We are very pleased to offer the following program of tours on the fourth day of our Oral History Australia Biennial Conference 2024, Sunday 24th November. This exciting program of tours has been curated by Oral History Victoria and offers wonderful opportunities to delve into the diverse history of Naarm/Melbourne.

Please note:

Minimum and maximum bookings:

All tours are capped at 30 participants, so book your place before registrations close! We require a minimum of 10 bookings to run the Victorian Feminist Labour History Tour and the Living Museum of the West & Maribyrnong River Local History Tour to meet the cost of running the tour. The Yalinguth First Nations Ngár-go/Fitzroy Story Walk requires a minimum of the full 30 participants to run. If less than the required registrations are received the tours will be cancelled and bookings refunded.

Different start times, prices and venues:

while all tours are on Sunday the 24th November, the prices, start times, locations and other arrangements for each tour are different so please read the details of each event carefully before making your selection.

No member discounts or concession rates:

tour prices are at flat per person rates, with no OHA state association member discounts or concession rates, however we have endeavoured to keep prices as low as possible.

Booking on this platform only:

all bookings for the tours are made here, and no bookings can be made directly with the operators.

Accessibility:

we have endeavoured to choose tours which are accessible for a range of needs. Where information is available we have included it at the end of the tour description. Please make sure you complete the accessibility section at the checkout questions when registering for a tour so we are aware of your needs. If you have any specific queries you can contact us on: conference2024@oralhistoryaustralia.org.au

What to wear:

all tours involve walking and take place either wholly or partially outside. Please wear comfortable shoes suitable for walking and suitable sun/rain protection.

Refreshments:

no refreshments will be supplied on the tours. Please bring your own water bottle and snacks to suit your needs.
for those attending the Living Museum of the West/Maribyrnong River tour we recommend bringing a packed lunch to be enjoyed on the boat or at Pipemakers Park.
non-alcoholic drinks are permitted on the bus charter (no glass please).

Program of Tours, Sunday 24th November 2024:

VICTORIAN FEMINIST LABOUR HISTORY TOUR

Location: Victorian Trades Hall, Carlton, 54 Victoria Street (cnr Lygon Street), Carlton, VIC 3053. Google map and directions.

Meeting point: Zelda D’Aprano statue in front of Victorian Trades Hall Lygon Street entrance (see Google map link above). Be there by 11:00am to start the tour.

Time: 11:00am - 12:15pm

Cost: $15

Tour description:

For years women have been organising in Victoria's Trades Hall and fighting for equality. Follow the footsteps of union giants like Helen Robertson, Zelda D'Aprano and Gwen Goedecki who inspire the women in the movement today at this Feminist Labour History Tour led by a representative from Trades Hall. Located on Naarm/Melbourne’s northern CBD fringe, Trades Hall is a grand neoclassical building which stands as a powerful symbol of Australian aspirations for a better working life. The tour covers areas both inside and outside the building* and time in the in-house Workers Museum.

Accessibility:

Lift and accessible toilets are available. For more details, see www.weareunion.org.au/venue_ac... or email Carolyn Dunbar at women@vthc.org.au

Note:

Victoria’s Trade Hall is undergoing extensive renovation in 2024 and parts of the building may be inaccessible at the time of this tour. However, we are assured by the tour organisers that there is still plenty to see!

LIVING MUSEUM OF THE WEST & MARIBYRNONG RIVER LOCAL HISTORY TOUR

Location: Bus pick up at Trinity College to Pipemakers Park, Maribyrnong for an expert talk by Living Museum of the West, followed by cruise along Maribyrnong River with tour finishing at Bunbury Street Floating Jetty, Footscray.

Time: 10:45am - 1:30pm

Cost: $30

Meeting point: Gate B, Trinity College, Royal Parade, Parkville

Meeting time: 10.45am (for 11am sharp bus departure)

BYO: Packed lunch and water bottle

Tour description:

Ever wondered where Naarm/Melbourne’s bluestone comes from? Or the origins of the city’s industrial past? Discover the rich history of Naarm/Melbourne’s inner west with the Living Museum of the West and Blackbird Cruises. Formerly the centre of Melbourne’s industrial wealth - now a vibrant multicultural residential, ecological, creative and commercial precinct - this often-overlooked part of Naarm/Melbourne is burgeoning with local history and diversity.

A mini-bus will take you from Trinity College to Pipemakers Park where you will be met by Living Museum of the West President, Kerrie Poliness who will introduce some of the area’s pre and post-colonisation history. Established in 1984 as Australia’s first eco museum, the Living Museum serves a historically disadvantaged, industrialised region, focusing on local identity and engaging the community in its operations.

