Centred on present day Diosma Rd, Stokes Pl, Nyora Rd and Eucalyptus Rd Historic Aerial Imagery Source: Landata.vic.gov.au Aerial Photo Details: Project No :1716 Project : WESTERN PORT FORESHORES Run : 15 Frame : 91 Date : 02/1979 Film Type : B/W Camera : RC8 Flying Height : 5500 Scale : 10000 Film Number : 3286 GDA2020 : 37°42'47"S, 145°09'57"E MGA2020 : 338339, 5824447 (55) Melways : 22 C4 (ed. 42) A History of the Development of Crown Allotment 15, Section 5, Parish of Nillumbik – Stokes Orchard Crown Allotment 15, Section 5, Parish of Nillumbik (CA15) is a square allotment of 158 acres or approximately a quarter of a square mile. It lies just beyond the eastern end of Pitt Street, south of Nyora Road to the northern end of Eucalyptus Road and extends east from Eucalyptus Road to Reynolds Road. The topography of CA15 is generally steep, sloping up to a hill near the centre of the land, the ridgeline passing through the properties along the southern side of Diosma Road. Eucalyptus Road is a straight north-south road with its northern end at the north west corner of CA15. Until the end of the 1970s this road was an un-named Government Road and was largely not open to traffic. With residential development in the 1970s the road was constructed, and the council allocated the name obviously in recognition of the predominant species of the local bushland. CA15 was purchased from the Crown by George D’Arley Boursiquot, a prominent Melbourne printer, on 28th October 1852. On November 23, 1922, former Member for Gippsland and Melbourne Real Estate Agent, Hubert Patrick Keogh purchased the allotment then sold it March 13, 1925, to local farmer, Robert David Taylor, a former Shire of Eltham Councillor (1911-1920) and Shire President (1919). Taylor had extensive land holdings stretching west towards Bible Street and Main Road. The Taylor home was situated at the top of the hill in Bible Street at present day 82 Bible Street. At the time of Taylor’s purchase in 1925, CA15 was subdivided into 48 lots that could be described as small rural properties or large residential lots. A typical lot size was one hectare or 2.5 acres. The subdivision created two roads, Nyora Road, and Diosma Road, each following an irregular alignment between Eucalyptus and Reynolds Roads. However, the lots were not sold off separately nor were the roads constructed. The land effectively remained as one parcel for many further years. Robert David Taylor died November 30, 1934, and probate was granted to his son of the same name, Robert David Taylor of Bible Street, Salesman and William McLelland Vance Taylor of 73 Emmeline Street, Northcote, Clerk, with the transfer of the land into their names on July 8, 1935. Frank Stokes worked as a qualified accountant at Kennons leather factory in Burnley, while living at 1 Thomas Street, Mitcham. He suffered from migraines and wanted to return to working the land (he had previously worked on farms and orchards since coming to Australia from England in 1926, both in WA and Vic.). He first travelled to the district by train in July 1942 to find land with the intention to establish an orchard. By chance he met Arthur Bird of Bird Orchard (bounded by Pitt Street, Eucalyptus Road, and Wattle Grove) and they got talking over their common interest. Arthur put Frank up for the night and pointed out the land, 158 acres- part of the Taylor Estate- £900, Crown Allotment 15, Section 5, Parish of Nillumbik (CA15) somewhat diagonally opposite Bird Orchard. Stokes applied through the Riverina Agency to purchase the land who in turn applied for permission from Canberra to sell as there was a new government regulation introduced during the Second World War banning land sales except for immediate production. Stokes obtained a loan on his Mitcham house of £600 @ 5% and paid £450 deposit with quarterly payments of £15 spread over 5 years. Stokes was assisted and advised by Arthur Bird who farmed the neighbouring orchard. In early 1943 Stokes took possession and would catch the train out to Eltham on Fridays after work and began building a hut on the corner of Nyora Road and the Government Road (Eucalyptus Road) for shelter and to lock up tools. He established an orchard on the central western part of the land through the centre of which ran a natural waterway (part of the present-day linear park) and was able to pay a neighbour (Hawkins) to help with clearing and fencing 25 acres, and with a horse and single furrowed plough, planted approximately 2,500 fruit trees - cherries, peaches, plums, almonds, pears, apricots and lemons as well as a few apples and oranges; a massive task. Aerial photographs from the 1940s through to the 1990s clearly show the orchard with most of the larger CA15 site remaining as natural bushland. A huge problem was hares and rabbits eating all the new buds off the tiny trees. As well as laying poison he painted the trees with a mixture of cow manure and lime, often working by moonlight. Procurement of wire and wire netting was difficult because of the war but after much effort he obtained a permit from the Agricultural Department for supplies in March 1944. In February 1945 Stokes applied for a permit to build a “packing shed” as no house building was allowed. It was to be 33 feet x 21 feet and cost £312. It was constructed mostly from second-hand materials, which were hard to obtain, especially iron for roofing. Stokes finished work at Kennons on October 31, 1945, and in March 1946 he sold the family home at Mitcham for £1,230 plus £170 for furniture. On May 15, 1946, title to the CA15 property was issued to Frank Howard Alfred Stokes, Orchardist and Gladys Ethel Stokes, Married Woman, both of Pitt Street, Eltham. The family of five then moved into the very unfinished “packing shed” at Eltham, which was a struggle to weatherproof. Eventually rooms were divided off and lined with hessian bags and whitewashed. Their income was firewood (cut and sold), selling rockery stones and cut Sweet Bursaria. (It was discovered during the 1940s that Sweet Bursaria contained the sunscreen compound Aesculin. The RAAF utilised this compound from Sweet Bursaria during WW2 for pilots and gunners.) The orchard’s first fruit sale was a half-case of Le Vanq peaches in December 1947 for the price of 8 shillings. In 1956 plans for house were drawn and Glen Iris bricks purchased (1956 Olympic Rings variant). The building of the house commenced in 1957 - 12 feet of original packing shed was removed – and was completed in 1959. Water was connected from newly built pressure storage on the property at the end of 1959 and the electricity connection for the first time at 3pm on April 29, 1960. The house remains to present day (somewhat modified) at 1 Nyora Road, home to Nyora Studio Gallery. On occasions, spare remnants of the 1956 bricks have been known to be unearthed in gardens on the estate as they were utilised by Frank Stokes to fill in rabbit holes. On May 26, 1950, a parcel of land was compulsorily acquired by the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works on the hilltop to establish an easement for a high-level service reservoir to augment Eltham’s water supply. The project also included pipe tracks for the necessary water mains. The reservoir has now been superseded by higher level water tanks east of Reynolds Road and its former site is now a public reserve. On November 27, 1964, the State Electricity Commission served notice to compulsorily acquire a further parcel through the eastern part of the land for a major electricity transmission line that augmented supply from the La Trobe Valley to Melbourne. The easement was registered February 11, 1966. The easement was widened July 18, 1969 for a second transmission line to be constructed. In 1971 Melbourne Metropolitan Planning Scheme amendments adopted Nyora Road as the boundary between a residential zone to the north and a rural zone to the south. This determined the future development of the land. In the mid-1970s the Shire of Eltham divided the orchard into numerous rate-able parcel lots, the 48 lots having been established in 1925 and the subsequent rates assessment proved unsustainable for Stokes. He commenced selling lots outside the boundary of the orchard, north of Diosma and South of Nyora. However shortly later the land between Nyora and Diosma Roads and west of the electricity easement was sold and subdivided into residential lots, a housing development by Macquarie Builders and marketed as the Stokes Orchard Estate. New streets were created, and most were named after trees, although one, Stokes Place, commemorates the former owners. The development was undertaken in two stages; Stage 1 (1975) encompassing Scarlet Ash Court, Ironbark Close and Peppermint Grove bounded by Nyora and Eucalyptus roads and Stage 2 (1978) encompassing Stokes Place, Orchard Way, The Crest and The Lookout bound by Nyora and Diosma roads. The developer, Macquarie Builders went bankrupt shortly after the release of Stage 2 leaving many purchasers to fend for themselves and arrange for their own independent builders. There were also difficulties with sewerage for the land immediately south of Diosma Road and so the conventional residential lots were abandoned in favour of larger lots. The development of Orchard Way, The Crest and The Lookout did not proceed as planned and the proposed lots were incorporated into five-acre parcels instead. These included a low-density group housing development by the Graves family and the award winning Choong House (1983) with Gordon Ford developed garden immediately next door situated on the ridge of the hill nestled amongst the original bush, Eucalypt trees and Sweet Bursaria. In 1994, Nillumbik Shire Council applied Significant Environment and Significant Landscape overlays upon the properties on the south side of Diosma Road to ensure protection of this natural bush garden environment. With the arrival of the sewer along Diosma Road in the 1990s, most of these five-acre parcels have since been subdivided multiple times. The Choong house presently sits on a 2.7-acre property, which in 2022 Nillumbik Council nominated for Cultural Significance Heritage protection and is considered potentially significant at State level. The Stokes family were also associated with the Eltham Christian Church. In the 1970s this church had met in temporary premises in Eltham. Lots of the original 1925 subdivision remained south of Nyora Road and a number of these lots were utilized for the Eltham Christian School, which was established by the Eltham Christian Church in 1981. The school operated on this site until 2000. The premises are now used by The Vine Baptist Church. By the mid-1980s the whole of CA15 had been developed for residential and school purposes, except for the sections north of Diosma Road and between the transmission lines and Reynolds Road. Sewerage issues had been resolved for the section north of Diosma Road and in 1987 it was in the process of being subdivided into residential lots. The development coincided with the discovery of colonies of the rare and endangered Eltham Copper Butterfly on the site. This resulted in a community and political campaign to save the butterfly habitat. With the co-operation of the land developer the subdivision was altered to create two bushland reserves in the critical butterfly habitat areas. In the late 1980s the State Government was investigating options for establishing a metropolitan ring road link between Diamond Creek and Ringwood. The chosen route was adjacent to Reynolds Road and so this created a freeze on development of CA15 between Reynolds Road and the electricity easement. The ring road proposal was eventually abandoned, and this part of the land was subdivided into low density residential lots. Diosma Road has been discontinued at the electricity easement and the eastern part incorporated into View Mount Court with access from Reynolds Road. The whole of CA15 has now been developed for residential or associated purposes, ranging from conventional density to quite low density south of Nyora Road. Some remnants of the orchard remain, a few cherry trees on the Graves property and a lone apple tree in Stokes Place. The butterfly reserves comprise significant areas of remnant bushland. Linear reserves through the estate link with central Eltham via the Woodridge linear reserve and with Research along the electricity easement. CA15 as it exists today has a complicated history of rural use, Government acquisition, urban development, and community action. References: • “Stokes Orchard, an incomplete history”; Russell Yeoman with Doug Orford • Correspondence, Beryl Bradbury (nee Stokes) • Aerial Photographs, 1931-1991, Landata (landata.vic.gov.au) • Certificate of Title, Vol. 4930 Fol. 985900 • Plan Number LP 10859 aerial photo, diosma road, eltham copper butterfly, eucalyptus road, ironbark close, nyora road, peppermint grove, peter & elizabeth pidgeon collection, power transmission lines, reynolds road, scarlet ash court, stokes orchard estate, stokes place, woodridge estate, frank stokes

