Reproduced from "The Weekly Times", 14th June 1902, page 10. 06 Jun 1902 Cross Reference Photo No.(s): 602, 604 Source: La Trobe Library and National Library, Canberra THE HEIDELBERG TO ELTHAM RAILWAY. OPENING CEREMONY. The opening of the railway line from Heidelberg to Eltham took place on the 6th inst. The special train, containing a large number of members of Parliament, including Mr Trenwith, the Minister for Railways, left Prince's Bridge at half-past eleven, and arrived at Eltham at twenty minutes past twelve. The party was accompanied by Mr Fitzpatrick, Acting Commissioner for Railways; Mr Lockhead, the Traffic Manager; and Mr Norman, Engineer for Existing Lines. On arrival, the visitors were entertained at a banquet in the marquee, of which a photograph is given, erected close to the railway station. Mr E. H. Cameron, M.L.A., the member for the district, occupied the chair, and, seated on his right, was Mr Mason, the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, and on his left the Minister of Rail-ways. After the banquet His Excellency the Governor-General arrived, and was received and welcomed by Mr Cameron, the local State school children singing the National Anthem. The Governor-General, in declaring the line open, said that he felt highly honored at being asked to perform the opening ceremony, and he trusted that the railway would be a source of great convenience to the inhabitants of the district. He was sorry to say that this would be the last opportunity he would have of seeing them. It cost him a great deal to leave them. (Hear, hear.) He had a great many friends amongst all sections of the community, and he could hardly bear to trust himself to speak about leaving them. (Hear, hear.) He was sorry Lady Hopetoun was on the high seas, and unable to accompany him that day. Mr Cameron thanked his Excellency for performing the opening ceremony, and hoped the trip home would have the effect of restoring His Excellency to good health again. In replying. Lord Hopetoun thanked them sincerely for the cordial vote of thanks. He hoped Providence would shower her blessings over them, and that they would have a series of good seasons. He would always keep a warm corner in his heart for the people of Victoria. (Loud cheers.) THE COUNTRY. In our illustrations, views are given of a couple of sections of the new line, and glimpses of the surrounding country are shown. The line is eight miles in length, and cost £51,000 in construction. Eltham, which is the terminus, possesses many of the features that go to make a favorite holiday resort. It is a quiet picturesque little hamlet, snugly ensconced on the slope of one of many sombre-tinted hills by which it is sur-rounded. Even when viewed under ad-verse conditions one could not fail to be-impressed with the natural, rugged beauty of the place. It is situated about sixteen miles from Melbourne, and the line takes a circuitous course through a continuation of pretty undulating country. At intervals on the slopes of the surrounding green-mantled hills, patches of brown, freshly tilled soil indicate that for all its serene reposeful-ness Eltham possesses its phases of industrial life as well. Looking down into this valley from the main road which skirts the slope of a hill, distant something less than a quarter of a mile from the railway station is one of the prettiest pieces of scenery in the district. Verdure-clad hills ascend on all sides, whilst beneath stretches a broad expanse of carpet-like green sward, dotted here and there with picturesque homesteads, each with its patches of tilled soil. In the township itself the dwelling-houses are comparatively few, the larger portion of the inhabitants residing in the scattered homesteads. Eltham is as yet only in its youth, but energetic and un-tiring public men can effect wonders in a community's prosperity, and Eltham, whatever other real or imaginary advantages it may lay claim to, certainly possesses this one. The railway is the result of their endeavor. 1902 'THE HEIDELBERG TO ELTHAM RAILWAY.', Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 - 1954), 14 June, p. 14. , viewed 26 Sep 2018, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article221230719This 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 35mm B&W negativesepp, shire of eltham pioneers photograph collection, eltham, heidelberg-eltham railway extension

