Cr J Ritchie came from Scotland at Hobart in 1833 having been 9 months on the outward journey. he took up land at South Esk and remained there for 6 years.later on advice of the Henry brothers he came to Victoria and after a preliminary inspection of the land charted the brig “William” and with all of his possessions, including 2000 sheep and two servants he arrived in Portland Bay in January 1840 and as he already held a squatting licence No 230 became a settler in the district. he moved along the coast toward Goose Lagoon but due to a drought the water had dried up and forced him to move further eastward to the Upeer Hopkins but the lack of any but brackish water he was forced to return to Aringa. Aringa comprised of 26,000 acres between the Shaw and Moyne Rivers, 640 acres became freehold at one pound and acre with the right to take up leasehold at a low rate according to the number of stock. At Aringa he designed and built his first home part of which still stands today. He married Sarah Elizabeth Davis in 1852 at Weerongurt Station (Mr John Cox’s property). Mrs Ritchie died in 1920. he was elected Shire of Belfast President for the periods of 1866-67 and 1869-70 John had originally chosen to practice law as his vocation in Scotland but abandoned law for the open air life and died at the age of 86 years in 1887 elected Shire of Belfast President for the periods of 1866-67 and 1869-70Black and white portrait photograph Cr J Ritchie 1866-67 1869-70belfast, president, council, portrait, government, shire, municipal, local-government

Members of the Pinkerton family in November 2017 at the opening of the time capsule that was buried in 1992 to mark the rejuvenation of the land through the Surbiton Park and Pinkerton Forest projects. A time capsule was first buried in the memorial cairn marking the graves of members of the early settler family in 1931. A third time capsule was created in 2017, to be opened in 2042.Star Weekly article about the descendents of the Pinkerton familylocal identities, pioneer families

The Wodonga Historical Society Haeusler Collection provides invaluable insight into life in late nineteenth and early twentieth century north east Victoria. The collection comprises manuscripts, personal artefacts used by the Haeusler family on their farm in Wodonga, and a set of glass negatives which offer a unique visual snapshot of the domestic and social lives of the Haeusler family and local Wodonga community. The Haeusler family migrated from Prussia (Germany) to South Australia in the 1840s and 1850s, before purchasing 100 acres of Crown Land made available under the Victorian Lands Act 1862 (also known as ‘Duffy’s Land Act’) in 1866 in what is now Wodonga West. The Haeusler family were one of several German families to migrate from South Australia to Wodonga in the 1860s.| This sewing machine belonged to Isla Ilma Margaret Ernestine neeTasker, mother of Alfred Haeusler. Singer was first established as I. M. Singer & Co. in 1851 by Isaac Merritt Singer with New York lawyer Edward C. Clark. Best known for its sewing machines, it was renamed Singer Manufacturing Company in 1865, then the Singer Company in 1963. The Singer company began to market its machines internationally in 1855 and won first prize at the Paris world's fair that year. They had offices established in both Sydney and Melbourne by the mid-1960s. The company demonstrated the first workable electric sewing machine in 1910. Singer was also a marketing innovator and a pioneer in promoting the use of instalment payment plans, making their machines more affordable for many people. This item is from the Hauseler Collection which documents social life of early settlers in the Wodonga community.Singer "Coffin top" treadle sewing machine with extension table. The machine is mainly black and silver metal but is extensively decorated with coloured decals. The decorations on this machine features a pheasant design which also helps to date the machine as it was only used from 1890 to 1915. The sewing machine is set into a wooden table with and extension leaf and 6 drawers, 3 on either side. The frame and treadle mechanism are iron with a thin leather belt to drive the mechanism. The "coffin" shaped top sits over the machine to protect it when not in use and is easily removed. The extension leaf provides a larger working surface and folds down when not in use. The Singer logo attached to the front of the machine features a needle, shuttle and thread.On metal base plate: "PATENTED /DEC 5 -1882/ MARCH 20 - 1883/ AUG - 21 1888. Model no: L6485622 Along top of machine: "The Singer Manufacturing Co." Front right: Singer Company Logohaeusler family, wodonga pioneers, sewing machines, singer sewing macnine

