Vintage Victoria aims to map some of the wonderful heritage buildings around the state and in doing so tell some of the stories from the past and the present that make the buildings come alive.

It’s also an excuse for me – a newcomer to Victoria – to get to know the area through a series of day trips and outings, doing things I love like swimming, seeing a movie or catching a train.

But I love to make connections, both with the community around me now, and with the past. I love to imagine that Olympic champion who swam this lane before me, or that lighthouse keeper who lived through the storms and wrecks off the coast below.

So when I visit each of the places in this blog and write about my own experiences, I’ll always try to talk to others there on the day and hear their story. But I’ll then get onto the wonderful Trove website and seek out older stories that relate to the place in the past. And I’d love to hear from others who have their own memories and stories to tell that link to the places covered in this blog.

I’ve chosen arcades, cinemas, lighthouses, railways, racecourses and swimming pools because they all have a special place in my own life. One day I might expand the site to other vintage buildings, but I think Victoria has enough to offer under those headings to keep me going for a while yet. But get in touch if you think I might have missed somewhere you know and love.