Mordialloc Historical Walking Trail
The name "Mordialloc" is derived from the indigenous description of the creek water running into Port Phillip Bay.
The first Australians who lived in the Mordialloc district were the Boon wurrung people who formed part of what was the Kulin nation, a group of five tribes that occupied Vistoria's central district surrounding the bay and its hinterland. Mordialloc Creek carried excess water from the swamp into the bay, providing a rich source of fish for the semi-nomadic indigenous population.
When the first Europeans came to Port Phillip Bay just after 1800, the Boon wurrung tribe were small in number, with estimates putting their total population at about 300.
Game and farming opportunities attracted European squatters in the early 1840s and the safe mooring in Mordialloc Creek led to the establishment of a small fishing village.
The opening of the railway to Mordialloc in 1881 encouraged a housing and commercial boom and the village developed rapidly. The township flourished as a holiday destination from the early 1900s, with beach picnics, recreational fishing, horse racing and summer carnivals.
The standard trail distance is approximately 3 kilometres with a duration of approximately 55 minutes. The extended trail distance is approximately 5 kilometres with a duration of approximately 1 hour 30 minutes.
Stop 01 - Horse Paddock Car Park
Location: Beach Road, Mordialloc. At the end of Bay Street
The memories of racehorses exercising along the sand and splashing through the waves at Mordialloc Beach inspired the stunning cast bronze sculpture of a 16-hand horse.
Kingston City Council commissioned Melbourne artist Julie Squires to create the piece in 2007. The artwork, simply called Horse, celebrates the importance of horses in shaping Kingston's development and character.
Since European settlement, horses were used in farming and transport in the area now known as Kingston.
From the time of the earlier settlers horse racing has been an important industry in the area. Mentone, Mordialloc and Aspendale were ideal for training and racing horses. The sandy soil, the beach and the flat countryside were the perfect conditions for the industry to flourish.
Three racing clubs were established by the late 1880s and the new train line boosted the numbers attending meetings. The industry provided work for thousands of locals, including farriers, strappers, groundsmen and vets.
Stop 02 - Mordialloc Life Saving Club
Location: Beach Road, Mordialloc. Between Epsom Road and Owen Street
Swimmers have enjoyed the waves at Mordialloc Beach under the careful eyes of lifesavers for close to a century.
Lifesaving patrols began at Mordialloc Beach in 1921, but the earliest lifesaving instruction in the area was carried out at Mordialloc State School in the early 1900s.
Fire destroyed the original clubhouse in 1954 and it was replaced by the present building, which opened before the summer of 1957-1958.
Many locals fondly remember the club's dance, Shindig, which ran from 1956 to 1978. Funds from the popular dance were used to build a large balcony for patrols and the purchasing of equipment.
Stop 03 - Rotunda
Location: Corner Beach Road and Pier Road, Mordialloc
This lovely rotunda is today used for weddings and other celebrations. But in its heyday, it was the home of the Mordialloc District Band, formed in the early 1920s by keen local musicians.
Soon after, an enthusiastic committee realised the band needed somewhere to play. Two carnivals on Creek Reserve (now named the Hazel Pierce Reserve) raised funds for the rotunda's construction. Open-air jazz dancing, highland dancing, toboggans, slides, a mock police court, decorated boats and a merry-go-round attracted great crowds.
Mordialloc Mayor Cr James Blanche opened the rotunda in November 1925, thanking the enthusiastic 'self-sacrificing and unselfish' folk behind its construction. The popular carnivals continued for many years.
By the 1990s, under the direction of the Mordialloc Mentone Lions Club the rotunda, which is supported by eight massive pillars, was painted and revived before being 're-opened'.
The rotunda sits in the Peter Scullin reserve, named for the man who was a Mordialloc City Councillor from 1971 to 1975 and Mayor in 1974.
Stop 04 - Mordialloc Beach Promenade
Location: Corner Beach Road and Peir Road, Mordialloc
Mixed bathing was frowned upon in bygone days, making swimming in Melbourne beaches far from straightforward.
In 1886, Moorabbin Shire Council agreed to build baths at Mordialloc. They were a huge success, with visitors and locals flocking to the new Mordialloc Sea baths (also known as Rennison's) from the 1890s until the 1920s.
But by 1925, the condition of the baths had deteriorated, and other funding priorities led to arguments about the future of the baths. A terrible storm in November 1934 appeared to resolve the issue; the sea baths were further damaged and would cost 3000 pounds to repair. The baths were instead demolished.
