Contract of sale of land dated 23rd May, 1956 between Mrs. M. A. L. Tobin - Mrs N. McMahon as executors of estate G. C. La Franz - deceased (sellers) and Mr. A. C. & Mrs. M. E. Tait (purchaser). Property: land being part of Crown allotment 6 section 12B Parish of Sandhurst City of Bendigo, land described in certificate of title volume 2592 folio 274 and having a frontage to Violet Street, Bendigo, together with all buildings thereon, fly wire doors, window screens and gas stove and blinds. Price: 4,075 pounds.organization, business, h.a. & s.r wilkinson real estate

Contract of sale of land dated 15th December, 1955 between Mrs. B. J. Meehan (vendor) and Mrs. M. C. Thomson (purchaser). Property: that piece of land being part of Crown allotment 12 section 125C Parish of Sandhurst City of Bendigo, land being described in certificate of title volume 084 folio 756 and situate No. 37 Garsed Street Corner Edward Street, Bendigo, together with 6 roomed brick dwelling and all sundry outbuildings, also all blinds, all linos with the exception of lino in the lounge, all electric light fittings and shades with the exception of those in the hall and gas griller. Price: 2,300 pounds. Attached 2 copies of letter signed by Mrs. B. J. Meehan giving Mrs. Thomson the option to purchase the property for the sum of 2,350 pounds until 6PM Wednesday 14th December, 1995, the letter is dated 12th December, 1955.organization, business, h.a. & s.r wilkinson real estate

Contract of sale of land dated 4th August, 1951 between Mr. R. J. Eddy (vendor) and Mrs. E. R. Tieman (purchaser). Property: land being part of Crown allotment 18 section 54C Parish of Sandhurst City of Bendigo, land comprised in certificate of title volume 7150 folio 1429983 and situate No. 30 Gratten Street, Bendigo, together with 5 roomed weatherboard dwelling, all sundry outbuildings, also all linen roller blinds, all linos on floors, gas bath-heather, gas copper, electric sink heather and all wire doors and windows screens. Price: 2,425 pounds.organization, business, h.a. & s.r wilkinson real estate

Contract of sale of land dated 8th november, 1956 between mr. S. A. & Mrs. D. J. Wilkinson (vendor) and Mrs. H. D. Simms (purchaser). Property: land being part of Crown allotment 21 section 97C Parish of Sandhurst cCity of Bendigo, land describedin certificate of title volume4161 folio 086 and situate 435 Hargreave Street, Bendigo, together weatherboardand rough cast dwelling and sundry outbuildinds, alsomall floor coverings, blinds, curtains, gas griller, electric light fittings and shades Price: 3,375.organization, business, h.a. & s.r wilkinson real estate

Blackburn Engineer, John Wishart, has invented gas producer used in 1940 Bathurst race, electric home generator which provided power to country properties. His best known invention is the Wishart Engine system,. Visit to Trade fair in Atlanta, Georgia in 1982wishart, john, gas producer, electric generator, wishart engine, engineering, inventions

Built on site of Northrope's original bark residence (1890c).Colour photograph of a property known as Bunga Haven at 127 Lake Bunga Road. A timber dwelling with corrugated iron roof overlooking Lake Bunga and Bass Strait. Set in rustic garden and native bushland. Dropped log boundary fence and brush gate. Lakes Entrance Victoriaoil and gas industry

