Griffith Park is the former property and home of Cr Fred Griffith in the 1950sfay bridge collection, daffodils, griffith park, yarra river

OPENING OF THE VIEWING PLATFORM AT KANGAROO GROUND Nillumbik Council has advised that the viewing platform at Kangaroo Ground 27km NE of Melbourne is to be opened to the public on Wednesday, March 26th 2008 (Melway 271 , G10). The function of the platform is to provide shelter adjacent to the War Memorial Tower whilst allowing all people to enjoy the stunning panoramic views. From the platform you. can see the Dandenongs, the city of Melbourne, the You Yangs, Mount Macedon, the Kinglake Ranges and the Mt Baw-Baw Ranges where the Yarra River starts. This landscape covers all the ancestral lands of the Wurundjeri and some of the wider Kulin nation land. The platform has been given the name Moor-rut, a name which described the fertile soils of the Kangaroo Ground area in contrast to the poorer (Silurian) country of its surrounds, which the Wurundjeri knew as 'Nillumbik' or less rich country. The full 360 degree view can be seen from the adjacent Tower of Remembrance which has 53 stairs. The viewing platform however can be accessed by wheelchair. Inside the viewing platform there are eight double sided interpretive panels giving the history and information regarding this special area. The viewing platform's interpretive panels set out the Aboriginal and European history of the area and also the geology and the local flora and fauna, so that the casual visitor comes away understanding more about this significant part of Victoria. The concept of the viewing platform is part of the refurbishment project for the Kangaroo Ground War Memorial Park which has taken place since 1997 with the active approval and financial assistance of the Nillumbik Shire Council. This project has been guided by an Advisory Committee with volunteer community representatives from the local Historical Societies, the Country Fire Authority, the Returned Services League and the Wurundjeri people. Other allied groups such as the Nillumbik Reconciliation Group have been called upon for their expertise. The initial idea for the viewing platform came from Dean Stewart when he was the caretaker while living at the park. He discussed this idea with local author Mick Woiwod and Harry Gilham of Eltham District Historical Society when they were planning the refurbishment of the War Memorial Park in 1996. When the committee was formalised by the Nillumbik Council in 1997, Nicholas Pelling, representing the CFA and RSL, joined the group. Dennis Ward, local architect, then volunteered to develop the concept plan for the refurbishment of the park and later drew up the plans for the viewing platform. The Kangaroo Ground War Memorial Park and its Tower of Remembrance is located on one of the highest locations in the Yarra Valley. The Tower of Remembrance is a unique war memorial constructed from local stone standing 14 metres high. It was built in the style of a Scottish watchtower reflecting the strong Scottish influence of the first European settlers of the district from the 1840s onward. The park was opened in 1921 and the Tower of Remembrance was dedicated in 1926 recognising the local people who served in the First World War. Those who served in the Second World War were recognised by plaques dedicated in 1951 and more recently those who served in Korea, Borneo, Malaya and Vietnam by plaques unveiled in 2001. Harry Gilham, Advisory Committee Convenor - Eltham District Historical Society Newsletter N0 179 March 2008fay bridge collection, garden hill, kangaroo ground, memorial park, moor-rul viewing platform

fay bridge collection, garage sale, pigeon bank, kangaroo ground

fay bridge collection, montsalvat, residents gallery, gates

fay bridge collection, montsalvat

fay bridge collection, hurstbridge wattle festival

fay bridge collection, parade, st andrews, st andrews market, st andrews primary school

The Lasting Memories Mosaic Group Seat is part of Nillumbik Shire Council's Public Art. Following the Black Saturday Bushfire of February 7, 2009, which ravaged St Andrews and surrounding district, a group of bushfire affected women formed the Lasting Memories Mosaic group and created this concrete seat covered in mosaic as part of their healing process. It was completed in 2012. For more information see Nillumbik Shire Council's link Public Art: Lasting Memories Mosaic GROUP, Lasting Memories Mosaic Seat - https://victoriancollections.net.au/items/58536395d0ce201b746561c6fay bridge collection, fay bridge, mosaics, st andrews, lasting memories mosaic group seat, st andrews hall

fay bridge collection, proctor street, st andrews, st andrews market

fay bridge collection, proctor street, st andrews, st andrews market, st andrews workshops, burns street, st andrews hotel

fay bridge collection, st andrews, burns st, st andrews hotel

fay bridge collection, cottles bridge, fay bridge, heidelberg-kinglake road, roadside trader

fay bridge collection, annie janet beale (nee mclennan), anthony beale, gravestones, james harold beale, james young beale, jane hewitt, katherine rose beale, margaret lindsay beale, mark hewitt, mary joyce pitt evans (nee withers), st. helena, st. katherine's church, walter withers