While no trace of the baths remain today, visitors still enjoy the boulevard along Mordialloc Beach. Backed by a foreshore reserve of native ti-tree, the walkway separates the beach from coastal vegetation with its linear balustrading and lighting columns.
The boulevard, and sea wall from the pier to the former baths, was opened in 1927.
Stop 05 - Mordialloc Pier
Location: Corner Beach Road and Pier Road, Mordialloc
It is believed the pier began in the 1850s as a small jetty at the mouth of Mordialloc Creek. Early settlers had to rely on ships for heavy materials and supplies as the roads were too poor for transporting such goods.
By 1875, locals campaigning for a longer jetty got their way with an impressive new pier built by the early 1900s.
Locals and visitors would visit the area to fish and promenade on the pier - and even attend open-air church services on Sunday afternoons in the 1920s.
Pounding waves damaged the pier over the years, and in 1983, a proposal was put forward to significantly shorten the structure.
Local boat builder Jack Pompei led a successful campaign against the proposal, with funds to repair the pier raised from councils and the State Government. The pier was again revamped in 2009.
Parks Victoria currently manages the site.
Stop 06 - Mordialloc Creek and Murals
Location: Beach Road, Mordialloc. Adjacent Mordialloc Creek
Mordialloc Creek is home to a unique small boating and fishing community, which contribute greatly to the quaint, friendly atmosphere in Mordialloc.
The creek includes man-made Lambert's Island, which is a result of 'straightening' the waterway to provide direct access to the Bay.
The grassed area between the creek and the bend in Beach Road was home to an annual summer carnival, which ran a few years from 1906, then restarted in 1923 to raise funds to build the band rotunda. The carnival became a yearly event featuring musical acts, dancing, novelty events, performing animals, and fairground rides, sideshows and amusements.
These delightful murals, painted by Derek Kent in 2004, celebrate both the creek and the carnivals of yesteryear.
Stop 07 - War Memorial
Location: Hazel Pierce reserve, Corner Beach Road and Main Street, Mordialloc
The Hazel Pierce Reserve is also home to one of Mordialloc's war memorials. The granite monument, with four pillars and a domed cap, was erected to honour locals who served in the Great War. It once featured four drinking taps.
Once known as Creek reserve, this site now bears the name of prominent local identity Hazel Pierce, who came to the area in the 1940s. Mrs Pierce was twice mayor of Mordialloc, was president of the Mordialloc Life Saving Club and the Mordialloc Progress Association, and ran a bridal shop in Mordialloc Village for decades.
Stop 08 - Bridge Hotel
Location: 1 Nepean Highway, Mordialloc
The first hotel on this site was a two-roomed weatherboard building built by William Coleman.
Replaced in 1871 by a double storey bluestone building with a small wing, the hotel and surrounding gardens rapidly became a popular meeting place.
The building fabric is historically significant, being amongst the oldest in the area. However, modifications and additions have covered most of the original structure. Virtually none of the original building can be seen from the Nepean Highway.
The hotel license was transferred to many notable licensees over the years including local racing and hunting personality Richard Bloxsidge. Extensive building works ensued over the years and picnic grounds were expanded to accommodate increasing patronage.
Stop 09 - Coolallah House
Location: 6 Bowman Street, Mordialloc
Private residence. Strictly no access
This private home is an architecturally significant example of modernist art deco design.
Coolallah House sits on a ridge facing Mordialloc Creek with a beach vista from the rear. The extensive views offered by its prominent location led to the house being used by the RAAF and Navy as a Port Phillip Bay observation post during World War II.
Alterations and renovations have been treated sympathetically, retaining the integrity of the iconic architectural style.
Stop 10 - Attenborough Park
Location: Nepean Highway, Mordialloc. Adjacent Mordialloc Creek
Attenborough Park and Mordialloc Creek Reserve are significant Indigenous sites in the City of Kingston. Numerous shell middens and scarred trees have been found in the park and adjacent to the creek, a legacy of the Boon wurrung people.
The park continuously flies the Aboriginal flag, commemorating the Aboriginal reserve that was established here following European settlement. Elders of the Boon wurrung tribe are believed to have lived out their last days in this area. Mordialloc Creek is on the northern point of Carrum Carrum Swamp, which forms a natural basin on the peninsula.