Centred on present day Diosma Rd, Stokes Pl, Nyora Rd and Eucalyptus Rd Historic Aerial Imagery Source: Landata.vic.gov.au Aerial Photo Details: Project No :1716 Project : WESTERN PORT FORESHORES Run : 15 Frame : 70 Date : 01/1984 Film Type : B/W Camera : RC8 Flying Height : 5300 Scale : 10000 Film Number : 3833 GDA2020 : 37°42'38"S, 145°10'09"E MGA2020 : 338612, 5824719 (55) Melways : 22 D4 (ed. 42) A History of the Development of Crown Allotment 15, Section 5, Parish of Nillumbik – Stokes Orchard Crown Allotment 15, Section 5, Parish of Nillumbik (CA15) is a square allotment of 158 acres or approximately a quarter of a square mile. It lies just beyond the eastern end of Pitt Street, south of Nyora Road to the northern end of Eucalyptus Road and extends east from Eucalyptus Road to Reynolds Road. The topography of CA15 is generally steep, sloping up to a hill near the centre of the land, the ridgeline passing through the properties along the southern side of Diosma Road. Eucalyptus Road is a straight north-south road with its northern end at the north west corner of CA15. Until the end of the 1970s this road was an un-named Government Road and was largely not open to traffic. With residential development in the 1970s the road was constructed, and the council allocated the name obviously in recognition of the predominant species of the local bushland. CA15 was purchased from the Crown by George D’Arley Boursiquot, a prominent Melbourne printer, on 28th October 1852. On November 23, 1922, former Member for Gippsland and Melbourne Real Estate Agent, Hubert Patrick Keogh purchased the allotment then sold it March 13, 1925, to local farmer, Robert David Taylor, a former Shire of Eltham Councillor (1911-1920) and Shire President (1919). Taylor had extensive land holdings stretching west towards Bible Street and Main Road. The Taylor home was situated at the top of the hill in Bible Street at present day 82 Bible Street. At the time of Taylor’s purchase in 1925, CA15 was subdivided into 48 lots that could be described as small rural properties or large residential lots. A typical lot size was one hectare or 2.5 acres. The subdivision created two roads, Nyora Road, and Diosma Road, each following an irregular alignment between Eucalyptus and Reynolds Roads. However, the lots were not sold off separately nor were the roads constructed. The land effectively remained as one parcel for many further years. Robert David Taylor died November 30, 1934, and probate was granted to his son of the same name, Robert David Taylor of Bible Street, Salesman and William McLelland Vance Taylor of 73 Emmeline Street, Northcote, Clerk, with the transfer of the land into their names on July 8, 1935. Frank Stokes worked as a qualified accountant at Kennons leather factory in Burnley, while living at 1 Thomas Street, Mitcham. He suffered from migraines and wanted to return to working the land (he had previously worked on farms and orchards since coming to Australia from England in 1926, both in WA and Vic.). He first travelled to the district by train in July 1942 to find land with the intention to establish an orchard. By chance he met Arthur Bird of Bird Orchard (bounded by Pitt Street, Eucalyptus Road, and Wattle Grove) and they got talking over their common interest. Arthur put Frank up for the night and pointed out the land, 158 acres- part of the Taylor Estate- £900, Crown Allotment 15, Section 5, Parish of Nillumbik (CA15) somewhat diagonally opposite Bird Orchard. Stokes applied through the Riverina Agency to purchase the land who in turn applied for permission from Canberra to sell as there was a new government regulation introduced during the Second World War banning land sales except for immediate production. Stokes obtained a loan on his Mitcham house of £600 @ 5% and paid £450 deposit with quarterly payments of £15 spread over 5 years. Stokes was assisted and advised by Arthur Bird who farmed the neighbouring orchard. In early 1943 Stokes took possession and would catch the train out to Eltham on Fridays after work and began building a hut on the corner of Nyora Road and the Government Road (Eucalyptus Road) for shelter and to lock up tools. He established an orchard on the central western part of the land through the centre of which ran a natural waterway (part of the present-day linear park) and was able to pay a neighbour (Hawkins) to help with clearing and fencing 25 acres, and with a horse and single furrowed plough, planted approximately 2,500 fruit trees - cherries, peaches, plums, almonds, pears, apricots and lemons as well as a few apples and oranges; a massive task. Aerial photographs from the 1940s through to the 1990s clearly show the orchard with most of the larger CA15 site remaining as natural bushland. A huge problem was hares and rabbits eating all the new buds off the tiny trees. As well as laying poison he painted the trees with a mixture of cow manure and lime, often working by moonlight. Procurement of wire and wire netting was difficult because of the war but after much effort he obtained a permit from the Agricultural Department for supplies in March 1944. In February 1945 Stokes applied for a permit to build a “packing shed” as no house building was allowed. It was to be 33 feet x 21 feet and cost £312. It was constructed mostly from second-hand materials, which were hard to obtain, especially iron for roofing. Stokes finished work at Kennons on October 31, 1945, and in March 1946 he sold the family home at Mitcham for £1,230 plus £170 for furniture. On May 15, 1946, title to the CA15 property was issued to Frank Howard Alfred Stokes, Orchardist and Gladys Ethel Stokes, Married Woman, both of Pitt Street, Eltham. The family of five then moved into the very unfinished “packing shed” at Eltham, which was a struggle to weatherproof. Eventually rooms were divided off and lined with hessian bags and whitewashed. Their income was firewood (cut and sold), selling rockery stones and cut Sweet Bursaria. (It was discovered during the 1940s that Sweet Bursaria contained the sunscreen compound Aesculin. The RAAF utilised this compound from Sweet Bursaria during WW2 for pilots and gunners.) The orchard’s first fruit sale was a half-case of Le Vanq peaches in December 1947 for the price of 8 shillings. In 1956 plans for house were drawn and Glen Iris bricks purchased (1956 Olympic Rings variant). The building of the house commenced in 1957 - 12 feet of original packing shed was removed – and was completed in 1959. Water was connected from newly built pressure storage on the property at the end of 1959 and the electricity connection for the first time at 3pm on April 29, 1960. The house remains to present day (somewhat modified) at 1 Nyora Road, home to Nyora Studio Gallery. On occasions, spare remnants of the 1956 bricks have been known to be unearthed in gardens on the estate as they were utilised by Frank Stokes to fill in rabbit holes. On May 26, 1950, a parcel of land was compulsorily acquired by the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works on the hilltop to establish an easement for a high-level service reservoir to augment Eltham’s water supply. The project also included pipe tracks for the necessary water mains. The reservoir has now been superseded by higher level water tanks east of Reynolds Road and its former site is now a public reserve. On November 27, 1964, the State Electricity Commission served notice to compulsorily acquire a further parcel through the eastern part of the land for a major electricity transmission line that augmented supply from the La Trobe Valley to Melbourne. The easement was registered February 11, 1966. The easement was widened July 18, 1969 for a second transmission line to be constructed. In 1971 Melbourne Metropolitan Planning Scheme amendments adopted Nyora Road as the boundary between a residential zone to the north and a rural zone to the south. This determined the future development of the land. In the mid-1970s the Shire of Eltham divided the orchard into numerous rate-able parcel lots, the 48 lots having been established in 1925 and the subsequent rates assessment proved unsustainable for Stokes. He commenced selling lots outside the boundary of the orchard, north of Diosma and South of Nyora. However shortly later the land between Nyora and Diosma Roads and west of the electricity easement was sold and subdivided into residential lots, a housing development by Macquarie Builders and marketed as the Stokes Orchard Estate. New streets were created, and most were named after trees, although one, Stokes Place, commemorates the former owners. The development was undertaken in two stages; Stage 1 (1975) encompassing Scarlet Ash Court, Ironbark Close and Peppermint Grove bounded by Nyora and Eucalyptus roads and Stage 2 (1978) encompassing Stokes Place, Orchard Way, The Crest and The Lookout bound by Nyora and Diosma roads. The developer, Macquarie Builders went bankrupt shortly after the release of Stage 2 leaving many purchasers to fend for themselves and arrange for their own independent builders. There were also difficulties with sewerage for the land immediately south of Diosma Road and so the conventional residential lots were abandoned in favour of larger lots. The development of Orchard Way, The Crest and The Lookout did not proceed as planned and the proposed lots were incorporated into five-acre parcels instead. These included a low-density group housing development by the Graves family and the award winning Choong House (1983) with Gordon Ford developed garden immediately next door situated on the ridge of the hill nestled amongst the original bush, Eucalypt trees and Sweet Bursaria. In 1994, Nillumbik Shire Council applied Significant Environment and Significant Landscape overlays upon the properties on the south side of Diosma Road to ensure protection of this natural bush garden environment. With the arrival of the sewer along Diosma Road in the 1990s, most of these five-acre parcels have since been subdivided multiple times. The Choong house presently sits on a 2.7-acre property, which in 2022 Nillumbik Council nominated for Cultural Significance Heritage protection and is considered potentially significant at State level. The Stokes family were also associated with the Eltham Christian Church. In the 1970s this church had met in temporary premises in Eltham. Lots of the original 1925 subdivision remained south of Nyora Road and a number of these lots were utilized for the Eltham Christian School, which was established by the Eltham Christian Church in 1981. The school operated on this site until 2000. The premises are now used by The Vine Baptist Church. By the mid-1980s the whole of CA15 had been developed for residential and school purposes, except for the sections north of Diosma Road and between the transmission lines and Reynolds Road. Sewerage issues had been resolved for the section north of Diosma Road and in 1987 it was in the process of being subdivided into residential lots. The development coincided with the discovery of colonies of the rare and endangered Eltham Copper Butterfly on the site. This resulted in a community and political campaign to save the butterfly habitat. With the co-operation of the land developer the subdivision was altered to create two bushland reserves in the critical butterfly habitat areas. In the late 1980s the State Government was investigating options for establishing a metropolitan ring road link between Diamond Creek and Ringwood. The chosen route was adjacent to Reynolds Road and so this created a freeze on development of CA15 between Reynolds Road and the electricity easement. The ring road proposal was eventually abandoned, and this part of the land was subdivided into low density residential lots. Diosma Road has been discontinued at the electricity easement and the eastern part incorporated into View Mount Court with access from Reynolds Road. The whole of CA15 has now been developed for residential or associated purposes, ranging from conventional density to quite low density south of Nyora Road. Some remnants of the orchard remain, a few cherry trees on the Graves property and a lone apple tree in Stokes Place. The butterfly reserves comprise significant areas of remnant bushland. Linear reserves through the estate link with central Eltham via the Woodridge linear reserve and with Research along the electricity easement. CA15 as it exists today has a complicated history of rural use, Government acquisition, urban development, and community action. References: • “Stokes Orchard, an incomplete history”; Russell Yeoman with Doug Orford • Correspondence, Beryl Bradbury (nee Stokes) • Aerial Photographs, 1931-1991, Landata (landata.vic.gov.au) • Certificate of Title, Vol. 4930 Fol. 985900 • Plan Number LP 10859 aerial photo, diosma road, eltham copper butterfly, eucalyptus road, ironbark close, nyora road, peppermint grove, peter & elizabeth pidgeon collection, power transmission lines, reynolds road, scarlet ash court, stokes orchard estate, stokes place, woodridge estate, frank stokes

