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Brighton Historical Society

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Brighton Historical Society

Since 1963, the Brighton Historical Society has worked to collect, preserve and share material related to the history of Brighton.

Preserving and sharing the history of Brighton, Victoria. Since our founding in 1963, we have been working to collect and preserve items and information connected to the history and heritage of our local area. We have an extensive and diverse collection, including photos, documents, maps, art, artefacts and a large costume collection of State significance. You can explore the highlights of our cos

tume collection on Victorian Collections. We’re open on Thursday afternoons between 12 midday and 5 (other times by appointment), and we welcome visitors to pop in and browse our displays, ask questions, conduct your own research - or even join us for a chat and afternoon tea at 3:30!

04/05/2026

In 1984, a member reached out to BHS for help with a school assignment. Their child was supposed to research a Chinese gentleman who the member believed to be a local market gardener—probably settled in Brighton after the Gold Rush. Had the Society ever heard of him? Name of Confucius.

You learn a new thing every day, don't you? 😆

📷 Brighton Historical Society Newsletter no. 68, June/July 1984, page 8

30/04/2026

Initially a sweet shop and later a residence, this house stood at 98 Carpenter Street until 1976. When it was demolished, neighbour John Saunders salvaged a section of the weatherboard and four original nails, which he presented to BHS: a sweet, humble memorial to a lost piece of Brighton.

The demolition also revealed the original wooden shingles—once common in Brighton—preserved beneath the newer corrugated roofing.

27/04/2026

Many thanks to Don Warner and the Royal Brighton Yacht Club for hosting us yesterday! A Brighton institution with a truly fascinating history. ⛵️

For anybody who missed out, Don's book, 'A Modern History of the Royal Brighton Yacht Club 1875-2025', can be purchased through the RBYC here: https://rbyc.org.au/rbyc-150th-book/

25/04/2026

Today we pause to remember the many lives cut short, the families torn apart and the enduring scars left by war.

Anzac Hostel, established in 1919 in a converted Brighton mansion, served for 76 years as a residence for veterans who had been permanently incapacitated by the First World War and required continual care.

Lest we forget.

📷 Three veterans and a nurse in a ward of Anzac Hostel, 5 July 1919. State Library of Victoria H2014.1077/42.

22/04/2026

An invaluable resource for us history detectives! 🔍 We have copies of many Sands and McDougall volumes available in our rooms for researchers to consult. Select volumes can also be found online through the State Library.

20/04/2026

BHS will be closing early at 2pm this Thursday 23 April. We will be back to our regular opening hours next week. If you have any queries in the interim, our inbox is always open!

📷 Council overseer in carriage, 1923. Charles Lyne family album.

19/04/2026

200 years ago George Higinbotham was born in Dublin on 19 April 1826. He migrated to Australia, arriving in Melbourne in March 1854. Elected to the Legislative Assembly in 1861 as the Member for Brighton, he became Attorney General in 1863.

Regarded as a political rebel, Higinbotham left politics in 1878 and returned to the law. He became Chief Justice of Victoria in 1886. He died on 31 December 1892. His home ‘Warrain’ formerly stood in Myrtle Street, Brighton.

📷 The Hon. George Higinbotham, Wood engravings published in Victoria, Australia, exhibited by the Commissioners of the International Exhibition, 1873. National Library of Australia.

31/03/2026

Did you know that there were bushrangers in Brighton? 😮 This painting by William Strutt depicts an infamous 1852 hold-up on what is now Nepean Highway between East Brighton and Elsternwick. More than a dozen people were stopped, tied up and robbed at gunpoint over the course of an afternoon.

Discover the full story in the Autumn edition of our Journal, out soon for all members!

🖼️ William Strutt (1825-1915), 'Bushrangers, Victoria, Australia, 1852', 1887. Oil on canvas. University of Melbourne Art Collection, 1973.0038.

28/03/2026

We had a request to share the Boxshall pioneer stool, so here it is in all its glory! It's one of the oldest items in our collection and a significant piece of Brighton history.

Brothers James and William Boxshall travelled to Australia with their families in 1842 as part of the original group of Dendy migrants. Upon arriving in Brighton, James built a mud hut on the corner of Bay and St Kilda Streets, and it was around this time that he made this peg stool.

James's son Thomas, then aged 13, remembered being sent into the bush to find suitable material for the legs while James cut the slab for the top. Many decades later, Thomas's son Henry donated the stool to BHS.

And if that name sounds familiar - yes, that's why we have Boxshall Street!

Let us know if there's a photo or story you'd like us to feature! 😊

16/10/2025

We'll be at Brighton General Cemetery this Sunday, where our friends the Brighton Cemetorians are holding an open day to celebrate its 170th anniversary. Come along for historical displays, self-guided walks and more. You can find all the details at http://brightoncemetorians.org.au

📷 Courtesy Brighton Cemetorians

Address

Corner Wilson And Carpenter Streets
Brighton, VIC
3186

Opening Hours

Monday	12pm - 4pm
Thursday	12pm - 4pm

Website

http://www.brightonhistorical.org.au/

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