Discover Melbourne's heritage past with this nostalgic Instagram account

What is it about looking at old photos of Melbourne that sparks our curiosity? According to Chris Macheras, the person behind the viral Instagram account @OldVintageMelbourne, it’s got a lot to do with how connected we are to our city. 

“Yesterday I posted this photo and it’s got this tree, on the corner of Collins and Swanston. It was from the ‘40s, and the tree is still there. I guess the fact that people walk past it every day they think, ‘well I identify with it personally because I’m literally there all the time.’ And for some reason, people just have an interest in that… I can’t even explain it!” 

Macheras started the account in the early days of Melbourne’s first 2020 lockdown. He was initially teaching himself how to use Photoshop and came across a photo from the State Library’s huge online archived collection (we’re also big fans of this treasure trove of old photos). “I don’t remember what it was, but I clicked on it and it was sort of an old photo, I think of Flinders Street Station. I was just sitting around being bored and saw a link to a higher-resolution version of it. It was a massive file, and the quality of it was so good.” 

Using his Photoshop skills, Macheras restored the image, wiping away some of the surface-level blemishes. He then posted it on Instagram, initially just out of curiosity and “not really to get a following out of it.” Now, with 50k followers and counting, the account has more than 300 posts of old Melbourne landmarks, suburban streets and even crowd shots from festivals and events, some more than 150 years old.  

It’s a fascinating insight into old Melbourne. What’s more, commenters are using the photos as a means to reminisce. A post about the 1983 dust storm had many telling their “where-were-you-when” stories, some remembering sheltering from the freak phenomenon and the sky turning a stark red. Another of smiling Greek migrants arriving in Melbourne had people telling their own family migration stories. One recent post had people scratching their heads over an aerial shot of Melbourne’s CBD somehow taken in 1875 (was it a 19th-century drone?)  

“I think one of the reasons [the page] has become successful is putting some personality into the actual caption and not just making it a boring history page. Having a fun story or adding some context [about] what was going on in Melbourne at the time of this photo,” says Macheras. 

Old Vintage Melbourne is by no means the only Instagram account diving into Melbourne’s history (you can have similar deep dives on @heraldsunphoto_retro or the Old Australian Photos group on Facebook) nor will it be the last. It’s clear Melburnians are proud of their city, they’re passionate about where it’s come from and where it’s going. “They seem to claim this ownership of the city,” says Macheras. “It’s almost like they see these photos and think, ‘yeah, that’s my city.’” 

Keen to dig up some history? Check out @OldVintageMelbourne.

Read more about old Melbourne: The completely true and absolutely bonkers story of Cole’s Book Arcade.