In 1899 the Boers, descendants of Dutch settlers, declared war on the British forces. Enthusiastic civilians throughout the Australian colonies volunteered for service, supported by their respective colonial governments. After Federation Commonwealth units were also mobilised. Others who were unable to join Colonial or Commonwealth units enlisted in forces raised by other nations including Britain and South Africa. The first joint colonial regiment, the Australian Regiment, was formed from companies representing Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania. The British gradually wore down Boer resistance, and peace was declared on 31 May 1902. Over 15,000 Australians served in the Boer War. Australian casualties totalled about 1400, with 518 killed. Six Australians were awarded the Victoria Cross for their bravery. Children in schools around the different colonies of Australia (this was prior to Federation) raised money to hold Peace picnics. Wodonga's Peace picnic was held at the racecourse. Only about 70 of these medallions were struck. They were presented to the children who raised the most money for the Peace picnic in each area.This artefact has local, national and international significance as it recognises the first major international conflict in which Australian colonial soldiers were involved,A small medallion issued in commemoration of peace at the end of the Boer War. There is a hole through the top so that it can be attached to a chain or clip.OBVERSE SIDE: At centre within line circle veiled head of Queen Victoria facing left, at top of circle, crown, at sides Australian and Royal flags; below, WODONGA 1900 REVERSE SIDE: Within wreath, IN / COMMEMORATION / OF / PEACE / BRITISH BOER / WAR / "LEST WE FORGET"australian commemorative medals, boer war 1899 - 1902, boer war peace medallion

In the first years after European settlement of Australia, a varied collection of international coins, tradesmen's tokens and promissory notes were used by European settlers, while soldiers participated in the notorious rum trade. In 1825, the British government made the English Pound the only form of legal currency in Australian colonies. With Federation in 1901 the Commonwealth government became the only body with the constitutional power to issue currency. In 1910, nine years after Australia federated as a nation, a national Australian currency was formed, based on the British money system of pounds, shillings and pence. The Australian penny was first minted in England from 1911 to 1915, then in India from 1916 to 1918. Australia started minting most of its own pennies from 1919 until the introduction of decimal currency in 1966. This collection was donated by Mr. Heinz Kaupert of Wodonga. He was an active member of the German-Austrian club of Wodonga. He died in Wodonga in 2014.These coins reflect developments in Australian currency and were donated by a member of the Wodonga Community.A collection of 20 penny and half penny coins mounted in a frame behind glass. They are divided into 3 sections - English currency used as Australian Currency before 1939, Australian coins used 1901 - 1939 and currency used from 1939 - 1966.australian coins pre-decimal, australian penny, australian halfpenny

The wool industry has been critical to the Australian economy from the early days of European settlement. The increase in wool production in the mid to late 19th century led to the need to replace the hand shears with some mechanized forms of shearing.The first commercially successful sheep shearing machinery by Frederick York Wolseley in New South Wales who was granted a patent for his machine on 28 March 1877. Many of the early settlers to North East Victoria droved sheep overland from both Sydney and South Australia and established large pastoral runs in the district. Wodonga became a major service centre for the industry and established major saleyards for the pastoral and cattle industries. The handset has the company name "Heiniger" on the side. Heiniger is a Swiss company with subsidiaries in Australia and New Zealand. It was originally established in 1946.This item is connected to a major rural industry in North East Victoria.A metal handpiece for a sheep shearing. A toothed blade is held in place with metal adjustable screws at one end. A jointed metal pipe at the other end allows attachment to the shearing machine. The hinge has been covered with leather.On adjustment knob "Heinger"shearing industry, shearing equipment, shearing handset

