Sundial on the bank of the Elwood Canal

In May 2022, a sundial on the bank of the Elwood Canal was stolen from its bluestone plinth. The sundial had been donated to the people of Elwood by local children's author, Celeste Walters.  

Ms Walters donated the sundial and plinth in 2017 after receiving a generous bequest from a friend to encourage learning. “I wasn’t sure what to do until one day I saw a mother and child studying a sundial on an octagonal plinth. This is more than a beautiful monument, I thought - it’s a tool for learning. Until it was stolen, the sundial was studied by Elwood College science students and admired by passers-by.*

In some good news, a replacement sundial was installed on 10 November 2022 and this will hopefully continue to delight children travelling to and from school along the Elwood Canal for decades to come.

The replacement sundial. 

Image: © VanishedVictoria

*Brazen Bronze thefts in Port Phillip. City of Port Phillip media release.
https://www.portphillip.vic.gov.au/about-the-council/news-and-media/brazen-bronze-thefts-in-port-phillip

Hazard signs at Elwood Canal footbridge

These two canal slip hazard signs at either end of the 1970s Elwood Canal mouth footbridge signalled a period where traversing the 'Chinese' or 'Rocking Bridge' was a risky venture, especially when joggers were on it. Often groups of joggers would veer over to the adjoining 'John Cribbes Footbridge' for bicycles only. 

These two safety signs were unique cartoon-like caricatures. They went missing about August 2021.

Up until the bridge's thorough overhaul in March 2022, crossing over it remained a risky proposal especially during frosty, wet or busy periods.

One of the missing signs

Image: © VanishedVictoria

The other missing sign and the bridge

Image: © VanishedVictoria

The bridge was known by some as the 'Chinese Bridge'  and separately by kids as the 'Rocking Bridge'. Chinese because of its traditional arched form, clearly seen in the photo below;  and rocking bridge (from rocking horse)  because it had a terrible swaying that kids enjoyed.

The bridge during refurbishment works, March 2022

Image: © VanishedVictoria

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St Bede's street sign in Elwood

Old street signs to discontinued destinations that remain in situ will continue to be markers of yesteryear, often suggestive of destinations gone by the wayside, and in some cases of bygone customs and culture. Other lamp post signs such as 'Hail Cars Here' denoted old tramway stops (1); while a 'War Savings Street' was an indication of local patriotic support (2). Even the round metal tags embedded in the actual timber pole and inscribed with two mysterious letters informed us of the type of tree by its common name. Old street signs are indeed intrinsic to the local flavour of neighbourhoods. They are little sentimental links that continue to bind us to our sense of place.

This street sign to St Bede's Church was on the corner of  Ormond Road and St Kilda Street in Elwood and went missing around April 2021. St Bede's Anglican Church, in Ormond Road, opened October 3, 1916; a hall, kindergarten and a tennis court were later added to the complex (3).  It was closed some years ago and is now apartments.

The missing sign to St Bede's Anglican Church, Elwood.

Image: © VanishedVictoria

Image: © VanishedVictoria

An example of the tag inscribed with BB denoting the type of timber a pole was constructed of. 

In this case  'BB' stands for Blackbutt a native eucalypt hardwood. 

Image: © VanishedVictoria

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Footnotes

(1) 'Hail cars here' sign  - the Melbourne Tram Museum has one of these signs in their collection, see here.

(2) 'War Saving Street' sign - these signs are part of the collection of the Kew Historical Society, see here and Monash History, see here.

(3) Cooper, John Butler The History of St Kilda from its first settlement to a city and after 1840 - 1930, v. 1 (St Kilda City Council, 1931), p. 342; There is a short history of the Church in Spirit of St Kilda: Places of worship in St Kilda by Janette Bomford (St Kilda Historical Society, 2003). Access it on-line here, http://skhs.org.au/SKHSchurches/churches.htm

Quarantine Station plaque, Point Ormond

There is a cairn on Point Ormond, Elwood which marks the site of Victoria's first quarantine station.  The quarantine station was established on April 24, 1840 when the ship, the Glen Huntley arrived, flying  the yellow quarantine flag. The cairn was unveiled in November 1985, a project of the St Kilda Historical Society and the Elwood Lions Club. Unfortunately the top plaque has recently disappeared. The lower plaque, which commemorates the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the Glen Huntley  is still there.

The missing plaque

Image: © VanishedVictoria

The cairn complete with both plaques, photographed in 2019

Image: © VanishedVictoria

The cairn in May 2022

Image: © VanishedVictoria

In good news, in September 2023 the City of Port Phillip replaced the missing plaque.

The cairn with the replacement plaque

Image: © VanishedVictoria, September 2023

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