News

As Altona’s industrial skyline is rapidly changing with the dismantling of Qenos and parts of Mobil’s refining capability, a group of enthusiastic local people are working to capture the area’s industrial heritage from a variety of perspectives. With a Make It Happen Grant from Hobsons Bay City Council, Graeme Reilly […]

It all started in May 1961 through the efforts of a number of local coucillors that the Altona Historical Society commenced and then took up residence within the Altona Homestead. Many members over the years have researched and recorded the history of the area of Altona. The endevours of the […]

On April 27, the parish of St. Eanswythe’s celebrates 100 years of worship within Altona. On 27 April 1926, twenty-three local residents met to appoint wardens and a vestry for their new church. They also discussed the arrangement to rent the Alton Progress Hall for use for church services. Amongest […]

The Committee and members of Altona Laverton Historical Society convery our warmest thoughts to Sharon and family upon the passing of Kim Walsh. Kim and Sharon have been longstanding members of our organisation ensuring its growth within the community of Altona.  All that new Kim have paid their respects to […]

On 1 January 2026, our federation turned 125 years old. As a people we think of ourselves as a young nation on an ancient continent. Yet as well as being home to the oldest continuous culture on Earth, Australia is also one of the world’s oldest – and strongest – […]

The 60th anniversary of Australia’s decimal currency (introduced 14 February 1966) will occur this year, marked by the continued integration of the dollar/cent system. This anniversary isn’t just about coins; it’s about Australia’s identity as a modern nation. For those of us, old enough to be there, you will remember the famous […]

Congratulations to the Laverton Bowling Club on their fifty year celebrations. In 1974, Cyril Hooper, the local Laverton newsagent, remarked on the lack of bowling facilities within the area to Senior Sergeant Des Fitzpatrick, in charge of the Laverton Police station. This got Des thinking and he called a public […]

After an extended absence due to the replacement of the Altona Pier and the new Pier Precinct area, on the Esplanade (between Pier and Bent Streets), our beloved ‘Seaborn’ sea creatures have made a welcome return to the walkway near the pier entrance. With the work, within this area now […]

The recent Open House Melbourne event allowed us to open the Homestead and showcase Altona and surrounding suburbs a large audience of people from across Melbourne and beyond, and covering all age groups. The day gave our volunteers the chance to talk about the Homestead, the Langhorne family, and all […]

The bridge over the Kororoit Creek, which replaces the old ford is officially open! The ford crossing is located between Altona Road and Racecourse Road at the lower end of Kororoit Creek and was in an extremely poor condition.  Back in the 1840s the ford was called the Stepping Stones, […]

About ALHS and Seabreeze Quilters are joining forces to unearth crafting traditions from times past – from pedal powered treadle sewing machines to participating in a workshop hand stitching a ‘chatelaine’ – useful sewing items that would hang from the belt of the lady of the house. Participants will be […]

Visit one of Melbourne’s earliest homesteads. While the Langhorne family are long deceased their eventful history and the births, deaths and heartaches linked to them remain vivid memories within this building, it is therefore no surprise that the Homestead is alive with activity. This is an excellent journey back in […]

On 2 May this year the Western Bulldogs will celebrate 100 years since playing their first VFL/AFL game. Before joining the VFL, Footscray played in the VFA where they had won nine premierships, the last two were in 1923 and 1924 just before joining the VFL. On that day they […]

Those with a passion for history or research can assist our Society through volunteering. Volunteers play an integral role that provide opportunities to gain new research, library and digital media skills, including scanning techniques. These include: Supporting specific research projects and events Conservation and archiving of historical objects Producing content for […]

The new film ‘Behind The Fence’ about the Truganina Explosive Reserve will be launched on 1 December 2024 at 2.00pm, at the Reserve 276 Queen Street, Altona. The event is free and refreshments will be provided.   For more information: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asPLJkRxXS8&t=15s

This year marks 30 years since the Victorian Local Government Board (under the Kennett Government) instigated Council amalgamations throughout Victoria. This saw the elimination of 210 Councils and the creation of 79 new Councils through an amalgamation process. On 22 June 1994 Hobsons Bay City was created with the amalgamation […]

Do you or someone you know have interesting historical stories about the Truganina Explosives Reserve they might like to share? Local creatives Donna Jackson and Megan Slattery are all set to listen and gather these community stories. The aim will be to document the stories that people share, and create […]