This book briefly covers the period from the indigenous tribes who lived in the valley well before English settlers arrived. It documents the transformation of the area from a pristine valley environment to one that has been gradually over 200 years to a more commercial rural/industrial landscaped valley. The book details the first pioneers and their descendants, along with the changes to their environment.kiewa river valley, pioneers victoria, kiewa valley social life and cusstoms

non-fictionA great local history of the Wodonga area. Starts with discussion of the Aboriginal inhabitants of the region and early contacts with European explorers and settlers. Explains the establishing of a customs post with its twin city Albury on the other side of the Murray River. The town grew subsequent to the opening of the first bridge across the Murray in 1860. Originally named Wodonga, its name was changed to Belvoir then later back to Wodonga.victoria. wodonga, settlers wodonga, indigenous australians wodonga

non-fictionA history of settlement on and around the Upper Murray River, covering the period of 1835 to 1845, including "A short account of over two hundred runs 1835 to 1880". An excellent source of information on the colonial settlement of the Murray River. Detailed information of the first white settlers and the challenges they faced. Interesting account of conflict between settlers and indigenous population. Many indigenous words and their meaning recorded.upper murray district, settlement victoria, colonial settlement, pastoral industry victoria

George Evans is the man in the photograph. He arrived in Hobart from England on 1st September 1825 and later came to Victoria in 1836.With a flock of sheep he squatted on land along the Jacksons Creek valley north of Sunbury and built his homestead (known as Emu Bottom) on his holding.George Evans was one of the first European Settlers to take up land along the Jacksons Creek in Sunbury.A non-digital sepia studio photograph of a bearded man sitting on a chair and holding a telescope across his lap.The photograph is mounted on cream cardboard.george evans, emu bottom, squatters