Pru Sanderson, in her groundbreaking ‘City of Kew Urban Conservation Study : Volume 2 - Development History’ (1988), summarised the periods of urban development and subdivisions of land in Kew. The periods that she identified included 1845-1880, 1880-1893, 1893-1921, 1921-1933, 1933-1943, and Post-War Development. These periods were selected as they represented periods of rapid growth or decline in urban development. An obvious starting point for Sanderson’s groupings involved population growth and the associated economic cycles. These cycles also highlighted urban expansion onto land that was predominantly rural, although in other cases it represented the decline and breakup of large estates. A number of the plans in the Kew Historical Society’s collection can also be found in other collections, such as those of the State Library of Victoria and the Boroondara Library Service. A number are however unique to the collection.The Kew Historical Society collection includes almost 100 subdivision plans pertaining to suburbs of the City of Melbourne. Most of these are of Kew, Kew East or Studley Park, although a smaller number are plans of Camberwell, Deepdene, Balwyn and Hawthorn. It is believed that the majority of the plans were gifted to the Society by persons connected with the real estate firm - J. R. Mathers and McMillan, 136 Cotham Road, Kew. The Plans in the collection are rarely in pristine form, being working plans on which the agent would write notes and record lots sold and the prices of these.The subdivision plans are historically significant examples of the growth of urban Melbourne from the beginning of the 20th Century up until the 1980s. A number of the plans are double-sided and often include a photograph on the reverse. A subdivision plan for nineteen ‘bonny, airy building blocks’ on either side of Violet Grove, Kew East. Violet Grove runs between High Street and Harp Road. Like many other subdivisions in Kew and East Kew, older houses (Lots 1 and 13) were often included in the subdivision. Such houses were in some instances the original properties that were subdivided, or in the case of the Violet Grove subdivision, new houses such as the weatherboard villa on lot 13. This villa is advertised as having a tiled roof, 5 rooms, panelled hall, double doors (Rooms 14 x 12 ft. 6 in. (2) 14 x 12, 12 x 11, 13 x 11). A bricked front verandah, a tiled stove recess and existing sewerage connection added to its saleable potential. Water, electric light and power, and gas were all offered as part of the deal. Violet Grove now has about 35 houses, which indicates that the 19 lots of the subdivision were to be further subdivided by purchasers. [A similar plan is in the Batten & Percy Collection of the State Library of Victoria.]subdivision plans - east kew, violet farm estate, violet grove -- kew (vic.), boorool road -- kew (vic.), harp road -- kew east (vic.)

Established in 1897, Baker and Woods were initially electricians. The property in Hargreaves was taken over by a saddler and Baker and Woods moved to premises at 313 Hargreaves Street. The business expanded to include photographic equipment, phonographs and phot development. In 1903, Baker and Woods were responsible for converting the gas lighting in the Bendigo Town Hall to electricity. A fire caused by a short circuit caused extensive damage to the building in 1914.Baker & Woods Electrical Engineers and Photo Stock Dealers. Cream paper with Black print. At the top Hargreaves Street, Bendigo, Docket 221. Bought of Baker & Woods, Electrical Engineers and Photo Stock Dealers. Written in Pencil on the Docket is *Prairie. July 18 1914. Mr J. R. Stephens. Items listed:- Developing Film 1/6, Printing 24 Postcards 3/- 6/, postage -4p = 7/10. On the back written in blue biro is - 1290B. Box 625business, retail, photography, hargreaves street bendigo. baker & woods.

Established in 1897, Baker and Woods were initially electricians. The property in Hargreaves was taken over by a saddler and Baker and Woods moved to premises at 313 Hargreaves Street. The business expanded to include photographic equipment, phonographs and phot development. In 1903, Baker and Woods were responsible for converting the gas lighting in the Bendigo Town Hall to electricity. A fire caused by a short circuit caused extensive damage to the building in 1914.Baker & Woods Electrical Engineers and Photo Stock Dealers: Cream paper with black print. At the top is *Hargreaves Street, Bendigo 1914. Brought of Baker & Woods, Electrical Engineers and photo Stock Dealers. Docket no. 221. Hand written in pencil is Prairie. Mr J.R. Stephens. Items purchased were:- 1 No. 3 A film, 6 Exposure cost 1/9. Dated July 18th 1914. Box 625business, retail, photography, hargreaves street. baker & woods.