Centred on present day Diosma Rd, Stokes Pl, Nyora Rd and Eucalyptus Rd Historic Aerial Imagery Source: Landata.vic.gov.au Aerial Photo Details: Project No :1716 Project : WESTERN PORT FORESHORES Run : 15 Frame : 108 Date : 03/1987 Film Type : B/W Camera : RC10 Flying Height : 5600 Scale : 10000 Film Number : 4102 GDA2020 : 37°43'00"S, 145°10'13"E MGA2020 : 338725, 5824036 (55) Melways : 22 D5 (ed. 42)719 (55) Melways : 22 D4 (ed. 42) A History of the Development of Crown Allotment 15, Section 5, Parish of Nillumbik – Stokes Orchard Crown Allotment 15, Section 5, Parish of Nillumbik (CA15) is a square allotment of 158 acres or approximately a quarter of a square mile. It lies just beyond the eastern end of Pitt Street, south of Nyora Road to the northern end of Eucalyptus Road and extends east from Eucalyptus Road to Reynolds Road. The topography of CA15 is generally steep, sloping up to a hill near the centre of the land, the ridgeline passing through the properties along the southern side of Diosma Road. Eucalyptus Road is a straight north-south road with its northern end at the north west corner of CA15. Until the end of the 1970s this road was an un-named Government Road and was largely not open to traffic. With residential development in the 1970s the road was constructed, and the council allocated the name obviously in recognition of the predominant species of the local bushland. CA15 was purchased from the Crown by George D’Arley Boursiquot, a prominent Melbourne printer, on 28th October 1852. On November 23, 1922, former Member for Gippsland and Melbourne Real Estate Agent, Hubert Patrick Keogh purchased the allotment then sold it March 13, 1925, to local farmer, Robert David Taylor, a former Shire of Eltham Councillor (1911-1920) and Shire President (1919). Taylor had extensive land holdings stretching west towards Bible Street and Main Road. The Taylor home was situated at the top of the hill in Bible Street at present day 82 Bible Street. At the time of Taylor’s purchase in 1925, CA15 was subdivided into 48 lots that could be described as small rural properties or large residential lots. A typical lot size was one hectare or 2.5 acres. The subdivision created two roads, Nyora Road, and Diosma Road, each following an irregular alignment between Eucalyptus and Reynolds Roads. However, the lots were not sold off separately nor were the roads constructed. The land effectively remained as one parcel for many further years. Robert David Taylor died November 30, 1934, and probate was granted to his son of the same name, Robert David Taylor of Bible Street, Salesman and William McLelland Vance Taylor of 73 Emmeline Street, Northcote, Clerk, with the transfer of the land into their names on July 8, 1935. Frank Stokes worked as a qualified accountant at Kennons leather factory in Burnley, while living at 1 Thomas Street, Mitcham. He suffered from migraines and wanted to return to working the land (he had previously worked on farms and orchards since coming to Australia from England in 1926, both in WA and Vic.). He first travelled to the district by train in July 1942 to find land with the intention to establish an orchard. By chance he met Arthur Bird of Bird Orchard (bounded by Pitt Street, Eucalyptus Road, and Wattle Grove) and they got talking over their common interest. Arthur put Frank up for the night and pointed out the land, 158 acres- part of the Taylor Estate- £900, Crown Allotment 15, Section 5, Parish of Nillumbik (CA15) somewhat diagonally opposite Bird Orchard. Stokes applied through the Riverina Agency to purchase the land who in turn applied for permission from Canberra to sell as there was a new government regulation introduced during the Second World War banning land sales except for immediate production. Stokes obtained a loan on his Mitcham house of £600 @ 5% and paid £450 deposit with quarterly payments of £15 spread over 5 years. Stokes was assisted and advised by Arthur Bird who farmed the neighbouring orchard. In early 1943 Stokes took possession and would catch the train out to Eltham on Fridays after work and began building a hut on the corner of Nyora Road and the Government Road (Eucalyptus Road) for shelter and to lock up tools. He established an orchard on the central western part of the land through the centre of which ran a natural waterway (part of the present-day linear park) and was able to pay a neighbour (Hawkins) to help with clearing and fencing 25 acres, and with a horse and single furrowed plough, planted approximately 2,500 fruit trees - cherries, peaches, plums, almonds, pears, apricots and lemons as well as a few apples and oranges; a massive task. Aerial photographs from the 1940s through to the 1990s clearly show the orchard with most of the larger CA15 site remaining as natural bushland. A huge problem was hares and rabbits eating all the new buds off the tiny trees. As well as laying poison he painted the trees with a mixture of cow manure and lime, often working by moonlight. Procurement of wire and wire netting was difficult because of the war but after much effort he obtained a permit from the Agricultural Department for supplies in March 1944. In February 1945 Stokes applied for a permit to build a “packing shed” as no house building was allowed. It was to be 33 feet x 21 feet and cost £312. It was constructed mostly from second-hand materials, which were hard to obtain, especially iron for roofing. Stokes finished work at Kennons on October 31, 1945, and in March 1946 he sold the family home at Mitcham for £1,230 plus £170 for furniture. On May 15, 1946, title to the CA15 property was issued to Frank Howard Alfred Stokes, Orchardist and Gladys Ethel Stokes, Married Woman, both of Pitt Street, Eltham. The family of five then moved into the very unfinished “packing shed” at Eltham, which was a struggle to weatherproof. Eventually rooms were divided off and lined with hessian bags and whitewashed. Their income was firewood (cut and sold), selling rockery stones and cut Sweet Bursaria. (It was discovered during the 1940s that Sweet Bursaria contained the sunscreen compound Aesculin. The RAAF utilised this compound from Sweet Bursaria during WW2 for pilots and gunners.) The orchard’s first fruit sale was a half-case of Le Vanq peaches in December 1947 for the price of 8 shillings. In 1956 plans for house were drawn and Glen Iris bricks purchased (1956 Olympic Rings variant). The building of the house commenced in 1957 - 12 feet of original packing shed was removed – and was completed in 1959. Water was connected from newly built pressure storage on the property at the end of 1959 and the electricity connection for the first time at 3pm on April 29, 1960. The house remains to present day (somewhat modified) at 1 Nyora Road, home to Nyora Studio Gallery. On occasions, spare remnants of the 1956 bricks have been known to be unearthed in gardens on the estate as they were utilised by Frank Stokes to fill in rabbit holes. On May 26, 1950, a parcel of land was compulsorily acquired by the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works on the hilltop to establish an easement for a high-level service reservoir to augment Eltham’s water supply. The project also included pipe tracks for the necessary water mains. The reservoir has now been superseded by higher level water tanks east of Reynolds Road and its former site is now a public reserve. On November 27, 1964, the State Electricity Commission served notice to compulsorily acquire a further parcel through the eastern part of the land for a major electricity transmission line that augmented supply from the La Trobe Valley to Melbourne. The easement was registered February 11, 1966. The easement was widened July 18, 1969 for a second transmission line to be constructed. In 1971 Melbourne Metropolitan Planning Scheme amendments adopted Nyora Road as the boundary between a residential zone to the north and a rural zone to the south. This determined the future development of the land. In the mid-1970s the Shire of Eltham divided the orchard into numerous rate-able parcel lots, the 48 lots having been established in 1925 and the subsequent rates assessment proved unsustainable for Stokes. He commenced selling lots outside the boundary of the orchard, north of Diosma and South of Nyora. However shortly later the land between Nyora and Diosma Roads and west of the electricity easement was sold and subdivided into residential lots, a housing development by Macquarie Builders and marketed as the Stokes Orchard Estate. New streets were created, and most were named after trees, although one, Stokes Place, commemorates the former owners. The development was undertaken in two stages; Stage 1 (1975) encompassing Scarlet Ash Court, Ironbark Close and Peppermint Grove bounded by Nyora and Eucalyptus roads and Stage 2 (1978) encompassing Stokes Place, Orchard Way, The Crest and The Lookout bound by Nyora and Diosma roads. The developer, Macquarie Builders went bankrupt shortly after the release of Stage 2 leaving many purchasers to fend for themselves and arrange for their own independent builders. There were also difficulties with sewerage for the land immediately south of Diosma Road and so the conventional residential lots were abandoned in favour of larger lots. The development of Orchard Way, The Crest and The Lookout did not proceed as planned and the proposed lots were incorporated into five-acre parcels instead. These included a low-density group housing development by the Graves family and the award winning Choong House (1983) with Gordon Ford developed garden immediately next door situated on the ridge of the hill nestled amongst the original bush, Eucalypt trees and Sweet Bursaria. In 1994, Nillumbik Shire Council applied Significant Environment and Significant Landscape overlays upon the properties on the south side of Diosma Road to ensure protection of this natural bush garden environment. With the arrival of the sewer along Diosma Road in the 1990s, most of these five-acre parcels have since been subdivided multiple times. The Choong house presently sits on a 2.7-acre property, which in 2022 Nillumbik Council nominated for Cultural Significance Heritage protection and is considered potentially significant at State level. The Stokes family were also associated with the Eltham Christian Church. In the 1970s this church had met in temporary premises in Eltham. Lots of the original 1925 subdivision remained south of Nyora Road and a number of these lots were utilized for the Eltham Christian School, which was established by the Eltham Christian Church in 1981. The school operated on this site until 2000. The premises are now used by The Vine Baptist Church. By the mid-1980s the whole of CA15 had been developed for residential and school purposes, except for the sections north of Diosma Road and between the transmission lines and Reynolds Road. Sewerage issues had been resolved for the section north of Diosma Road and in 1987 it was in the process of being subdivided into residential lots. The development coincided with the discovery of colonies of the rare and endangered Eltham Copper Butterfly on the site. This resulted in a community and political campaign to save the butterfly habitat. With the co-operation of the land developer the subdivision was altered to create two bushland reserves in the critical butterfly habitat areas. In the late 1980s the State Government was investigating options for establishing a metropolitan ring road link between Diamond Creek and Ringwood. The chosen route was adjacent to Reynolds Road and so this created a freeze on development of CA15 between Reynolds Road and the electricity easement. The ring road proposal was eventually abandoned, and this part of the land was subdivided into low density residential lots. Diosma Road has been discontinued at the electricity easement and the eastern part incorporated into View Mount Court with access from Reynolds Road. The whole of CA15 has now been developed for residential or associated purposes, ranging from conventional density to quite low density south of Nyora Road. Some remnants of the orchard remain, a few cherry trees on the Graves property and a lone apple tree in Stokes Place. The butterfly reserves comprise significant areas of remnant bushland. Linear reserves through the estate link with central Eltham via the Woodridge linear reserve and with Research along the electricity easement. CA15 as it exists today has a complicated history of rural use, Government acquisition, urban development, and community action. References: • “Stokes Orchard, an incomplete history”; Russell Yeoman with Doug Orford • Correspondence, Beryl Bradbury (nee Stokes) • Aerial Photographs, 1931-1991, Landata (landata.vic.gov.au) • Certificate of Title, Vol. 4930 Fol. 985900 • Plan Number LP 10859 aerial photo, diosma road, eltham copper butterfly, eucalyptus road, ironbark close, nyora road, peppermint grove, peter & elizabeth pidgeon collection, power transmission lines, reynolds road, scarlet ash court, stokes orchard estate, stokes place, woodridge estate, frank stokes