1. Judge Book tenants' future uncertain by Sandi Miller, Manningham and Nillumbik Bulletin, April 2023eltham, 43 diamond street, judge book memorial village, judge book village

The Society conducted a heritage excursion "Eltham War Memorials Walk" on Saturday, May 7, 2016 in conjunction with the centenary commemorations of the First World War. This walk involved visiting a number of memorials along Main Road dedicated to locals who served Australia in times of war including the Roll of Honour located in the Uniting Church Hall which also serves as the Opportunity Shop, which had once operated out of the former CBA bank building next door.activities, eltham district historical society, heritage excursion, jim connor collection, opportunity shop, uniting church, uniting church hall, 2016-05-07

jim connor collection, uniting church, 2018-07-13

The little yellow and orange brick at 810 Main Road, Eltham, just in front of the Uniting Church (formerly Methodist Church) on the corner of John Street in more recent times has been used as an Opportunity Shop by the Eltham Uniting Church however the operations outgrew the tiny building and the shop moved to inside the Church hall. This building was once the Eltham agency of the Commercial Bank of Australia. Measuring just 3.6 x 4.5 m inside, it was built in 1878 by George Stebbing and is said to have stored gold in the early Eltham-Research mining days. It was also once the scene of an armed hold-up. Thursday, December 15, 1949, the quiet little bank was embroiled in an infamous wild shoot-out between a daring thief and two bank officers. Today, the building still carries the scars ; a bullet hole remains visible in a cedar bench testifying to the events that played out that day.jim connor collection, uniting church, main road, eltham, cba bank, opportunity shop, 2020-01-06

The little yellow and orange brick at 810 Main Road, Eltham, just in front of the Uniting Church (formerly Methodist Church) on the corner of John Street in more recent times has been used as an Opportunity Shop by the Eltham Uniting Church however the operations outgrew the tiny building and the shop moved to inside the Church hall. This building was once the Eltham agency of the Commercial Bank of Australia. Measuring just 3.6 x 4.5 m inside, it was built in 1878 by George Stebbing and is said to have stored gold in the early Eltham-Research mining days. It was also once the scene of an armed hold-up. Thursday, December 15, 1949, the quiet little bank was embroiled in an infamous wild shoot-out between a daring thief and two bank officers. Today, the building still carries the scars ; a bullet hole remains visible in a cedar bench testifying to the events that played out that day.jim connor collection, uniting church, main road, eltham, cba bank, opportunity shop, 2023-07-10

Located on the corner of Main Road and John Street, the church first served the community as the Eltham Wesleyan Church since 1881. It became the Eltham Methodist Church in 1902, the year it united with the Primitive Methodists. Eltham Wesleyans first worshipped together in the home of William and Mary Crozier, on 24 acres bounded by Mount Pleasant Road and Pitt Street. From there they moved to a slab and bark hut in 1855 (this later served as the first school run by David Clark prior to the building of a new school in Dalton Street) and the members then built a chapel in 1858 on Lot 20, Henry Street (later to become the Rechabite Hall and Eltham Public Hall). The present church on John Street was designed by architects Crouch and Wilson in the Early English Gothic style with biochrome brick window frames, buttress heads and pinnacle. Church member George Stebbing built the church, the foundations were constructed with stone from the walls of the first Eltham State Primary School (No. 209) building which collapsed in 1874 and were purchased by Robert David Taylor. Stebbing was also responsible for building St Margaret’s Church and Shillinglaw Cottage. The Roll of Honour, which presently hangs in the church hall (which also doubles as the Opportunity Shop) lists 27 members of the congregation who served in the First World War, 11 of whom never returned. The red-brick Church Hall was opened in 1931 and in 1971 further additions linked the hall and church, including a foyer, vestry, meeting room and toilets reflecting the Eltham style of that time with its simplicity, extensive clear glass, reused baked clay-bricks from the 1881 church, heavy ceiling beams and compressed straw ceiling. On June 26, 1977, the church became part of the new Uniting Church in Australia consisting of the former Methodist and Congregational and most of the Presbyterian Churches. Following of declining numbers of worshippers, the church merged with the Montmorency Uniting Church on June 23, 1996. In 2023 the Uniting church approved a plan to renovate the church. It is understood that the historic church and the hall will be retained, and the building added in 1971 is to be demolished, to make way for a new purpose-built Opportunity shop. The proposed areas to be demolished include the current foyer, toilets, crèche, etc, including the area between the hall and the former RSL. Works are expected to commence mid to late July 2023. The Society was invited by a church member to take photographs of these areas to document them prior to demolition works commencing. Ref: “Nillumbik Now and Then” by Marguerite Marshall (2008)jim connor collection, 2023-07-10, eltham-montmorency uniting church, john street, methodist church, opportunity shop, uniting church, uniting church hall

