Published on Tuesday, 22 October 2024 at 4:46:07 PM

On this #TimeWarpTuesday we are looking at three views across time, that is, we have three photographs of the one location to show you… 

Circa 1889 

Two Mile Well, 1889, Albany Road (corner Harper Street). This location was known as ‘Two Mile Well’ as it was two miles from the General Post Office located on the corner of St George’s Terrace and Barrack Street, Perth. 

The image is taken looking north down Albany Road. A post and rail fence runs along the left side of the road, with bush on both sides of road. Tuart trees are spotted throughout the background. A large tuart tree is pictured to the right, and is believed to be the site of the Broken Hill Hotel. You can just make out the form of a man who is leaning against a post in the centre of the picture, his dog sitting nearby. One wonders what the man would think of the Victoria Park that is today…. 

Circa 1925 

The same view some 36 years or so later and the view from the corner of Harper Street and Albany Road, Victoria Park has become a major focal point of the Town with the Broken Hill Hotel on one corner and the Broadway Picture Theatre and Victoria Park Public Library Inc. across the road. 

June 2024 

The view from the same spot as our photos from circa 1889 and circa 1925, and wonderfully the Victoria Park Public Library Inc building still stands, though it now feeds hungry bellies as a restaurant instead of hungry minds with books. The iconic Broken Hill Hotel also still stands, greeting visitors and residents of the Town alike. It is also a testament to the architectural skill of the first Mayor of Victoria Park, Robert Thompson McMaster, who was killed in the Battle of the Nek at Gallipoli in 1915. 

We hope you have enjoyed this peek back through time, don’t forget to share your photos with us. We are always looking to add to our Local History Collection, so that we can collect, preserve and share our stories for this generation and all the generations to come next. Please get in touch if you would like to have a chat, if you have photos or other items to share, we can help you scan originals too. Reach out to us via email at vicparklibrary@vicpark.wa.gov.au or phone (08) 9373 5500 or book a time to pop-in for a visit.

#LoveVicPark

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