'Fulling', the half-hectare property at Pitt Street, Eltham was the home of landscape designer Gordon Ford and his wife Gwen. Ford bought the property in 1948, originally part of an orchard. The garden encapsulates the major trends of Australian garden design in the second half of the 20th century. The garden design is based on mass (plants) and void (paths and pools), textures and forms. It epitomises the Eltham style because of its relaxed informality and attraction to native wildlife. The mud brick house and designed and built by Ford commenced in 1948. Several extensions were added up to 1970 and were built by Graham Rose (Source: information panel for exhibition, n.d.) Covered under Heritage Overlay, Nillumbik Planning Scheme. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p147 A narrow timber gate opens onto a garden that has had a huge impact on natural garden development in Australia since the 1950s.1 Fulling, the half-hectare property at Pitt St, Eltham, was the home of the landscape designer, Gordon Ford, who died in 1999. The garden ‘encapsulates the major trends of Australian garden design in the second half of the 20th century...and epitomises the Eltham style of garden’.2 It in turn, was influenced by several Victorian major landscape designers of the mid 20th century – Ellis Stones, Peter Glass and Edna Walling. The gate opens onto a sandy gravel path, one of several, which wind around dramatic pools and what appear to be natural bush, but on close inspection are carefully integrated native, indigenous and exotic plantings. Retaining walls and steps of rock through the garden link different terrace levels. Lichen-covered boulders serve as steps across a pool, leading to the triple level mud-brick house. Ford bought the property, which was originally part of an orchard, in 1948. As the son of a Presbyterian minister, Ford received a good education, which included learning Latin. This was advantageous when he worked in plant sales for the Forestry Commission, before the Second World War. In the late 1940s, however, Ford turned to building and landscape gardening. He worked on the Busst house, an early mud-brick building designed by Alistair Knox and at the same time, Ford was employed by Ellis Stones. Knox described Ford as, ‘one of the funniest men of the district. ...Rocky’s (Ellis Stones) Depression stories and Gordon’s memory and quick tongue made the jobs the most enjoyable of all those hysterical times that made Eltham the centre of the eternal laugh, between the years of 1945 and 1950’.3 Ford’s house, like so many after the war, was built progressively, as more space was needed and formerly scarce materials became available. It began with an army-shed of timber-lined walls, now used as the kitchen. Ford then built what is now the lounge room, and the house grew ‘like topsy and on a shoestring,’ says his widow Gwen. A lot of second-hand materials such as window frames were used, a style made famous particularly with their extensive use at Montsalvat, the Eltham Artists’ Colony. The house was constructed as a joint venture with friends, including artist Clifton Pugh, who built Ford’s bedroom for £10. The polished floorboards and solomite (compressed straw) ceilings, interspersed with heavy beams, exude warmth. The result is a home of snug spaces, with soft light and garden vistas. Several other mud-brick buildings were constructed as needed, including a studio and units for bed-and-breakfast clients. The garden, which has been part of the Open Garden Scheme since the mid 1980s, is based on a balance of mass (plants) and void (paths and pools), textures and forms. It epitomises the Eltham style because of its relaxed informal ethos and attracts native animals. Wattlebirds, scrub wrens, pardalotes, currawongs, owls and even kangaroos, have been seen at Fulling. Gwen, a former English teacher who has worked on the garden since around 1970, urged and helped Ford write his book, The Natural Australian Garden.4 Several of Ford’s favourite trees are in the garden, including the native Casuarina or She-Oak. In spring, the garden is dusted with the purple Orthrosanthus multiflorus or blue native irises and rings with the calls of birds attracted to plants like the callistemons, correas and grevilleas.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, fulling, gordon ford garden, pitt street, eltham mud brick buildings, mud brick house

The Eltham Court House is Eltham's oldest public building. It was classified by the National Trust in 1977. In 1857 five Eltham residents petitioned the licensing magistrates of the Heidelberg district asking for better police protection, including from itinerant gold prospectors who turned to crime when their quest was unsuccessful. In response the Eltham Courthouse was constructed in 1860. Over the years it has also been used for other activities, including for electoral polling purposes, inquests, early meetings of the Eltham Roads Board and even as an overflow classroom. This type of localised solution is characteristic of the self-reliance preserved in Eltham today. The court house is an important symbol of the spirit which makes Eltham distinctive as a community. The Eltham Courthouse is historically significant because its construction was intended to emphasise the centralised control over law and order in the Colony of Victoria in the wake of the 1852 Snodgrass committee report on the Victorian police force and the resulting Police Regulation Act (1853). The nature of the Court House planning and use of architectural devices make the building's function easily interpreted. The arrangement of rooms, with public entry and clerical rooms to the rear, and the use of raised floor levels throughout these spaces to signify relative rank is easily perceived. The distinction in entries, public, magistrate and person-in-custody, and the existing court furniture enhances appreciation of this building. The Eltham Court