Sunbury Victoria Australia, Celebrating 175 Years, Hume City Council
Sunbury, Victoria Australia, is in the spotlight in 2011 as the local community and Hume City Council hold a range of events and activities to commemorate the 175th anniversary of colonial settlement. Sunbury is home to many unique and historically significant places to visit and explore. From award-winning wineries (and the closest wine region to Melbourne) to the birthplace of the most important icon in the cricket battle between Australia and England - the Ashes, Sunbury has something for everyone. For more detailed information on Sunbury175 activities and events visit hume.vic.gov.au
Motion Graphics Video produced by Belinda Borizovski.
Sunbury Lunatic Asylum - Mental Hospital - Caloola
As part of my Cultural Heritage studies and my focus on Victorian asylums, I visited Caloola - Sunbury Asylum. Of all the Victoria asylums, I've always had oxymoron feelings of the site.
My first experience was reading about its earliest beginnings as Sunbury Slaughterhouse (link below) but I also think it is ‘prettier’ than the other asylums. Thanks to Julie – operator of Sunbury Historical Tours - I have learnt that ‘pretty’ couldn’t be further from the truth. I came away extremely impressed by the years of dedicated research Julie has conducted in all areas of the sites history and heritage and thank her for her work.
*photographs are my own*
Caloola, Sunbury consists of buildings set in extensive grounds with plantings of mature trees and remnant farmland. Caloola commenced in 1864 as an Industrial School, was redeveloped in 1879 as a Lunatic Asylum, substantially enlarged in the period 1891 to 1914 and was maintained in use as a psychiatric hospital (1879-1968) and later a training centre for the intellectually disabled (1962-1992). Part of the site became a Victoria University campus from 1994 to 2011 and the remainder is in use by the Department of Education.
Caloola is historically significant for the former Industrial School buildings constructed mainly from 1865-66. The school operated from 1865 to 1879 as the first purpose-built Industrial School in Victoria. The buildings at Sunbury are demonstrative of the harsh conditions which characterised such schools for neglected or delinquent children. The former Industrial School hospital (1865) is amongst the earliest hospital buildings surviving in the state.
Caloola is architecturally significant as a former lunatic asylum, one of several surviving in the state. It demonstrates typical characteristics such as formal planning, use of sunken walls (ha ha walls), airing courts and a diverse range of building types to cater for the patient and staff population. They gain their architectural significance from the unity of materials, overall cohesiveness of design, consistent and distinctive detailing (especially in the unusual use of buttresses and steep roofs in the former hospital wards), impressive site planning and spacious setting.
The Caloola complex is of aesthetic significance for the quality and range of its architecture and garden elements, consistent use of basalt, red brick and terra cotta tiles, its consistency of architectural styles and materials within the two major building phases, for its landscape planning and plantings and for its prominent siting on the hill with views to and from the site.
Caloola is of social significance especially to past patients and their families as a reminder of past practices in mental health care.
The Caloola site is on the traditional land of the Wurundjeri people.
Other site details can be located here:
Sunbury Slaughterhouse
Sunbury Historical Tours
Sunbury and Rupertswood
The city/suburb of Sunbury, about 50 km northwest of Melbourne, currently the terminus of the Sunbury metropolitan line. Also known for the Sunbury Festival of the 70s, our answer to Woodstock.
Rupertswood Mansion in Sunbury is known as the 'birthplace of the ashes', as the first 'ashes' match was played there, and legend had it the lady of the house burned the stumps and placed it in a small urn, hence the 'ashes.'
Sunbury Rock Festival Excerpt
“Available on DVD through umbrellaent.com.au”
Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs, Max Merrit and the Meteors, Lobby Loyde and the Wild Cherries, SCRA - Chain & many more... PLUS: Rare footage of Aztec's live at Melbourne Town Hall. The 70's was a period in Australian Rock Music when the industry's top acts could also be seen at the annual Sunbury Music Festival. On each Australia Day Weekend from 1972-1975, crowds of 35,000 or more would camp at the picturesque site 30 minutes from Melbourne, anticipating a full rocking of their socks from Australia's own rock'n'roll icons. But the very first Sunbury - an all Australian affair showcasing the talents of the day - is the most fondly remembered by those that made the pilgrimage. Where else could you see Chain, Lobby Loyde and Max Merrit on the same bill? And where else but Sunbury would Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs debut 'Most People I Know Think That I'm Crazy'? In 1972 - post Woodstock but years before The Big Day Out, Sunbury was an event not to be missed. This film serves as a reminder of that first festival in 1972, and captures the spirit of Sunbury's ethos - to have a good time. So join your host Molly Meldrum - dressed in the style of the times - and sit back, relax, crank up the volume, and stroll down memory lane to Sunbury.
Sunbury Asylum Exploration
My camera work is the worst sorry. :)
Sunbury Great House
Sunbury Plantation House is over 300 years old, steeped in history, featuring mahogany antiques, old prints and a unique collection of horse-drawn carriages. This is the only great house, with all rooms available for viewing.