Do you enjoy social conversation and learning more about family history? Come along and hear from other group members sharing their knowledge and skills about Family Research in a friendly and supportive environment. Use of the experience of our researchers from the Altona Laverton Historical Society and others. Whether you are […]

To all our members, volunteers and to the community of people who have visited us over the last year or joined us for Devonshire Tea we thank you for your support and your interest in what we do. We hope that you have a very festive end of the year. […]

The Altona Laverton Historical Society wishes to congratulate our new Mayor, Cr Matt Tyler, a great friend of our society. We wish him well for the coming year and know that you will continue to work tirelessly and also with care and compassion for the whole of our community. We […]

If you visit the Esplanade end of Pier Street you will notice new piles beginning to appear adjacent to the end of the existing pier. You will also notice that the new pier will align with Pier Street, when work is completed. When works are complete, the 310-metre new pier […]

The tender for construction of the Altona Pier was awarded in December 2022, and now works on this exciting project will commence in May 2023. The build is expected to take most of this year to complete and will be ready to showcase to the community during next summer. The […]

On Tuesday, November 8, Dan Xia and Roger Wang from from the Spacious Property Development Group presented the Altona Hospital plaque to Altona Laverton Historical Society archivist President Own Hyde. Owen expressed the society’s gratitude for the safe return of the historical marker indicating the original location of the Altona Community […]

After recently hearing rumours about an unknown historic plaque somewhere on the Toyota site, in Altona North, members of the Altona Laverton Historical Society and of the Friends of Lower Kororoit Creek were welcomed to the Toyota Centre of Excellence by our host Robert Hutchinson. Robert gave us a short […]

The Late Victorian Society of Melbourne partnered with the Altona Laverton Historical Society for a fully immersive Victorian experience at the Altona Homestead last week. Living historians dressed for the era presented life in that period, giving visitors a sense of stepping back in time to Victorian Melbourne. This was […]

Councillor Peter Hemphill, the longest serving, Hobsons Bay City Council, councillor was elected to his third term as mayor. He joins former councillor, Angela Altair, as the only Hobsons Bay councillor to serve for three mayoral terms. As the representative for the Strand Ward, Councillor Hemphill is Hobsons Bay’s longest-serving […]

It was in the middle of March this year when member Russell Grant alerted us to the fact that a pianola that had been in his family for over 100 years, much of that time spent at the Truganina Explosives Reserve (50+ years), would soon be in need of a […]

Devonshire Teas at the Homestead are back commencing Sunday 1 May 2022. We are continuing with the booking changes that we introduced last year. Are bookings necessary? Yes, due to COVID safety and to limit the number of people, within the Homestead space, we have limited our seating to 30 people […]

Last year, due to COVID, we were unable to spend as much time meeting at the Altona Homestead, but this did not stop our members undertaking hundreds of hours of work from their homes. Our members have been busy answering emails regarding all aspects of life in the early days […]

Welcome to our new project looking at the lives and contributions of early European pioneers to the Altona and Laverton area. We will take a glimpse into the hard work and endeavour they brought in order to make this area of Melbourne’s west such a great place for us to […]

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mums out there. To make your Mum’s day just that little bit more special why don’t you whip up a batch of warm scones with the topping of her choice. So here is our special recipe to get you going. Altona-Laverton Historical Society Scone […]

To our community – The safety of our community and volunteers is our priority as we all come to terms with the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19). As a precaution the Homestead will not be open and our Devonshire Tea events will be cancelled until further notice comencing from today […]

In January 1920 advertisements and articles began to appear in local and Melbourne newspapers announcing the opportunity to purchase prime land in the new subdivision of Seaholme next door to ‘Melbourne’s famous seaside resort of Altona Beach’ and near the ‘only great beach on the west side of the Bay’. […]

November 9, 1969 saw the final services held in the old church of St Eanswythe in Queen Street, Altona. The following day the old church building was demolished and a week later the first sod was turned on the new building site by Bishop Dann. All the parishioners lined the […]

While the postal service in Altona commenced on March 15 1918, the current building opened its doors to the customers of Altona on Thursday July 10 1969. The Post Office was official opened, that day, by Mr Merv Lee, the Federal Member for Lalor who officially handed over the keys […]