Installed by the Queenstown Cemetery Trust December 2009 The discovery of gold in Smyth's Creek in 1854 and subsequent gold rush to the Caledonia diggings led to the establishment of Queenstown (present day St Andrews). The first recorded burial was July 31st, 1861 and it was officially declared a Cemetery Reserve in 1866. Many graves are unmarked and unrecorded including many Chinese and other itinerant miners. The cemetery was closed for new burials in 1851. The last recorded burial was in 1981 in an existing family grave.jim connor collection, 2023-03-08, queenstown cemetery, smiths gully road, st andrews

This historic site of Australia’s first open-air gallery is being redeveloped in 2023 for multi-housing fronting the Research Creek. In 1955, Ian and Joan Hassall moved to Eltham. They took a property on the corner of Zig Zag Road and Main Road, Eltham, north of the township (later known as 1215 Main Road). In July 1962, they opened their open-air gallery. Hassall’s Roadside Galley, “…cradled in the fold of hills to the north of Eltham” inspired by Ian’s own experience of exhibitions along the Embankment in London. The property included remnants of a stone quarry, paintings were hung on screens and removed at night. Various pedestals, that looked like giant mushrooms displayed sculpture, pottery, and jewellery. It had a small natural amphitheatre at the foot of a little sandstone cliff that fall away to the bed of a stream. To enter the gallery, a visitor crossed a small freestone bridge of oriental design, built by Hassall from local stone. The bridge spanned the stream flowing beneath great willow trees. Near the entrance wooden figures were displayed formed from pieces of local wood, said to speak to Ian Hassall’s sense of fun. Hassall’s Gallery was the first gallery of its kind in Australia. Ian became a full-time artist and when it first opened, he exhibited paintings he had made while touring the outback with writer and fellow Eltham resident Alan Marshall. He also exhibited other Australian artists over time including locals Lindsay Edward and Peter Glass.daryl morrow collection, eltham heights luxury living, hassalls roadside gallery, housing development, real estate development, research creek, 2023-07-10

This historic site of Australia’s first open-air gallery is being redeveloped in 2023 for multi-housing fronting the Research Creek. In 1955, Ian and Joan Hassall moved to Eltham. They took a property on the corner of Zig Zag Road and Main Road, Eltham, north of the township (later known as 1215 Main Road). In July 1962, they opened their open-air gallery. Hassall’s Roadside Galley, “…cradled in the fold of hills to the north of Eltham” inspired by Ian’s own experience of exhibitions along the Embankment in London. The property included remnants of a stone quarry, paintings were hung on screens and removed at night. Various pedestals, that looked like giant mushrooms displayed sculpture, pottery, and jewellery. It had a small natural amphitheatre at the foot of a little sandstone cliff that fall away to the bed of a stream. To enter the gallery, a visitor crossed a small freestone bridge of oriental design, built by Hassall from local stone. The bridge spanned the stream flowing beneath great willow trees. Near the entrance wooden figures were displayed formed from pieces of local wood, said to speak to Ian Hassall’s sense of fun. Hassall’s Gallery was the first gallery of its kind in Australia. Ian became a full-time artist and when it first opened, he exhibited paintings he had made while touring the outback with writer and fellow Eltham resident Alan Marshall. He also exhibited other Australian artists over time including locals Lindsay Edward and Peter Glass.daryl morrow collection, eltham heights luxury living, hassalls roadside gallery, housing development, real estate development, research creek, 2023-07-13

1. Certificate of Title of Lot 22 on Plan of Subdivision No. 7894 and other material pertaining to Mary Frances Carrucan (nee Sweeney) and family connections (Digital file only)eltham, 60 kent hughes road, certificate of title, mary frances carrucan (nee sweeney)