This small ship’s bell, possibly a ‘mess’ or dining room bell, was the smaller of the two bells rescued by the crew of the Schomberg when it was wrecked in 1855. All of the crew from the Schomberg wreck survived. They carried the two ship’s bells with them as they made their way along the coast, eventually arriving at the home of settler, John Manning, who lived at Hopkins Point near Warrnambool. Manning acquired the Schomberg bells, presenting them to two Warrnambool churches; the smaller one to St Joseph’s Catholic Church and the larger bell to St John’s Presbyterian church. This small bell developed a crack after about a year at St Joseph's church and could no longer be used. Thomas Manifold imported a new bell for that church and the cracked belled was stored at his farm and stored. The property was sold years later to John Logan, who donated the discarded bell to the Warrnambool Museum when it first opened in 1886. The Curator, Joseph Archibald, displayed the bell in the entry. The small bell was repaired and re-plated by Briggs Marine in 1986. The larger Schomberg bell was installed in St John’s Presbyterian Church. In 1887 a ‘massive’ new bell, made in Victoria, was installed at the Presbyterian Church, so the old bell was transferred to the nearby Woodford Presbyterian authorities. During World War II the 1887 bell cracked, and could not be repaired. In 1983 the old Schomberg bell from the Woodford church was loaned to Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village. When the Schomberg was launched in 1855, she was considered the "Noblest” ship that ever floated on the water. Schomberg's owners, the Black Ball Line had commissioned the ship for their fleet of passenger liners. She was built by Alexander Hall of Aberdeen at a cost of £43,103 and constructed with 3 skins. One planked fore and aft and two diagonally planked, fastened together with screw-threaded trunnels (wooden rails). Her First Class accommodation was simply luxurious with velvet pile carpets, large mirrors, rosewood, birds-eye maple and mahogany timbers throughout, soft furnishings of satin damask, and an oak-lined library with a piano. Overall she had accommodation for 1000 passengers. At the launch, the Schomberg's 34-year-old master, Captain 'Bully' Forbes, had promised to reach Melbourne in sixty days stating, "with or without the help of God." Captain James Nicol Forbes was born in Aberdeen in 1821 and rose to fame with his record-breaking voyages on the famous Black Ball Line ships; Marco Polo and Lightning. In 1852 in the ship Marco Polo, he made the record passage from London to Melbourne in 68 days. Unfortunately, there were 53 deaths on the voyage, but the great news was off the record passage by Captain Forbes. In 1854 he took the clipper “Lighting” to Melbourne in 76 days and back in 63 days, this record was never beaten by a sailing ship. He often drove his crew and ship to breaking point to beat his previous records. He cared little for the comfort of the passengers. On this, Schomberg's maiden voyage, he was determined to break existing records. Schomberg departed Liverpool on her maiden voyage on 6th October 1855 flying a sign that read "Sixty Days to Melbourne". She departed with 430 passengers and 3000 tons of cargo including iron rails and equipment intended to build the Melbourne to Geelong Railway and a bridge over the Yarra from Melbourne to Hawthorn. She also carried a cow for fresh milk, pens for fowls and pigs, and 90,000 gallons of water for washing and drinking. She also carried 17,000 letters and 31,800 newspapers. The ship and cargo were insured for $300,000 a fortune for the time. The winds were poor as she sailed across the equator, slowing Schomberg's journey considerably. The land was first sighted on Christmas Day, at Cape Bridgewater near Portland, Captain Forbes followed the coastline towards Melbourne. Forbes was said to be playing cards when called by the third mate Henry Keen, who reported land about 3 miles off. Due in large part to the captain's regarding a card game as more important than his ship, it eventually ran aground on a sand spit near Curdie's Inlet (about 56 km west of Cape Otway) on 26th December 1855, 78 days after leaving Liverpool. The sand spit and the currents were not marked on Forbes's map. Overnight, the crew launched a lifeboat to find a safe place to land the ship’s passengers. The scouting party returned to Schomberg and advised Forbes that it was best to wait until morning because the rough seas could easily overturn the small lifeboats. The ship’s Chief Officer spotted the SS Queen at dawn and signalled the steamer. The master of the Queen approached the stranded vessel and all of Schomberg’s passengers and crew disembarked safely. The Black Ball Line's Melbourne agent sent a steamer to retrieve the passengers' baggage from the Schomberg. Other steamers helped unload her cargo until the weather changed and prevented the salvage teams from accessing the ship. Later one plunderer found a case of Wellington boots, but alas, all were for the left foot. Local merchants Manifold & Bostock bought the wreck and cargo but did not attempt to salvage the cargo still on board the ship. They eventually sold it on to a Melbourne businessman and two seafarers. In 1864 after two of the men drowned when they tried to reach Schomberg, salvage efforts were abandoned. In 1870, nearly 15 years after the wreck parts of the Schomberg had washed ashore on the south island of New Zealand. The wreck now lies in 825 meters of water and although the woodwork is mostly disintegrated the shape of the ship can still be determined due to the remaining railway irons, girders and the ship’s frame. A variety of goods and materials can be seen scattered about nearby.The bell is particularly significant in that along with other items from the wreck helped in part to having the legislation changed to protect shipwrecks, with far tighter controls being employed to oversee the salvaging of wreck sites. This bell forms part of the Schomberg collection at Flagstaff Hill maritime museum. The collection as a whole is of historical and archaeological significance at a State level. Flagstaff Hill’s collection of artefacts from the Schomberg is also significant for its association with the Victorian Heritage Registered Schomberg shipwreck (VHR S 612). The collection is of additional significance because of the relationship between the objects salvaged, as together they help us to interpret the story of the Schomberg. The collection as a whole is historically significant for representing aspects of Victoria's maritime history and its potential to interpret social and historical themes from society at the time of the wreck. A small ship’s bell. The bell bears the ship’s name and year of construction on one side and the name and address of the ship’s builders on the other. These details are deeply engraved into the metal and formed in bold upper-case lettering. The bell has two bell stands, a left and a right side. Both stands have an Iron pipe made into an inverted ‘Y’ shape with a hole made in the single length, and feet attached to a rectangular metal plate at the other two ends. Feet are bolted into a timber base that has a hole drilled through the centre for mounting. Bell's front; “SCHOMBERG” with “1855” below. Bell's back “HALL & SONS (crack splits letter “N”) / BUILDERS (in italics) / ABERDEEN” (crack splits letter “B”).flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, maritime museum, maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, schomberg, silver plated bell, mess bell, bell stands, captain ‘bully’ forbes, alexander hall and son, james baines and company, liverpool’s black ball line, bell, schomberg bell, ship's bell, small bell, st joseph's church, briggs marine