Centred on present day Diosma Rd, Stokes Pl, Nyora Rd and Eucalyptus Rd Historic Aerial Imagery Source: Landata.vic.gov.au Aerial Photo Details: Project No :2072 Project : MELBOURNE PROJECT Run : 13 Frame : 119 Date : 09/1991 Film Type : COL Camera : RC10 Flying Height : 8300 Scale : 15000 Film Number : 4419 GDA2020 : 37°43'07"S, 145°09'35"E MGA2020 : 337812, 5823811 (55) Melways : 22 B6 (ed. 42) A History of the Development of Crown Allotment 15, Section 5, Parish of Nillumbik – Stokes Orchard Crown Allotment 15, Section 5, Parish of Nillumbik (CA15) is a square allotment of 158 acres or approximately a quarter of a square mile. It lies just beyond the eastern end of Pitt Street, south of Nyora Road to the northern end of Eucalyptus Road and extends east from Eucalyptus Road to Reynolds Road. The topography of CA15 is generally steep, sloping up to a hill near the centre of the land, the ridgeline passing through the properties along the southern side of Diosma Road. Eucalyptus Road is a straight north-south road with its northern end at the north west corner of CA15. Until the end of the 1970s this road was an un-named Government Road and was largely not open to traffic. With residential development in the 1970s the road was constructed, and the council allocated the name obviously in recognition of the predominant species of the local bushland. CA15 was purchased from the Crown by George D’Arley Boursiquot, a prominent Melbourne printer, on 28th October 1852. On November 23, 1922, former Member for Gippsland and Melbourne Real Estate Agent, Hubert Patrick Keogh purchased the allotment then sold it March 13, 1925, to local farmer, Robert David Taylor, a former Shire of Eltham Councillor (1911-1920) and Shire President (1919). Taylor had extensive land holdings stretching west towards Bible Street and Main Road. The Taylor home was situated at the top of the hill in Bible Street at present day 82 Bible Street. At the time of Taylor’s purchase in 1925, CA15 was subdivided into 48 lots that could be described as small rural properties or large residential lots. A typical lot size was one hectare or 2.5 acres. The subdivision created two roads, Nyora Road, and Diosma Road, each following an irregular alignment between Eucalyptus and Reynolds Roads. However, the lots were not sold off separately nor were the roads constructed. The land effectively remained as one parcel for many further years. Robert David Taylor died November 30, 1934, and probate was granted to his son of the same name, Robert David Taylor of Bible Street, Salesman and William McLelland Vance Taylor of 73 Emmeline Street, Northcote, Clerk, with the transfer of the land into their names on July 8, 1935. Frank Stokes worked as a qualified accountant at Kennons leather factory in Burnley, while living at 1 Thomas Street, Mitcham. He suffered from migraines and wanted to return to working the land (he had previously worked on farms and orchards since coming to Australia from England in 1926, both in WA and Vic.). He first travelled to the district by train in July 1942 to find land with the intention to establish an orchard. By chance he met Arthur Bird of Bird Orchard (bounded by Pitt Street, Eucalyptus Road, and Wattle Grove) and they got talking over their common interest. Arthur put Frank up for the night and pointed out the land, 158 acres- part of the Taylor Estate- £900, Crown Allotment 15, Section 5, Parish of Nillumbik (CA15) somewhat diagonally opposite Bird Orchard. Stokes applied through the Riverina Agency to purchase the land who in turn applied for permission from Canberra to sell as there was a new government regulation introduced during the Second World War banning land sales except for immediate production. Stokes obtained a loan on his Mitcham house of £600 @ 5% and paid £450 deposit with quarterly payments of £15 spread over 5 years. Stokes was assisted and advised by Arthur Bird who farmed the neighbouring orchard. In early 1943 Stokes took possession and would catch the train out to Eltham on Fridays after work and began building a hut on the corner of Nyora Road and the Government Road (Eucalyptus Road) for shelter and to lock up tools. He established an orchard on the central western part of the land through the centre of which ran a natural waterway (part of the present-day linear park) and was able to pay a neighbour (Hawkins) to help with clearing and fencing 25 acres, and with a horse and single furrowed plough, planted approximately 2,500 fruit trees - cherries, peaches, plums, almonds, pears, apricots and lemons as well as a few apples and oranges; a massive task. Aerial photographs from the 1940s through to the 1990s clearly show the orchard with most of the larger CA15 site remaining as natural bushland. A huge problem was hares and rabbits eating all the new buds off the tiny trees. As well as laying poison he painted the trees with a mixture of cow manure and lime, often working by moonlight. Procurement of wire and wire netting was difficult because of the war but after much effort he obtained a permit from the Agricultural Department for supplies in March 1944. In February 1945 Stokes applied for a permit to build a “packing shed” as no house building was allowed. It was to be 33 feet x 21 feet and cost £312. It was constructed mostly from second-hand materials, which were hard to obtain, especially iron for roofing. Stokes finished work at Kennons on October 31, 1945, and in March 1946 he sold the family home at Mitcham for £1,230 plus £170 for furniture. On May 15, 1946, title to the CA15 property was issued to Frank Howard Alfred Stokes, Orchardist and Gladys Ethel Stokes, Married Woman, both of Pitt Street, Eltham. The family of five then moved into the very unfinished “packing shed” at Eltham, which was a struggle to weatherproof. Eventually rooms were divided off and lined with hessian bags and whitewashed. Their income was firewood (cut and sold), selling rockery stones and cut Sweet Bursaria. (It was discovered during the 1940s that Sweet Bursaria contained the sunscreen compound Aesculin. The RAAF utilised this compound from Sweet Bursaria during WW2 for pilots and gunners.) The orchard’s first fruit sale was a half-case of Le Vanq peaches in December 1947 for the price of 8 shillings. In 1956 plans for house were drawn and Glen Iris bricks purchased (1956 Olympic Rings variant). The building of the house commenced in 1957 - 12 feet of original packing shed was removed – and was completed in 1959. Water was connected from newly built pressure storage on the property at the end of 1959 and the electricity connection for the first time at 3pm on April 29, 1960. The house remains to present day (somewhat modified) at 1 Nyora Road, home to Nyora Studio Gallery. On occasions, spare remnants of the 1956 bricks have been known to be unearthed in gardens on the estate as they were utilised by Frank Stokes to fill in rabbit holes. On May 26, 1950, a parcel of land was compulsorily acquired by the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works on the hilltop to establish an easement for a high-level service reservoir to augment Eltham’s water supply. The project also included pipe tracks for the necessary water mains. The reservoir has now been superseded by higher level water tanks east of Reynolds Road and its former site is now a public reserve. On November 27, 1964, the State Electricity Commission served notice to compulsorily acquire a further parcel through the eastern part of the land for a major electricity transmission line that augmented supply from the La Trobe Valley to Melbourne. The easement was registered February 11, 1966. The easement was widened July 18, 1969 for a second transmission line to be constructed. In 1971 Melbourne Metropolitan Planning Scheme amendments adopted Nyora Road as the boundary between a residential zone to the north and a rural zone to the south. This determined the future development of the land. In the mid-1970s the Shire of Eltham divided the orchard into numerous rate-able parcel lots, the 48 lots having been established in 1925 and the subsequent rates assessment proved unsustainable for Stokes. He commenced selling lots outside the boundary of the orchard, north of Diosma and South of Nyora. However shortly later the land between Nyora and Diosma Roads and west of the electricity easement was sold and subdivided into residential lots, a housing development by Macquarie Builders and marketed as the Stokes Orchard Estate. New streets were created, and most were named after trees, although one, Stokes Place, commemorates the former owners. The development was undertaken in two stages; Stage 1 (1975) encompassing Scarlet Ash Court, Ironbark Close and Peppermint Grove bounded by Nyora and Eucalyptus roads and Stage 2 (1978) encompassing Stokes Place, Orchard Way, The Crest and The Lookout bound by Nyora and Diosma roads. The developer, Macquarie Builders went bankrupt shortly after the release of Stage 2 leaving many purchasers to fend for themselves and arrange for their own independent builders. There were also difficulties with sewerage for the land immediately south of Diosma Road and so the conventional residential lots were abandoned in favour of larger lots. The development of Orchard Way, The Crest and The Lookout did not proceed as planned and the proposed lots were incorporated into five-acre parcels instead. These included a low-density group housing development by the Graves family and the award winning Choong House (1983) with Gordon Ford developed garden immediately next door situated on the ridge of the hill nestled amongst the original bush, Eucalypt trees and Sweet Bursaria. In 1994, Nillumbik Shire Council applied Significant Environment and Significant Landscape overlays upon the properties on the south side of Diosma Road to ensure protection of this natural bush garden environment. With the arrival of the sewer along Diosma Road in the 1990s, most of these five-acre parcels have since been subdivided multiple times. The Choong house presently sits on a 2.7-acre property, which in 2022 Nillumbik Council nominated for Cultural Significance Heritage protection and is considered potentially significant at State level. The Stokes family were also associated with the Eltham Christian Church. In the 1970s this church had met in temporary premises in Eltham. Lots of the original 1925 subdivision remained south of Nyora Road and a number of these lots were utilized for the Eltham Christian School, which was established by the Eltham Christian Church in 1981. The school operated on this site until 2000. The premises are now used by The Vine Baptist Church. By the mid-1980s the whole of CA15 had been developed for residential and school purposes, except for the sections north of Diosma Road and between the transmission lines and Reynolds Road. Sewerage issues had been resolved for the section north of Diosma Road and in 1987 it was in the process of being subdivided into residential lots. The development coincided with the discovery of colonies of the rare and endangered Eltham Copper Butterfly on the site. This resulted in a community and political campaign to save the butterfly habitat. With the co-operation of the land developer the subdivision was altered to create two bushland reserves in the critical butterfly habitat areas. In the late 1980s the State Government was investigating options for establishing a metropolitan ring road link between Diamond Creek and Ringwood. The chosen route was adjacent to Reynolds Road and so this created a freeze on development of CA15 between Reynolds Road and the electricity easement. The ring road proposal was eventually abandoned, and this part of the land was subdivided into low density residential lots. Diosma Road has been discontinued at the electricity easement and the eastern part incorporated into View Mount Court with access from Reynolds Road. The whole of CA15 has now been developed for residential or associated purposes, ranging from conventional density to quite low density south of Nyora Road. Some remnants of the orchard remain, a few cherry trees on the Graves property and a lone apple tree in Stokes Place. The butterfly reserves comprise significant areas of remnant bushland. Linear reserves through the estate link with central Eltham via the Woodridge linear reserve and with Research along the electricity easement. CA15 as it exists today has a complicated history of rural use, Government acquisition, urban development, and community action. References: • “Stokes Orchard, an incomplete history”; Russell Yeoman with Doug Orford • Correspondence, Beryl Bradbury (nee Stokes) • Aerial Photographs, 1931-1991, Landata (landata.vic.gov.au) • Certificate of Title, Vol. 4930 Fol. 985900 • Plan Number LP 10859 aerial photo, diosma road, eltham copper butterfly, eucalyptus road, ironbark close, nyora road, peppermint grove, peter & elizabeth pidgeon collection, power transmission lines, reynolds road, scarlet ash court, stokes orchard estate, stokes place, woodridge estate, frank stokes