Roll of 35mm black and white negative film, 4 of 7 strips and corresponding B&W printIlford HP4chapel lane, arthurs creek, nutfield, bridge

Roll of 35mm black and white negative film, 4 of 7 strips and corresponding B&W printIlford HP4arthurs creek, arthurs creek road, bridge, linton's bridge

Roll of 35mm black and white negative film, 4 of 7 strips and corresponding B&W printIlford HP4bridge, cottles bridge, cottles bridge-strathewen road, diamond creek (creek)

Roll of 35mm black and white negative film, 4 of 7 strips and corresponding B&W printIlford HP4bridge, cottles bridge, diamond creek (creek)

Laughing Waters is the name for a stretch of the Yarra Valley Parklands consisting of river flats and hilly riparian bushland. With Birrarung (Yarra River) flowing through, Laughing Waters has been an important gathering place for thousands of years. For the Wurundjeri, ‘Garambi Baan’ (the name for Laughing Waters in Woi wurrung) is an important site for growing and harvesting food. Significantly, Wurundjeri iuk (eel) traps remain at Garambi Baan to this day. The Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung People take their name from the Woi wurrung language word ‘wurun’ meaning the Manna Gum (Eucalyptus viminalis) which is common along ‘Birrarung’ (Yarra River), and ‘djeri’, the grub which is found in or near the tree. Wurundjeri are the ‘Manna Gum People’ and their Ancestors have lived on this land for millennia. The site on the Yarra River near the former Morrison property Killeavey was given a language name in 2015 at the instigation of Wurundjeri Elder, Dave Wandin. Garambi Baan means “laughing waters” in the traditional language, Woi wurrung. The site at Warrandyte was rediscovered by Campbell Beardsell OAM in 2007 and is one of only a few known remaining iuk (eel) traps on Country once found the length of the Birrarung (Yarra) and the Maribyrnong. Original Indigenous aquacultural infrastructure was dismantled, taken away from sites and used to build houses, fords and roads by Europeans. The difficult and restricted access to this site is thought to be one of the reasons for its survival. The iuk trap is located within lands managed by Parks Victoria. The Narrap team in partnership with Parks Victoria and Acacia Land Management have been improving the native vegetation with a program of woody weed removal, exclusion fencing and revegetation. Importantly, the team have restored the trap’s infrastructure and have demonstrated its effectiveness.” References: Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation - Laughing Waters. (2023, September 3). Retrieved from https://inplace.org.au/laughing-waters/ GARAMBI BAAN LAUGHING WATERS RESIDENCY CENTRE 2020 2024 Strategic Plan, Nillumbik Shire Council (2023, September 3). Retrieved from https://www.nillumbik.vic.gov.au/files/assets/public/minutes-and-agendas/2020/09-sep/15-sep-cm/ocm.177-20-attachment-1-laughing-waters-arts-program_1.pdffay bridge collection, eel trap, laughing waters, yarra river, wurundjeri woi wurrung, garambi baan, 2023-09-06

Lists all towns and villages with entries in the Victorian censuses between 1841 and 1901. It includes in excess of 1400 entries with the latitude and longitude for each town, numbers males and females in the town, and the number of occupied dwellings (where available). For many of these settlements the only visible trace of them today is in the census results collected by the fledgling governments of Colonial Victoria. It is a comprehensive reference and a fascinating insight into the movements of early populations of new Australians.cities and towns victoria, history 19th century, statistics, ghost towns - victoria, geographical names victoria, victoria census

On Saturday September 2, 2023, Russell Yeoman led a group of 22 society members and interested others on a walk following trhe bounadries of the original Shillingalw farm. Commencing at the corner of Panther Place and Library Place, we proceeded up to Shillinglaw Cafe then the Shillinglaw trees at the former Eltham Shire Office site then along Main Road to the fire station then throughh St Laurence Lane and uinder the railway line , along Diamond Street then return via the Diamond Creek trail behind Andrew Park. The actual farm boundary went past the creek and further up the hill. The original farm comprised lot 90 of Holloway’s 1851 subdivision of Little Eltham. Its area was 30 acres lying east of the Diamond Creek and north of Henry Street. A number of stops were made to look at maps and early photos illustrating the gradual reduction of the farm area and the early history of the railway and other community uses, that occupied parts of the site.fay bridge collection, 2023-09-02, activities, eltham, eltham district historical society, heritage excursion, shillinglaw farm