Market, Clow and Cleeland Streets, Dandenong, 1972.

The old market buildings of this era are long gone, but memories still retain the atmosphere of what was a country market, with all the hustle of what was becoming city life, the market helped to remind locals of the roots of this town. The furniture store still occupied the right corner, whilst Cardens hadn't moved into the top floor on the left side.

A few years later, in 1975, the market site was redeveloped with the old produce hall demolished and new brick produce, and fruit halls built further along Cleeland Street. A plaque on the corner of Cleeland and King Street commemorates their opening in 1976. The council was keen to retain the rural atmosphere and European market style, and an open-air section was retained, and it was marketed with the slogan 'City shopping with a country atmosphere.'

These photos and some of information curtesy of the Dandenong Market Facebook team.

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Woolworths Christmas Party, Dandenong, 1971.

Angela Carney Talbot writes:

Photo taken of staff at Woolies Christmas Party 1971, you may recognize someone, I am stood 4th from right back row.

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Springvale (Springvale Road) in the early 1970s.

The Woolworths in this picture was built around 1961 as Rockmans, at some point in the 1970s it became a Woolworths variety store and supermarket, with the supermarket facing Windsor Avenue. Woolworths had previously bought the Rockmans chain in 1960.

After the 1985 acquisition of Safeway by Woolworths, it was rebranded, resulting in Springvale having two Safeways for some time. The store further down the road, having been built in the 1970s, was renovated in the 1990s, resulting in this store being closed. The building was renovated to become the Springvale Central arcade we know today.

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Some Springvale History:

The name Springvale arose from a permanent water source for stock and travelers between Melbourne and Dandenong that was in the vicinity of the intersection of Dandenong and Centre/Police Roads.

It was near the springs in the 1850's that the Spring Vale hotel was built alongside the newly surveyed route between Oakleigh and Dandenong. From this hotel came the name of Springvale as we use it now.

The first Springvale Post Office opened on 12 September 1864 and closed in 1892. This office had been superseded by Springvale Railway Station office (opened 1887) which was renamed Springvale in 1902. A Springvale North Post Office was also open between 1946 and 1978.

In 1886, land was subdivided near the railway station, and the area began to grow. By the 1920's the Spring Vale community had a lodge, brass band, a recreation reserve, a mechanics' institute, a few shops and some houses in the township.

A picture theatre opened in 1924. At the outbreak of the second world war Springvale was a pastoral, residential and industrial township with market gardens in the surrounding areas. Sand extraction industries were active, lasting until the 1990's.

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Lonsdale Street, Dandenong, 1970.

For reference on the position, the former Coles building pictured is now home to Chemist Warehouse.

Interesting Note: Coles bought a controlling interest in F. & G. Stores (formerly O. Gilpin Ltd.) chain in June 1951, they had a store located where London Stores is in this picture.

Photo credit to Larry Holt.

Earlier, in 1944, Foy & Gibson Ltd bought a controlling interest in O. Gilpin Ltd, which was operating at 91 locations, including Dandenong.

Starting around 1951, Coles rebranded the F. & G. stores to Coles stores, marking their first store in Dandenong, later in the 50s they bought two buildings further up the road, where the store in this picture is.

Photo below shows detailed locations relating to the original Coles site and nearby stores.

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Dandenong Show, Early 1920s.

Glenda Davies writes:

My great-aunt Leola Tatterson at the Dandenong Show. Early 1920s.

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Lonsdale, Langhorne and Walker Street triangle, between 1863 and 1876.

Looking across Lonsdale Street to the former Mechanics Institute (white building in foreground), located on the site now occupied by the Town Hall (Drum Theatre). Above this you can see the original St Mary's Catholic Church (corner of Foster and Langhorne). A little furth up Langhorne you can also see St James Anglican Church, which still stands to this day.

The white building in the front was the original Mechanics Institute of Dandenong, built in 1863. Before the Town Hall was built on the corner of Lonsdale and Walker streets in 1891, the Mechanics Institute built a single-story brick building in 1876, right where the Hall would later stand (in front of the chimney side of the white building).

