MELBOURNE folding postcard from 1911

Front of Postcard

This is a wonderful folding souvenir card of Melbourne which is likely to date to the early 1900s. Flinders Street station which features on one of the pictures was not completed until 1905, and although most of the dresses are long there is one lady in a shorter dress so the card was probably produced a few years after this. Most of the major streets in Central Melbourne are pictured with horse-drawn carriages outnumbering cars. Electric trams, which began their service in 1906 can also be seen. 1927, the same year that federal parliament (another picture) moved to Canberra, so it must have been produced before this date. My great grandmother, to whom the card was given died in 1933.

 Its reassuring that many of grand buildings are still to be seen today, including the Grand Hotel (now known as the Windsor) in Spring Street. There are pictures of wool being loaded on the Murray River and a stack of wheat ready to go. In both cased the transport was provided by bullock carts – a team of 14 awaited the cargo of wool.

Amongst the other pictures is one of Port Melbourne Pier, crowded with mail steamers. Printing on the front of the card, informs the purchaser that Postage Rates were: Commonwealth 1/2d, British Empire 1d. If used for correspondence, letter rates. There doesn't seem to be an option if one wanted, for instance to send the card to America or other more exotic parts.

Back of Postcard