Summary
Workmen's houses built under the Closer Settlement Act. A man, woman and small child stand on the verandah of the closest cottage.
Description of Content
Workmen's houses built under the Closer Settlement Act. A man, woman and small child stand on the verandah of the closest cottage.
Significance
Following the 1890s depression, concern arose that too many people were living in Melbourne, especially in the crowded inner suburbs. Large cities were likened to cancers, spreading disease and sapping the nation's strength. The Victorian Government's Closer Settlement Scheme was established in 1904 to entice people away from the inner city. Small holdings for farming were made available throughout the state. In Melbourne, land was subdivided for workers' homes in the fringe suburbs of Footscray, Brunswick, Northcote and Thornbury, and for 'clerks' in the eastern suburbs of Glenhuntly and Tooronga.
In 1915, a royal commission found that the scheme was seriously flawed. Water, sewerage, roads, schools and other infrastructure lagged behind the construction of homes, and the blocks of land were often too small to be viable as farms. By 1916, about 1000 homes had been built. Residents struggled for years, however, to get such basic amenities as roads and water supply. -Melbourne Story text panel, 2008
More Information
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Collection Names
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Collecting Areas
Home & Community, Images & Image Making, Working Life & Trades, Sustainable Futures
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Acquisition Information
Copied from B R Wardle, 27 Jun 1988
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Place & Date Depicted
Melbourne, Greater Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, circa 1910
Latest possible date 1914. -
Format
Negative, 35 mm, Black & White
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Classification
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Category
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Discipline
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Type of item
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Keywords
Closer Settlement Schemes, Domestic Environment, Families, Fences, Houses, Verandahs, Working Life