old records

some links that seemed to relate to the last post:
Mural may see the light after 21 years in darkness
The lost tribal elders of Collins Street may soon emerge from two decades of darkness. A shop in Temple Court, at 422 Collins, was sold last year without the property developer or buyer realising that a large mosaic, The "Eight" Aboriginal Tribal Headmen by Napier Waller, lay hidden behind a wall.
(the Hidden treasures link is a map of Waller murals in Melbourne)

An early 19th century board game How to Know London
There weren't any instructions with the game (other than the information printed on the board), nor were there any minor pieces included, so it not known how the game is played. Since there was neither a "spinner" nor dice with the game, we do not know how players progressed around the board. (via As Above)

(of course boynton could quite happily play a board game with the Melways sans pieces, spinner or dice - sans car. Just looking might be sufficient. Or maybe at at a stretch she'd play a game of melwaystare-out.)

While searching for any local variations we somehow found
The Ladies Social Reading Club 1903-05 by Victoria Emery
the reading of a group of ladies who formed a club in an outer suburb of Melbourne in 1903.
boynton especially wishes she could have caught the Rev. W. Fielder, Professor of Biology lecture on Sponges, to complement the reading of Darwin.

A great deal of effort was put into the success of this 'lecturette', reception, music, refreshment and hospitality committees were formed, arrangements made for the speaker to be collected from Brighton Beach, to save him the inconvenience of the tram service, and a gentleman, Mr Harris, was deputised to introduce and thank the speaker.
Papers from the Second History of the Book in Australia (HOBA) Conference 1996

More on Dr Snowball and Frosterley

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Comments: old records

A few other games that can be played with a Melways and no other equipment:

Melway Charades - like normal charades only the acting part is replaced by silently handing over a piece of paper to your partner on which only Melways map references are shown. For example; a film: 311 C4, 97 G9.

Navex - Each contestant is given the same pair of addresses of somewhere in Melbourne, and needs to come up with the least number of explicit navigation instructions to communicate how to get from one to the other. "Continue straight ahead" and "Turn left at the end" are implied instructions, so do not count. As you get better, you pick places further away. For example: Peppercorn Park (177 K4) to Kays Picnic Ground (124 D3). A very good score is 1 - the only explicit instruction is to get off freeway at Toorak Road.

Railway Ratios - this can be played solitaire - identify two stations where there are more stations involved in travelling between them than there are little blue grid squares to cross in a straight line. Your score is stations/squares. For example; Darling (59 K11) and Alemain (60 D11) are only 4 squares apart but 16 stations apart. This scores 4.

There are lots more...
Posted by phlip at November 19, 2003 04:14 PM

These are great Philip!
I was without a Melways at hand (can you believe) before and now I have one here (edition 23 1995) but I can see no map 311?
Does this movie star Mr. 54 K3 13 G11?
(A co-star with our fave 37 F10 89 C2? in Our Little Girl?)
Navex sounds fun. To get to a friend's house in Gippsland I used to give the instructions - turn left (onto Freeway) and Turn left (onto highway)
and turn left (onto road) and turn left (into street) about 196 kms.
I came from a `line' of poor railway ratios - the Lildyale where many squares lie between each station. I know some of the other lines like Epping are the other extreme. And you could almost see Surrey Hills from Mont Albert.

I'd be happy to play a team Melways Comp in a local hall somewhere (31 A9 or 40 C2) but I'm sure some of these could be adapted for this medium as well. Must think of some more myself.
Posted by boynton at November 20, 2003 12:33 AM

Ah, I see - editionally challenged, I find you. This is curious. Map 311 in edition 24+ is actually map 188 in edition 23. Now, you could count on one hand the number of times Mr Melways changes his map numbers like that (apart from the Warburton corridor and Geelong, I mean).

Wheeew, this MelCharades is harder than I thought! It took me ages to track down Mr. 54 K3 13 G11 (your Temple clue was great but I only looked that up after I had already found him) only to prove he was not in the movie 311 C4, 97 G9. The leading man was actually Mr 65 F7 98 J12, who is probably not half the actor your man was, even when you consider he was born 56 years later. I then spent another "ages" trying to work out what movie you thought it was, but ultimately had to give up on that - sigh. My movie's leading actress has a name which is made up of a geographic feature and road signage, believe it or not. The latter are all over the place in a Melways in various forms; there is an alternative one at 90 A3.
Posted by phlip at November 20, 2003 09:53 PM

Yes - alas melcharades is too hard for me, Philip, and I just can't get YOUR movie and star!
I'm sure other Melburnians armed with a Melways are saying 'der' boynton.

