A Homestead By The Bay
Once the home of the Langhorne family, Altona Homestead is now home of the Altona Laverton Historical Society. We warmly welcome visitors and invite you to explore beautiful Altona and savour our famous Devonshire Tea.
Celebrating Local History
From a tiny seaside township to a thriving city, Altona and district has a rich and fascinating history to discover. Read about it here and visit the homestead to learn more.
Acknowledgement
We acknowledge the people of Yalukit Wilum, of the Boon Wurrung Country that makes up the Greater Kulin Nation who are the traditional owners of lands currently within the Hobsons Bay area.
President's Message February 2019
The members of Altona-Laverton Historical Society are welcoming 2019 with the same momentum we ended last year with and this year is going to be another exciting one.
Last year we saw two publication being produced and launched by our members (A Bush Hospital by the Bay and A Patchwork of Memories) which were both well received by the community.
In the first part of 2019 we are concentrating on researching the names listed on the WWI Honour Board, that is located inside the Old Laverton School. We are bringing this to life by documenting who these young men were, their service for our Country and their link to the Laverton and Altona District. This is an exciting piece of research that is revealing more than we expected.
The second piece of work is that we are re-configuring how we occupy the rooms within the Homestead so that we can create a research room that will allow us to have more storage space, undertake more research and in time, make more of this research available to the community. It is a long term project which will see us work closely with Hobsons Bay Council, local Libraries and other Community groups with an interest in local history and heritage.
The other exciting venture is that we are working in partnership with the Louis Joel Arts & Community Centre and the John Shaw Neilson Society to bring this renowned poet’s work to a new audience. John Shaw Neilson spent part of his life across the western suburbs and is buried in the Footscray Cemetery.
As always, our Devonshire Teas will continue during the year on the first Sunday of the month which are a great avenue for us to share the Homestead with the community and visitors to Hobsons Bay.
If any of the projects we are doing interest you, it is indeed a great time to get involved in the Altona-Laverton Historical Society. Please feel free to contact us to ask any questions or if you would like to join us, email Graeme at g.reilly@alhs.com.au for a membership form.
Things to do at the
Altona Homestead
We will be next open on
An event every week that begins at 11:00am on Tuesday, repeating until December 17, 2019
Our next Devonshire Tea will be held on
Our next Ghost Tour will be held on
Our next Exhibition
There are no upcoming events at this time.Upcoming in the Community
Facebook Posts
Devonshire Tea on this Sunday 3 February from 10.30am - 2.30pm - it could be hot and sunny, it could be raining! Either way, the scones will be fresh and delicious!
The Altona-Laverton Historical Society would like to wish our wonderful community a happy New Year and to let you know that our Devonshire Teas will return on Sunday 3 Feb 10.30am - 2.30pm. We like to give our hardworking volunteers a little time off over January before we ask them to put in another great year of baking and serving those delicious scones! If you are desperate for our brilliant scones, you could try making them at home! We will post the secret recipe if you like! See you all soon!
Here's a suggested itinerary for Sunday - breakfast at the Lions Club Cherry Lake Market - (catch some great music and shopping), followed by Devonshire Tea at the Altona Homestead, after which you could wander down to Truganina Explosives Reserve for afternoon tea and check out what's on at the Hobsons Bay Men's Shed next door! A whole day in Altona - nowhere else we would rather be!Community Open Days are a feature at the Truganina Explosives Reserve. The picture shows an Open Day in October 2001 (photo: Kirsten Craggs).
So much has changed! To see how much, come along to our next Open Day, this Sunday, 2 December, from 1.00 to 4.00 pm.
The historic Keeper's Quarters will be open for the first time since mid -2016, so you can see how much the dedicated restoration team has done. Also stroll around the gardens, take a guided tour of the former operations area, then go to the Under Keeper's Quarters to look at the historic items on display and have a delicious afternoon tea.Altona-Laverton Historical Society warmly invites you
to the launch of:
‘A Patchwork of Memories’
Altona & Surrounds
by Maureen Lane
Date: Saturday 8 December
Time: 2pm
Place: Louis Joel Arts & Community Centre
RSVP: g.reilly@alhs.com.au (by 1 December)
The book is a collection of memories from people who live or have lived in Altona, North Altona, Altona Meadows, Seaholme or Laverton. 40 people from various generations and backgrounds have contributed their stories to build an image of the area and its development over time. From an ex Prime Minister to a Space Scientist. From an Aboriginal leader to a bikie. From early settler to recent arrival. Each story is unique and contributes to our image of the community.
All welcome!