Selling fish in Sydney Road, around 1914

Fish market, Coburg, ca 1914 – ca 1916. Accession number H2002.198/69. Courtesy Radley Collection, State Library of Victoria.

The photographer is identified as G.G.M. This is the second photograph taken in the Coburg area that I’ve found by this photographer, but it appears he wasn’t local – the State Library of Victoria has over a hundred of his photographs in its collection and they come from all over the wider Melbourne area. They’re all taken in much the same time period, though, and they’re mostly of scenery, although there are a few portraits as well.

This photograph of a fish market has been identified by the State Library as being in Coburg so at first I thought it might have been at the Coburg Market site, which seems a logical place to be selling fresh produce.

However, the fishmongers are displaying their wares out on the street in wooden carts. There are no buildings in the background, which makes it unlikely to be in Sydney Road, Coburg, which by then was much more built up than appears to be the case in the photograph.

There is only one connection to Coburg that is certain - the covered van in the background has Sydney Road, Coburg printed on it. But there is nothing to say that the location is actually Coburg. So I’m wondering whether it was actually taken at the Melbourne Fish Market.

There was an open air fish market on the corner of Flinders and Swanston Streets from the 1860s. (It’s the site where Flinders Street Station is now located.) But by the time this photo was taken it had moved from there to a five acre site stretching along Flinders Street as far as Spencer Street and as you can see from the photo below.

Flinders Street with old fish market, ca 1910 – ca 1914. Looking east down Flinders Street with the old fish market (demolished in 1956) in right foreground, showing spire and clock tower. Image H2008.105/31. Courtesy State Library of Victoria.

If you’re interested, you can read a little more about the history of the various Melbourne fish markets here.

In the meantime, the location of this photograph remains  a mystery! Any suggestions anyone?