(Cancelled) Certificate of Title originally issued for Crown Portion 15, Section 5 to Robert David Taylor, of Eltham, County of Evelyn, Farmer, 13 March 1925. It is with this title that the land allotment was subdivided into 48 lots. The title shows the issuance to Robert David Taylor with encumbrance placed upon it by immediate former owner, Hugh Patrick Keogh, a former member for Gippsland and Melbourne Real Estate Agent. Following Taylor's death in 1934 the title passes to his Executors, sons Robert David Taylor of Bible Street, Eltham and William McLelland Vance Taylor of Northcote. The property is then sold to Frank Stokes who develops the Stokes Orchard. Compulsory acquisitions by the Melbourne Metropolitan Board of Works and State Electricity Commission show provisions of easemenst for town water supply and high voltage power transmission lines. Subsequent lots are then sold off with the development of the Stokes Orchard Estate residential development in the mid to late 1970s. A History of the Development of Crown Allotment 15, Section 5, Parish of Nillumbik – Stokes Orchard Crown Allotment 15, Section 5, Parish of Nillumbik (CA15) is a square allotment of 158 acres or approximately a quarter of a square mile. It lies just beyond the eastern end of Pitt Street, south of Nyora Road to the northern end of Eucalyptus Road and extends east from Eucalyptus Road to Reynolds Road. The topography of CA15 is generally steep, sloping up to a hill near the centre of the land, the ridgeline passing through the properties along the southern side of Diosma Road. Eucalyptus Road is a straight north-south road with its northern end at the north west corner of CA15. Until the end of the 1970s this road was an un-named Government Road and was largely not open to traffic. With residential development in the 1970s the road was constructed, and the council allocated the name obviously in recognition of the predominant species of the local bushland. CA15 was purchased from the Crown by George D’Arley Boursiquot, a prominent Melbourne printer, on 28th October 1852. On November 23, 1922, former Member for Gippsland and Melbourne Real Estate Agent, Hubert Patrick Keogh purchased the allotment then sold it March 13, 1925, to local farmer, Robert David Taylor, a former Shire of Eltham Councillor (1911-1920) and Shire President (1919). Taylor had extensive land holdings stretching west towards Bible Street and Main Road. The Taylor home was situated at the top of the hill in Bible Street at present day 82 Bible Street. At the time of Taylor’s purchase in 1925, CA15 was subdivided into 48 lots that could be described as small rural properties or large residential lots. A typical lot size was one hectare or 2.5 acres. The subdivision created two roads, Nyora Road, and Diosma Road, each following an irregular alignment between Eucalyptus and Reynolds Roads. However, the lots were not sold off separately nor were the roads constructed. The land effectively remained as one parcel for many further years. Robert David Taylor died November 30, 1934, and probate was granted to his son of the same name, Robert David Taylor of Bible Street, Salesman and William McLelland Vance Taylor of 73 Emmeline Street, Northcote, Clerk, with the transfer of the land into their names on July 8, 1935. Frank Stokes worked as a qualified accountant at Kennons leather factory in Burnley, while living at 1 Thomas Street, Mitcham. He suffered from migraines and wanted to return to working the land (he had previously worked on farms and orchards since coming to Australia from England in 1926, both in WA and Vic.). He first travelled to the district by train in July 1942 to find land with the intention to establish an orchard. By chance he met Arthur Bird of Bird Orchard (bounded by Pitt Street, Eucalyptus Road, and Wattle Grove) and they got talking over their common interest. Arthur put Frank up for the night and pointed out the land, 158 acres- part of the Taylor Estate- £900, Crown Allotment 15, Section 5, Parish of Nillumbik (CA15) somewhat diagonally opposite Bird Orchard. Stokes applied through the Riverina Agency to purchase the land who in turn applied for permission from Canberra to sell as there was a new government regulation introduced during the Second World War banning land sales except for immediate production. Stokes obtained a loan on his Mitcham house of £600 @ 5% and paid £450 deposit with quarterly payments of £15 spread over 5 years. Stokes was assisted and advised by Arthur Bird who farmed the neighbouring orchard. In early 1943 Stokes took possession and would catch the train out to Eltham on Fridays after work and began building a hut on the corner of Nyora Road and the Government Road (Eucalyptus Road) for shelter and to lock up tools. He established an orchard on the central western part of the land through the centre of which ran a natural waterway (part of the present-day linear park) and was able to pay a neighbour (Hawkins) to help with clearing and fencing 25 acres, and with a horse and single furrowed plough, planted approximately 2,500 fruit trees - cherries, peaches, plums, almonds, pears, apricots and lemons as well as a few apples and oranges; a massive task. Aerial photographs from the 1940s through to the 1990s clearly show the orchard with most of the larger CA15 site remaining as natural bushland. A huge problem was hares and rabbits eating all the new buds off the tiny trees. As well as laying poison he painted the trees with a mixture of cow manure and lime, often working by moonlight. Procurement of wire and wire netting was difficult because of the war but after much effort he obtained a permit from the Agricultural Department for supplies in March 1944. In February 1945 Stokes applied for a permit to build a “packing shed” as no house building was allowed. It was to be 33 feet x 21 feet and cost £312. It was constructed mostly from second-hand materials, which were hard to obtain, especially iron for roofing. Stokes finished work at Kennons on October 31, 1945, and in March 1946 he sold the family home at Mitcham for £1,230 plus £170 for furniture. On May 15, 1946, title to the CA15 property was issued to Frank Howard Alfred Stokes, Orchardist and Gladys Ethel Stokes, Married Woman, both of Pitt Street, Eltham. The family of five then moved into the very unfinished “packing shed” at Eltham, which was a struggle to weatherproof. Eventually rooms were divided off and lined with hessian bags and whitewashed. Their income was firewood (cut and sold), selling rockery stones and cut Sweet Bursaria. (It was discovered during the 1940s that Sweet Bursaria contained the sunscreen compound Aesculin. The RAAF utilised this compound from Sweet Bursaria during WW2 for pilots and gunners.) The orchard’s first fruit sale was a half-case of Le Vanq peaches in December 1947 for the price of 8 shillings. In 1956 plans for house were drawn and Glen Iris bricks purchased (1956 Olympic Rings variant). The building of the house commenced in 1957 - 12 feet of original packing shed was removed – and was completed in 1959. Water was connected from newly built pressure storage on the property at the end of 1959 and the electricity connection for the first time at 3pm on April 29, 1960. The house remains to present day (somewhat modified) at 1 Nyora Road, home to Nyora Studio Gallery. On occasions, spare remnants of the 1956 bricks have been known to be unearthed in gardens on the estate as they were utilised by Frank Stokes to fill in rabbit holes. On May 26, 1950, a parcel of land was compulsorily acquired by the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works on the hilltop to establish an easement for a high-level service reservoir to augment Eltham’s water supply. The project also included pipe tracks for the necessary water mains. The reservoir has now been superseded by higher level water tanks east of Reynolds Road and its former site is now a public reserve. On November 27, 1964, the State Electricity Commission served notice to compulsorily acquire a further parcel through the eastern part of the land for a major electricity transmission line that augmented supply from the La Trobe Valley to Melbourne. The easement was registered February 11, 1966. The easement was widened July 18, 1969 for a second transmission line to be constructed. In 1971 Melbourne Metropolitan Planning Scheme amendments adopted Nyora Road as the boundary between a residential zone to the north and a rural zone to the south. This determined the future development of the land. In the mid-1970s the Shire of Eltham divided the orchard into numerous rate-able parcel lots, the 48 lots having been established in 1925 and the subsequent rates assessment proved unsustainable for Stokes. He commenced selling lots outside the boundary of the orchard, north of Diosma and South of Nyora. However shortly later the land between Nyora and Diosma Roads and west of the electricity easement was sold and subdivided into residential lots, a housing development by Macquarie Builders and marketed as the Stokes Orchard Estate. New streets were created, and most were named after trees, although one, Stokes Place, commemorates the former owners. The development was undertaken in two stages; Stage 1 (1975) encompassing Scarlet Ash Court, Ironbark Close and Peppermint Grove bounded by Nyora and Eucalyptus roads and Stage 2 (1978) encompassing Stokes Place, Orchard Way, The Crest and The Lookout bound by Nyora and Diosma roads. The developer, Macquarie Builders went bankrupt shortly after the release of Stage 2 leaving many purchasers to fend for themselves and arrange for their own independent builders. There were also difficulties with sewerage for the land immediately south of Diosma Road and so the conventional residential lots were abandoned in favour of larger lots. The development of Orchard Way, The Crest and The Lookout did not proceed as planned and the proposed lots were incorporated into five-acre parcels instead. These included a low-density group housing development by the Graves family and the award winning Choong House (1983) with Gordon Ford developed garden immediately next door situated on the ridge of the hill nestled amongst the original bush, Eucalypt trees and Sweet Bursaria. In 1994, Nillumbik Shire Council applied Significant Environment and Significant Landscape overlays upon the properties on the south side of Diosma Road to ensure protection of this natural bush garden environment. With the arrival of the sewer along Diosma Road in the 1990s, most of these five-acre parcels have since been subdivided multiple times. The Choong house presently sits on a 2.7-acre property, which in 2022 Nillumbik Council nominated for Cultural Significance Heritage protection and is considered potentially significant at State level. The Stokes family were also associated with the Eltham Christian Church. In the 1970s this church had met in temporary premises in Eltham. Lots of the original 1925 subdivision remained south of Nyora Road and a number of these lots were utilized for the Eltham Christian School, which was established by the Eltham Christian Church in 1981. The school operated on this site until 2000. The premises are now used by The Vine Baptist Church. By the mid-1980s the whole of CA15 had been developed for residential and school purposes, except for the sections north of Diosma Road and between the transmission lines and Reynolds Road. Sewerage issues had been resolved for the section north of Diosma Road and in 1987 it was in the process of being subdivided into residential lots. The development coincided with the discovery of colonies of the rare and endangered Eltham Copper Butterfly on the site. This resulted in a community and political campaign to save the butterfly habitat. With the co-operation of the land developer the subdivision was altered to create two bushland reserves in the critical butterfly habitat areas. In the late 1980s the State Government was investigating options for establishing a metropolitan ring road link between Diamond Creek and Ringwood. The chosen route was adjacent to Reynolds Road and so this created a freeze on development of CA15 between Reynolds Road and the electricity easement. The ring road proposal was eventually abandoned, and this part of the land was subdivided into low density residential lots. Diosma Road has been discontinued at the electricity easement and the eastern part incorporated into View Mount Court with access from Reynolds Road. The whole of CA15 has now been developed for residential or associated purposes, ranging from conventional density to quite low density south of Nyora Road. Some remnants of the orchard remain, a few cherry trees on the Graves property and a lone apple tree in Stokes Place. The butterfly reserves comprise significant areas of remnant bushland. Linear reserves through the estate link with central Eltham via the Woodridge linear reserve and with Research along the electricity easement. CA15 as it exists today has a complicated history of rural use, Government acquisition, urban development, and community action. References: • “Stokes Orchard, an incomplete history”; Russell Yeoman with Doug Orford • Correspondence, Beryl Bradbury (nee Stokes) • Aerial Photographs, 1931-1991, Landata (landata.vic.gov.au) • Certificate of Title, Vol. 4930 Fol. 985900 • Plan Number LP 10859 neil webster collection, diosma road, eltham copper butterfly, eucalyptus road, ironbark close, nyora road, peppermint grove, power transmission lines, reynolds road, scarlet ash court, stokes orchard estate, stokes place, woodridge estate, frank stokes, certificate of title

Briar Hill Timber was associated with the Olympic Village Project being suppliers of all building materials including Flush Panel Doors, Mouldings and Joinery. Briar Hill Timber owned by F. Squire and the Squire family owned a lot of land around Briar Hill and land for forest at Flowerdale. The 16 mm film photographed by H.V. Plowman (converted to DVD) shows all aspects of the operations of Briar Hill Timber from logging of trees, to milling to manufacture of joinery and housing framesMP4 00:13:12; 247MB Converted from DVD converted from VHS video converted from 16mm colour filmbriar hill timber, f. squire, olympic village, 1956 olympic games, timber mill, flowerdale, cinematography, briar hill, h.v. plowman, logging, video recording

Florence Ada Zull, known as Ada was an illustrator for the 'New Idea for Women" magazine. In 1961 she lived in Brunswick. From 1963 she and her husband Robert built a Alistair Knox designed house at Lot 8. Metery Road, Eltham "... Mum .. worked too during the week.. from the bungalow in Brunswick. The New Idea, a woman's magazine would send her the galley for the week's short story and she would illustrate an appropriate picture." - Sue Bennett (nee Zull), Eltham District Historical Society Newsletter, No 250 February 2020. In this issue Ada Zull has a full page illustration for part one of a story by Georgette Heyer. (page 12 and 13). Ada's son and daughter Susan model jumpers that were knitting competition prize winners at the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria's Royal Show including Mrs L.M. Fullerton. (page 15) This was the "Special Baby Issue". It includes articles on women in the Armed forces and marriage, Mrs Mary Jane Virtue a pilot, Egg dish recipes and a number of pages relating to baby care. Patterns for making a baby-sac, bonnet, jackets and babycot, advertising, letters, beauty column, patterns and other features. women's royal army corp, women's royal australian navy service, women's auxiliary australian air force, wrans, wrac, wraaf, marriage, mary jane virtue, ada zull, georgette heyer, royal agricultural society of victoria, royal melbourne show, l.m. fullerton, egg dishes, handcrafts, baby-care, magazine, women, 1961, susan zull, susan bennett

Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works. Yarra 2500 [base map]. 13-21, Parishes of Keelbundora 2856 and Nillumbik 3310, Municipality of Diamond Valley 257. Shows street names, easement sizes, lot numbers, lodged plan numbers, names of prominent features, contour values, creek or river names. Central Greensborough. Prominent streets: Main Street, Para Road, St Helena Road and Diamond Creek Road.MMBW Map in 1:2500 [scale] series. Cream parchment with green tape reinforcing on edges and punched holes on left edge.mmbw, melbourne and metropolitan board of works, shire of diamond valley, greensborough - maps

Copied from brochure "Wattle Valley Estate" 7 minutes from the bridge. The new bridge designed by Sir John Monash over the Diamond Creek near Hurst's home of 'Mia Mia' at Hurstbridge. The Wattle Valley Estate was first advertised in August 1925 as weekend building allotments by the Greater Melbourne Land and Development Company. Advertised from £28.10.0 or £60 per block. In August 1926, 30 picked allotments of 60x150 feet were put up for auction Saturday August 14, 1926 with frontages to Valley View Road and Fawkner Crescent advertised in the “Heart of the Glorious Wattle Country” and “Within 15 Minutes of the Newly Electrified Railway Station”. The Advertiser on August 13, 1926 in an article promoting the auction stated “the estate is regarded as one of the best in the district, and will be sold practically without reserve.” It is noted that an advertisement running in The Argus February 22, 1951 offered the remaining 16 blocks for sale at £12.10.0 or £200 the lot. By March 7, the remaining blocks were advertised at £17.10.0 The Wattle Valley Estate took over 20 years to sell and then people could not build on them This image was also used in a brochure advertising the "Wattle Valley Estate", which forms part of the Shire of Eltham Pioneers Photograph Collection (Cross Reference Photo No.(s): 1056, 1057)This photo forms part of a collection of photographs gathered by the Shire of Eltham for their centenary project book,"Pioneers and Painters: 100 years of the Shire of Eltham" by Alan Marshall (1971). The collection of over 500 images is held in partnership between Eltham District Historical Society and Yarra Plenty Regional Library (Eltham Library) and is now formally known as the 'The Shire of Eltham Pioneers Photograph Collection.' It is significant in being the first community sourced collection representing the places and people of the Shire's first one hundred years.Digital image 4 x 5 inch B&W Negshire of eltham pioneers photograph collection, hurstbridge, bridge, diamond creek (creek), monash bridge, wattle valley estate

