Co, Woolen Mill Co, Gas Co, Racing Club, Amateur Turf Club, Agricultural Society, Farmers’ Club, Cricket Club, Anglers’ Society, Building Society, Freemasons Odd Fellows, Foresters, Druids, Hibernians. Protestant Alliance, Rechabites, Sons of Temperance, &c, Fire Brigade &c. --- Exports and Imports for the Year Ending 30th June 1875 –-- --Exports Total Tonnage 27,800 (Calculated at the Current Warrnambool Market Prices) Potatoes Wool Wheat Barley Hides Skins Fowls Butter Cheese Eggs Tallow Leather Ale Pigs Sheep Sundries --Imports 13,000 Tons Of the Estimated Value of £520,000 Total Tonnage of Exports and Imports 40m900 Tons, Value £806,627 Passenger Travels, to ad from Warrnambool during year, 10,000 persons Revenue from all sources paid through Warrnambool Sub Treasury From 1860 to June 1875 £1, 292, 300 Thomas King [signed] Mayor Henry T Read [signed] Town Clerk” - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The document is of historical, social, economic and local significance in that it summarises activities, business, community, trade, travel and government at a point in time in Warrnambool’s history – 30th June 1875.Document, also referred to as a ‘word picture’ or ‘tablet’. Document is framed in glass and timber with gilt trim, handwritten with colour highlights. The penned letters rest on ruled guide lines, decorated where the lines intersect. Document outlines the establishment of Warrnambool as a Municipality in 1855 and Borough in 1863, with a population of 4,500 in 1875. It states geographic location, public buildings and institutions, harbor facilities and imports and exports for the year ending 30th June 1875. Two signatures "Thomas King" Mayor and "Henry T Read" Town Clerk. It shows the Coat of Arms of the Borough of Warrnambool.Signatures - "Thomas King" Mayor and "Henry T Read" Town Clerk. Warrnambool Coat of Arms; “British Coat of Arms, above sailing vessel and sheaf of wheat in sun, motto “By these we flourish” and around circumference “Borough of Warrnambool 1855”flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, borough of warrnambool, municipality of warrnambool, document borough of warrnambool 1875, word picture of warrnambool 1875, tablet of borough of warrnambool 1875, statistics borough of warrnambool 1875, lithograph borough of warrnambool 1875, coat of arms warrnambool, warrnambool city motto – in these we flourish, establishment of warrnambool, warrnambool history, thomas king mayor of warrnambool, henry t read town clerk of warrnambool, warrnambool breakwater, warrnambool jetty, warrnambool imports and exports 1875, warrnambool agriculture 1875, warrnambool business 1875, warrnambool population 1875, centennial exhibition philadelphia 1876, framed certificate

A surveyor was employed to measure the land designated as Yangery, County of Villiers, in the Borough of Warrnambool. The area on the map is similar to the earlier Farnham Survey undertaken by William Rutledge in the 1850's. Warrnambool was a Borough between 1863-1883. Coutours, waterways, sea and other significant points are shown. The distances are accurately measured. This survey map was used for planning future land sales, recreation areas and roads. WILLIAM RUTLEDGE (1806-1876) William Rutledge surveyed the land known as Farnham in southwest Victoria in 1843. His tenants made him a profitable business from working the land there. In 1863 Rutledge moved from nearby Port Fairy to Farnham and became very successful in breeding sheep, which he imported from J.R. Kirkham of Lincolnshire, England. He also bred horses on his land. The survey map of Yangery is important for its connection with renowned surveyor William Rutledge. The map shows the growth of landholders in the district when compared to the original Rutledge survey of the 1850's.Survey map of Yangery, titled "Yangery - County of Villiers". Printed on white paper, mounted on brown paper. c. 1863-1876. Comments printed on the Map include; Special Survey by William Rutledge, Photo-lithographed at the Department of Lands and Survey, Melbourne by W.J. Burson, Price 1/- [one shilling]. Scale is in Chains. Map has boundaries of Koroit Borough, Meerai, Purnim, Wangoom, Borough of Warrnambool, Mentions the Proposal of Tower HIll for Public Recreation. The map names the owners of the land at that time. Hand written pencil marks and figures and "Sauls fence" drawn on map. Hand written pencil markes and figures and "Sauls fence" drawn onto map. "For Department Use only". "Scale: 8 chains to 1 inch" flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, county of villiers map, yangery district, w.j. burson, borough of warrnambool, koroit, purnim, meerai, wangoom, proposal of tower hill for public recreation, special survey by william rutledge, william rutledge, farnham, lincolnshire sheep, clydesdale

