Photo courtesy of the Altona Historical Society and Keima Press.

In 1910 Gaston Cugnet (for the French Bleriot planes) brought his aeroplane to Altona and made a couple of short flights. In 1911 Joseph J Hammond made many successful public demonstrations of flying, including the first return cross country flight from Altona Bay to Geelong on the 20^th of February. On the 23^rd of February also at Altona Bay he undertook the first powered passenger flight in Australia. Due to the many flight successes, Point Cook was established.

Photo courtesy of the Altona Historical Society and Keima Press.

The Altona Homestead, located at 128 Queen Street on Login Reserve, is the oldest standing building. Originally built in 1837, the Homestead was owned by the first settlers of Altona Alfred Langhorne and his wife Sarah who leased pastoral land of 248 acres . In 1988 it was fully restored and this blue stone cottage is now home to the Altona Historical Society. The Homestead is open every Tuesday from 11am to 2pm and the first Sunday of the month from 2 to 4pm. A small entry fee applies.

Photo courtesy of the Altona Historical Society and Keima Press.

Altona Life Saving Club was formed in 1926 and is located east of the Pier and patrols a bathing and a no boating zone. President James Duke and secretary Charles Davenport were credited with forming the club. The Altona Life Saving Club and a number of sporting clubs in the late 1920's joined to organise an annual beach front carnival in Altona. The first display in 1928 was attended by 7,000 people. The club later went into decline and reformed in 1951. The clubhouse and training centre were built in 1957. A new clubroom and lookout tower have just been recently completed.

Photo courtesy of the Altona Primary School and Keima Press.

The Altona Primary School No 3923 was designed by the Public Works Deparment and constructed between 1922 - 1927 and was the first school to be built in Altona and one of the earliest public buildings and has continued for over 80 years to be a main place of learning for yourg children and it is significant aesthetically as it was constructed to a design in the Interwar Free Classical style by the Chief Architect of the Public Works Department, E.Evan Smith.

George L Owens a Presbyterian Minister was the first to approach the State Government to provide Altona with a school. A public meeting was held around 1915 and then a further meeting held which resulted in a building (a large shed) being offered by Mr Lawrence and Mrs Ann Fleming in the back yard of their property in Blyth Street to be used.

Classes began under Miss Christina Bavington after the department leased the building from 1 November 1915 for one year. After 2 years the original owners required the building back so a new building was being sourced with accomodation for 50 students being a requirement. The president of the school committee, AD Grant approached the Altona Estate Company for suitable school land, a block was offered on the provision that building of the school would begin immediately, however the Progress Association's new public hall could offer seperate classrooms immediately (with the aid of a canvas division) which could then be taken down for public meetings and church services to take part.

By 1920 this situation was no longer a feasible solution due to the great number of students seeking education. There were more than 100 students in 6 grades and they could not be accomodated in the hall, some classes were transferred to Davey's Hall and the infants were taught in the latticed shed with a shell grit floor, unfortunately during the winter months rain and wind would go through the classrooms making it less than ideal. In 1921 the new headmaster Charles W Borrack fought for a proper school building. A three acre site was chosen adjacent to the new railway and in October 1921 the new school which was to accomodate 400 students began to be built in stages. The first stage of the school was officially opened in November 1922 by the Education Minister, Sir Alexander Peacock and was intended to house 200 students, overcrowding was already evident at the opening of the school.

The second stage of the school was completed 5 years later and was opened in November 1927. They design was typical of government schools of the time: red brick and stucco construction wiwth a Marseilles tiled hipped roof. The entry was marked by a parapeted porch with a small arch set into the parapet. The main windows were multi-paned and grouped in either 2 or 3's. The building consisted of 3 classrooms with 2 of the classrooms seperated by an accordion screen (half glazed folding doors) and each room had a fireplace, a teachers cupboard and a platform. There was also a corridor and administrative office. At the other end of the building there were the lavatories, hat and cloak room. Cyclone gates were erected in 1923 to keep out the cattle from the school grounds and to protect the trees that were planted. A shelter shed was also erected the same year.

Further land was purchased in 1929 and Webb Street was closed between Blyth and Railway Street to unite the 2 sites. Population in post World War 2 era increased greatly in the area. In the 1933 census there were 1,722 people in the area and by 1961 there were 16,167. Classes were once again held in the Baptist church hall until a Bristol prefabricated classroom was added in 1954 and 4 others in 1955. Overcrowding of the school was somewhat alleviated when schools were opened in Seaholme in 1952, Brooklyn in 1953 and Brooklyn West in 1960. By the middle of the 1960's futher accomodation was provided in the form of portable classrooms, 2 classrooms attached to its south east corner and a detached library block.

 

Photo courtesy of the Altona Historical Society and Keima Press.

Altona first appeared in maps in 1861 and it was named by a german man named Taegtow who hailed from Altona, Germany. He believed that coal could be found in the area and in 1881 he formed the Williamstown (Taegtow) Prospecting Company. Housing in Altona and Merton Street estates was sold from 1886 onwards and by 1901 the Victorian Government owned an explosives reserve in the West of Altona.

Coal mining formed the basis of the local economy from 1908 to 1919 and was brought to an end in 1930 when open cut mining was developed by the State Electricity Commission in the Latrobe Valley. In 1908 the Melbourne and Altona Colliery Company NL began working on a brown coal mine, water penetration was a common problem in the bores and tunnels. By 1919 at least 31,160 tonnes of coal were extracted from a 69 foot bed, 324 feet below the ground. At least one of the mines had its own railway sliding branching westward from Altona Station. Proposals were examined for using the coal for generation of electricity and for iron smelting. 

