The people in the photograph were enjoying a day out at a Sunbury race meeting some time in the early 1900s. Races at Sunbury began in 1886 with the establishment of the Sunbury Racecourse that was located along Racecourse Road on a section of the Rupertswood Estate on land consisting of six furlongs and two straights. The site included a patron’s stand, saddling paddock, bookmakers’ enclosure, two bars, a committee room, judges box, stables, toilets, six entrance gates and ticket boxes. Special trains from Melbourne brought patrons and horses to the Sunbury race meetings. A report in the Melbourne Argus newspaper in 1922, stated that city taxi drivers came out to Sunbury to drive patrons to the racecourse, which was located about 3 kms from the Sunbury station. Some time however, between 1886 and 1901, there was a period when the racing club had been inactive. A meeting was called in 1901 to restore the club’s activities. With a substantial loan from Mr. Clarke the committee was able to organise the installation of a turnstile, perimeter fencing and irrigation of the course by a windmill that pumped water from a recently constructed dam that was on the estate. The club continued to function until 1942, during World War 2, and did not resume activities after the end of the war. The land was eventually sold for housing development.

The Sunbury Race meetings were popular with the racing fraternity not only in the district but further afield and were deemed sufficiently important to run special trains from Melbourne to Sunbury on Race days.

A non-digital sepia photograph with a strong cardboard backing of a crowd of people dressed smartly for a day out at the races. Most of the spectators are seated in a long marquee. Three men on the RHS are looking at a horse that is lying on the ground.On the back of the card there are scribbled notes and numbers which seem to indicate the photograph has been used for a publication at some time.

sunbury race meetings, sunbury race course, racecourse road

The photograph was taken at a Sunbury Race meeting, when a sudden shower of rain caused the spectators to run for cover. Sunbury Race Course was situated along Racecourse Road about 2kms from the railway station. The land has been sold and it is now a housing estate.

The race meetings in Sunbury were well attended with special trains running from Melbourne on race days.

A noon-digital sepia photograph mounted on cardboard of a crowd of people caught in a sudden shower of rain and running for shelter at a race meeting.

sunbury race meetings, racecourse road, races, stud farms

The mural of an impression of Macedon Street in Sunbury 100 years ago was painted by Frank Breen, on the brick garage wall of the Catholic Presbytery and it faced the garden in front of the former Sunbury Courthouse. Before the railway arrived in Sunbury in 1859, Macedon Street was the town's business centre. Early local businesses and and institutions that the artist included in the mural include on the LHS former courthouse, Out Lady of Mt. Carmel and the Sir John Franklin Hotel. On the RHS are some shops and the Ballcourt Hotel.

The mural gives an impression of Sunbury's first business centre before it shifted closer to the railway station which arrived in Sunbury in 1859.

A non-digital coloured photograph of an artist's impression of a street in Sunbury 100 years ago. The photograph has been encased in a cream card with an inscription on the back.

'MACEDON STREET 100 YEARS AGO'/ARTIST: FRANK BREEN/OLD SUNBURY COURTHOUSE/ SUNBURY, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA

murals, macedon street, frank breen, sunbury courthouse, our lady of mount carmel, hotels

The building was the residence of the engineer who was responsible of managing the early electric supply that was installed in Sunbury in 1909. The town's power supply put an end to gas lighting that had been used and homes had the benefit of having electricity connected to their homes. In 1926 the State Electricity Commission took over supplying electrical power to Sunbury. The cottage is now a private home and the power house building has been demolished. he complex occupied land on the corner of Jackson and Shields Street.

At the time the electric supply was installed in Sunbury in 1909, few small country towns had electric power connected.

A non-digital scanned coloured photograph with a narrow white border of a small double fronted wooden cottage with a corrugated iron roof with trees growing behind the building.

electricity, engineer's corrage, jackson street, shields street, power supplies

There is very little information about this historic home .which is thought to be somewhere within the former Shire of Bulla and/or the Shire of Broadmeadows.

