Caledonian Lane was one of the original laneways on Hoddle's Grid, the plan for Melbourne drawn up by Robert Hoddle (see my post of 5th November 2021 at https://365project.org/ankers70/365/2021-11-05.
At the time that Hoddle was commissioned to do the plan, the town consisted of roughly 43 dwellings, 224 European inhabitants and some 40,000 sheep and was known as 'Bearbrass'.
There was a Caledonian Hotel nearby, originally a 13-room house built in 1839 by Presbyterian Minister JP Clow, the first Presbyterian Minister in what was then Port Phillip District (now the State of Victoria). JP Clow wrote a number of pieces that provide a picture of early Melbourne.
Historian Robyn Annear tells the story of the early days of the town that became Melbourne in 'Bearbrass: Imagining early Melbourne', a great read for anyone interested.
I wonder what Hoddle would make of Caledonian Lane now, although I suspect some of the early settlers of Bearbrass would appreciate it.