Apart from coal mining, the main industries in the area were dairying, poultry, piggeries and the growing of animal fodder.

A historical marker is erected on the site of the mine shaft at Harrington Square, Altona West.

 

Photo courtesy of the Altona Historical Society and Keima Press.

Altona beach was billed as a major attraction to prospective land buyers in the 1880's. The pier was the destination of Bay Pleasure Steamers on sale days (Altona Bay Estate Company) and was built in 1887 to bring prospective buyers to the area by a syndicate which had acquired the Altona/Laverton property (which had been assembled by Langhorne) and marketed the are as Altona. They commenced the connection of Yan Yean water, a railway extension from Newport and the lengthening of the pier to deeper water for bay excursion boats as well.

Altona became popular with picnic parties particularly with Sunday schools and trades associations from nearby Newport and Williamstown. They were allowed to use the grounds of Altona Homestead which was owned by the estate company. By 1912 there were enough summer campers to warrant the building of public latrines by the Wyndham Council. The Altona Progress Association was formed in 1917 and in 1919 a band rotunda was built by the Altona Progress Association on the Esplanade which was subsequently moved of the road onto the beach in 1927, in the 1920's private businesses began to cater for the campers and the visitors, one such cafe was Davey's ABC Cafe which was located on the corner of Pier Street and the Esplanade. Davey's ABC Cafe and licensed hall, The Palais was built in 1919. The Palais was also used as a temporary school.

Photo courtesy of Cliff Gibson and the Altona Historical Society.

On May 1^st 1901 the Truganina Explosive Reserve near Skeleton Creek was officially opened. The reserve containing a number of specially designed brick magazines replaced the older powder magazine on the Maribyrnong River at Maidstone and operated until 1958 when it was replaced by one at Point Wilson. Cases of explosives (which were used in mining and quarrying) would be taken from the magazine storage, placed into wagons and a horse would them pull them on rails (originally wooden) to the end of the jetty. The cases of explosives were then passed hand to hand in chain gang fashion down the hold of the lighter where they were carefully stowed and then towed on to ships waiting in Port Phillip Bay. In later years the pier was destroyed by fire and no longer exists.

The Truganina explosives tramway was constructed in 1900 along what is now Merton Street and Queen Street Altona. The jetty was constructed in 1897. The horse drawn tramway was built going to the Geelon Railway line, this was used until the middle of World War II (closed in 1943) when the explosives where then moved via trucks to and from the Deer Park Explosives Magazines. The tramway inside the reserve was still in use till 1962 when the site was closed due to the residential spread. The jetty was once a considerable structure with double tracks for shunting at the bay end and a shelter shed built out from the side of the pier towards the end.

Photo courtesy of the Altona Historical Society and Keima Press.

Photo: Looking south down Pier Street from the railway line to the beach.

In 1936 Pier Street was fully asphalted and concrete curbing was completed by 1939. The street has continued to grow and prosper and is now the 'hub' of activity. It has been beautified with ongoing construction.

Pier Street is popular not only for the cafes and restaurants but also for its market every Tuesday. 

Photograph courtesy of the Altona Historical Society and Keima Press.

The Williamstown Racecourse was originally where the Altona Coastal Park is now. The racecourse was built in 1873-1874 and was rated third in Victoria. The racecourse grew in importance from 2 race meetings per year to eight by 1892 and even Phar Lap ran at the course. Racing continued at this course until World War II when Army groups used it. During restorative operations after the war, a fire broke out in 1946 which so badly damaged and gutted the grandstands that the course was closed and the club amalgamated with the Melbourne Racing Club. All that remains now are remnants of the grandstand, one of the palms at the entry of the grandstand and remnants of the concrete toilet blocks along the creeks edge.

Photo courtesy of Peggy Studley and Keima Press.

Seaholme is a beachside enclave east of central Altona. The Seaholme station was constructed in 1921, the name being a winning entry in a competition held by the Land Company.

Large blocks of land were obtained relatively cheap and many residents put up houses as owner-builders. During the 1920's many houses were built with the help from the War Service Homes Commission fand the State Savings Bank.

Photo courtesy of the Altona Historical Society.

To make land purchase of the area more attractive the Altona and Laverton Bay Freehold and Investment Company (who were sub-dividing land) built a private railway line running from the Racecourse line through its land terminating at Altona Beach Station. The railway opened on Novermber 1988 and closed on August 14 1890 as there was a lack of interest in land sales.

A permanent steam passenger service began in 1917 and ran to Pier Street, Altona. The land company incurred losses on the line every year so by the 1920's looked to dispose the railway. The Victorian Railways took over the line in October 1924. The line was passed over from the land company to the Railways free of charge on the proviso that the line would continue and became part of the suburban system and that all debts of the company to the VR would be waived. Nearly 20,000 passengers were recorded in the first seven months of service with 43,337 from 1918-1919 and 75,877 from 1919-1920. On the 2nd October 1926 the Altona line was electrified. Trains were operated as shuttles from Newport station hourly. On July 1955 2 direct peak trains were provided and more direct trains provided better service from May 1963.

In 1985 the railway line was extended west of Altona to join the Geelong line at Laverton and Westona station was opened.

Photo courtesy of Peg Studley and Keima Press. Photo taken around 1930.

This photo is of the bakers van negotiating sandy Upton Street after some heavy rain. The baker from Williamstown W.J. Elsum, made his way down to Altona twice a week carting bread. Low lying Altona, high tides and Kororoit Creek flooded the area many times. One of the most memorable floods was in April 1950 when 1,000 migrants had to be evacuated to Broadmeadows when the Racecourse Migrant Centre flooded.