General meeting information
Meetings are held at our usual venue at the Balwyn Library at 336 Whitehorse Road in Balwyn, unless otherwise noted. Entry is from Whitehorse Rd Car Park side door.
During winter we have afternoon meetings starting at 2 pm, while most meetings are held in evenings starting at 7:30pm.
Our regular meetings commence at 7.30pm, however, please feel free to arrive early for a tea or coffee. At the conclusion of the meetings there are light refreshments and conversations.
Thank you for your cooperation and we hope to see you soon!
The Society also conducts regular local history walks around Balwyn. These are organised on an ad hoc basis. If you are interested please contact the Society on this page.
Events list
September 2026 meeting
Date and time: 10 September 2026 7:30pm
Location: Balwyn Library, 336 Whitehorse Road, Balwyn
Cost: $0
Speaker: Dr Liz Rushen AM
Topic: Hoddle Grid: The Great Land Grab
On 1 June 1837, surveyor Robert Hoddle auctioned Melbourne’s first allotments of land. This talk will profile some of these men and women who purchased the land. Many were merchants, Army officers and civil servants with global connections. Some made fortunes; others faced insolvency. Every allotment reveals Melbourne’s complex origins. Dr Liz Rushen, curator of the exhibition currently at the Royal Historical Society, titled Hoddle Grid: the great land grab, will tell the stories that make up this remarkable part of our history.
Dr Liz Rushen is a Director of the Melbourne Maritime Heritage Network and a Research Associate in the Faculty of Arts, Monash University. A former Executive Director of the Royal Historical Society of Victoria, and former Chair of the History Council of Victoria, Liz is widely published in the field of migration history, women in colonial Australia and the social history of the Port Phillip District (Victoria). In the Queen’s Birthday Honours 2021, Liz was appointed a Member (AM) of the Order of Australia (General Division) for significant service to community history and heritage preservation.
Please see this webpage for more information on the Royal Historical Society of Victoria’s exhibtion: https://www.historyvictoria.org.au/events-calendar/upcoming-exhibitions/
October 2026 meeting
Date and time: 8 October 2026 7:30pm
Location: Balwyn Library, 336 Whitehorse Road, Balwyn
Cost: $0
Speaker: Professor Kate Burridge
Topic: Australian Slang
Professor Kate Burridge is a prominent Australian Linguist, Fellow of the Australian Academy of Humanities and Academy of Social Sciences