Historical information
View looking north along Main Road, Eltham from near present day Dudley Street.
On the immediate left is the railway station. The large weatherboard building on the bend (opposite present-day Arthur Street) with signs for General Store, Refreshments and Summer Drinks painted on the side is Luther and Ada Haley’s General Store and Bakery, built 1902. This was the first building in what is now Eltham’s present shopping town centre. Haley previously ran the General Store and Bakery on the corner of Main Road and York Street until his lease expired and the premises were bought by Mrs Sarah Burgoyne in 1902. The store later was known as Staff's Store.
Followed by the saleyards, entrance to station, slaughter yard and William J Capewell’s butcher shop. Contained within the saleyards facing the street, a small shelter with the name H.H. Clark upon it. Horace Harold Clark was the son of Eltham State School’s first Head Teacher, David George Clark. As well as being a farmer, he was an Estate Agent and conducted auction sales, presumably from this shelter.
On the eastern (right) side of Main Street is Haley’s Paddock, which was used on occasions for community picnics. Capable of holding 10,000 people, with ample shade and hilly surroundings it was an ideal place for any community gathering such as the State Schools’ Picnic in 1904.
A worker from the bakery store is standing in the gateway at the rear of the store observing the photographer. People in the ‘Sunday Best’ are milling in front of the bakery or strolling down the centre of Main Road. The picture was most likely taken on a Sunday. With the opening of the railway to Eltham in 1902, Melbourne residents would regularly enjoy a Sunday excursion journey on the train to Eltham for a day’s outing to the countryside or beyond to Hurstbridge from 1912 when the railway was extended.
Picture dated as c.1910 based on similar picture published in the Weekly Times, Feb. 1912.
Cross Ref: 609 (looking south), 612, 611 (later stage), 613.
Physical description
Negative black and white film 120 6x9 format 2 strips
Inscriptions & markings
Agfa APX 100
Subjects
- baker,
- butcher,
- eltham,
- eltham railway station,
- eltham sale yards,
- eltham slaughter yard,
- eltham town centre,
- general store,
- haley's paddock,
- hot water,
- luther haley,
- luther haley general store,
- m.m. clark,
- main road,
- railway station,
- shire of eltham pioneers photograph collection,
- shops,
- sign,
- staffs general store,
- summer drinks,
- w.j. capewell
