Wombat Creek Tramways

Windows and a ‘boxy’ structure added to this heritage listed building from Melbourne’s CBD.

This rather unusual structure of a building will, when finished, be very important for the tramways running trams to and from the explosives factory. As seen on the photo the workers has got the walls up and the doors installed. The building is situated in a very tight spot. The footpaths around the building will need to be widened,

In 1962 ten Mr. Whippy ice cream vans were imported to Sydney from England. They were an instant success, and rumours of the vans soon reached Wombat Creek and Mr Di Mascio. With a talent for business and a love of Italian Gelati Mr Di Mascio went to Melbourne and bought an Oxford ice cream van. Back home in Wombat Creek Mr Di Mascio took the vehicle apart, cut out the middle window on one side and installed posters of various ice creams behind the other windows.* Realising a middle-age balding man probably wouldn’t attract a lot of customers he place himself in the driver’s seat and engaged his better looking daughter as the ice cream seller. Judging by the length of the queue the business concept seems to be right – or the ice creams simply too good!

* Of course Mr Di Mascio didn’t take the van apart. He is a fictional figure in fictional Wombat Creek. I did the altering myself!

After a couple of months working at the mine railway I got time to do some work at the Tramways. A new shelter (stop) has been erected opposite the terraced houses in the Golden Mile. The shelter is inspired by a heritage listed shelter in Kew, Melbourne. The original cast iron tram shelter was designed by the Prahran & Malvern Tramways Trust and erected in 1916/17.

Tram shelter ver. 1.0 was scrapped being too tall and too narrow, but I think this one has the right proportions/dimensions. I even got the ‘wonky’ benches in place.

The terraced houses are finished with front fences and steps down. A tree gives some shade for the roses in Mrs. Paterson’s garden.

With the cast iron lace installed above the first floor and the second floor the terraced houses are finished. Still need a fence along the footpath.

It is afternoon and Mrs. Nelson is in her garden reading a gardening book. She needs some ideas for planting along the south facing wall. How do we know it is afternoon? Look at the sunflowers. They are facing towards north west and the sun. Which leaves us with a conundrum. The sunflowers are quite mature for the time of the year. The date is Sunday the 7^th of October. How could we know?

Well, a worker at the tram shed is reading about Geelong’s defeat of Hawthorn in the Grand Final the day before. Okay, just a not quite right detail!

Not much to remark about no. 5, the number engraved in the glass above the entrance door. Mr. Smith is clearly fond of riding his bicycle. He has chosen a very bold colour for a 1963’s bicycle, but being parked in front of the house it serves as a focus point for the onlookers.