Location
northern suburb of Melbourne On the main railway line from Melbourne to Benalla and north
Beginings
Essendon was on the way to the Ballarat and Bendigo gold fields
Importance of Essendon
Essendon was the start of the railway line out of Melbourne to Wodonga (Argus31/1/71) (Argus20/11/73)
What was Essendon like in the late 1870s
Essendon was a farming community on the outskirts of Melbourne. It was on the main railway line north.
Today the railway line takes a more direct route north but in the 1870 crossing the dividing range was a difficult task and the railway line took a more westerly parth out of Melbourne.
The railway line was opened (Argus3/9/72) Photograph
Map
Facilities in Essendon in the late 1870s
Population Hotels Churches Schools [[../../things/C_community/C_bankt.html|Bank]] Main Streets Local Government Police Station Railway Station Telegraph Office
Post Office Other things of interest
Links to the KellyGang
Dr Turner at Essendon treated a tracker for erysipelas after the Glenrowan Siege
Hon John T Smith, Ass Com Nicolson and Insp O'Connor's father in law, lived at Essendon
Inspector O'Connor and the trackers caught the train to the Glenrowan Siege from Essendon on the night of 27/6/1880. (Age29/6/1880) (Argus29/6/1880) (Argus5/7/80)
Members of the Essendon community
What happened at Essendon after the time of the Kelly Gang
Essendon airport was Melbourne's major airport for many years