Copied from brochure "Wattle Valley Estate". The new bridge designed by Sir John Monash over the Diamond Creek near Hurst's original home "Mia Mia" seen in the distance. Reprinted from brochure advertising "Wattle Valley Estate" 7 minutes from bridge. The Wattle Valley Estate was first advertised in August 1925 as weekend building allotments by the Greater Melbourne Land and Development Company. Advertised from £28.10.0 or £60 per block. In August 1926, 30 picked allotments of 60x150 feet were put up for auction Saturday August 14, 1926 with frontages to Valley View Road and Fawkner Crescent advertised in the “Heart of the Glorious Wattle Country” and “Within 15 Minutes of the Newly Electrified Railway Station”. The Advertiser on August 13, 1926 in an article promoting the auction stated “the estate is regarded as one of the best in the district, and will be sold practically without reserve.” It is noted that an advertisement running in The Argus February 22, 1951 offered the remaining 16 blocks for sale at £12.10.0 or £200 the lot. By March 7, the remaining blocks were advertised at £17.10.0 The Wattle Valley Estate took over 20 years to sell and then people could not build on them This image was also used in a brochure advertising the "Wattle Valley Estate", which forms part of the Shire of Eltham Pioneers Photograph Collection (Cross Reference Photo No.(s): 1056, 1057). Also cross reference SEPP_1028 / 29 for other views of Mia Mia. Part of a slide show presentation "Bridges & Waterways of the Shire" by Russell Yeoman to the 13 September 1989 Society meeting. The presentation included slides of historic photos from the Shire of Eltham Pioneers collections as well as several recent views. This photo forms part of a collection of photographs gathered by the Shire of Eltham for their centenary project book,"Pioneers and Painters: 100 years of the Shire of Eltham" by Alan Marshall (1971). The collection of over 500 images is held in partnership between Eltham District Historical Society and Yarra Plenty Regional Library (Eltham Library) and is now formally known as the 'The Shire of Eltham Pioneers Photograph Collection.' It is significant in being the first community sourced collection representing the places and people of the Shire's first one hundred years.Digital image 4 x 5 inch B&W Negshire of eltham pioneers photograph collection, hurstbridge, mia mia, bridge, diamond creek (creek), monash bridge, wattle valley estate

Picnickers enjoying a Sunday outing near the Wattle Valley Estate at Hurstbridge. Copied from brochure "Wattle Valley Estate". It is believed the picture is taken at the northwest corner of the intersection of Wattletree Road and Hurstbridge-Arthurs Creek Road looking southeast towards the township (most likely where the house is located on the property of what is today No. 2 Wattletree Road)- https://goo.gl/maps/VDorwCe1rJJUapjE6 According to a comment by Jean Verso (via @nillumbikcouncil FB page 3 Jan 2020) - "This view is from Wattle Tree Road with Haleys Gully Road to the right and across the creek to William Gray's nursery at Allwood. The building to the far left looks like Dorset House. The building on the left in the middle distance is still there today and has been used for storage and as a stable/tack room for a number of years." The Wattle Valley Estate was first advertised in August 1925 as weekend building allotments by the Greater Melbourne Land and Development Company. Advertised from £28.10.0 or £60 per block. In August 1926, 30 picked allotments of 60x150 feet were put up for auction Saturday August 14, 1926 with frontages to Valley View Road and Fawkner Crescent advertised in the “Heart of the Glorious Wattle Country” and “Within 15 Minutes of the Newly Electrified Railway Station”. The Advertiser on August 13, 1926 in an article promoting the auction stated “the estate is regarded as one of the best in the district, and will be sold practically without reserve.” It is noted that an advertisement running in The Argus February 22, 1951 offered the remaining 16 blocks for sale at £12.10.0 or £200 the lot. By March 7, the remaining blocks were advertised at £17.10.0 The Wattle Valley Estate took over 20 years to sell and then people could not build on them Cross Ref EDHS_02665 Rose Series Postcard P. 4341, "View at Hurstbridge, Vic." Also, other images from sales brochure SEPP_1055 / 1056This photo forms part of a collection of photographs gathered by the Shire of Eltham for their centenary project book,"Pioneers and Painters: 100 years of the Shire of Eltham" by Alan Marshall (1971). The collection of over 500 images is held in partnership between Eltham District Historical Society and Yarra Plenty Regional Library (Eltham Library) and is now formally known as the 'The Shire of Eltham Pioneers Photograph Collection.' It is significant in being the first community sourced collection representing the places and people of the Shire's first one hundred years.Digital image 4 x 5 inch B&W Neg1925, dorset house, fawkner crescent, haleys gully road, hurstbridge, hurstbridge-arthurs creek road, picnic, postcards, shire of eltham pioneers photograph collection, valley view road, wattle valley estate, wattletree road, exhibition yprl 2019-12

Rose Series Postcard P. 4341 “View at Hurstbridge, Vic.” Picnickers enjoying a Sunday outing near the Wattle Valley Estate at Hurstbridge. Copied from brochure "Wattle Valley Estate". It is believed the picture is taken at the northwest corner of the intersection of Wattletree Road and Hurstbridge-Arthurs Creek Road looking southeast towards the township (most likely where the house is located on the property of what is today No. 2 Wattletree Road)- https://goo.gl/maps/VDorwCe1rJJUapjE6 According to a comment by Jean Verso (via @nillumbikcouncil FB page 3 Jan 2020) - "This view is from Wattle Tree Road with Haleys Gully Road to the right and across the creek to William Gray's nursery at Allwood. The building to the far left looks like Dorset House. The building on the left in the middle distance is still there today and has been used for storage and as a stable/tack room for a number of years." The Wattle Valley Estate was first advertised in August 1925 as weekend building allotments by the Greater Melbourne Land and Development Company. Advertised from £28.10.0 or £60 per block. In August 1926, 30 picked allotments of 60x150 feet were put up for auction Saturday August 14, 1926 with frontages to Valley View Road and Fawkner Crescent advertised in the “Heart of the Glorious Wattle Country” and “Within 15 Minutes of the Newly Electrified Railway Station”. The Advertiser on August 13, 1926 in an article promoting the auction stated “the estate is regarded as one of the best in the district, and will be sold practically without reserve.” It is noted that an advertisement running in The Argus February 22, 1951 offered the remaining 16 blocks for sale at £12.10.0 or £200 the lot. By March 7, the remaining blocks were advertised at £17.10.0 The Wattle Valley Estate took over 20 years to sell and then people could not build on them Cross Ref SEPP_1057, “Popular Picnicing at Hurstbridge” rcopied from Wattle Valley estate sales brochure.Digital file only Postcards scanned from the collection of Michael Aitken on loan to EDHS, 13 Feb 20181925, dorset house, exhibition yprl 2019-12, fawkner crescent, haleys gully road, hurstbridge, hurstbridge-arthurs creek road, michael aitken collection, picnic, postcards, rose stereograph company, shire of eltham pioneers photograph collection, valley view road, wattle valley estate, wattletree road

Arched Bridge (Monash Bridge) The Rose Series P. 4036 Reproduced in a brochure advertising the "Wattle Valley Estate" 7 minutes from the bridge. The new bridge designed by Sir John Monash over the Diamond Creek near Hurst's original home "Mia Mia" seen in the distance. The Wattle Valley Estate was first advertised in August 1925 as weekend building allotments by the Greater Melbourne Land and Development Company. Advertised from £28.10.0 or £60 per block. In August 1926, 30 picked allotments of 60x150 feet were put up for auction Saturday August 14, 1926 with frontages to Valley View Road and Fawkner Crescent advertised in the “Heart of the Glorious Wattle Country” and “Within 15 Minutes of the Newly Electrified Railway Station”. The Advertiser on August 13, 1926 in an article promoting the auction stated “the estate is regarded as one of the best in the district, and will be sold practically without reserve.” It is noted that an advertisement running in The Argus February 22, 1951 offered the remaining 16 blocks for sale at £12.10.0 or £200 the lot. By March 7, the remaining blocks were advertised at £17.10.0 The Wattle Valley Estate took over 20 years to sell and then people could not build on them.Digital file only Postcards scanned from the collection of Michael Aitken on loan to EDHS, 13 Feb 2018michael aitken collection, postcards, hurstbridge, monash bridge, bridge, diamond creek (creek), mia mia, shire of eltham pioneers photograph collection, wattle valley estate

ID 5225 note: Further information relating to allotments marked on the hand-drawn plan are included in ID 5224 - Ringwood Station Estate.Typewritten letter from A.V. Greenwood with hand drawn plan of Ringwood Shop and Dwelling Estate, detailed description of property for sale, and top and side elevation views of house. (7 pages)(Transcript of first page - to unknown recipient) Phone 988 Central, 331 Canty Greenwood Pty. Ltd. 5 Flinders Street Melbourne. Dear Sir, 1. Attached please find drawings of my house at Ringwood. 2. It is for sale at £4,865 or to let at £5 per week to an approved tenant. 3. I sold it to Mr. De Garis and vacated it, but it is now back on my hands. 4. I leased another place instead of living in my own. I may be able to cancel same; in the meantime, however, I propose to sell or let my own. The painters are now going through the place; re-varnishing, re-oiling and re-polishing so that in about five days it will look "spick and span". 5. The house was specially built under my own supervision. 6. It is very suitable for a high class Guest House, Doctor's residence, Hospital or Convalescent Home. If you know of anyone whom it might suit, please communicate with them. DESCRIPTION 7. It stands on 305 feet of land facing Greenwood Avenue. It is cement, roughcast and hardwood, well oiled, and is now being redone so that the house is as good as new; red tile roof; verandahs three sides; two sleep-outs; five bedrooms; large dining room; very large music room with nooks, upstairs lounge, study; sewing room; built-in wardrobes and cupboards throughout; handsome kitchen with handsome pantry cupboard with drawers and glass front; one bath room; one shower room; wash house with patent copper and laundry. Every modern convenience, hot water system (through copper pipes with large copper cylinder) electric lights everywhere, outside and in, Yan Yean water laid on everwhere throughout house and gardens. Floors throughout are the very best, close set, stained and polished; dainty lead light windows etc. 8. There is a big garage, with tiled roof and two rooms with all conveniences for a married couple. Property is well drained with a system of its own. The house stands upon the top of a hill close to Railway Station, say 500 feet from the Footbridge. 9. The garden has expansive shrubs; sheds; fernery; tennis court. 10. A handsome piece of furniture goes with the house; a combination pantry and storeroom for groceries, milk, bread etc., consisting of drawers, glass and wire doors, as mentioned above. 11. It is within easy distance of Melbourne as it is only two minutes from Ringwood Station, which is a frequent electric train service bringing it within 39 minutes of the City. It is thought better by some to go further out into the country atmosphere and walk a short distance at the end than to go by train 20 minutes then walk 15 to 20 minutes. 12. The price quoted of £4,865 is made up as follows - 305 feet of land @ £5 ... £1,515 Garage and dwelling ... £300 House hot water system, American cupboard ... £2,600 Water, fencing, sheds & drain ... £250 For the lot ... £4,865 Should you require copies of the enclosed drawings I shall be pleased to supply same. 13. Mr. J.B. McAlpin is the local agent, Phone Ring. 7 (after hours Ring. 44) or you may phone me Central 988. 14. The house is south of the line, facing Greenwood Avenue and immediately at the back of Ringwood House, which is also my property. Yours sincerely, A.V. Greenwood (illegible) ..... (Transcript of second page) RINGWOOD SHOP AND DWELLING ESTATE See these letters on plan attached (H.) Ringwood House and Shops on 100 by 150 feet of land fronting Bedford Road 100 feet @ £10 per foot - £1,000 House and shops - £2,400 ... £3,400 Ringwood House consists of Boarding House, (Phone 101) and two shops, mainly brick; 9 inch walls. Will carry another story. Has music room, dining room, entrance halls, 10 bedrooms, large verandahs, all conveniences, hot and cold water, and stands on what will become a most valuable business corner. (F.)(G.) Mr. Greenwood's house, garage and sheds, stands on 307 feet of land fronting Greenwood Avenue. See detailed description attached ... £4,865 (J.) Cottage on Block 81 in William Street ... £750 (K.) Cottage in Pitt Street ... £650 (Total) £9,665 ..... (Description of third page - Subdivision Plan) Drawn by Edyth Greenwood, phone 988 Central. Subdivision includes Station Street, Pitt Street, Bedford Road, Wantirna Road, James Street, William Street (later Kendall Street), Greenwood Avenue, Ellison Street, and Haig Street. Circles denote blocks for sale. Squares denote house properties for sale. Other features marked include location of businesses along Main Street (Maroondah Highway), cool store, railway station, shop and police station on Bedford Road, church on Station Street, site of schoolmaster's residence and State School, and location of proposed public baths