Named after early pioneer Thomas Attenborough, who settled in Dingley in the 1850s, Attenborough Park is also home to a group planting of large Monterey Cypress trees believed to be about 100 years old. The trees are on the City of Kingston Significant Trees Register. The trees are significant due to the contribution they provide to the surrounding landscape and they are an important landmark to the local area. The trees are also significant as they are of an outstanding size.
Stop 11 - Mordialloc College
Location: 1 Station Street, Mordialloc
Strictly no public access to school grounds.
The Borough of Mentone and Mordialloc first asked the Victorian Government for a high school in late 1922, quickly followed by a request from the Borough of Carrum. However it was not until February 1924 that the first 131 pupils settled into temporary accommodation in the Mordialloc Mechanics Institute. Edward Brine was the first headmaster, and like all staff, his role was temporary.
The Victorian Government accepted the recommendation from both councils to build a new school on a site at Attenborough Park, next to Mordialloc Creek. In 1927, work on the two-story building began. The college included chemistry, physics, cookery and art rooms, general classrooms and a library along with a separate block with metal and woodwork training facilities.
On 15 March 1928, the 20,999 pound building was officially opened. Although planned to accommodate only 400 pupils that year, the school accepted 407 enrolments.
First known as Mordialloc District High School, the school was renamed Mordialloc-Carrum High School in August 1924, then Mordialloc-Chelsea High School in 1929.
Today it is called Mordialloc College. For more information on the history of Mordialloc College visit http://mordialloccollegealumni.org/live/
Stop 12 - Henwood Cottage
Location: 11 Park Street, Mordialloc
Private residence. Strictly no access
The Frankston train line was extended from Caulfield to Mordialloc in 1881 and to Frankston in 1882. The train line brought prosperity to Mordialloc and other small coastal towns.
This weatherboard house, built in 1887, is one of only a few houses that still exist in the area from this time.
It was the first house in the street and was on a large block of the land bounded by Chute, Park and Albert Streets. It appears that there were originally two houses on the block. Number 11 is the second of these.
Although somewhat altered since in 1880s, the simple, single-storey cottage retains some architectural significance as a consequence of its early form and detailing.
Stop 13 - Pompeis of Mordialloc and Pompeis Landing
Nepean Highway, Mordialloc. Adjacent Mordialloc Creek
The original Pompei family emigrated from Sicily, settling in Australia in 1912. They established Pompeis of Mordialloc on their own property and in 1921 they began leasing pleasure boats, used for recreation. The family became credited as the most prominent boat builders in the region.
In 1935 the family leased the railway land near Mordialloc Creek, where the boat building business remains today. Over the years the Pompei family is believed to have built the majority of clinker-built boats on the Bay.
The family's knowledge and passion for the sea meant they were heavily involved in the fishing industry and rescues. Known to many as 'Mr Mordialloc', Jack Pompei (1924 - 2009), was a tireless advocate for the creek. Main Street was closed to make way for his funeral procession in 2009.
The land immediately east of Nepean Highway and north of Mordialloc Creek was named 'Pompeis Landing' in 2007 in recognition of the Pompei boat building business which has been operating for generations and has become a local icon associated with the site. Today, the site is clearly identifiable by the striking public art work 'Pompeis Boat'.
Stop 14 - Dave White Memorial Clock Tower
Location: Main Street, Mordialloc, between Bear Street and McDonald Street
The local community raised funds to build this special memorial to a highly respected former councilor. The clock tower was unveiled in December 1937, less than a year after Cr Dave White died.
Born in Ballarat, Cr White moved to what is now the Kingston area in 1896, first working as a hairdresser and tobacconist, and later becoming a real estate agent and auctioneer.
He was a Shire of Moorabbin councillor from 1908 to 1920 and served as Shire President three times. He was then a City of Mordialloc councilor from 1924 until 1937, and was twice elected Mayor.
Cr White was a keen bowls player, a dashing footballer, and heavily involved in the first and later Mordialloc Carnivals. His love of music was also obvious through his involvement as conductor of the local Choral Society and the Presbyterian Church Choir. He was a strong Presbyterian and the first layman to be elected leader of the Victorian Protestant Federation.
The clock tower, which was completely rebuilt in the 1990s, features decorative clinker brickwork graded from dark brown at the base to light cream at the top.
Stop 15 - Main Street Precinct
Between Bear Street and McDonald Street, Mordialloc
You might need a break now...and Main Street is the perfect spot to find a great cafe.