A non-digital sepia photograph in post card format of a two storey Georgian style home with a single storey extension at the rear of the house.

mansions, homesteads

The Sunbury Post Office with a residence pictured in the image was the first official post office building in the town. It opened on the corner of Brook and Evans Streets in 1892. Prior to that time postal services were conducted in an office at Sunbury Railway Station. Although the present day post office is still on the Brook-Evans Streets corner, the building has undergone many changes in services and appearances over the years.

Like many country towns, the post office offered many services to the residents over the years.

short message has been written on the back to a person in Stirling WA.

sunbury post office, sunbury railway station, brook street, evans street, post offices

The Male Hospital in Sunbury was one of the buildings that was within the grounds of the Sunbury Mental Hospital, later known as the Sunbury Asylum, that opened on 1st December 1879 on She-oak Hill ( Jacksons Hill). Patients and staff from the Ballarat Asylum were transferred there. Prior to the establishment of the Asylum, the Sunbury Industrial School occupied the site from 1865. The Sunbury Asylum, later known as Caloola, continued to operate until the 1992.

The Sunbury Mental Hospital was an important institution and was the main source of employment for Sunbury residents for 120 years. It was also one of a number of similar institutions that were established around Melbourne's outer rural centres.

A sepia non- digital photo in post card format of a hospital building with verandahs along a section of the front and down the side. Two nurses are standing in front. There are circular garden beds in from of the building. A message dated 23/11.09 from Gregor to Cookie has been written on the back of the card.

MALE HOSPITAL/SUNBURY

sunbury mental hospital, sunbury asylum, caloola, the hill

The church in the image is the former St. Michaels Catholic Church that was on Sunbury Road in the small Bulla township. After holding religious services at the Daniel property 'Narbonne' at Oaklands Junction until 1876, the permanent church building opened 0n 19th November 1876. Services were held there until the land was sold in the 1980s and the building was demolished despite undergoing renovations in 1978. Members of the Catholic faith then worshipped at the Sunbury Catholic Church. The note on the flip side was written by a Sunbury resident to his sister.

A post card with a non-digital sepia photograph of a weatherboard church in an open grassed area. A short note has been written on the flip side of the card.

st. michaels church, bulla, catholic church

M.G. Gregor was staying at the Sunbury Presbytery when she wrote a message on the flip side of this postcard to her niece on 23rd June 1912. She may have been employed there as a housekeeper.The Catholic Presbytery was built at a cost of 1315 pounds and opened on 25th February 1912. Father Gallivan was the first priest to reside in the new Presbytery. The Presbytery is adjacent to Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Macedon Street.

A post card of a non-digital sepia photograph of an Edwardian style brick house with a tiled roof and a return verandah. The house has a picket front fence. A handwritten message dated June 23rd 1923 is written on the flip side of the card.

catholic presbytery, catholic church, our lady of mount carmel catholic church, father gallivan

Contextual information relating to St.Mary's Church is entered on P0877. This image was used for a newspaper article

An enlarged non-digital black and white photograph with a cream border of a blue stone church with white rendered columns around the windows and door and a pitched slate roof. Two men are standing beside the porch and the vestry is visible at the rear of the main building. A bare deciduous tree is on the LHS of the image

The first building which housed Sunbury State School No.1002 was built on the corner of Macedon and Stawell Streets in the early 1870s and functioned as the local State School until 1912 when a sturdier red brick structure replaced on the same site. In 1999 Sunbury State School was relocated in the former Industrial School heritage buildings in Jacksons Hill. The existing building in Macedon Street was incorporated into the Sunbury Community Health Centre.

The school in the photograph is the original Sunbury State School NO. 1002 building, where many early Sunbury residents attended.

A non-digital black and white photograph in post card format of a crowd of children outside a school building. Four teachers are standing on the RHS of the image.

sunbury state school no. 1002, stawell street, macedon street, schools

On 17th January 1856, two acres of land was granted for the building of a school and church on that site in Macedon Street. A small temporary building was erected on the site and on 13th December 1864 the foundation stone was laid for the new stone church which was known as 'Our Lady of Mount Carmel'

Is one of the oldest churches to be established in Sunbury.