Lost Lands Found is presented by Dean Stewart in partnership with Hobsons Bay City Council Lost Lands Found is a brand new high-density development and an ecological art project being established in Logan Reserve in Altona. However, this new urban development is not highlighting people, but significantly our ecological neighbours […]

Hello members and friends of Altona-Laverton Historical Society, As we head towards the end of June and the end of another year for our Committee I thought it would be timely to reflect on the great work that has been achieved by the Committee and active members. This year we […]

As we lead up to the 17 May 2019 we reflect back 100 years when Williamstown grew from a town to a city. Sir Arthur Stanley, the State Governor, when proclaiming Williamstown as a City (17 May 1919) noted that – “their town (so long famous as William’s Town) to […]

In 1919 the Repatriation Department was created by the Australian government to facilitate the repatriation of our servicemen and women, many of whom bore the physical and psychological scars of war. the department provided war pensions, a soldier settlement scheme and other vital services such as healthcare, education, housing and […]

Oh to be a kid again, when times were simpler and there was just your imagination to keep you entertained. Step back in time at the Altona Homestead and take a peek at games and toys from days gone by when electronics was something that was ‘futuristic’ and a thing […]

2019 marks the 70th Anniversary of operations at the Altona Refinery which commenced the production of lubricants and bitumen on 22 July 1949 as part of a joint venture between Vacuum Oil Company (Mobil) and Standard Oil (Exxon). At an initial construction cost of £1m, it was widely acknowledged as an […]

The Altona-Laverton Historical Society in partnership with the Louis Joel Arts & Community Centre and the John Shaw Neilson Society are pleased to present two events in March. John Shaw Neilson is arguably one of Australia’s best poets but unfortunately he has lacked the recognition that he deserved. The first […]

The Williamstown Chronicle February 19,1954 reported that £35000 pounds had been spent to open a Speed Track (around the perimeter of Cherry Lake) and that record crowds were expected at Altona. The Age,Monday,March 8 1954 reported that the inaugural car meeting at Altona Road Race Circuit on that day would have 10 of Australia […]

The Altona-Laverton Historical Society is proud to present the History of Altona Hospital. This publication is a unique opportunity to read about ‘A Bush Hospital by the Bay’, (the history) its staff, volunteers and what made it so special and important to our community. It is more than the record […]

Altona Laverton Historical Society Archivist, Ann Cassar, has been researching the Cherry Family of Altona for several years and documentary information about this pioneering family is currently on file at the Altona Homestead Museum. The name ‘Cherry’ is familiar to most people within Hobsons Bay through its long association with […]

Altona and Laverton communities flourished in the wake of two world wars. People from Europe flocked into our area to make a new home for their families. War was the catalyst for change and peace was the result as military personnel returned home to Altona and Laverton or made the area their new home. The […]

The Altona-Laverton Historical Society congratulations the Altona Football Club as it celebrates 100 years since its formation in 1918. The club owes its existence to a number of Altona business people, at that time, including James Duke and Dick Blomberg who saw a need and set about establishing the club. […]

  The Altona Progress Association and the Progress Hall (now Altona Baptist Church in Sargood Street, Altona) turns 100 years old this year. From humble beginnings when Altona was a small village of between 50 and 500 residents a number of these residents were already thinking of improvements. From the […]

The Altona High School / Altona Secondary College display, hosted by the Altona Laverton Historical Society, at the Altona Homestead will commence on Sunday 8th October 11am – 2pm. The display includes school memorabilia, honour boards, sports pennants, trophies and the collection of student/teacher photo albums from 1980 onwards. This […]

The members of Seabreeze Quilters and the Altona Laverton Historical Society, would love to show you all things ‘quilted’ in our beautiful Altona Homestead — and invite you  to join them each weekend as our members sit and sew. The Homestead will be open each Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from 11 […]

Any scones left after our Devonshire Tea do not go to waste – we donate them to Altona Lions Club Soup Kitchen, straight after our event, for them to distribute that afternoon … a little help to those less fortunate!

Over 600 years of Altona’s History enjoying Devonshire Tea today. Be sure to check out our events page on and join us for our next Devonshire Tea.  

In the 1930s, Altona was well known as a holiday and fishing village. Following WW1, a steady influx of families moved into Altona and the population grew. In 1928, the Werribee Shire appointed Dr Louis Joel of Newport as the medical officer of Altona. At that time, with no trained […]