Tan hard covered book with tan and yellow dust jacket. Title and text is black. Front cover has framed drawing of cottage taken from photograph which is included in the book. Map of area is on inside front and back covers.208 pages. It has a number of black and white photographic plates included.non-fictionPioneer diaries of early Australian settlers, Sarah Midgley and Richard Skilbeck.sarah midgley, richard skilbeck, diaries of sarah midgley and richard skilbeck, yangery, early pioneer life, wesleyan church warrnambool, yangery koroit

Flavour of Eltham: recipes and other things was collected and published by the Friends of Shillinglaw Cottage in 1964. The original cottage once stood about 100 metres away from its current location in Panther Place, Eltham. Built in the 1870’s, it is one of Eltham’s earliest buildings. In 1963 it faced demolition to make room for the Eltham Shire offices. But local residents came together to save the cottage. It was the first time that an early settler’s brick building was removed and reconstructed. A fundraiser was the resident’s compilation of loved recipes into the cookery book Flavour of Eltham. It also includes illustrations and advertisements for local buisnesses. The foreword of the book states: “This book is about Eltham. But more than that it is about intention. It originated when the people of Eltham, the first in Australia to preserve the reconstruction an historical building, removed and rebuilt a cottage that reflected the spirit of a period. The shilling law cottage was first built in 1859 and was rebuilt in 1964. It has beauty and is rich with the past. The people of Eltham stand for something. There is, in this community, a firm resolve to preserve for their children the natural beauty of the district; to establish a centre whose allegiance is to aesthetic values rather than to commercial ones. Eltham already has this reputation, a reputation that is known beyond the borders of Australia. Its desire is to increase it. This book is a step forward in that direction.” October 1964. Signed Alan Marshall The chapters include: Old time, Restaurants, are you in a hurry, Advance action, Serve it cold, Tea time tanstalizer, Pickles and preserves, Fabulous fare and Ne Buvez Jamais L’eau. The cover illustration was drawn by Peter Glass, First Edition: November 1964, Second Edition: January 1965, Third Edition: August 1965, Fourth Edition: August 1968 Additonal souce: Marshall, Marguerite, Nillumbik Now and Then, MPrint Publications, 2008Paperback; 116 p. : ill. ; 18 x 23 cm.shillinglaw cottage, cooking, recipes, cookery, friends of shillinglaw cottage

merri-bek public art collection

From the library of John Pascoe Fawkner considered together with John Batman as a founder of Melbourne and one of the first group of free settlers to arrive in Victoria 1835. J.J.Walsh who inscribed this copy married Fawkner's widow following the death of Fawkner.A folio edition in half morocco ruled in gilt over marbled paper boards with 74 engraved plates.Inscribed on main title page J J Walsh 15 Temple Court and further Inscribed and dated 'John Pascoe Fawkner, Feby 1855 Bohn' on title page and again on the verso of the last plate.john pascoe fawkner, london, melbourne