A non-Digital post card photograph of the Roman Catholic Church in Sunbury

our lady of mount carmel catholic church, macedon street, sunbury

The Government first granted land for the building of a Presbyterian Church in Sunbury in Stawell Street and Barkly Street, in 1864 and a smaller building was later erected on the site. In 1904 Rev Goyen pressed for a brick church rep[lace the smaller weather board building and the foundation stone was laid for the new church was laid by Mrs. John Duncan on 17th August 1904 and the new church opened by Lady Clarke on 13th November 1904.

The Presbyterian Church was one of the earliest churches to be established in Sunbury along with a school.

A non-digital sepia photograph in post card format of the front view of a brick church with a light picket fence across the front.

The context entry for photograph P0876 gives information about this building which ceased being a place of worship when the Presbyterian, Methodist and Congregational churches amalgamated.

A non- digital coloured photograph of the front entrance of former Methodist Church that stands on the NW corner of Barkly and Harker Streets in Sunbury. The image clearly shows the decorative wooden edges around the roof and doorway.

methodist church, barkly street, harker street

This is an early photograph of St. Mary's Anglican Church in Sunbury. On 13th October 1863, the Government granted one acre of land on the corner of Stawell and O'Shanassy Streets for the building of a church. he first service was held on 24th November 1867. After that date subsequent additions were made. The gas lamp outside the church indicates that the photograph was taken before electric power was installed in Sunbury.

St. Mary's Anglican Church is one of the earliest places of worship to be built in Sunbury.

A non-digital sepia post card photograph of a small bluestone church with a slate roof with a wooden picket fence and two gates across the front. A gas lamp is on the pathway.

Peter Collett's signature is on the back as well as a sticker with number 7 written on it

st. mary's church of england., o'shanassy street, stawell street

The church in the photograph is the former Methodist Church which is on the NW corner of Barkly and Harker Streets inn Sunbury. It was built on land donated by Thomas Woods at Lot 14 Barkly Street where in 1870 a small weatherboard building was built. In 1879 John Browning gifted land at 13 Barkly Street for the building of a new brick church on that site. The brick church continued to be a place of worship until the June 1977 when the Presbyterian, Methodist and Congregational churches came together and worshipped as the Uniting Church. St. Andrews Uniting Church have been the owners of this building since that time.

A non-digital black and white photograph of a little Church building with the words Methodist Church written across the bottom of the image.

methodist church, methodism, barkly street, harker street, uniting church

The earliest record of the Sunbury Aussies Rules football is in 1881when a match was played between Sunbury and Keilor. In 1892 the team officially became known as The Swifts. Some of the players have been identified in the image. They are - Standing: J.Fisher, W.Wider, L.Drew, R. Grant, A. Oserham, I. Gilchrist, B. Campbell, A.F. Daniel, E. Campbell and W. Eadie. Seated: P. Whelan, E. Whelan, C. Whelan and E. Meeking.

The Sunbury Football Club is one of the earliest and oldest sporting clubs to be still in existence today.

A non-digital black and white scanned photograph of a football team taken some time in the early 1900s, showing 21 players and the coach. photographed in an open area. The image has been printed on A4 paper and a list of names is attached.

sunbury football club, "the swifts', j.fisher, w.wider, l.drew, r. grant, a. oserham, i. gilchrist, b. campbell, a.f. daniel, e. campbell and w. eadie. seated: p. whelan, e. whelan, c. whelan and e. meeking.

The photograph was taken of swimmers at the water hole at The Nook in Sunbury in 1917. The pool at The Nook was the town's only swimming area from 1916 to 1966, when an Olympic size swimming pool was built in Ligar Street.

A non-digital sepia photograph mounted on cream board of eight young men sitting on a grassy area and dressed in swimwear c1917.

sunbury swimming club, the nook, swimming, sports

This is a photograph of the first committee of the Sunbury Swimming Club which was formed in 1916. The club used the pool at The Nook near Eadie Street. The area had shade trees, a drink fountain, seats, change rooms and diving boards. In 1966 an Olympic size swimming pool was opened in LIgar Street, as a result of a whole community effort. The site at The Nook became a popular passive recreation area.