Set of six photocopied plans or drawings on A3 sheet of Clifton Hill car shed - 3/1937 Some of the sheets overlap with each other. .1 - P? - Plan showing depot block, building plan and track plans .2 - P7689 - Plan of Land - dated 6-3-1937 .3 - P7690 - same as sheet one, but shows date and drawing number .4 - P? - part of shed with notes hand written on it - changes made to buildings - notes condensers and gas storage - possibly for the gas producer buses. .5 - part of plan with hand written notes .6 - dittotrams, tramways, drawings, depots, property, clifton hill cable tram depot, cable trams, world war 2, buses

The present store was built circa 1900 to replace another which had been destroyed by fire in 1898, which had replaced a predecessor on the opposite side of the road in 1865. The store was also used as a post office until early 2000s. The general store is historically significant because it has a long association with Kangaroo Ground and has been an important centre of community life for more than 120 years - Council meetings used to be conducted in the front room of the store at a time when Kangaroo Ground rivalled Eltham as the major centre of the Shire. The general store is historically and aesthetically significant as one of a group of three well preserved public buildings in the Kangaroo Ground hamlet and as a major heritage component of Kangaroo Ground which was one of the earliest settled areas of the Shire and which has the character of an English village rather than an Australian settlement. Covered under Heritage Overlay, Nillumbik Planning Scheme. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p77 Today the general store is an uncommon form of trade but the one at Kangaroo Ground continues a long tradition of friendliness and service. For more than 100 years it has been a centre of community life. In the settlement’s early days a previous general store, on the same site, was the meeting place for the Eltham District Road Board, precursor to the Eltham Shire Council. For years Kangaroo Ground rivalled Eltham as the shire’s major centre. It developed very differently from the rest of the shire as its rich soil attracted prosperous Presbyterian Scots who had large agricultural properties.1 The present store was built to replace another one, which had burnt down in 1898, after replacing a predecessor on the other side of the road in 1865. The store retains its outward character and its cellar, although inside it has changed considerably. It now includes a café and offers local produce, milk bar products, grocery items, gas and other fuel. Until early this century the store was also used as a post office. Kangaroo Ground’s first postmaster was Andrew Ross, who first operated from the school opposite, then from his hotel next to the present tennis court site. The first postmaster at this store was Edward Weller, followed in 1868 by James Anderson. At that time a mail coach ran three times a week between Eltham and Woods Point through Kangaroo Ground, Yarra Flats, Healesville, Fernshaw, Marysville and Matlock. Some early postmasters were Rodger, McLaughlin, Greenway and Burns.2 Burns was the only postmaster operating from the store. The others operated from Andrew Ross’s hotel. The mail service improved in 1892 when coaches ran from Melbourne to Queenstown (now known as St Andrews) and changed horses at Kangaroo Ground twice daily. The only telegraph office in the district at that time was at the Kangaroo Ground Post Office. Telegrams to outlying areas such as Queenstown and Kinglake had to be sent by hand. A local resident in the early 1900s often rode his pony to deliver telegrams and was paid one shilling a mile porterage. The store has also contributed to the lighter side of Kangaroo Ground life. During the years that Con Wraight owned the store, between 1906 and 1946, a new piano was needed for the Kangaroo Ground Hall, so monthly dances were held to raise money. When the piano was bought, a grand ball was held in the Kangaroo Ground Hall to celebrate the occasion and supper followed at Mr Wraight’s barn, cleaned especially for the occasion. Every New Year’s Eve, a Scottish piper would set off from between the store and the schoolhouse, playing his pipes, and march to Cameron’s Pigeon Bank homestead on the Kangaroo Ground-Warrandyte Road. Between 1914 and 1922, the store was a station for the Kangaroo Ground Bush Fire Brigade’s tanker. It consisted of a wooden barrel on a cart, fitted with a hand-pump, and stood on the side of the road outside the store. Joy Ness, who belonged to an early Kangaroo Ground family, moved here in 1940 and recalled her impressions of the store at that time: ‘It was a very dark shop stained in a dark colour and on the walls just below the ceiling hung hurricane lamps, ropes, kitchen utensils and other goods for sale. ‘Goods were weighed on a brass scale with weights, on which mothers also weighed their babies, because the nearest Infant Welfare Centre was at Greensborough. The bacon was cut with a hand slicer and later a pot-bellied stove warmed the store. Farmers and other locals used to gossip around it as they collected their daily mail. In those days the butter and cheese were kept in the cellar as no ice was delivered for cooling.’This collection of almost 130 photos about places and people within the Shire of Nillumbik, an urban and rural municipality in Melbourne's north, contributes to an understanding of the history of the Shire. Published in 2008 immediately prior to the Black Saturday bushfires of February 7, 2009, it documents sites that were impacted, and in some cases destroyed by the fires. It includes photographs taken especially for the publication, creating a unique time capsule representing the Shire in the early 21st century. It remains the most recent comprehenesive publication devoted to the Shire's history connecting local residents to the past. nillumbik now and then (marshall-king) collection, eltham-yarra glen road, kangaroo ground general store

