Looking Back - 1939 to 2011 - the Autobiography of Robert V. J. Padula, OAM

1946 - Flinders St Station

Home
1941 - Bikes and Cars
1943 - Hiking - Hills and Coasts
1944 - Growing up in the War Years - Part 1
1944 - Growing up in the War Years - Part 2
1944 - Growing up in the War Years - Part 3
1945 - Auburn schooldays - Part One
1945 - Auburn Schooldays - Part Two
1945 - Auburn Schooldays - Part Three
1945 - Upwey and the Puffing Billy
1945 - Gramaphones and Record Players
1946 - Flinders St Station
1946 - Astronomy
1946 - Beach and Swimming Adventures
1946 - Going to the Pictures
1947 - Adventures at the Altona Bungalow
1947 -The Listener-In Magazine
1947 - Balwyn WIldlife Sanctuary
1948 - Fishermen's Bend Aerodrome
1948 - Radio Australia QSL cards
1948 - Excursions
1949 - Australian Rules Football
1949 - Radio Monitoring at Auburn
1950 -Trains and Ships
1950 - Radios for Communications
1950 - Radio Listening Clubs in Australia
1950 - World Radio TV Handbook
1950 - Shortwave Radio Propagation Research
1950 - Medium Wave Radio Propagation Research
1950 - Radio and Hobbies Magazines
1950 - Discovering shortwave radio at Auburn
1951 - Photography
1951 - Competitions on local radio stations
1952 - Camp Buxton - YMCA Shoreham
1952 Tennis and Ten Pin Bowling
1953 - Stamp Collectiong
1953 Camberwell High School
1954 - Royal Visit to Melbourne
1954 - Shortwave Radio reception at Auburn
1956 - Melbourne's Olympic Games
1956 - Trainee Telecommunications' Technician
1957 - Trainee Technician - field work
1957 - National Service Registration
1958 - Laverton Air Show
1958 - MOOMBA Parade
1958 - Trainee Technician - field work
1959 - The move to Mont Albert
1960 - Working at Deepdene Telephone Exchange
1963 - Trade Unions, Staff Associations, Industrial Relations
1964 - Senior Technician work in the Melbourne CBD
1964 - Project support for Radio Australia
1964 - Project support for Radio Australia
1964 - Amateur Radio
1964 - Media Writing
1964 -Travels
1964 - Engineering Support for International Broadcasters
1965 - Professional Employment with PMG/Telstra
1967 - Professional Qualifications - Institution of Engineers Australia
1967 - Australian Radio DX Club Photo Gallery (to 1979)
1972 - Wireless Institute of Australia
1972 - Natural disasters in Melbourne
1980 - Australian Radio DX Club Gallery (to 1995)
1981 - Award of the Medal of the Order of Australia
1995 - Padula Books
EPILOGUE
LINKS TO AUTHOR'S PERSONAL WEBSITES
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEPENDENT BIOGRAPHIES
SPECIAL CHAPTER - Oldtime Australian Radio Drama from the 1930s
SPECIAL CHAPTER - Radio Monitoring Clubs in Australia - 1920 to 1949
SPECIAL CHAPTER - Melbourne Picture Theatres - History - 1906 to 1970

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1927 - Flinders St Station

Pre-1910 - Flinders St Station
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For more than a century the grand Edwardian baroque building of Flinders Street Station has dominated Melbourne's southern boundary. The design was selected by an architectural competition held in 1902, and the red brick and golden cream stucco building was constructed between 1905 and 1910.

Trains had been arriving at Flinders Street since 1854. The present building is the most spectacular of a number that have stood on the site. Stretching along Flinders Street for more than a city block, and boasting grand archways and an expansive ballroom, it is public architecture on a majestic scale — a symbol of the importance of railways to the growth of the city and its suburbs.

Flinders Street Station has become far more than a place of transit. Meeting 'under the clocks' is a Melbourne institution, and the building arguably remains the city's principal landmark. Recently refurbished and repainted, Flinders Street Station is as resplendent today as ever.

Melbourne's two other early central-city stations, Spencer St Station (now Southern Cross Station) and Princes Bridge opened in 1859. Spencer St served the lines to the west of the city, and was isolated from the eastern side of the network until a ground level railway was built connecting it to Flinders Street in 1879, this track being replaced by the Flinders St Viaduct in 1889.

Princes Bridge Station was originally separated from Flinders Street, even though it was only on the opposite side of Swanston St. Once the railway line was extended under the street in 1865 to join the two, Princes Bridge was closed. It was not reopened until April 1879, and from 1909 slowly became amalgamated into Flinders Street.

Federation Square now occupies its site. Up until the 1880s a number of designs for a new station had been prepared, but none ever went any further.

My earliest memopries of Flinders St Station go back to 1946, when I was taken into town by train from Auburn to visit the big stores, gasp at the amazing Christmas displays in Myers' windows, and go to the pictures.

By 1947, as an eight year old kid,  I would go by train into town on my own, looking at the shops and fossicking around the incredible Eastern Merket in Bourke St and the varous old-world arcades..

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1915 - Flinders St Station

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1908 - Flinders St Station

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1920 - colored image of Flinders St Station


Images taken by the author!

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November 1956 - Flinders Srt Station Olympic Games decorations

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July 1957 - outside Princes Bridge Station

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July 1957 - outside Flinders St Station

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July 1957 - digging up old wooden cable tram blocks, Flinders St

Most of the images in this site are thumbnails. Click on any image to see a full size verson in a new window

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