Functions
Come celebrate your wedding in the timeless and classic beauty of Sunbury. We offer excellent facilities for weddings as we have spacious grounds including Mahogany Woods & beautifully landscaped Gardens. Choose our magical surroundings for memories to last a lifetime.
Dining
Enjoy an unforgettable evening at Sunbury by joining us for our special Candlelight Plantation Dinner at our 200-year-old Mahogany table.
Tours
Many tour operators include a stop at, or tour to Sunbury Plantation House.
Sunbury Asylum
A mockumentary I made for Uni. The facts are factual, the stupidity however, is quite stupid.
Sunbury really was an Asylum and the ghost sightings were apparently 'real', the rest of the tragic events...were just poorly acted :)
Music is from SAW
Australian Trains - A62 on a heritage train at Sunbury
In December 2011 I just managed to film A62 as it departed Sunbury with a short Link Tours charter to Macedon. It's not the best video as I didn't have time to set up properly before the train departed. Normally these tours are hauled by Steamrail's heritage locos.
Going inside the Sunbury mental asylum
Sunbury 1974
Movietone newsreel for Sunbury music festival, Australia 1974. Mainly crowd shots, and I'm not sure what bands are featured in the short stage shots. Or what the main music track is! Feel free to share the info if you know.
More details about the festival at and
Widescreen: Steamrail Victoria: Maldon Experience Tour - Sunbury Station.
Step aboard and be transported back in time as you travel with Steamrail Victoria. A fully restored Steam Locomotive up to 107 years old, or heritage Diesel dating from the 1950s are ready to take you away and ride with the living history.
- Saturday 7th of October, 2013 -
Steamrail Victoria hosted a special double-headed tour to Castlemaine and Bendigo, giving passengers the opportunity to travel onto the Victorian Goldfields Railway.
The following scenes feature the double-headed R class steam locomotives arriving into Sunbury Station and setting down briefly before departing and powering as an express towards Castlemaine.
© TransportRailTV, 2013.
For information in regards to Steamrail Victoria and the Victorian Goldfields Railway, their websites can be found here:
Steamrail Victoria:
Victorian Goldfields Railway:
Sunbury Lunitic Asylum - 2017
Since being established in 1865 this complex has had many uses over the years. Including a school for children who had become wards of the state.
In 1879 it was a Lunitic Asylum for a number of years.
Into the 1960s, the building were used for mental health training .
In the 1990s it was used as a university until facility closed in 2011.
It is now heritage listed.
Celebrating Deep Purple's 1975 Sunbury Festival Appearance
Check out this new video material from the legendary Australian Sunbury Music Festival from 1975 featuring Deep Purple Mark 3. The event started out sunny and hot, but the wettest January days in recorded history turned the event into a mud bath!
Sunbury 2017 Model Train Show Highlights
Short little video of my recent visit to the Sunbury 2017 Model Train Show
Australian Trains - R707 and R761 at Sunbury
On Saturday the 17th of September 2011, R761 and R707 joined forces to haul Steamrail's annual 'Maldon Experience' to Castlemaine and Bendigo. The train is seen rolling across a historic bluestone bridge while approaching Sunbury to pick up passengers. Unfortunately the light wasn't very good at the location. I had forgotten that I'd taken these videos which is why it's taken me so long to get these online. My apologies for the lower quality video - I was using my older camera on the day.
Sunbury Bus Service 3321AO (Preserved): Bedford SB3 (Manual/Comair)
Filmed on October 18th 2015 with a number of transport enthusiasts.
It was good being able to have a ride on an older vehicle like a Bedford SB3. This was one of many buses used during the BCSV Donric Weekend Tour on October 18th 2015. (Side note: You can also see me in the driver's mirror)
Engine: Front-mounted Bedford 4.927-litre petrol engine
Transmission: 5-speed manual synchromesh (confirmed on the day of filming)
Bodywork by COMAIR (aka CAC - Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation), built in 1963
Australian Trains - T364 light engine at Sunbury
On the 3rd of March 2012 K190 was scheduled to be transferred from the Victorian Goldfields Railway, where it had spent Summer on loan from Steamrail, back to Steamrail's depot at Newport. Unlike the first trip in which K190 went to Castlemaine under its own steam, this trip required heritage diesel T364 to haul the steam loco back to Melbourne. I managed to capture the train at Sunbury heading North, as well as the Swan Hill pass. Unfortunately the return trip ran early and I missed it, only capturing a V/locity at Calder Park instead of the transfer.
Sunbury - Rupertswood Mansion 4 Star
Sunbury - Rupertswood Mansion 4 Star
DEEP PURPLE -SMOKE ON THE WATER- SUNBURY
SMOKE ON THE WATER
SUNBURY MELBOURNE AUSTRALIA
25.01.1975.
RITCHIE BLACKMORE DAVID COVERDALE GLENN HUGHES
JON LORD IAN PAICE