House is one of only two intact examples in the state of this simple design with projecting entry. The building is of architectural significance because it retains intact early features. These include use of handmade bricks, simple decoration, roof trusses, timber ceiling boards, original windows, doors and associated hardware and a collection of court furniture. Additions to the court house have been done in a manner which did not interfere with the fabric of the original building. Typical cases heard before the Court of Petty Sessions included financial debt, straying livestock, theft, assault, drunkenness, public disorder, truancy, motor vehicle offences, unregistered animals and failing to have children attend school, or be vaccinated. The courthouse operated for over 120 years before it closed in 1985. In April 2021, Nillumbik Shire Council authorised restoration of the building and furnishings. The extensive works required for the total restoration of this highly valued heritage building was undertaken by Ducon Building Solutions and other specialist contractors. Covered under Heritage Overlay, Nillumbik Planning Scheme. Victorian Heritage National Trust of Australia (Victoria) State significance Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p65 A demand for better police protection resulted in the building of the Eltham Courthouse and the police residence beside it. In 1857 five Eltham residents petitioned the Heidelberg district licensing magistrates. They pointed out that Eltham had two hotels, a population of about 1000, and many strangers employed on the public roads. Yet the nearest police were at Heidelberg eight miles (12.8km) away, or at the Caledonia Diggings 21 miles (33.7km) away.1 Subsequently the courthouse and then the police residence, near the corner of Main Road and Brougham Street, were built in 1859/60. The courthouse is Eltham’s oldest public building and the National Trust classified it in 1977. It ceased operation in 1984 and has since been used by local groups. There are only six other known examples of similar small brick country courthouses in Victoria . For £536, a Mr Duncan built the courthouse – a neat, narrow, oblong building with handmade orange bricks. Its gabled roof and porch are covered with brown slate tiles and it has 12-paned windows. Inside, the roof is peaked and the courthouse is still ventilated by oblong slits near the ceiling. Most of the fine carved timber and upholstered furniture is original. The original prisoners’ door, now permanently closed, led from the police station to the dock. Builders, Langridge Wright and Witney built a timber police station (since demolished) and a brick residence to its north,2 for £1150/7/-. Built around the same time were the lock-up behind the residence, also later demolished, and the two-storey orange brick stables. The former police residence also has a brown slate roof and handmade bricks. The front veranda roof is made of corrugated iron, as is the roof of the back weatherboard extension. The application for police protection was approved within a few months and police operated from a cottage rented at ten shillings a week and owned by William Jarrold. This was probably the one at the corner of Main Road and Dalton Street called Jarrold or White Cloud Cottage. In 1858 a second constable was appointed to Eltham following a fight at the hotel. The timber police office a replica of which was built in the early 1990s is at the building’s side. The lock-up was demolished following the relocation of the police to a new station in about 1952. The residence has been used as the Eltham District Historical Society centre since 1997. Records show court cases were held at Eltham before the courthouse was built, but the location is unknown. Some court cases were not very different from those today. In 1891 a man was charged with being drunk while in charge of a horse and was fined ten shillings. The courthouse was used for other purposes during its long history. It was probably used as a polling place as indicated by old photographs of election-day crowds outside. The Eltham Road Board met there from the early 1860s until 1868 when the Board transferred to Kangaroo Ground. During the same period the Road Board Secretary used the courthouse as an office until 1867 when it was transferred to his home at Wingrove Cottage. The courthouse was also used as an overflow classroom for the Dalton Street school in 1875. The two buildings can further link us with Eltham’s early days through Police Department correspondence. The first constable-in-charge was George Reid. In 1860 a letter to The Argus newspaper signed ‘A Sufferer’ declared the Eltham police were not active enough in their duties. The writer suggested that the ‘very snug’ police quarters were too comfortable, and he detailed various incidents including one of an alleged break-in to the Road Board Secretary’s home. But the Board Secretary, C S Wingrove, wrote to the Police Department refuting The Argus letter saying he had received full co-operation from Sen. Constable Peter Lawler.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, eltham court house, main road