Sunday, 10 January 2021

The Bumpy Beginings of Public Transport in Eaglehawk Victoria Australia

Living in 2021 it's easy to forget how hard it must have been to get around when my grandmother was in her late teens and early 20s. Myrtle grew up in the mining town of Eaglehawk, in-country Victoria, where she lived until 1922 when the whole family moved to nearby Bendigo.
W. T. P, 1908. A Tram on Main Street, Eaglehawk, Victoria [picture]. (http://search.slv.vic.gov.au/permalink/f/1o9hq1f accessed 10 January 2121)

Before the introduction of trams in 1888, the only public transport between the two towns was horse and cab. Initially, there was an attempt to operate Battery powered Electric trams. Unfortunately, the batteries ran out in 14 km rather than the anticipated 48kms; the service collapsed after 3 months of operation. In 1892 steam trams replaced the ill-fated battery-powered trams, making the trip between Eaglehawk and Bendigo around 40 minutes. A further upgrade in April 1903 saw the introduction of electric trams (without batteries) begin to operate.


Rose Stereograph Co, 1920. MITCHELL STREET, BENDIGO, VIC. [picture]. http://search.slv.vic.gov.au/permalink/f/1cl35st/SLV_VOYAGER1644175 accessed 10 January 2021)
As Myrtle grew older she caught the tram, on Route 26, to go to work in Bendigo until her parents moved there.
Gainsborough Photo Studio, Portrait of Myrtle Bassett around the age of 12, Prahran, Victoria, Australia circa 1921, Sandra Williamson’s private Collection. [B031]

The above portrait was taken as Myrtle was recovering from influenza which she caught in the later-half of 1920. Much to her horror, her head was shaved twice as part of her treatment but when it eventually grew back she was delighted that her hair begun to curl.

A year after this portrait was taken the family moved from Eaglehawk to Bendigo.

Sepia Saturday: Using Old Images As Prompt for New Reflections – prompt 552 

Sources for Images:

W. T. P, 1908. A Tram on Main Street, Eaglehawk, Victoria [picture]. (http://search.slv.vic.gov.au/permalink/f/1o9hq1f accessed 10 January 2021)

Rose Stereograph Co, 1920. MITCHELL STREET, BENDIGO, VIC. [picture].  http://search.slv.vic.gov.au/permalink/f/1cl35st/SLV_VOYAGER1644175  accessed 10 January 2021)

Gainsborough Photo Studio, Portrait of Myrtle Bassett around the age of 12, Prahran, Victoria, Australia circa 1921, Sandra Williamson’s private Collection. [B031]

Sources for Text:

Kirkwood, Aylene. & Hanson, Bev. & Eaglehawk Heritage Society (Vic.). 2006, Eaglehawk : welcome back / Aylene Kirkwood & Bev Hanson Eaglehawk Heritage Society [Eaglehawk, Vic.] page 90

Bendigo Tramways Website, The Bendigo Tramsways Story, https://www.bendigotramways.com/images/stories/pdf/thebendigotramwaystory.pdf accessed 10 January 2021

Myrtle Sharp conversations with Sandra Williamson (author) prior to 2008
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7 comments:

  1. Alan Burnett10 January 2021 at 22:36

    The tram photos send me straight to my on-line atlas to pinpoint the places, the photo of your grandmother sent me straight to my enlarge button to see it in detail. Together, that makes a perfect Sepia Saturday post.

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  2. Wendy11 January 2021 at 03:01

    Interesting about her hair curling - when my mother lost her hair during chemo, it came back in curly.

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  3. Anonymous11 January 2021 at 07:36

    I'm interested to know why her hair was shaved as part of her treatment for influenza. I've lost my hair twice due to chemo. I always hoped for some lovely change in texture or color. Nope! I like her curls.

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  4. Barbara Rogers11 January 2021 at 09:09

    A delightful post with transportation theme as well as the personal note about your grandmother, especially on her hair which became curly! Thanks.

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  5. La Nightingail11 January 2021 at 10:20

    A good friend of mine, after chemo therapy, had her hair grow back in curly. I know of others who had the same thing happen. I wonder if people with curly hair who undergo chemo therapy have their hair grow back in straight? My only guess for having her hair shaved when she had the flu was she was running high fevers and it was thought shaving her hair gave the heat in her body from the fevers more chance to escape as the head is where most heat is lost from the body.

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  6. Alex Daw11 January 2021 at 10:51

    What beautiful photos, particularly of your grandmother. Yes, I'm intrigued to know why her hair had to be cut too.

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  7. Mike Brubaker13 January 2021 at 14:33

    Here where I live in Asheville, North Carolina, the city built one of the first electric streetcar lines in 1889. It's a hilly place but they lasted until 1934. One of the lines was once very close to my street. I wish it was still running. As to the hair loss, that was a not uncommon result from the high fever associated with influenza.

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