The pool at The Nook was a popular meeting place for Sunbury residents in the hot summer months for fifty years

A non-digital sepia photograph backed onto a beige board of seven people standing on a diving board that is over a natural water hole. Four men are dressed in swim wear and two ladies are in full length dresses. A man standing on the end of the board is wearing a suit.

sunbury swimming club, the nook, swimming, sporting clubs

The Sunbury Football Club, known as 'The Swifts' was formed in 1897 and the early matches were probably played on Munro's which was a stretch of land bounded by Evans, Barkly, O'Shanassy and Shields Streets. Later land adjacent to the railway line, now Sunbury Shopping Centre was where football was played until Clark Oval was opened in 1953. Since then it has been the town's main sporting venue and the site for the annual show and other events. In this photograph the football match is being played on the Clark Oval with the clubrooms visible in the background.

The Sunbury Football Club is one of a number of sports clubs established vin Sunbury.

A non-digital black and white photograph of a football match being played on an oval. The clubrooms are visible in the distance.

sunbury football club, clark oval, "the swifts'

The grand building is Rupertswood Mansion which was the Sunbury home of the Clarke family. The foundation stone was laid29th August 1874 by Mrs. W.J. Clarke the first wife of W.J.Clarke. The property along with the Clarke family have been interwoven with Sunbury's history over the decades and remained in the Clarke family until 1922 when H.V. McKay of Sunshine Harvester fame purchased the property. The Salesian Fathers purchased it in 1927 and since that time the property has been a school.

Many important events have taken place in Sunbury within the Rupertswood grounds over the years.

A non-digital black and white photograph of a double storey grand mansion with a return verandah on the ground floor and a balcony with decorative iron lace across the front. An elegant tower is over the main entrance.

rupertswood estate, rupertswood mansion, w.j.clarke

The two storey building in the photograph is the Royal Hotel. The original single storey hotel was damaged by fire in the 1930s so the double storey red brick building replaced it on the same site, which is at the intersection of Evans and Brook Streets. For many years the MIllett family owned and ran the hotel

The Royal Hotel is one of four hotels that operated in Evans Street between Station and Brook Streets. Only two of those hotels are operating on their original sites. The other two have been demolished and replaced with retail businesses.

An enlarged black and white non-digital photograph with a narrow cream border of a streetscape of an intersection with a two storey brick building on one corner and cars park by the kerb outside the building.

royal hotel, millett family, evans street, brook street, hotels

In the 1950s there was a move to bring some light industries into Sunbury. The large building in Barkly Street, which was used to make gloves and other items of clothing was taken over by the Yakka Company and boys shorts were made there. In the 1960s the Yakka Company moved to new and larger premises in Broadmeadows resulting of the closure of the Sunbury factory. A car park which services the business owners and employees from O'Shanassy Street now occupies the site.

The Yakka Factory was one of the early manufacturing ventures to be started in Sunbury.

A non-digital scanned copy of a coloured photograph of a large shed-like building with two utility trucks parked in the street in front of the building. There are some tall shrubs on either side of the building and a tall electric light pole on the RHS of the picture.He photograph has a narrow cream border.

yakka factory, barkly street, manufacturing

The Sunbury News Office was established by the Boardman family initially in Brook Street closer to the station. In 1880 Arthur Boardman opened a bookshop and news agency and in 1882, he printed the first issue of the Sunbury News.The building was on the SW corner of Brook and O'Shanassy Streets. Members of the Boardman family also ran the adjacent business.

The Sunbury News was the local paper for residents until the late 1960s

A non-digital black and white photograph with a cream border of a weatherboard news office building with six men standing the front. Three of the men are wearing white aprons. An attached building with a verandah is on the RHS of the office building.

sunbury news, arthur boardman, brook street, o'shanassy street

The photograph was taken at the intersection of Brook and Evans Streets in Sunbury. The two storey bluestone building was the Rupertswood Hotel, which was on the NE corner of the intersection and the single storey Royal Hotel building in the foreground was on the opposite corner. The Millett family originally owned both hotels. The Rupertswood Hotel was demolished in December 1974 to make way for a modern retail store. In 1939 the old Royal Hotel building was damaged by fire and replaced with a two storey red brick building.