In the interests of those non-melburnians I should disclose that my Movie was actually
'The Palm Beach Story' see:
http://boynton.ubersportingpundit.com/archives/002472.html

I'm sure that this game has got potential - a few possibilities spring to mind. It's sort of like virtual orienteering.
Very interested in this edition discrepancy thing. I thought it was strange when I couldn't find Map 311 - the idea of map numbers changing with the editions is rather unsettling, give or take the Warburton corridor.
Another game possibility - mix and match the map numbers.
and/or Identify the map number from a detail.
Posted by boynton at November 21, 2003 11:17 AM


Of course! Palm Beach Drive does touch the quadrent of the reference, I missed that. BIt was Lagoon Place, around the corner, was the one on my mind. You couldn't get the first word because of the map reference controversy, but it is a walk in the Dandenongs called "Blue Track". So, Blue Lagoon was the movie, starring Christopher Atkins and Brooke Shields. I thought my pun about her surname was very witty when I said "there is an alternative one at 90 A3", which contained a route numbering shield on the Princes Hwy in Dandenong labelled "Alt 1".

Your suggestion about identifying the map from a snippet is good. Certainly favours long time Mel-starers such as yourself, but I'd be willing to take you on.

Here's a question. Give me a Melways reference for a complete and recognisable map of Australia contained in a single blue square.
Posted by phlip at November 21, 2003 03:10 PM

AHA - I got in one (well 17 secs) Philip! THAT is an excellent question.
So I don't spoil it for ALL the other players I won't give you the reference but will say that there is a BBQ where NZ should be. and a "B" around about Noumea.

I had been thinking Blue Lagoon. Got your Lagoon and Christopher but the 188 C4 (emerald?) turned up only Wright. And I knew Mr Atkins was not Mr Right.
And yes - that "Alt 1" is Xtremly clever - so much so that it went well and truly Over My Head -and it really opens thegame up now. I wasn't even thinking symbols.
Must think up some more now!
Posted by boynton at November 21, 2003 03:56 PM


Well, you really are a Mel-starer. You've impressed me before but that's a GOOD GET. Have you ever been to the location in question? I have been meaning to and have never yet made it. Looks like you can sort of wander in through Cape York and tour about... how curious is it? I have been wondering about ALL the other players, I suspect they have decided this is either too clever by half or too rediculous to bother. Love it to be the former but... come on, put your hand up if you even got your Melways out...

It could have been wright, you are right, as I write I notice there is a lot of wrightness in that area - forests and stations and roads, but in this case wright was wrong.

Did you know there is a Brisways coming? A friend stumbled upon a scrap of it on the web. Soon another whole city of people will be able to play Mel-games (or a version thereof).
Posted by phlip at November 22, 2003 02:05 AM

yes well to confess I stayed in the amenity over the road once...as I recall it's a bit like
2F H8 without the colour, but I must inspect it again one day, properly.
As for the other Melburnians - yes?
i'm sure there would be enough map enthusiasts to take this idea further. Perhaps a little application on the side - or maybe a new blog is called for? I'll keep thinking about this.
Glad to hear that Brisbane is soon to have a proper directory. I believe in cultural imperialism where the melways is concerned.
Posted by boynton at November 22, 2003 01:00 PM


Mmm. Am I missing something? I'm still thinking about that one, I thought the main point of 2F H8 was the colour - that and checking your watch of course. Well, I have decided that I am going to go and have a look at Australia-in-a-square, and come up with a report. I'll send you a copy once done if you like. Perhaps I could combine it with one of my occasional around the bay in a day trips, which I choose to do by car rather than bike!
Posted by phlip at November 24, 2003 09:00 AM

Yes - but the OZ in a blue Square - as I recall anyway - *doesn't* have the colour of 2F H8, (which is indeed the main point). I wonder if the former has been vandalised as much?
Look forward to your report, Philip, and am half tempted to venture bayward to have another look at this outstanding geographical feature.
Posted by boynton at November 24, 2003 10:33 AM