This bat was awarded to Thomas William Southcombe in 1876 for the best batting average during the 1875-6 season at Warrnambool Cricket Club. Thomas William Southcombe was the son of Thomas and Mary Southcombe of Port Fairy. With his parents, Thomas and Mary, he arrived in Port Fairy in 1854. Thomas Senior was a carpenter who established several businesses in Port Fairy and served on the local Council for many years as a Councillor and Mayor. Thomas Junior appears to have migrated to U.S.A. and died there in 1904. The cricket bat was manufactured by the British firm of James Lillywhite, Frowd & Co. James Lillywhite was an English cricketer whose uncle had originally established the sports store and manufacturing business which lasted under various names until the 21st century. A cricketer named Lillywhite played in Warrnambool in 1874 with an All England Team under the captaincy of W.G.Grace. It is not known whether this was James Lillywhite or another member of the Liilywhite family as several of them played first class cricket.. The impression of the signature of W.H.Ponsford on the bat is an intriguing one. W.H. (Bill) Ponsford was a famous Australian cricketer who retired in the late 1930s. The Southcombe cricket bat was given by Mary Southcombe (Thomas’ sister) to the old Warrnambool Museum in 1923 and it is surmised that Bill Ponsford visited Warrnambool in 1957 (tthis appears to be the date under the signature imprint) and was shown the bat. It is then surmised that he rested a piece of paper or an album page on the bat while he signed his name and the impression of the signature has come through onto the bat. The old Museum closed in the 1960s and the bat was then passed on to the Warrnambool and District Historical Society from the Warrnambool City Council collection of items from the Museum. This bat is of considerable importance because of its provenance and its connection with the Warrnambool Cricket Club, the Southcombe family of Port Fairy, the Lillywhite manufacturers, the old Warrnambool Museum and Bill Ponsford. It is also a good example of the type of cricket bat used in Australia in the 1870s. This is a wooden cricket bat (light colour wood, presumably willow) with a handle covered in oiled thread. It has an etched inscription on one side of the bat and the names of the manufacturer and distributor on the other side. There is also a faint impression of another signature. The blade of the bat is slightly curved. ‘W.C.C. Season 1875-6 Presented to T.W. Southcombe, for Best Batting Average’ ‘James Lillywhite Frowd & Co., Manufacturers, Borough, England’ ‘Made for George Marsh, Melbourne’ ‘W.H.Ponsford, -/1/1957’ warrnambool cricket club, thomas william southcombe, w.h.ponsford, warrnambool’s old museum

Funding for the construction of the Rotunda was bequeathed in the Will of local resident Mrs Annie Williams, who was born in Daylesford in 1872 and died in Kew in 1930. Annie’s Will stipulated that the remaining value of her Estate be spent on erecting a Bandstand in the Port Fairy Botanical Gardens dedicated to the memory of her brother Hugh, a stretcher bearer in WW1 and who died in 1921 after being discharged with health issues, her husband Henry, and herself naturally. There is a plaque dedicated to Annie on the Bandstand She requested that the Bandstand be a replica of the one at Daylesford but by 1933 the value of her Estate had diminished to £76.4/8 which was insufficient to cover a similar design and the Borough Councillors felt it would be too extravagant for the Port Fairy Botanical Gardens. Local builder J.J.McLaren’s tender of £71.15/- was accepted and the octagonal concrete pillared construction was completed with the use of sustenance labour the following year. The Bandstand was opened in December, 1934 with a performance by the Port Fairy Band and local residents enjoying the entertainment and a picnic. In 1934 it was reported that there was some fuss in Council because of the whereabouts of the sum of approximately £3/- , being the amount left over from the build. After some months of debate, in which the Councillors suggested that the Engineer had used the money inappropriately, and to which he responded that the build had cost more than the quote, the matter seems to have ended there Black and white photograph of gardens with dividing paths and palm treebotanical, rotunda, gardens, trees, bandstand

