9 January 2025

Yurnga is a fab looking and quite significant block of flats on Brighton Road Balaclava, opposite the shops, next to the Grosvenor Hotel. It was finished in 1921, making it amongst the boom in flats after WW1. At the time architects weren’t sure what style to use, but typically used red brick, and in this case adopted much of the Californian Bungalow style, itself only new in Melbourne, and seen in the use of roughcast, shingles, overhanging gable roofs and the excellent fence, with battered sides (once with chains as well), and that marvellous gateway. The architect was Harry Johnson, son of the prolific George Johnston who did many town halls and theatres in the late 19thC.

The flats themselves seem to have high ceilings and timber panelling (most painted of course), some with perhaps original big Edwardian looking mantelpieces, and vary from spacious two bed to squeezy one bed. They all included an open balcony, now all glazed in, which originally had (or were going to have) a pulldown bed – this was when a room like that was often called a ‘sleep out’, and people did. I think the small rectangular flats were actually studios, the bedroom/s have been variously altered. The port phillip heritage study says the flats in the middle have living rooms that only have a window onto the stairwell (2nd plan I think), not very nice, but the flats were aimed at the reasonably well off, with eight garages also provided.

And why down here ? This was as far as the cable trams went down St Kilda Road in 1920, but still, not a very good reason. I couldn’t find any contemporary description, which is surprising. Last thing, Google tells me Yurnga is an aboriginal word for ‘extensive view’, but doesn’t say which language. And pic 7 and interiors are all real estate sites.

22 July 2024

Cute Arts & Crafts style flats on Carlisle Street St Kilda, right behind Acland Street; three all in similar style, across the street from each other. They’re all on triangular sites, and feature brick walls, areas of roughcast, tiled roofs, projecting bays, shingles, and the first one, at no 19, has ‘hit and miss’ brick balustrades too. No 14 is called Cratus (Greek god of strength apparently), and no 12 is a little less interesting, and both unfortunately painted. Possibly all same designer/builder, and probably all during or just after WW1. Seem to all be rentals, only interior I could find was one from upstairs of Cratus.

Update from port phillip heritage planner : Cratus was built 1917, designed by GW Vanheems, who mostly did Catholic churches, convents etc, the one next to that also 1917 by Howard Lawson who went on to do many many flats including the 12 or so blocks of and around Beverley Hills Sth Yarra. No info on no 19, but nice to see the brick remains unpainted, and the cream and green colours are appropriate.

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