Contents: Contents include: Chapter 1 Batmania, land mania 1803-1845: the vacant Crown lands adjacent to the shores of Port Phillip, the district of Port Phillip; the Parish of Jika Jika. John Batman p1. Land sales p6. William Rucker p10. Chapter 2 Aborigines to 1860: the region of the Wurundjeri; the Protectorate of Port Phillip; the school at Merri Creek p13. Chapter 3 1848-69: the Yarra Bend Asylum p30. Chapter 4 The ascendancy of Rucker's Hill 1840-1864: the Parish of Jika Jika p35. Chapter 5 stinking Northcote 1865-1883: the Epping Road District; Shire of Darebin; Shire of Jika Jika p54. Chapter 6 1883-90: the Borough of Northcote p77. Chapter 7 the road to ruin 1890-99: the Town of Northcote p108. Chapter 8 at last Northcote is discovered 1900-1914: the Town of Northcote p136. Chapter 9 1914-1918 First World War p164. Chapter 10 the rise of middle class Northcote 1920s p183. Chapter 11: 1930s p212. Chapter 12 Second World War 1939-1945 p231. Chapter 13: 1946-1962 p244. Chapter 14: 1963-1983 p264. MAPS: Map: original purchasers of Crown land in the Northcote part of Jika Jika Parish in 1839 and 1840 p7. Location sketch showing Merri Creek Mission School and Protector's quarters p21. Northcote in the 1860s p37. The Government township of Northcote (part of today's Westgarth) subdivided and sold between 1853-55. Bellevue Park Estate, subdivided and sold in 1884 p80. Railways and proposed railways to the northern suburbs in the early 1880s p85. Alphington township 1887 as depicted in an auction advertisement p89. St George's Park, Fitzroy Junction auction poster p91. Direct railway communication to Northcote, this shows some of the many routes considered in the 1890s p127. Northcote 1900-1914 p148. Fitzroy (Croxton) Racecourse, before World War One p216. PHOTOS AND SKETCHES: Rucker's Mansion in 1841 p9. William Thomas, Assistant Protector of Aborigines p14. Merri Creek at Heidelberg Road today p16. Dight's Falls and Mill, 1860s p19. Billibellary, chief of the Yarra Tribe p20. 'A regular row' sketch by William Thomas of aborigines fighting p24. The Yarra River in flood near Yarra Bend 1934 p26. Merri Creek and Yarra Junction disappear beneath the Eastern Freeway p29. Wall and gates of the Infirmary c.1860, part of the complex of buildings of the former Yarra Bend Lunatic Asylum p32. Sketch of asylum 1868 p34. 1856 cottage, High Street, Rucker's Hill p42. St Neots, house, Northcote Hill 1860s p43. 'Thornbury', farmhouse of Job Smith p44. First Wesleyan Methodist Church and School 1854-5 p45. Former Wesleyan Chapel at the village of Alphington p49. Store of Edwin Bastings in High Street, demolished 1962 p51. New Northcote Wesleyan Methodist Church, High St, completed 1870 p56. Northcote representatives Edwin Bastings and George Plant, and citizen Charles Demaine p59. Francis Beaver, miller, politician p61. Richard Tobin and boys at the Northcote State School, Helen Street p62. Dr McCarthy and his Inebriate Retreat 1873-93 p65. George Plant p66. Country Northcote 1874 looking northeast towards the Methodist Church in High Street p69. Rev. Duncan Fraser p73. Richard Tobin p75. Edwin Bastings, grocer, postmaster, mayor p78. William Dennis, contractor, councillor p82..
Northcote Brick Company workmen's cottages p93. 1-19 Dally Street, row of brick cottages 1889 p95. George Clauscen, retailer, occupier of Rucker's Hill mansion 'Sunnyside', originator of the Northcote cable tram p100. Sir W.J. Clarke lays the foundation stone for the Northcote and Preston Tramway Engine Houses and Sheds 1889 (tram) p102. Bluestone wall of the Rucker's Hill embankment p103. How the town hall was meant to be p105. The Governor, the Earl of Hopetoun, declares Northcote a Town p109. William Wallis, builder p110. National Bank, 312 High Street, 1890 p111. High Street and the 'Mutton truck' (cable tram) 1896 p119. Crediton House p121. The Outer Circle Railway Line - the section linking Fairfield and Camberwell opened in 1891 and closed in 1893 p124. The original bridge (today's Chandler Highway) looking towards Kew, the level crossing at Heidelberg Road near Grange Road 1909 p124. Little Sisters of the Poor aged care facility p128. Improvements at All Saints Church, Mrs Field Flowers Goe, wife of the Bishop of Melbourne, lays the foundation stone of a memorial chancel, 1896, the vicar, the Rev. C.P. Thomas stands behind p132. New Presbyterian Church, James St 1890s p134. Northcote loop line (railway) 1904 p138. 25 Jackson St, typical of houses erected on the Railway Department's subdivision of 'Plant's Paddock" in Westgarth 1909 p141. Timber row housing in Ross St p145. Fairfield State School souvenir pamphlet of opening of new buildings 1910 p153. Northcote Free Library 1911 (a Carnegie Library) p159. Obsolete guns (cannon) from the defences of Port Phillip Bay were installed in High St 1911 p160. Northcote proclaimed a City 1914, High St looking north p162. Northcote Theatre cinema advertisement 1916 p167. Batman Park Band Rotunda that was never built p171. John Cain senior lays foundation stone for Clarke Street State School 1924 p174. Commissioning the Merri Infantry Regiment, Northcote Town Hall 1915 p177. St Joseph's Catholic Church, Westbourne Grove p180. Looking east down Bastings St 1920s p185. Joshua Pitt Tannery, Sladen St p187. Clifton Hill level crossing at High St looking towards All Saints Church c.1922 p192. Heidelberg Road 1921 p194. Station St 1921 p194. Rudder Grange (boathouse and cafe), Alphington St, Fairfield p197. Auction brochure for 293 and 295 High St 1925 p199. Church of the Epiphany (now Eastern Orthodox Church) p201. Northcote Football Club first VFA premiership team 1929 (portrait) p203. Northcote Council and Officers 1927 (portrait) p205. Opening of the Thornbury Baby Health Centre 1927, Lady Somers listens to Mayor Phil Mayer p206. Anonymous letter to Northcote Council 1931 p218. Jubilee Poster 1933 including J.A. Thomson, town clerk and H.C. Ferguson, assistant, A.H. Oldis, mayor p224. Bourke Street Transport Improvement Association leaflet 1936 p229. Northcote A.R.P. poster p233. Material circulated by the Melbourne Lord Mayor's Committee for morale 1942 p237. Road works in conjunction with building the Normanby Road bridge p241. Separation St and High St intersection looking south late 1940s p248. The Bradley empire: Northcote Council depot, Frederick St after the war p252. Royal (tour, Queen Elizabeth) car stops momentarily in front of Northcote Town Hall p255. Northcote aerial photo 1957, looking northeast from High St across the great brickworks excavations p257. First councillors elected for the new southeast ward 1962: R.W. Gleeson, E. Mason, town clerk, W.H.R. Marshall, H.J. Griffiths p262. Traditional Northcote: old houses, new faces p267. Frank Wilkes Joggers Club, with fellow councillor Frank Ford, 1969 p269. Pastor Sir Douglas Nicholls p271..