Newspaper article: A sustainable award, Diamond Valley Leader, 1 November2006, Architect and building Llewellyn Pritchard won resource Efficiency Housing Award, finalist in HIA Greensmart Building of the Year Award. House – Environmental Leader (Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p186) In 2006 environmental awareness was mushrooming in the community, which is reflected in the award-winning house at Main Road near Wattletree Road, Eltham. At first sight, the building appears a mix of a classic Eltham mud-brick house and an avant-garde building style. The crown of solar panels stretching along the width of the curved roof, indicates that this is no ordinary house. In fact it signals a new building trend of minimal impact on the environment. Yet it utilises the environment with high technical expertise to achieve comfort and cut running and maintenance costs. In recognition of this, its designer/builder, Conscious Homes, won the 2006 National HIA Greensmart Resource Efficiency Award. For Conscious Homes director, Llewellyn Pritchard, this house reflects a philosophy, strengthened by his connection with Aboriginal culture, through his foster siblings. Pritchard believes the sustainable way indigenous Australians lived and their spiritual connection with land, demonstrates how humanity is part of the ecology. His interest in environmental design stemmed from growing up in bushy Eltham Shire, with its mud-brick tradition. This was followed by studying Architecture at RMIT in the early 1980s, and learning about passive solar design. Pritchard says this house demonstrates that environmental sustainability is not about sacrifice, but about exceptional levels of occupant comfort, savings in running costs and modern fittings and appliances.1 The solar panels on the north roofs are intentionally obvious to make a statement about what the building is doing. But inside the systems are hidden and interactive with conventional services, such as the underground water tank. The house is water and energy self-sufficient and at 12 squares is much smaller than conventional houses, to minimise resources. Yet it accommodates his family of four with three bedrooms, a living/dining and kitchen area and a bathroom/laundry. Importantly the building is designed to last hundreds of years, by being able to be modified as the need arises, such as for commercial use. In this way the structure minimises its environmental impact. The solid double mud-brick walls (which are insulated) include steel beams and supporting frame, allowing the future removal or alteration of any section. The materials are local, recycled and of low toxicity where possible.2 Inside and out, the mud-brick is rendered and sealed with a combination of cement and sand and a mud-based coating in a soft golden hue increases its life. Inside, the golden-brown timber is plantation Mountain Ash and the concrete floors throughout – of local stone aggregate with a clear seal – have a natural looking random stone appearance. The house sustains a stable temperature of around 20 degrees, assisted by the concrete slab floor. The many large double-glazed windows and highlights (windows set high on walls) provide cross-flow ventilation. The north-facing living area maximises heating from the lower winter sun and is cooler in summer, because the sun is higher. Heating comes from a solar hydronic slab system. All appliances and fittings are high efficiency energy or water rated. Appliances in the timber kitchen include a gas stove and a dishwasher, using the building’s own power and water. French doors open from the living area to a deck, concealing the treatment system for all waste water. This is pumped through sub-soil drippers to the indigenous garden beds and no-dig vegetable patch. Below the carport is the 80,000-litre rainwater tank and at the back, the boiler room houses the solar boiler, water tank access, domestic water supply pump, filter gear and hydronic slab heating controls. The solar system is backed up with gas, which is needed to heat water only in winter. Gas used is less than one quarter of that for an average home with ducted heating. Excess power is fed back to the grid and the building uses about one quarter of the mains electricity of an average home. Other local builders have followed Pritchard’s lead in resource efficiency for minimal environmental impact.main road, eltham, businesses, llewellyn pritchard, hia greensmart building of the year award., efficiency housing award, conscious homes australia pty ltd