In 1848, Francis Rogerson form Dumfriesshire, Scotland purchased 80 acres of land at Kangaroo Ground on which he built a two-roomed bark hut. He named the property afterr the many Bronzewings and Wonga Pigeons in the area. Ewen Hugh Cameron moved to Pigeon Bank the same year he was elected to Parliament as the Member for Evelyn. At the time he moved in, Pigeon Bank had six rooms and the present water well. He made further extensive additions and lived there until his death in 1915. Covered under Heritage Overlay, Nillumbik Planning Scheme. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p27 Pigeon Bank, on the Kangaroo Ground – Warrandyte Road, Kangaroo Ground, is one of the Shire’s oldest farm dwellings, and has been home to some of the district’s earliest and most distinguished families. Although close to the road, the white weatherboard Victorian farmhouse is ensured privacy by the trees and hedges around it. On 4.8 hectares of farmland, Pigeon Bank is surrounded by rolling hills, farmland and bush, the peace of which is punctuated by an occasional birdcall. Pigeon Bank’s first owner was Francis Rogerson, from Dumfriesshire, Scotland, who bought 80 acres (32.4ha) of land in 1848 on which he built a two-roomed bark hut. Today this is the centre piece of the 14-room home.1 Rogerson lined the rooms with tongue-and-groove boards and roofed them with wooden shingles and sapling frames, which remain under the present green corrugated iron roof. He named Pigeon Bank after the many forest bronzewing and Wonga Pigeons in the area at the time, and the name Bank was commonly used in Scotland. Rogerson was united with one of the oldest families in the area when his sister Janet married John Bell, son of William, the original Bell settler. When Ewen Cameron moved to Pigeon Bank in 1874 it had six rooms and the present water well. He made extensive additions to the house and farm buildings and lived at Pigeon Bank until his death in 1915. Cameron, who had arrived in Melbourne from Scotland in 1853, contributed an enormous amount to the community. He worked as a builder, as a miner at Andersons Creek, a storekeeper at Queenstown2 and as the first postmaster at Warrandyte. In 1867 he married Agnes Bell, daughter of local farmer, John Bell. Cameron was a member of the Eltham Road Board (which preceded the Shire Council) and for more than 50 years, from 1863, he was an Eltham Shire Councillor, being President three times. Cameron was the Member for Evelyn for 40 years from 1874. In the 1880s he became the Government Whip, in 1902 the Minister for Mines and Water Supply, and in 1904, the Minister for Health, Cameron was also an outstanding farmer, whose farm won the Agricultural Department prize for the finest in the district, three consecutive times. Not surprisingly Pigeon Bank became the centre of district life. Every New Year’s Eve, Cameron hired a highland piper, who marched from the Kangaroo Ground school house to Pigeon Bank playing his pipes.3 Distinguished visitors included opera singer, Dame Nellie Melba, Victorian Premier, Thomas Bent, Governor, Lord Hopetoun and artist, Longstaff. Following Cameron’s death, the property changed hands several times, then returned to the family in 1919 when bought by Gordon Cameron. As the car took over from the horse, Pigeon Bank entered difficult times because the farm had produced chaff and oats and bred Clydesdales and harness ponies. In 1926 Mr Matthews bought the property and made many alterations including pulling down the kitchen, which had been separate from the main house. The property again changed hands several times. One owner was Senator James F Guthrie, who added a sunroom. In 1968 the house again returned to the Cameron family, when Vera Jackson, a grand-daughter of Ewen Cameron, and her husband, bought the property. The Bishop family, who were sixth and seventh generation Bells and also descended from the Camerons, restored the house in the 1980s. Today tongue-and-groove boards still line part of the hall (which retains two fine arches), the breakfast room, and Ewen Cameron’s former room. Five original fireplaces in the bed and living rooms are still in working order. The wide veranda with a curved iron roof and ornate iron lace work bounds three sides of the house, and nearby a windmill stands beside the water well. Sue and Ron James, who bought the property in 2001, made extensive improvements to the homestead and meticulously restored the grounds to their original state.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, ewen hugh cameron, francis rogerson, kangaroo ground, kangaroo ground-warrandyte road, pigeon bank