Funding for the construction of the Rotunda was bequeathed in the Will of local resident Mrs Annie Williams, who was born in Daylesford in 1872 and died in Kew in 1930. Annie’s Will stipulated that the remaining value of her Estate be spent on erecting a Bandstand in the Port Fairy Botanical Gardens dedicated to the memory of her brother Hugh, a stretcher bearer in WW1 and who died in 1921 after being discharged with health issues, her husband Henry, and herself naturally. There is a plaque dedicated to Annie on the Bandstand She requested that the Bandstand be a replica of the one at Daylesford but by 1933 the value of her Estate had diminished to £76.4/8 which was insufficient to cover a similar design and the Borough Councillors felt it would be too extravagant for the Port Fairy Botanical Gardens. Local builder J.J.McLaren’s tender of £71.15/- was accepted and the octagonal concrete pillared construction was completed with the use of sustenance labour the following year. The Bandstand was opened in December, 1934 with a performance by the Port Fairy Band and local residents enjoying the entertainment and a picnic. In 1934 it was reported that there was some fuss in Council because of the whereabouts of the sum of approximately £3/- , being the amount left over from the build. After some months of debate, in which the Councillors suggested that the Engineer had used the money inappropriately, and to which he responded that the build had cost more than the quote, the matter seems to have ended there Coloured photograph (hand tinted) of the stand of cypress trees leading to the rotundaThe Park, Port Fairy - No. 3botanical, garden, cypress, tree, rotunda

Funding for the construction of the Rotunda was bequeathed in the Will of local resident Mrs Annie Williams, who was born in Daylesford in 1872 and died in Kew in 1930. Annie’s Will stipulated that the remaining value of her Estate be spent on erecting a Bandstand in the Port Fairy Botanical Gardens dedicated to the memory of her brother Hugh, a stretcher bearer in WW1 and who died in 1921 after being discharged with health issues, her husband Henry, and herself naturally. There is a plaque dedicated to Annie on the Bandstand She requested that the Bandstand be a replica of the one at Daylesford but by 1933 the value of her Estate had diminished to £76.4/8 which was insufficient to cover a similar design and the Borough Councillors felt it would be too extravagant for the Port Fairy Botanical Gardens. Local builder J.J.McLaren’s tender of £71.15/- was accepted and the octagonal concrete pillared construction was completed with the use of sustenance labour the following year. The Bandstand was opened in December, 1934 with a performance by the Port Fairy Band and local residents enjoying the entertainment and a picnic. In 1934 it was reported that there was some fuss in Council because of the whereabouts of the sum of approximately £3/- , being the amount left over from the build. After some months of debate, in which the Councillors suggested that the Engineer had used the money inappropriately, and to which he responded that the build had cost more than the quote, the matter seems to have ended there Black and white photograph of the stand of cypress trees with the rotunda in the backgroundThe Park Port Fairy - No 3botanical, garden, trees, rotunda, path

Showing the flood waters of 1946 around the Band Rotunda in the botanical gardens. Funding for the construction of the Rotunda was bequeathed in the Will of local resident Mrs Annie Williams, who was born in Daylesford in 1872 and died in Kew in 1930. Annie’s Will stipulated that the remaining value of her Estate be spent on erecting a Bandstand in the Port Fairy Botanical Gardens dedicated to the memory of her brother Hugh, a stretcher bearer in WW1 and who died in 1921 after being discharged with health issues, her husband Henry, and herself naturally. There is a plaque dedicated to Annie on the Bandstand She requested that the Bandstand be a replica of the one at Daylesford but by 1933 the value of her Estate had diminished to £76.4/8 which was insufficient to cover a similar design and the Borough Councillors felt it would be too extravagant for the Port Fairy Botanical Gardens. Local builder J.J.McLaren’s tender of £71.15/- was accepted and the octagonal concrete pillared construction was completed with the use of sustenance labour the following year. The Bandstand was opened in December, 1934 with a performance by the Port Fairy Band and local residents enjoying the entertainment and a picnic. In 1934 it was reported that there was some fuss in Council because of the whereabouts of the sum of approximately £3/- , being the amount left over from the build. After some months of debate, in which the Councillors suggested that the Engineer had used the money inappropriately, and to which he responded that the build had cost more than the quote, the matter seems to have ended there An image of the flood waters in the botanical gardens in 1946Black and white photograph of Flood water around rotunda in the gardensflood, river, botanical gardens, port fairy, moyne river, rotunda, bandstand

Originally the Port Fairy Post Office built by Captain John Mason in 1865 in place of a wooden structure which he also built back in 1857. It then became the Port Fairy Borough Chambers in 1882 and the drawing shows the building inhabited by a Restaurant called "Lunch" c1990's. It is now the home of another Restaurant called 'Le Edera'.Black and white photograph of a drawing shop, commercial, borough chambers, borough council, port fairy, restaurant, 'lunch', 'le edera'