The house was built in 1889-90, a time when St Kilda Road was a tree-lined boulevard dotted with large private residences. It remained a family home until 1960 and today is one of only five former stately homes remaining along St Kilda Road.
From the street, the building appears as an intact example of a Melbourne boom-time residence. However, substantial alterations to the interior have been made during its more than 50 years as a commercial property. Despite these changes, it remains an exquisite example of workmanship from a by-gone era and retains its listing on the Victorian Heritage Register and classification with the National Trust of Australia.
Ulimaroa was once thought to have been a Māori name for Australia. In discussions between English botanist, Joseph Banks, and Māori from Doubtless Bay in 1769, a land one month’s canoe ride away was described.
The mysterious map
In 1795 German cartographer, Friedrich Canzler, drew a map of the region naming Australia “Ulimaroa” and showing Tasmania connected to the mainland.
In 1995, ANZCA was gifted a “corrected” edition of Canzler’s map, drawn up in 1806, showing the separation between the two landmasses.
Ulimaroa today
Ulimaroa currently houses the ANZCA Library, Geoffrey Kaye Museum of Anaesthetic History and the Fellows' Room. The building is linked to the more modern ANZCA House designed by Norman Day + Associates via a seamless extension connecting the two buildings. The completion of ANZCA House in 2001 underscored the rapid development and expansion of the speciality of anaesthesia since first becoming a faculty of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in 1952 to a college in its own right in 1992.
You can do a virtual walk through of Ulimaroa and parts of ANZCA House, provided by Geoffrey Kaye Museum | Hidden Melbourne.
Explore our history and heritage
The Geoffrey Kaye Museum of Anaesthetic History was founded in 1935. It showcases over 170 years of advances in anaesthesia and pain medicine, and is the largest and most diverse collection of its kind in the world.
Our oral history project captures the memories of people, places and events as told by important individuals within the specialties of anaesthesia and pain medicine.
We were awarded letters patent for a coat of arms and crest in 1992. Letters patents are a published written order issued by a monarch granting an office, right, title or status to a person or corporation.
Our archives document the history and administration of the college, and its predecessor, as well as records of the Faculty of Pain Medicine. The archives are a rich source of primary material about the history of the organisation, and many individuals within it.
Anaesthesia is one of the greatest discoveries of modern medicine. In fact, many of today’s operations, especially for the very young, very old, or very ill would not be possible without it.
The History and Heritage Advisory Panel reports to the CEO and sits within the ANZCA committee framework and structure. It works on matters relating to the history and heritage of the college, and the specialties of anaesthesia and pain medicine.
This annual grant program provides up to $A5000 for research and interpretation of the history of anaesthesia, pain, and perioperative medicine.
The college was founded in February 1992 after operating as a Faculty of Anaesthetists within the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.