Just as it was a century ago, Min Street is a thriving retail and business centre. The wide street and trees add to its aesthetic appeal and many businesses are housed in heritage buildings.
Before 1880, Main Street consisted mainly of single storey shops with wide verandahs. The extension of the railway line through Mordialloc transformed the settlement into a bustling township with hotels, grocers, bootmakers, dressmakers, and shops that increasingly catered to summer crowds by the 1920s.
The ensuing decades meant more changes, and today Main Street remains a great place to while away a few hours. And if you plan to visit again, the strip is easily accessible by train to Mordialloc station.
Stop 16 - Mordialloc Railway Station
Location: Between Main Street and Albert Street, Mordialloc. Access via pedestrian Laneway off Main Street
Thirty politicians gathered on 19 December 1881 for the official opening of the railway line from Caulfield to Mordialloc by the Minister of Railways, Thomas Bent.
No station building had been erected - only a single platform. However, contracts were signed a month later for the Mordialloc station building, along with four other stations on the Frankston line. The station buildings represent the "Garden Cottage" style.
Building Mordialloc station was part of a massive program from the late 1870s to construct railway lines throughout Victoria.
The railway brought residential and commercial development to the area by providing accessibility and transport for local produce to the metropolitan market. Importantly, it also brought visitors - who once only ventured as far as Brighton on a separate but nearby train line.
Stop 17 - Mordialloc Beach Primary School
Location: 58 Barkly Street, Mordialloc
Strictly no public access to school grounds. Formerly Mordialloc Common School
One acre of Crown Land was originally granted towards the construction of Common School no 846 in 1865 when local residents petitioned in the Board of Education to establish a school in the district. A timber building was officially opened on 6 January 1868 for 36 pupils aged from four to 15 years.
The advent of the railway and development of the area led to increased enrolments and the need for a new building. In February 1884, members of the Government visited Mordialloc to open the new school on this site.
The children welcomed the guests singing the national anthem and then listened to various speakers say how fortunate the children were to have the new facilities and the chance of an education.
The brick building with slate roof had a verandah and a detached tower with a spire. While it would initially accommodate 74 children, the plan allowed for extensions. Since then, many additions have been made to the building.
Stop 18 - Former Masonic Lodge
Location: 81 Albert Street, Mordialloc
Prior to 1919 Freemasons living in Mordialloc needed to travel to Moorabbin or Frankston to attend meetings with their brethren. Train journeys were often slow and tedious so the idea was put forward that a lodge be formed in Mordialloc.
Early meetings were held in the Mechanics' Hall but members were keen for their own temple. In 1924, the Mordialloc group bought from the Church of England a block of land in Albert Street, which they later exchanged for another with the Department of Education. It was on that block that they built their temple after negotiating a bank loan to finance the construction.
In October, architects Blackett and Forster presented plans for the two-storey brick building. Less than a year later, the first meeting of the Mordialloc Masonic Lodge was held in the completed building.
In ensuing years, the building was also used for public events, such as the first courthouse in the municipality of Mordialloc-Mentone (1926). Renovations were carried out in 1973, but with membership falling by the 1990s, several lodges combined to build a new temple in Keysborough. In 2008, Mordialloc's Jack Foley bought this building to be used as a family home.
Kingston City Council bought the heritage-listed building for $1.5 million in late 2011, and council officers immediately made the building safe through stabilisation work and asbestos removal.
Stop 19 - Mordialloc Railway Station Water Tower
Location: Corner Albert Street and Bear Street, Mordialloc
The Mordialloc railway water tower, built by James Younger in 1910, is the last remaining example of a small group of Edwardian towers of this design.
A substantially intact nineteenth and early twentieth century railway environment including, of course, Mordialloc station, enhances the tower.
The reinforced concrete and brick water tank, an inverted cone shape, can hold 20,000 gallons.
Water towers were once commonly seen at major railway stations and engine houses, to supply water to steam locomotives.
Stop 20 - St Nicholas' Anglican Church
9 Bear Street, Mordialloc
The first Church of England in Mordialloc was built on this site in 1874 and replaced by the present building St Nicholas' Anglican Church in the early 1920s.
Designed in 1919 by Louis Williams, who later designed St Andrew's in Brighton and St John's in Camberwell, the Mordialloc church was one of Williams' first commissions when he came to Victoria from Tasmania.
