Hawthorn Historical Society

07/09/2026

Hawthorn Central School (now known as hawthorn West Primary School) Centenary Souvenir is a recent addition to the Hawthorn Historical Society Collection.
From the little bluestone school on 1853 the school has grown and prospered, yet some of the original bluestone building is still in situ.

03/09/2026

This is your invitation to "Step into History" and learn about the people, places and moments that have shaped the history of our suburb.

Members of the Society are now engrossed in the preparation for our Hawthorn History Week, which will run from Monday 19th to Friday 23rd October, daily from 11.00am to 2.00pm at the Library Lounge, Town Hall Gallery, 360 Burwood Road, Hawthorn.

It will be a wonderful program - Visitors can browse displays, speak with researchers, peruse old photos, uncover hidden histories, listen to interesting speakers, find out who lived in their house, test their knowledge with 52 facts about Hawthorn or add a memory to My Hawthorn Story. For more details :
https://www.hawthornhistoricalsociety.com.au/hawthorn-history-week-2026-your-invitation-to-step-into-history/

31/08/2026

Forty-two guests joined us on Sunday for afternoon tea and a fascinating talk by social historian Margaret Anderson, Director of the Old Treasury Building.

Tables were piled high with home-baked scones and jam, sandwiches, cupcakes, cheese biscuits and fruit — and, appropriately, plenty of tea.

Margaret took us through the history of tea drinking in Australia through the humble teapot, including some of the surprisingly fierce debates surrounding the perfect cup.

One teaspoon per person and one for the pot? The Age called that rule “absurd” in 1915.

Milk first or tea first? George Orwell firmly favoured tea first.

Warm the pot? Almost everyone seemed to agree on that one.

Thank you to Margaret, to everyone who helped with our magnificent spread, and to everyone who came along.

28/08/2026

Join us at our popular W**e and History Night at the Kilburn on Thursday 10 September from 5pm to 7pm.

This event is your chance to learn more about what the Society does and meet others with a love of Hawthorn’s history and heritage over a glass of w**e.

We welcome members and non-members.

Drinks at bar prices. It’s Happy Hour!

$10 per head.

Join Hawthorn Historical Society at our popular W**e and History Night at the Kilburn. This event is your chance to learn more about what the...

26/08/2026

It’s all systems go for our sell-out afternoon tea this Sunday. We bumped in under the watchful eyes of Hilda and Henry. Thanks to volunteers Kay, Karen, Penny, Liz, and Fiona for their time and crockery.

26/08/2026

Where Am I? How Well Do You Know Hawthorn?

23/08/2026

Family History Month is drawing to a close. We are always fascinated to hear about your family connections to Hawthorn, and encourage you all to dig through those old family photos and identify the people and location for future generations. Here is a lovely photo gifted to us by Gillian Dwyer of the Lamborne family of Auburn Road.

20/08/2026

We were pleased to meet with Shima4Hawthorn to talk about history and heritage in Hawthorn more broadly, and about housing in particular.

We discussed at length why history matters because it helps create our sense of place, identity and belonging. The buildings, streets and stories of the people who came before us help us understand what makes a community distinctive, and why some places feel so special.

We showed her some of our collection and gave an insight into our research and public education program - all done to keep Hawthorn’s history alive.

18/08/2026

This is said to be the Canterbury to Hawthorn bus. is it the same bus that Debbie asks about?
A message from Debbie
I have a memory of travelling to school on a bus in the early 1960s. I caught the bus on the corner of Chrystobel Crescent & Glenferrie Road, Hawthorn, outside Dr Springall’s House & Surgery. The bus travelled up Liddiard Street, then Rathmines Road to Auburn Central School, which became Auburn Primary School.
The bus had a big square engine area sticking out the front & the bus was green & pale cream coloured with a huge gold logo on it.
I had forgotten all about these buses until I saw an old picture of a similar one outside Upper Ferntree Gully Station.
Was it real?
Love to know more about the Start & Finish of this bus route. Why did it stop running?
Thank you
Debbi Douglas
Grew up in Carrington Street, Hawthorn.

17/08/2026

UPDATE: Our afternoon tea on Sunday 30 August at 2.30pm has SOLD OUT. We have opened a waitlist. Click on the link to book.

And as with all our events, there is always a titbit of information to whet your fancy.

Did you know that before Hawthorn had cafés, there was Fysh’s Tea Warehouse. In 1862, Hawthorn residents looking for tea could visit Charles Samuel Fysh’s Hawthorn Tea Warehouse in Burwood Road.

Fysh had arrived from London in 1855, aged 24, with a shipload of goods and plans to become a merchant. By 1858 he was in Hawthorn, where he soon established stores, shops and property.

Despite its name, the Tea Warehouse sold much more than tea. Fysh advertised pickles, sauces, jams, bacon and potted meats, alongside ironmongery, timber, paints and even blasting powder. The colonial storekeeper was expected to supply almost everything a growing suburb needed.

Fysh’s Tea Warehouse is a small but revealing part of Hawthorn’s story: tea has been part of local life for more than 160 years.

From the solitary ‘cuppa’ to lavish afternoon teas, Australians celebrated, consoled, and forged social connections around the tea table. Come...