Melbournewalks.com, an award-winning company, is open for tours. Our school program has inspired Primary , Secondary and Tertiary students since 1991 with over fifty imaginative excursions. We also provide online tours and experiences.
ONE of these is ASK AN HISTORIAN.
Your historian is Meyer Eidelson the author of 12 books set in Melbourne incuding history guide books and the owner of Melbourne’s oldest walking tour companies. Meyer has designed over 30 different eco and heritage walking tours in Melbourne and has been the Presidents of two historical societies. Students research and prepare questions and then discuss with Meyer online through Zoom, web-ex, Google, Zoom or media of choice.
He is a frequent public speaker at history societies, schools and heritage events.
AS an example we provide below the questions preared for session in August 2021 by a year nine class that were answered and discussed in a sixty minute session. All the questions were researched by the students themselves under the heading of Secrets of the Hoddle Street Grid. THEMES included buildings, public art, secret places, architecture The session was recorded and used by the students for futher research and assignments.
EXAMPLE SECRETS OF THE HODDLE STREET
- What are some important moments in history that are less known?
- I’ve read some information relating to the Old Melbourne Gaol…its ghost stories and mysterious cells…do you think there would be anything you could tell me about the Old Melbourne Gaol I wouldn’t already know?
- Why do you think Flinders St Station is so significant in Melbourne?
Can you tell us about the history of the ballroom at Flinders street station and how it is being used today? - I have been reading about Duckboard Place. Rumour has it that notorious 1920s gangster Squizzy Taylor used the 19th Century brick warehouse for some of his dodgy operations.
- Can you tell us any stories about Squizzy Taylor?
- Do you know anything about the Waiter Club Siege in Meyers Place?
- What would you see as the most iconic places in Melbourne and why?
- What do you think is the most iconic sculpture in Melbourne and why?
- What makes Federation square so iconic? Do you think it is a significant place in Melbourne? Why?
- What do you think is the most iconic theatre in Melbourne and why?
- How do you think street art adds to the culture of Melbourne?
- What is one of your favorited works of Street Art in Melbourne, or one that you think is particularly significant?
- As someone who knows Melbourne so well, do you think busking adds to the culture of Melbourne?
- What are some of the significant Indigenous artworks of Melbourne?
- Do you think Indigenous art is under represented in Melbourne?
- How has the Gold Rush and the boom that followed impacted Melbourne and its architecture?
- How do we see this in the architectural features in the Melbourne GPO, Gothic Bank?
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