The Window of the Past: Use Cult Tracking with the unlikely family history lovers

North Melbourne resident Elio Sarpi turned enthusiastic projects and residential curiosity into cults on Instagram through his homes in the north and west Melbourne.

IT workers took photos of houses that caught his interest in both suburbs – recording history and retelling history that have long been forgotten.

These Victorian abodes from the past also became interesting feed for locals – they not only learn about suburban homes and commercial properties, but also the key to that interesting past in which they lived and worked there.

“Investigating the house feels like solving the puzzle game,” Salpi said.

“Once I started, I quickly became addicted. I stopped watching TV; instead, I studied the houses I recently photographed, or dived into the thousands I recorded over the years.”

Once Covid started, the project did begin. The opportunity to wind the streets, take pictures of Victorian heritage buildings and bring their stories together – from the time they were built to the people who lived there.

Sarpi has 24.4k followers on Instagram, and he surveyed it in his spare time. Often found myself buried in the well-known rabbit hole of detective works.

“I started to study the stories behind these houses – their history, their architecture and their lives shaped by them,” Salpi said.

“I found some really incredible stories and connections – actors, pianists, artists, singers, bands, photographers, opera singers, even governors.”

His website covers stories of immigration, robberies, house fires and other royal-related homes.

“I recently discovered that I am now living in a Chinese translation house. He came to Australia to work in Goldfield,” Salpi said.

The local community is also helpful to Intel – often sharing other useful tides with him that are useful in exploring the suburban past.

Many famous faces are also known as “the home of the suburbs”, including actress Sigrid Thornton, who recently sold her home on Canning Street, TV and radio character Virginia Trioli has lived in North Melbourne since the 1980s.

Salpi also explores hotels that still stand in many corners of North Melbourne. Limerick Castle was first licensed in 1863 with colorful accommodation, once known by Ries meets ball club striker William John Titus (or Jack (1908-1978).

Then there is the Ukrainian church on Dryburgh Street, designed by architect Smith & Tracey and completed in 1963.

Some of Sarpi’s favorite findings

Lamberty Houses on Queensbury Street

Built in 1962, this beautiful house was designed by Johannes (John) Wolinga (1909-1970), and the architect was born in Groningen, the Netherlands.

The Lamberty family once owned a thriving music store on Victoria Street, and Wallinga also designed the interior for this. When the family contacted me after I first released the house, they couldn’t remember the architect’s name. With some helpful clues from Lamberti (now in the 90s) and some help from the city of Melbourne, we were able to confirm Wallinga as the designer.

Milton Concert Hall

Milton Hall was built in 1884, a grand and gorgeous Victorian residence, most recently the home of Hugh O’Neill Ao (1933-2022).

Coincidentally, I posted a photo of the house the day he passed away and received a message telling me about his death.

The family later reached out to help me, invited me to visit the home, and shared their stories friendly. I asked his daughter to share some of their precious memories of growing up in the house, which I covered in subsequent posts.

Two 1869 West Melbourne terraces at Abbotsford Street

In the 1970s, these historic terraces became La Chaumière, a French restaurant operated by Géraldine and Gérald Georges for nearly 30 years. The chef is Jean-François Connière.

The couple drew the balcony of two terraces in the colors of the French flag and added “1789” to the front, the nod at the beginning of the French Revolution. I shared a great old photo next to a post about this place.

One of the current owners commented that this is Labour’s favorite place – where Gough Whitlam held an inaugural dinner.

Florence cabins in West Melbourne, Kapoor Street

Founded in 1865, it became the home of Italian immigrant Matteo Cristofaro in 1934. There, he co-founded an anti-fascist group, the Italian group against war, rallied to the Italian-Australians against fascism and supported the Communist Party.

By 1942, he helped form the Movimento Italia Libera and held his first rally in 1943. Anti-fascism is often seen as a troublemaker that brings foreign conflict to Australia.

I posted this song with Bella Ciao, an Italian folk song used as the national anthem of anti-fascist resistance and sang free hymns around the globe.

After my post, his family reached out and they were very grateful for my post. They knew he lived in the area, but they didn’t know he lived in the Florence cabin and they sent me a picture of him that I also posted.

Charlton Lodge on Flemington Road, North Melbourne is known as Paris

One of my followers introduced me to a 94-year-old man who was taken home as Charlton Cottage. I had the honor of meeting him and spent hours listening to stories about his childhood in North Melbourne.

He wasn’t sure exactly how many of his old houses were, but I was able to track it down. I took a photo, studied its history, and shared several articles about it.

Later, when I heard him in the hospital, I printed the photos. The person who initially contacted us kindly delivered it to him. He is proud of this photo – he showed it to all the doctors, nurses and visitors. Sadly, he died while staying in the same hospital. I am very grateful to him for recording his memories.

Ned Kelly Errol Street Connection

The two-story Italian Renaissance-style terrace dates back to 1912. They were built for Joseph Grigg, son of George Grigg.

George Grigg has an elegant three-story terrace opposite North Melbourne Elementary School.

Joseph Grigg, who commissioned these Errol Street terraces, might be the one who produced Ned Kelly’s iconic armor.

Joseph reportedly is a skilled blacksmith and coach builder based in South Melbourne and has played a great role in one of Australia’s most notorious illegal legends.

Decades ago, when Joseph was in his 20s, when Ned Kelly and his gang rushed in, running a blacksmith shop in Glenrowan, forcing him to build the iron armor he later wore during the final deadlock at Kelly at the Glenrowan Hotel.

Joseph held under the lock and key, using parts from the plow and harvester to build the suit. After finishing the work, Kai used his golden sovereignty to pay him. Joseph quickly reported the incident in a confidential meeting with the authorities, who told him to keep the payment and realized that he had not been at his own fault to obtain the incident.

After Kelly was captured in July 1880, the crowd gathered at the North Melbourne Station and caught a glimpse of the infamous jungle man who was transported to Old Melbourne Hal. Just four months later, on November 11, Kelly was hanged. It is worth noting that it was a secret that Joseph’s involvement in the making of armor was until his death in 1934.

Open the door to history

“The first thing I’m going to do is consult the Sands and McDougall Directories – the annual catalogue released in Melbourne throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. They are like a mix of phone books, commercial catalogs and local government records. They are available online through the Victoria State Library and cover the years from 1860 to 1974,” Sarpi said.

He then traces the current house numbers to determine what they used to be and points out who lives there and who the neighbors are.

“From there, I delved into Trove, a free online platform developed by the Australian National Library. I also used the Public Records Office Victoria (Prov), which includes records related to family history, local government, land and property, immigration and passenger lists and even education,” he said.

“There are countless resources, and the Victoria State Library has a useful online video that covers the basics and outlines many of the available resources. They also occasionally have free meetings on how to study the history of a house for free.”

Of course, he has his followers online.

“They also sent me prospects and shared valuable personal social history and priceless photos,” Salpi said.

“When you consider how much life has been through a house over the years, the underlying stories are endless. People often say ‘if these walls can talk’, now – through shared memories and recorded facts, the help of the community is like those walls starting to talk.

“One of the most meaningful parts is helping families reconnect with their ancestors’ homes. The project has become a growing project and giving back in unexpected ways.”