A mining safety cage was used in a mine lift. It was fitted with mechanisms to prevent the cage from dropping if the lifting rope broke. In the 1870s in Victoria, deaths and injuries from falling cages in vertical shafts of gold mines were a major problem. The inventor of this safety cage was Robert Allan, a machinery maker of Creswick Rd, Ballarat. He said his cage featured a ‘dissolving’ fulcrum. Others called it an eccentric (off centre) system. Note the pair of clutch levers designed to grab the side guides if tension ceases in the suspending rope from the poppet head pulley. Also, the hinged ‘lids’; designed to protect miners trapped in a braked cage from falling rope, and to enable rescue of the miners. This model was presented to The Ballarat School of Mines Council in November 1876. This model was shown at the Smeaton Show in November 1874, Ballarat School of Mines Museum from 1876, and examined by the 1879 Victorian Board of Inquiry (Pg 15 of FedUni Catalogue 3437) From the Argus of 13 November 1874: At Smeaton Show, Robert Allan of Ballarat won 1st prize for a Model of a Mining Cage, a Butter working machine, a Cheese press and a Curd Mill. By 1878 an Allan Safety-Cage was in operation in the Number 6 shaft of the Band and Albion Consols mine in Ballarat. This cage was judged the best inspected by the Victorian Board of Inquiry by 1879, p. 39.Mining was a big industry in Ballarat in the late 1800s and a lot of deaths were recorded because of mining accidents, the development of the mining safety cage brake limited the deaths and injuries from falling cages in vertical shafts. The model also has links to the Ballarat School of Mines, being presented to the council in 1876. Ballarat School of Mines is the oldest Technical School in Australia and is a predecessor of Federation University. The model is significant to Ballarat's mining history.Model of a mine safety cafe. A grey painted wooden frame with metal model of cage and safety brake system. When tension ceases in rope a pair of crutch levers grab strongly onto the wooden guide strips which run down the sides of a vertical shaft. This safety cage was discussed in "Safety Mining Cages. Report of the Board of Enquiry on Safety Cages 1878-9; together with proceedings of the Board and Appendices".safety cage, mine cage safety brake, robert allan, model, safety cage model, machine maker, millwright, mining, gold mining, tools, equipment, victorian board of inquiry

In 1855 William and Elizabeth Box migrated from Sussex England to Melbourne and in 1868, 1869 purchased 2 x 10acre Lots in part of Henry Dendy's Special Survey Brighton 1841. A Cottage was already on the land and they established a flower garden and raised 13 children. In 1888 William sold one Lot and built a new Front House . William died 1902 and Elizabeth sold the land except 1 acre and retained both the Cottage and the Front House. After her death in 1914, her daughters Violet and Ada leased the Cottage and Front House to tenants until August Rietmann purchased the property in 1935. August Rietmann (1877-1951) of Lustdorf ,Switzerland, married Maria Frieda Oesschlager (2/2/1878- 22/7/1942) of Baden Baden, Germany on 6/8/1910. In August 8th 1915 August and his wife Frieda migrated to Melbourne, Victoria, Australia sailing on the Steam Ship ‘Osterley’ from Marseilles to Melbourne They leased Box Cottage, Ormond in 1917 and raised two children, Stefanie (1918 -2006) and William (1920- 1997). 1935 August purchased the property and the family used the Cottage during the day and slept in the Front House. August was a monumental mason, potter and sculptor, and was employed at Corbens Ltd Clifton Hill, to carve war memorials in Victoria post WW1 c 1915-1922. During the 1920's August set up his own business in pressed cement making pot plants, columns,paving slabs and lampstands. He continued to carve headstones and figures and took contract work for Artists eg Paul Mountford. He built a workshop in the Barn and used the Cottage for plaster moulding. His son William joined the business and and the family continued to use the site after August died in 1951. Rietmann Landscaping Ltd moved to Bay Road Highett in 1953 and later to Carrum. The land, containing the Box Cottage, was sold to Lewis Timber Pty Ltd in 1970 and Mr Lewis proposed that Moorabbin City Council should preserve the heritage Cottage. In 1984 the Cottage was dismantled and reconstructed in the adjacent Joyce Park. The Rietman family is an example of the diverse nationalities that lived and worked productively in Moorabbin Shire 1871–1933 , the City of Moorabbin 1934-1994 and continues today in the Cities of Glen Eira, Kingston, Bayside, and Monash. August, a sculptor and stone mason, was employed by Corben Pty Ltd Clifton Hill to carve WW1 Memorials before establishing his own successful masonry business in the Box Cottage during the latter 1920s. After becoming interested in pressed cement casting, he took on apprentices (1930s Depression) and among his products were garden furniture, pots and also street lamp standards, some of which were installed in St Kilda Road. After August’s death in 1951, his family continued the business ‘Rietman’s Landscaping Ltd.’, at Highett and Carrum.Photographs x 3 Black & White of the Front House with Pine Trees at Ormond and Frieda Rietmann in garden c1921 Photograph x 1 Colour Digital by Glen Lewis of these Pine Trees in situ Lewis Timber Pty Ltd Ormond 2020Handwritten a) path to Front House c 1921; b) Pine trees and Front House c) Frieda in garden c1921box william, box elizabeth, box cottage museum ormond, dendy henry, dendy's special survey brighton 1841, market gardeners, seedling nurseries, rietmann august, rietman august, rietmann frieda, rietman frieda, stonnington city town hall, war memorials, world war 1 1914-1918, rietman stefanie, rennick stefanie, francis stefanie, rietman william, rietman ray, mountford paul, malvern city town hall, joyce park ormond, rietman's landscaping pty ltd, bay road highett, macrobertson pty ltd, coleraine soldier memorial 1921

Sale of property of the estate of Charles McCarthy Stott, a local estate agent. Example of the progress of the Municipality of MoorabbinAdvertising flyer for outstanding Auction Sales in the estate of Charles McCarthy Stott (1870-1956).Saturday 1 June 1957 - 4 properties for sale in Beaumaris - Saturday 8 June 1957 - 4 properties for sale in Highett (x2), Moorabbin, Ormondormond, 33 wells road beaumaris, 7 & 9 douglas street beaumaris, 100 oak street beaumaris, 5 & 6 balcombe road beaumaris, 34 tennyson street highett, 13 leopold st ormond, lot 93 tennyson street highett, lot 52 delma st moorabbin, auction, real estate

Eleven pages titled Reweighs (Pigs). One page is dated 13/9/90. Pages are divided into columns with the agents names, Total No. Weigh, Columns titled Lots and TW are repeated across the page. Agents are: Dalgety, Elders, Hill, McGregor, M & T, McKean, Nevins, Nuttall, Rodwell, Vains, V.P.C., Webster & Co,bendigo, council, cattle markets, bendigo saleyards collection - reweighs of pigs, dalgety, elders, hill, mcgregor, m & t, mckean, nevins, nuttall, rodwell, vains, v.p.c., webster & co

Photocopy of Certificate of Title Vol 5525 Fol. 1104883, land fronting on Deep Creek Road, Mitcham being lot 136 on Plan of Subdivision No 8022, part of Crown Portion 128A, Parish of Nunawading, County of Bourke, in the name of Francisco Schwerkolt, 13 April 1929, on her death in 1946, probate granted to Charles Victor Schwerkolt.Passed to Frances Dora Hogan in 1947, Alice Maud Everitt in 1950, Charles Edward Everitt and Muriel Eileen Priscilla Edwards in 1953, Stanley Ernest Edward Dawson and Iris Rae Dawson in 1973, Glenn Joseph Benham and Judith Rae Benham in 1975 and Ernest Victor Copling and Barbara Ruth Copling in 1980.deep creek road, mitcham, schwerkolt, francesca, charles clarence victor, schwerkolt cottage, hogan, frances dora, everitt, alice maud, charles edward, edwards, muriel eileen priscilla, dawson, stanley ernest edward, iris rae, benham, glenn joseph, judith rae, copling, ernest victor, barbara ruth

Contract of sale for lots 20 & 21 together with weatherboard house, frontage to 7 Station Street Blackburn. Vendor Edgar Eriksson, purchaser Dorothy Ada Henwick, dated 13/10/1947.Contract of sale for lots 20 & 21 real estate, station street, blackburn, no 7, eriksson, edgar, fenwick, dorothy ada, frank fisher & co