The original house was built around 1850 was one of Kangaroo Ground's earliest homes, part of which remains today. Built by Scottish farmer Andrew Harkness who acquired the property in 1849 at the top of the hill with magnificent panoramic views as far as Kinglake, the same year he married Sarah Oswin. The property was known as Garden Hill from at least 1865. Andrew and Sarah had four sons and five daughters. Harkness was a founder of the Kangaroo Ground School and one of the first to suggest establishing the Eltham District Road Board (1858-71) of which he was a member, the pre-cursor to the Shire of Eltham (1871-1994). He was also a Trustee of the Kangaroo Ground Cemetery. His daughter Fanny married farmer Alexander White who purchased the property in 1893. Alexander White died in 1906 and ownership transferred to Fanny White. Son, Robert White was a Councillor of the Shire of Eltham at the time the Shire acquired two acres of land on the adjacent property from the Mess brothers for the creation of the Shire of Eltham Memorial Park (1921) in which the Shire of Eltham War Memoirial tower was erected (1926). Fanny White donated a small section of land from the Garden Hill property to facilitate entry access to the park. The White family sold the property to Sir Herbert Gepp in 1925. Covered under Heritage Overlay, Nillumbik Planning Scheme. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p29 Garden Hill, on Yarra Glen Road, Kangaroo Ground, near the War Memorial is well named. The old house and gardens overlook a magnificent panorama extending to Kinglake. The original house, built around 1850, was one of Kangaroo Ground’s earliest, and part of it remains in today’s timber house. The house was built by the early and prominent settler Andrew Harkness. Later it was occupied for a long time by Sir Herbert Gepp, renowned Australia wide.1 Harkness and Gepp are buried in the Kangaroo Ground Cemetery. Scottish farmer Harkness, who was born in 1817, acquired this property in 18492 and he and his family occupied it until the early 1920s. Harkness cleared its 152 acres (61.4 ha), fenced it and grazed sheep and cattle. Harkness proved a valuable community member. When only ten families lived in the district, he and other settlers set up a school in 1852, with Andrew Ross as the first teacher. Harkness was also one of the first to suggest establishing the Eltham District Road Board, of which he was a member for around 15 years. He was also a trustee of the Kangaroo Ground Cemetery. Harkness married in 1854 and had four sons and five daughters. The first part of the timber house he built included a kitchen-living room and a parlor. The living room’s large fireplace was bricked-in and modernised in 1940. Beside it is the old baker’s oven with its original iron door replaced by a wooden one. It is thought two wattle-and-daub huts, used for a bedroom and bathroom, were built to the west. Harkness’ son-in-law, farmer Alexander White, who had seven sons, bought the property in 1893. Harkness’ grand-daughter Flora married Ewen Cameron who became Minister for Health and was later knighted; he was not related to Ewen Hugh Cameron, a Member of the Legislative Assembly. In 1923 the White family sold the property, called Kilby Park, to Sir Herbert Gepp, who renamed it Garden Hill. Gepp used the property, which was still on the original New South Wales title, as a hobby farm. Robert White stayed on to manage the farm for a while, living in a house on the property. Gepp was born in 1877 and at 16 years began working as a junior chemist with the Australian Explosives and Chemical Company at Deer Park near Melbourne. Gepp was a pioneer in applying enlightened labour policies in industry. He initiated the Broken Hill Progress Association, to improve living conditions. It laid the ground work for the welfare schemes pursued by companies after World War One. During the mid 20th century Gepp was the most prominent liberal thinker associated with conservative politics. As a friend of Prime Minister John Curtin, he contributed to post-war reconstruction. Gepp returned to private industry and retired in 1950. Gepp made significant contributions to the solution of the great metallurgical problems of the mining industry. He was an advocate of the role of science in industry, government and the economy and helped to establish several organizations including the CSIR and the Institute of Public Affairs.3 After Sir Herbert died in 1954 his son Orwell continued to farm the property part-time. When Lady Gepp died in 1963, the land was divided among the five children, although Orwell continued to farm it as a hobby. In 1966, a daughter, Mardi Gething, now married, settled in the house. Another daughter, Kathleen, built her house close by on the property. After the Board of Works designated the property as part of a reserve for a possible reservoir, the family sold all, except the minimum 20 acres allowed, to the Board in the 1970s. Orwell then leased what was the family property from the Board to continue grazing. The two sisters and brother continued to live on the property.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, kangaroo ground

