HISTORICAL+WILLIAMSTOWN

Who settled here, why it was so important, the village green, significant landmarks, its heritage significance etc

**HISTORICAL WILLIAMSTOWN** **Group 2**  **Lisa, Craig, Mitch W, Hannah**



**HISTORY**
 * Williamstown is located at the mouth of The Yarra River where it enters Hobson’s Bay and Port Phillip Bay and is where Melbourne’s originally first sea port is placed. On March 29 1839, It was officially named after King William The Fourth.
 * November 1835, the master of barque Captain Robson Coltish sailed out from Launceston afterwards he sailed through Bass Strait. His ship was loaded with 500 sheep and 50 Hereford cattle which had been committed to these shores by Dr. Alexander Thomas.
 * Port Gellibrand is the name that was given to Port Phillip afterwards; Captain Robson Coltish landed on Port Phillip and decided this area is a suitable place to unload his goods ( which is 500 sheep and 50 Hereford cattle)
 * Within a week many new comers made their ways across Bass Strait
 * The new comers decided to settle in this area because of the sheltered harbour and within five years buildings and hotels were built, 100 buildings and 2 hotels which were the Shipp Inn and the Woolpack.
 * The centre of Williamstown’s business heart was Nelson place, by the mid 1850’s some shops and other business took place and begun to develop and established around what we know now is North Williamstown.

**WHY IT WAS SO IMPORTANT**
 * The settlement’s importance lied in the industry. Williamstown was home to naval shipbuilding bases which gave the settlement access to naval ships. Railway workshops were also located in Williamstown with most of the trains also being made there; this meant that Point Gellibrand was close to its own railway.


 * The Alfred Graving Dock which is historically known for being not only the first graving dock of its kind in Victoria but it is also the third such dock in Australia. Sailors also had access to important rest stations in Nelson Place and a permanent customs house was erected in close proximity to the docks.

**SIGNIFICANT LANDMARKS**
 * Williamstown Lighthouse or Timeball Tower located at Point Gellibrand, was built in 1855 by the convict labour. It is entirely made out of bluestone. It originally functioned as a lighthouse and ‘till now it still works as one.


 * There are many historic sites and areas of interest. One of which is the Whispering Wall, it is what remains of the Barossa Reservoir that was built between 1899 and 1903.
 * It is special because words whispered next to the wall can be heard from the other side 100 metres away.
 * The first Hotels in Williamstown were the Ship Inn and the Woolpack. The Ship Inn was built in 1839 and was rebuilt as the Steam Packet Hotel in 1863 it was destroyed in a fire in 1861 but the building was rebuilt and still retains its historic heritage.
 * The convicts built the old morgue in 1859. It was made from bluestone and it was first morgue in Victoria. The reason it was built was because all the dead people were being stored in the local hotels.
 * The morgue was discontinued in 1926 because it was built on the waterside and the odour and the sights of the bodies discouraged trade and visiting ships.
 * The morgue was moved around three times before it was finally located in Foster Street.
 * The Timeball Tower was made of bluestone and was originally a lighthouse but from 1861 until 1926 it was as a timeball tower.
 *  At 1:00pm each day the ball would lower, allowing sailors to set their chronometers, these were extremely important for sailors who planned long journeys.