Dandenong's original Library was hosted in the Mechanics Institutes white building and moved to their brick one. When the Town Hall was built the Mechanics Institute got rights to the upper floor as part of the settlement for handing the land to council for use for a Hall.

The two-story brick building to the left, on the corner of Walker and Langhorne streets was Ellis’s Store. In 1856 William and Edward Ellis (brothers) settled in Dandenong. Edward Ellis erected operated this store for some time. Built for him in the 1870's, it saw many modifications over the decades transforming it from the smaller building you see here to the larger building that was demolished in 1971, almost 100 years.

In 1877 the building was sold, by Thomas Rosling and Co. for £630, Mr. James Greaves being the purchaser. Hence forth it was known as Greaves Building. July 2nd, 1946, saw the official opening of The Wessex in this building by Mr. and Mrs. F. G. Mills, hosting Receptions, Dances, Functions and such. being formally known as The Wessex Hotel at some point.

An ever-popular venue for dances, weddings, parties, etc., for some years Mrs. I. Mills, proprietress at the time in 1954 wanted to convert the premises to let as offices. She already had two of the rooms let to suitable clients, she still maintained her own private residence upstairs Around this time the Main building (and possibly neighbouring ones) became known as the Wessex Buildings.

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Safeway, Walker Street, Dandenong, 1980/90s.

Looking across Walker Street, Dandenong, to the old Safeway store. Undated but around 1980s/90s? This site would be rebuilt as the Capital Center, before being joined to Myers to become the Plaza.

Photo credit: Dandenong & District Historical Society

The original Safeway site roughly covered the red square in the image provided, with Walker Street continuing through to Clow street, as indicated by the yellow line.

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Dandenong Baths, Lonsdale Street, 1980.

The original swimming pool (public baths) were located on Lonsdale Street, next to the Drill Hall, both of which no longer exist.  The location of the baths is now home to a playground, along with the former Drill Hall, it was located at 130-132 Lonsdale Street.

Photo credit goes to Phillip Ruppell.

Opened on December 21st, 1912, after a long period of community requests for such a facility, the baths largely came about from the donation gathered by community members to pay for construction costs. The main agitator and collector of donations being Elizabeth Mary Orgill (nee Gladstone), of "Gladstone House," who spent years making requests and collecting donation.

Photo credit goes to Phillip Ruppell.

Mrs. Orgill ran Gladstone House as a Hydropathic Hospital, located at the corner of Foster and Langhorne Street (153 Foster Street), until at least 1911. Around 1912, Dr A. E. Taylor took over the location from Dr. Barclay Thompson. Mrs. Orgill was still working here but no longer controlled the practice, having given it up to Barclay at some point.

The Dandenong Oasis, on the corner of Cleeland Street and Heatherton Road first opened its doors in 1976. The baths were decommissioned with no viable purpose ahead of them, hence by the time of these photos it lay empty and unused.

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Coles, Dandenong, 1960.

Tony Cosentino writes:

Coles Dandenong 1960. This would be one of our stops on the walk back from the Dandenong produce market to Dandy South. Mum would buy me a pie from the cafeteria at the back. If there were a few coins left over from shopping I would get a matchbox car. We walked everywhere back then.

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Noble Park Public Hall in 2003, and in 2017 after restoration.

In 1913 Alan Frank Buckley and Charles Luxford donated the allotments to the residents of Noble Park to build a public hall. At the time, residents raised money, under the Noble Park Public Hall Trust to build the original hall which was a small timber building.

Erected in 1925, is was good to see it close to original 100 years later.  In 1924 the trustees borrowed $4400 from the local council,  Shire of Dandenong, to erect a new brick hall. The title of the land was handed over to the council as security for repayment of the loan.

The two shopfronts at the front of the structure in the first picture were added in the 1970s. Thankfully these changes were reversed in the early 2000s, restoring the hall to its former glory.

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