Evolving Port

Port Melbourne and Fishermans Bend change. Houses are changed or demolished and new forms of housing take their place. Port Houses records some of these changes.

04 January 2022

181 - 185 Esplanade West, Port Melbourne

January 2022

Status report.

181 - 185 Esplanade West in January 2022

August 2021

The third level.

181 - 185 Esplanade West, August 2021

March 2021

Construction has begun on one of the three storey dwellings.

Construction underway at 181 - 185 Esplanade West
June 2017

Application 460/2017 was lodged for the construction of two three storey dwellings.

February 2016

Updated, restored and with a children's playground alongside.

February 2016
12 March 2015

After 100 years in the same family, this property prepares to change hands.




30 March 2015
Sold 30 03 2015
I had always been curious about the driveway associated with this house. It was so exceptionally unusual to have a driveway and a garage in this part of Port Melbourne. 



It turns out a house once occupied that site. 

In 1970, the Housing Commission inspected a double fronted single storey timber framed house and made a declaration under Section 56 of the Housing Act that the house was 'unfit for human habitation' and directed that the house be demolished. It sounds as if the house had fallen into disrepair when the owner, Robert Henry Webb died.

The house was sold in 1971 to a Roger Craig who failed to demolish the house as directed. The Housing Commission then let a tender for the demolition of the house which was carried out in 1971. 

Source: PROV VPRS 1824/P/0000-000166

3 comments:

  1. I lived there around 1967. My parent owned it at the time.

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  2. 185 Esplanade West was the Carroll family home during the 1950s -1960s. A Irish immigrant Sean Carroll arrived to drive buses for the 1956 Olympics he later married Elizabeth Bolger in Birmingham and they returned to Port Melbourne and 185 in 1959. The Carrolls had 3 children and moved to a new house around 1968-69. At this time 181 was owned by the Mathers family and 187 by a Miss Robertson-seamstress.

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  3. Thank you so much for this additional information. It all contributes to understanding the history of the site, and the neighbourhood.

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