The Rupertswood and Royal Hotels were two of the earliest hotels to be erected in the Sunbury township.

A non-digital black and white photograph of a street photograph featuring an intersection with a two storey bluestone building on one corner and a partial view of a single storey rendered building on the opposite corner. Two children are standing on the side of the road and a man is in a horse-drawn jinker.

george millett, royal hotel, rupertswood hotel, evans street, brook street, hotels

The hotel was built some time shortly after 1842 by John Cahill, who arrived in the colony in 1842 from Thurles in Tipperary, Ireland. The building although much altered with render covering the original \blue stone structure is on the south-west corner of Macedon and Jackson Streets. The hotel was called the Ball Court because Cahill also had a hand-ball court set up behind the hotel.

Originally five hotels were built along Macedon Street between Jackson Creek and Evans Street. The Ball Court Hotel is the only one still standing and operating as a hotel.

A non-digital black and white photograph with a cream border of man and three ladies standing outside a single story blue stone hotel building with a corner entrance. AS well as the corner entrance there is another doorway on the RHS along with three narrow windows and three other windows on the other side. One of the ladies is holding a little child. Two trees surrounded by tree guards are on each side of the photograph.

Ball Court Hotel, John Cahill

ball court hotel, hotels, sunbury, macedon street, jackson street, ball court

The hotel in the photograph is the original single storey Royal Hotel with its corner entrance. It stood on the south -east corner of Evans and Brook Streets in Sunbury. The original building was damaged by fire in 1936 and a two storey red brick building replaced it on the original site with the hotel entrance facing onto Brook Street. The hotel is in close proximity to the railway station so it was able to offer accommodation to travellers visiting the Asylum.

The Royal Hotel is one of two surviving hotels built in Evans Street. Originally there were four hotels built between Station and Brook Streets along Evans Street.

A non-digital black and white photograph of a white single story hotel building showing the original corner entrance and three men standing beside it in the street. There are two other entrances on each side and three windows down one side. The iron clad roof has three chimneys.

royal hotel, sunbury, hotels, brook street, evans street

The wheat silo was erected on railway land on the west side of the railway line at Sunbury from approx 1970s - 1980s. It served as a grain storage provision for the local cereal farmers.The former CFA depot which was in Evans Street. With the expansion of the shopping centre the silo was dismantled to provide commercial development on the west side of the railway line.

The wheat silo is a reminder of past agricultural industries that were carried out in Sunbury.

A non-digital photograph of two trucks and a crane dismantling a metal wheat silo, which has been standing in an open area. A CFA pavilion is visible in the distance.

wheat storage, silos, sunbury railway station, evans street

The photograph was taken in The Nook. Terence O'Brien rented the land from Goonawarra from the 1890s to 1905 where he grew cereal crops. The terraces on the hillside were built to grow vines when the property was one of the first vineyards in the area. The men in the image are from L-R: Mr. Heath in the white cutter owned the chaff cutter, John Leyden with hand on fence, Michael Dillon, Terence O'Brien and Phil Ratile are on top of the haystack, Andy Burke standing with hand on hip.

The growing and harvesting of cereal crops was an important agricultural industry in the early days of Sunbury's settlement by both the Indigenous People and Europeans.

A non-digital photograph black and white photograph of eleven men gathering hay with the aid of a steam traction engine in a wide open valley. A hillside in the distance has been terraced and there is a house on the hill in the distance.

the nook, terence o'brien, andy burke, mr. heath, michael dillon, philratile, goonawarra, vineyards

The building in the photograph is the Boiler House which was part of the former Sunbury Asylum. It was built in the 1920s to replace an older boiler. Coal and/or briquettes were burned to produce hot water and steam which was used to heat and supply hot water for the Asylum buildings. Steam attendants monitored and maintained the furnace and boiler seven days a week. It ceased production in October 1992 and since then has served as an Arts and Cultural complex for the local community.

A non-digital black and white photograph of a large brick building with a tall chimney overlooking open rural countryside with two women sitting on the grass in the foreground. The image has been photographed from an earlier photograph.

sunbury asylum, boiler house, arts and cultural complex, performing arts