Dying for a sneak peek
ONE of Geelong’s early undertakers, James Monro, was said to have had a morbid interest in people who were visiting his premises no doubt to make arrangements about the final resting place of a near relative.
Monro was said to have had a small spy-hole in the upstairs portion of his premises which allowed him to mentally calculate the body size of visitors and from that calculate the coffin size required if that person was to become the subject of a future funeral.
Monro was held in high regard as an undertaker, nevertheless, and presided over some of the biggest funerals in late 1800s Geelong, including that of the generous benefactor Francis Ormond.
James Monro’s premises, which were on the south side of Ryrie St near Fenwick St and was most recently home to the kitchenwares outlet Scof, was at one time visible from Little Malop St where it crosses the railway line.
A new series of walking history tours through the streets of central Geelong and Geelong West, known as Threading Gold Walking Tours, takes in the view from what is now a pedestrian bridge over the railway line at Little Malop St.
The tours include two-hour daytime tours from Monday to Saturday and two 90-minute evening murder tours from Wednesday to Sunday.
Tours organiser Heather Threadgold has a good knowledge of Geelong’s past, including some of its darkest mysteries.
Geelong is not short on its quota of ghost stories, and Ms Threadgold, who starts as the character Mary, points out several haunted locations.
The tours start at the bike rack next to the Geelong City Library.
Ms Threadgold said that the site of the library building was once home to Geelong first fire station. In the early 1900s the fire brigade moved to the corner of McKillop and Yarra streets because a high site was seen as an advantage in spotting fires. Contact: peterjohnbegg@gmail.com