"ST. PETER'S DAYLESFORD. General Communion and Breakfast. On Sunday November 9, a general Communion of the men; of the parish will be held in St Peter's Church, Daylesford. A communion breakfast will subsequently take place." Melbourne Advocate, 30 October 1930. "General Communion and Breakfast, Daylesford War Memorial Protest by Rev. Dr. Collins Rights of Catholics Ignored THE splendid Catholicity of the Daylesford parish was demonstrated on Sunday morning last when a general Communion of the men of the parish took place at the 8 o'clock Mass at St. Peter's Church. This proud and edifying demonstration of faith concluded a very successful mission in the parish, conducted by the Rev. Fr. O'Flynn, C.SS.R., and Rev. Fr. Frean, C.SS.R., Daylesford parish is fairly scattered, and from every corner of it came men to take their part in the general Communion. The missioners and the Rev. W. M. Collins. D.D., P.P.. have reason to be deeply gratified at the result of the mission. His Grace the Archbishop of Melbourne (Most Rev. Dr. Mannix) was the celebrant of the Mass. He was assisted in administering the Sacrament by Rev. Dr. Collins. At the close of the Mass the hymn, "Faith of Our Fathers." was sung. The breakfast was served in the Daylesford Town Hall, the men marching there from the church. More than 250 partook of breakfast. In the balcony were lady parishioners who wished to listen to the speeches. His Grace the Archbishop was at the head table, and with him were Rev. W. M. Collins, P.P.; Crs. Bolton and Gleeson (Shire of Glenlyon), and Courtney (Shire of Davlesford); Messrs. Cleary and Egan (Blampied). Mr. J. T. Murphy. Mr. Considine, and Mr. O'Donnell (BuIIarto). Several selections were played by the Holy Cross Convent orchestra, Daylesford, and the catering was admirably carried out by Mrs. Mann. It was a well-organised and successful function, and the general arrangements reflected the highest credit on the Rev. Dr. Collins and those associated with him. Much favourable comment was made upon the great success achieved. A WAR MEMORIAL SERVICE. Strong Protest by Rev. Dr. Collins. The Rev. Dr. Collins said it was no exaggeration for him to say that he was a proud pastor that day. He had reason to be proud of the magnificent demonstration of faith made by the Catholic men of the parish at St. Peter's Church. It was promoted by a supernatural motive, and the men were sure to get their reward. He knew that many men had attended at great sacrifice, and that numbers had to grope about in the early hours to get everything in readiness at their farms and dairies. He was deeply thankful for the fine response made by the men to his invitation, and no greater encouragement could be given to him in his work in the parish. They had made a creditable demonstration before the people of Daylesford, whose good opinion they valued and wanted to retain. Catholics were part of the community, and the community's troubles were their troubles. Generally they had a few of their own troubles, but they were not wanting in helping the community to bear its troubles. Just now they were passing through a difficult time. The surrounding shires seemed to be better off than Daylesford, but the municipal fathers at Daylesford had spent a lot of money wisely in attracting tourists to the beautiful district. The money spent, he was certain, would come back a hundredfold. They appreciated the good work done by the municipal authorities, and were prepared to do their part in shoulder-ing their civic obligations. A Frankly Protestant Memorial Service. He could not let the occasion pass without calling the attention of the Daylesford people to an injustice that was being done the Catholic body, unwittingly he believed. Hie referred to the ceremony for the unveiling of the Soldiers' Memorial. It had been decided to adopt a frankly Protestant service. Catholics could not take part in a non-Catholic service, and that was not due in any way to any recent whim or caprice. Catholics had made common sacrifices, and the war memorial should stand for the Catholic boys who had fallen as well as non-Catholic soldiers. Catholics had contributed towards the cost of the memorial, and yet a programme had been adopted on the occasion of the public unveiling that excluded Catholics from taking part. They had a right to be at the ceremony, but it was asking them too much to shed their principles in order to be present. Their forefathers did not shed their principles when there was much more at stake, and they did not intend to shed theirs. They took that stand for Faith, and were still loyal citizens of Australia. The great majority, he was certain, did not realise the difficulties of Catholics, and that the stand taken was a matter of principle. There was always a minority, however, who were ever ready to score a victory over Rome at any price. Thanks to Non-Catholics. Having made his protest, he would not be honest if he did not express his gratitude to many non-Catholics in Daylesford for their help. In the Boxing Day carnival, which was their principal effort on behalf of the schools, non-Catholics gave splendid support, which he very much appreciated. The success of the carnival was dependent to a large extent on the generous help of Protestants. He trusted that the Catholic men generally would take note of what he said, and turn over a new leaf, as so many new leaves had been turned over since the mission. Missioners and Nuns Thanked. The work of the Redemptorist Fathers had been fruitful of results in the parish, and what they had done had paved the way for the magnificent men's demonstration. He wished heartily to thank the Fathers, and his thanks were also due to the Holy Cross Convent. If the Faith were strong in Daylesford, it was largely due to the Catholic schools in the district. They should never forget the Presentation nuns, and should be prepared to help them in every possible way. He was very thankful to the Rev. Mother for her kindness in entertaining many at the convent, and also for providing the orchestra at the Communion breakfast. A Splendid Success. He was greatly delighted at the presence of his Grace the Archbishop. When he started to talk about the breakfast, many told him it would not be a success. First of all, it was intended to hold the breakfast in the schoolroom, but the response was so good that it was considered they should get the Rex Theatre. Finally, they were compelled to take the Town Hall in order to accommodate the large number who purchased tickets. The presence of his Grace gave additional lustre to the successful demonstration. He was proud of the men of the parish, and hoped God would bless them and their families. (Applause.) The first toast honoured was that of "The Pope and the King." WELCOME TO HIS GRACE Proposing the toast of "His Grace the Archbishop," Cr. J. Bolton said he wished to congratulate the Rev. Dr. Collins on the wonderful success of the two functions. All parts of the parish were represented at the general Communion in St. Peter's Church, and it was an inspiring spectacle. It showed that the Faith was deep and strong in Daylesford. A great privilege had been given to them, and they owed grateful thanks to the Rev. Dr. Collins. He wished to welcome his Grace the Archbishop, and he trusted that he would enjoy his visit to the district. The country was passing through a difficult time at present, and it required plenty of clear thinking and acting to put things right again. He hoped his Grace would touch on the situation, and give them the benefit of his thoughtful and wellreasoned views. Whatever his Grace said would be worth listening to. (Applause.) THE ARCHBISHOP CONGRATULATES PASTOR AND PEOPLE. DAYLESFORD A MODEL PARISH. His Grace the Archbishop said he need not assure them that he came to Daylesford with great pleasure. His visits to Daylesford were always pleasant, but the present visit was additionally pleasant and memorable because he had the opportunity of assisting at one of the most inspiring functions that it had ever been his good fortune to attend. He was really touched to the heart when he stood on the altar and saw the beautiful St. Peter's Church—there were few churches to compare with it in the country—filled with the men of Daylesford and of the surrounding districts. Practically all the Catholic men in the parish were present at the general Communion, and it gave him very deep satisfaction and genuine pleasure to be amongst them. As the Rev. Dr. Collins and Cr. Bolton had said, it was a proof of the depth and soundness of the Faith of the Catholic people of the parish. He wished to congratulate the Rev. Dr. Collins upon the magnificent success that had attended his efforts since he came to Daylesford. He thought the Rev. Dr. Collins had been a very happy man since he took up work in the parish. He came to Daylesford more or less broken in health, and his best friends were doubtful whether his health would stand the strain of parochial duty. However, he had never looked back. He doubted if Dr. Collins would care to leave Daylesford, unless he were appointed Prefect of Propaganda, Rome, or some very high distinction was conferred on him. At all events, things had gone on well with Dr. Collins since he came to Daylesford, and he could see some of the reason for it in looking at the fine gathering before him. The Rev. Dr. Collins was a very zealous and spiritual man, and his lot had been cast amongst people who had responded to his labours. ... (Melbourne Advocate, 13 November 1930) Black and white photograph taken in Daylesford Town Hall depicting numerous men standing, and sitting at tables during the St Peter's Catholic Church Communion Breakfast. Arch Bishop Daniel Mannix stands centre back.st peter's catholic church, daylesford, communion breakfast, daylesford town hall, daniel mannix, george gervasoni, gus gervasoni

Cone shape shell 76mm brass and wood76mm ARMD C/RW175/LOT MF/10/1970 MIDDLE CIRCUMFERENCE : N0.15 II ERL 4/RB 2/1 MF AP 13.C.MY.7.71

Yields information about the last day of SEC Tramway operations in Ballarat and has a strong association with the archivist. Photos taken at night and show sing marked "The End"Set of 13 - 35mm negatives, of the last day of operations in Ballarat on 19-9-1971 taken by Warren Doubleday at night .1 - 40 at Sebastopol .2 - Some how I got onto the tram No. 40 fully loaded .3 - ditto .4 - yes there is always room for more. .5 - squish - lots of passengers .6 - ditto .7 - 39 and Scrubber ,8 - 40 running into the depot .9 - ditto .10 - running into the depot building .11 - The doors are closed .12 -The End 13 - The End trams, tramways, closure, depot, sebastopol, tram 40

Yields information about the Depot and how equipment was provided in the depot and some of the tramcars.Sixteen Digital images taken by George Coop during the period 1968 - 1970, of SEC trams at the Depot and workshops in Wendouree Parade. .1 - 36 in depot with chain block, chains, jacks and other equipment in the view. .2 - view of the inspection pit on 4 road with the large jack in the pit. .3 - 39 on "0" road - photo has been "framed" with a blue line. .4 - 26 in the paint and wood shop area of the workshops. .5 - 43 in the depot. .6 - 42 and the 1 road pit. .7 - ditto, with a window cleaner - photo has been "framed" with a blue line. .8 - 35 and 36 .9 - roof top view - photo has been "framed" with a blue line. .10 - 27 and many spare wheels in the view, along with jacks. .11 41 and other trams showing the pit, spare parts and equipment - photo has been "framed" with a blue line. .12 18 at the front of the depot. .13 View of a 22E bogie with autumn leaves .14 - as for .4, - photo has been "framed" with a blue line. .15 - Scrubber car on "0" road and lots of autumn leaves. .16 - View of the depot view with 39 on "0" road and 18 on "3" road. trams, tramways, depot, workshops, scrubber tram, tram 36, tram 27, tram 41, tram 18, tram 39, scrubber, tram 39, tram 26, tram 43, tram 42, tram 35, tram 36

Yields information about the nature of Lydiard St North and the trams used.Agfa colour slide, white cardboard mount, photo by Keith Caldwell on 12/3/1962 of: Tram 13 northbound in Lydiard St North with lots of passengers and children. Tram has the destination of Lydiard St North and has an The Age advert on the front dash panel..In ink "Lydiard St Nth #13 12.3.62"tramways, trams, lydiard st north, tram 13

Yields information about the centenary celebrations of electric trams in Ballarat in 2005 and some of the people involved.Set of 15 colour prints of Ballarat Horse Tram No. 1 and Bendigo 17 in Wendouree Parade and St Aidans Drive during the celebrations for the centenary of electric trams in Ballarat - 25/9/2005. .1 - No. 26 at the loop .2 - No. 1 at the loop .3 - 26 and 1 at loop .4 - 1, ? and 17 at loop with lots of people .5 - 1 leaving the loop .6 - 1, 17 and 28 at loop .7 - ditto .8 - 28 and 1 at loop - Roger Salen and Austin Brehaut .9 - 1 arriving at the loop from Depot Junction .10 - 1 at loop - side on view .11 - 1 at loop - Alan Bradley and friends. .12 - 1 at loop .13 - ditto .14 - 17 and 28 at loop .15 - 1 at loop - Alan Bradley and friends. Printed on Kodak Royal Paper. Earl Ewers photograph. trams, tramways, bendigo, centenary, wendouree parade, btm, tram 17, tram 1, tram 26, tram 28

This pair of milk bottles, produced for the Model Dairy in Cotham Road, Kew, were donated by Vik Sabaliauskas. They belonged to his father who worked at Model Dairy in the 1950s and 1960s. Vik wrote about his father: "As for my father, his whole life story is interesting. He was part of the big immigration program after WW2. He was a displaced person in Germany like lots of others who came out looking for a new life. Our family name is actually SABALIAUSKAS which is of Lithuanian descent. My Dad was also named Vik (Viktoras). He was known as Big Vik and I was little Vik. He arrived in Australia in 1947 and then did his 2 years of work organised by the Government and then he came to Melbourne. We lived in Tyler St Preston and he rode his pushbike to and from Kew every working day for years. In my estimation that was about 13 kms for about 6 or 7 years. Imagine that happening today. Freezing Winter mornings and hot Summer afternoons. His English was poor but he had a great work ethic like all European immigrants. His duties related to maintaining and operating all the machines. One story that he told me about was that after I was born (in 1959) he made friends with one of the drivers who delivered milk to the dairy. He asked him to get a container of milk from the farmer everyday which was just for me. I remember going to the Model Dairy Family Christmas parties which were always well patronised. I also remember visiting him in the PANCH Hospital (Bell Street Preston) where he was treated for kidney stones caused by drinking very creamy milk. He wasn't happy when he was told by the doctor to cut back on milk. My Dad was one month short of his 95th birthday when he died and he lived a pretty healthy life." (2019)Kew was a major milk producing district in the Nineteenth and early Twentieth centuries, with three major dairy farms lining the Yarra between Studley Park in the west and Burke Road in the east. In addition to these dairy producers, there were also a number of accredited dairy retailers in the suburb. The largest and most enduring of these was the Model Dairy founded by the Kew pioneer James Venn Morgan. Milk bottles that include the name of the producer or retailer are historically significant as they represent a period in Kew's history before the mass production of milk in the second half of the Twentieth Century. A number of these named bottles have the additional attribute of rarity.Pair of plastic milk bottles, designated on the front as to be used in the refigerator on on picnics. One bottle has a red screw on lid and the other a green lid. The bottles are semi-transparent. [The record also includes a photograph of Vic Sabaliauskas, provided by his son. The photograph dates from the period when he was employed at the Model Dairy].Impressed on the front of both bottles: "Unbreakable picnic and refrigerator bottle made expressly for Model Dairy Pty Ltd Cotham Rd Kew"dairies - kew, model dairy - cotham road - kew (vic)