Kerrie will discuss the Museum’s inclusive approach to documenting local history and its deep connection to Pipemakers Park including the development of public artworks and monuments such as the History of the Land Garden, Workers Garden, and Women's Shelter - all influenced and inspired by its extensive oral history archives.

We then hop aboard ‘The Blackbird’, a traditional ferry boat for a gentle one-hour journey exploring Melbourne’s ‘River of the West’ - the Maribyrnong River. Hosted by local history legend and boatman Peter Sommerville OAM, the cruise takes in the Heavenly Queen Temple (Australia's largest Taoist temple), Frog’s Hollow Wetlands, Jack’s Magazine (a former explosives store), Edgewater Lake, Footscray Park, Flemington Racecourse, Victoria University, Newell’s Paddock and the Kensington Banks housing estate. The tour finishes at the Bunbury Street Floating Landing near Footscray Arts Centre where you will disembark The Blackbird and make your onward journey. Time up your sleeve? Footscray’s famous Vietnamese eateries are within walking distance (as is Footscray Station if you are city-bound).

Note:

this tour does not include a visit inside the Living Museum of the West due to current renovations. Museum staff will instead guide participants through outdoor areas, highlighting public artworks and historic buildings.

bus transport from Trinity College to Pipemakers Park is one-way only. Participants are expected to make their own return/onward journey. The finishing point for this tour is the Bunbury Street Floating Jetty located 450m from Footscray Station (approx. 7 min walk).

Accessibility:

The Blackbird ferry provides accessibility for wheelchair users on the outdoor boat deck only.

Toilets:

There is a public toilet at Pipemakers Park. The toilet on The Blackbird is recommended for emergencies only.

YALINGUTH FIRST NATIONS NGÁR -GO/FITZROY STORY WALK (2 hours)

Location: Fitzroy, meeting at the Carlton Gardens as detailed below.

The Fig Tree is approximately 30-minutes on foot from Trinity College. The number 30 and 35 trams also run from the corner of Swanston and La Trobe Streets in the city (a 7-minute walk from Trinity College) to the corner of Victoria and La Trobe Streets. From here it is a further 4-minute walk to the Tour Meeting point.

Meeting point: The Fig Tree, Carlton Gardens (see map below), be there by 11:00am to start the tour.

Time: 11am - 1pm

Cost: $55 pp

BYO: Water bottle. Headphones and smart phone only required if you want to use the app after the tour (see note below).

Tour description:
Had you been a First Nations person moving to Naarm/Melbourne off the missions in the 20th century, you would have come to Ngár-go/Fitzroy to find family and a safe meeting place. You’d have visited one of the many Aboriginal organisations that could help you find housing, legal support and health services, or spent time at The Builders Arms (also famously visited by Muhammad Ali).

This tour begins at the Fig Tree in Carlton Gardens near the Royal Exhibition Building where you will meet your guide, Yorta Yorta creative Jason Tamiru. Together with Jason you’ll head along iconic Gertrude Street hearing stories, sounds and music about community life, the stolen generations, finding family and the many Aboriginal organisations that were created here during the Aboriginal Rights Movement from the 1930s-1980s. On the tour Jason shares stories and provides historical context, supported by a sound producer from the highly awarded immersive audio app Yalinguth who will play sounds, stories and music from the app on a loudspeaker. The walking tour finishes around 12.30pm at Atherton Gardens where there will be time for Q&A and an opportunity to chat about the creation of the app for a further half hour.

Afterward feel free to use the app to explore further. Also check out Ngár-go/Fitzroy’s cool independent retail and design scene, contemporary art galleries, bars, restaurants and laneways.

Tour Guide:

Jason Tamiru - Jason is a proud Yorta Yorta man passionate about supporting his people’s creativity by building frameworks that complement cultural expressions. He has worked with many of Melbourne’s most iconic performing arts companies, museums and festivals, as a producer and arts director. Jason is the creative director of the geolocational immersive audio app Yalinguth.

Accessibility:

The tour is wheelchair accessible.

Notes:

This tour requires a minimum of 30 people to run. Fancy bringing a buddy? We encourage you to bring friends/partners/family to help boost numbers. Just make sure each person attending also registers so we have their names and details.

Prior experience using geolocational apps is not required for this tour. Nor are you required to have a smart phone or download the app before the tour. This is a guided tour and any stories from the app will be played on a loudspeaker. However, should you want to listen to more of the app following the tour (only a small sample of stories are covered in the tour) we suggest downloading the app via wifi beforehand and bringing headphones. You can download the app from Google Play/ Apple App Store. See https://www.yalinguth.com.au/get-app

Yalinguth is an audio experience in the oral tradition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Read more here: https://www.yalinguth.com.au/stories

Map of meeting point in Carlton Gardens: