The old homestead could easily be the shed my grandfather was born in, in Ouse Tasmania, or it may be the home that granddad built in Burrows Ave Moonah Tasmania, it could be any of the houses my cousins lived in for many years growing up, but for me the Old Homestead is 27 Haines St North Melbourne, where I lived from close to my second birthday until Easter when I was 7.

I wrote about this house for an assignment when doing Place Image Object as part of my studies for Family History with UTAS.

I am including that assignment here, seems a shame to waste it!, plus some extra pieces that the word count would not let me include.

The house at 27 Haines Street North Melbourne, which had been called Hotham, when first settled, was a single front semi detached house in what after our house became a street of terrace houses, nearly all single story. There was an access lane out the back, with wide but rather shaky gates, one narrow the other wide. Our back yard was where dad parked the car when something was on at the hotel just 2 doors away.  While the hotel had an official name it was known to us as Bolans hotel, the man who ran it was Mr Bolan and Mrs Bolan helped him, but not behind the main bar. They had 2 daughters the name of one was Donna I can’t remember the name of the other girl. We didn’t go to the same school, they attended the Catholic school, so we only saw the girls on Saturdays, as Sunday for them and us was church.

To preserve my memory of this house I made a map of the house and that portion of the street and the area. it is made as the centre of  wall hanging or quilt

We were close to the Victoria Market, the local primary school and even just a couple of blocks from the old childrens hospital.

Our Old Homestead was pulled down some time in the late 1950s or early 60s, and blocks of flats were erected in it’s place, for private rentals. These are still there today but have been sold off to private buyers now.

With apologies to Banjo Paterson.