Work on the church stalled in 1923 because of a lack of funds and the parish was forced to build temporary walls along the eastern side of the building - where they stayed for 88 years.
However in late 2011, with a new architect, works were finally completed in harmony in Williams' original design after the church raised enough money through the sale of its sister church in Edithvale. St Nicholas was consecrated by the Most Reverend Dr Philip Freier, Archbishop of Melbourne, in 2012.
Stop 21 - St Andrew's Presbyterian Church
Location: Corner McDonald Street and Barkly Street, Mordialloc
Presbyterians from Mordialloc first worshipped in the Cheltenham church but began evening services in the Mordialloc Church of England in 1886. The following year, services began in the Presbyterian Church when it was part of the United Charge of Cheltenham, Mentone and Mordialloc. The church was officially opened in 1889.
By 1905 the church had grown to 50 communicant members, had a Sunday school and engaged in community outreach. The parish of Mordialloc/Carrum had its own minister by 1908.
Since 1925 the church has been known as St Andrew's Mordialloc.
Stop 22 - War Memorial, Flagstaff, Cenotaph and Guns
Location: Main Street Mordialloc. Between Bear Street and McDonald Street
Memorials honour locals who made the ultimate sacrifice in the Great War and World War II.
Dedicated in 1919, the flagstaff and bluestone pedestal was later topped with a large granite cross. The memorial bears the names of 19 young men who died in the Great War.
After the Second World War, through the initiative of members of the Mordialloc RSL, two 25 Pounder Short Guns were placed to the north and south of this cenotaph as sentinels. Unfortunately, the service history of the two Mordialloc guns is unknown.
The salty air of Mordialloc led to corrosion, and extensive restoration took place in the late 2000s, with the guns dismantled, sand blasted, rust protected and spraypainted.
The guns were replaced in their original position at the cenotaph in a simple community ceremony in April 2009.
Stop 23 - Mordialloc Sporting Club
Location: 528 Main Street, Mordialloc
Originally established as the Mordialloc Hotel, the Mordialloc Sporting Club was built by Alexander Vause Macdonald who emigrated from Scotland to Sydney in 1839. He squatted in Mordialloc with his wife and daughter from 1844 and eventually bought 50 acres from the government.
He built his hotel, originally known as the Mordialloc, in 1853, and operated it until 1859. Macdonald drowned in December 1881 in Mordialloc Creek, the night after the official opening of the Melbourne to Mordialloc railway line.
At one stage, the hotel also operated as a coach office, with four horse coaches running from Melbourne to Frankston daily.
The hotel has been extensively modified and extended since its early days. Most of the later additions have overwritten the building's early character although some original elements of the building remain visible from the southern side. More than 150 years after Macdonald began his occupancy, the hotel became the Mordialloc Sporting Club.
Stop 24 - Lissadel Saint Brigid's Catholic Presbytery
Location: 520 Main Street, Mordialloc
Private residence. Strictly no access
The Catholic Church bought Lissadel, originally the private home of Ellen and Thomas Monahan, in 1949 to use as a presbytery. It is still used for that purpose today.
The church bought the red brick villa with bay timber windows from the late couple's niece. Just a few weeks later, it was announced that Mordialloc was to become a separate parish (from Mentone). Father James English then took up residence at Lissadel (named after the Monahan's birthplace in Ireland). Archbishop Mannix officially opened the presbytery in October 1950.
Stop 25 - St Brigid's Catholic Church
Location: 520 Main Street, Mordialloc
St Brigid's was built on land left to the church by Mrs Ellen Monahan in the late 1940s. The block remained vacant in 1955, when another parishioner, the late Miss Holt, left 10,000 pounds so work could begin on the construction of the church building.
The impressive stained glass windows at the rear of the church are the work of Victorian artist Alan Sumner. One of the windows was donated by members of the 58/59th Australian Battalion Association, as a tribute to those who died during World War 2 in New Guinea and North Solomons. They asked parish priest Father James English - who was their chaplain - to reserve the window for the purpose.
St Brigid's also features a marble alter from Italy, and candlesticks, alter gates, water fonts and lamps from Dublin. Archbishop Daniel Mannix blessed the church on 28 October 1956.
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Location
Cnr Beach Road and Bay Road, Sandringham 3191 Map
Web Links
→ Historical Walking Trail Mordialloc
→ Mordialloc Historical Walking Trail Brochure (PDF)
