Rosling Lane

In honour of Dandenong Market’s 150th anniversary, a 20-metre historical mural has been created within the Market.

The mural honours the Market’s long history and provides voices and memories that, until now, had lived in archives. Depicting the Market throughout its 150 years, the mural features photographs of the market from as early as the 1910s and 1920s and continuing up until the 1980s. The images featured in the mural were supplied from a number of sources. This includes the Dandenong Historical Society, the City of Greater Dandenong and via the National Library of Australia.

The mural is named after Thomas Rosling, a Dandenong Market auctioneer who played a key role in the development of the market in the early years. Dandenong Market was built with support from Thomas Rosling and his business partner Robert Huckson. In 1866, Rosling and Huckson leased the market for two years, at £1 a year, and took responsibility for building the first market stockyards, sheds and fences. Thomas Rosling ran the market for nine years until 1873, when the recently formed Shire of Dandenong took over the operation of the market.

The photographs depict significant moments in our history. Such as when the Market opened, or when the Market moved to the current premises. Importantly, the mural also includes memories of locals, stories from old newspaper articles and even a poem about the Market, written in 1937. This is an opportunity for the community – both shoppers and traders – to discover Dandenong Market’s rich history, and in particular enjoy the amazing photographs, some of which date back to the 1900s (the decade).