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. In Loving memory of David Band Died 30th Decr. 1862, aged 51 years. John Cork Knell Died 11th April 1867, aged 42 years. Eliza Smith Died 20th Jany. 1874, aged 3 1/2 years. William Band Died 20th Feby. 1883, aged 51 years. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p73 The discovery of gold at Smyth’s Creek* in 1854 brought 3000 people to the area in search of their fortunes.1 However in the harsh conditions many miners and their families died young, and were buried in unmarked graves. Their stories died with them but by 1861, the first burial was recorded at the Queenstown Cemetery – that of William Dalrymple aged 65 – although the cemetery was only officially declared a reserve in 1866. Even before this in 1856, a double burial had been recorded for the twin baby daughters of George Harrison at Market Square, the miners’ settlement – presumably where the cemetery is today. In 1951 the Queenstown Cemetery at 70 Smiths Gully Road, Smiths Gully, closed for burials. However the last burial in a family plot, that of Grace Evelyn Smith, occurred in 1981. Today only 55 headstones remain, but more than 380 burials are recorded. Remnant bushland dominates the cemetery where many graves are merely mounds and others have been damaged by vandalism and the neglect of time. Bushfire in 1962 destroyed the picket fencing, grave markers and cypress boundary planted in the early 1900s. The box/stringybark woodland in the 1.7 hectare Cemetery Reserve is regrowth from then and the indigenous and heritage vegetation is protected. Thanks to the volunteer Cemetery Trust and Friends & Relations of Queenstown Cemetery, the cemetery is maintained, stories recorded and the burial index corrected and expanded.2 Close by the cemetery on the site of today’s Peter Franke Picnic and Nature Reserve stood Market Square, the Caledonia Diggings village of tents and stores, the forerunner of Queenstown, now St Andrews. Many of the Caledonia Diggings miners were Chinese, many of whom, with itinerant prospectors, were buried in unmarked graves. Histories are being recorded of other immigrants, mainly English and German, who settled after the gold rush, some of whose descendants fought and died in the two world wars. Names on many headstones are also recorded on the district’s roads, reserves and war memorials such as Motschall, Joyce, Howard and Coutie. The oldest surviving tombstone is that of Scot, David Band who died in 1862 at 51 years. His oldest daughter Elizabeth, with husband John Knell, owned the Queenstown Hotel and the post office. Child-rearing in a colonial gold town was often tragically difficult, as demonstrated in the first 20 years, when 41% of the 34 burials recorded were children. Settlers endured harsh conditions graphically illustrated with the deaths of Annie Joyce at 30 years and of her family. Annie was married to gold miner Walter Joyce. Their third child Walter, born in 1886, died in March 1887. Eight months later Annie died of breast cancer. Walter died in 1909, aged 53, of miner’s phthisic caused by stone dust destroying his lungs. It was so hard to make a living that burials were usually held from 2.30 pm to allow mourners to work a day before paying their last respects.3 Most burials before 1890 were recorded as Anglicans, as the only church on the Caledonia Diggings was the Church of St Andrew, until 1897, when the Primitive Methodist Church came to Panton Hill. Generally miners came to better themselves, but some, like Grace Hopkinson (nee Milward), born in England in 1828, came from a well-off and educated family. According to family legend Grace emigrated with husband William, to live in a tent, but had kept her personally embossed sterling silver cutlery service. Amid the tough environment were some successes like that reported in The Evelyn Observer April/May 1901 of miner William Hopkinson who was buried at the cemetery in 1912 aged 81. The Observer stated that Hopkinson ‘recently dropped across another find in his claim at One Tree Hill’. The lump of gold found this time weighed more than half a kilo. Mr Hopkinson referred to it as ‘another little speck’. *Today’s Smiths GullyThis 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, david band, eliza smith, gravestones, john cork knell, queenstown cemetery, smiths gully road, st andrews, william band

Built in 1878, the orange polychromatic brick structure replaced a slab building which had been used since 1951. The building has changed little with its handsome bricks buttressed on both sides, a slate roof and a Celtic cross on top of the front gable. The carved wooden pulpit and 18 pews are original. The cathedral-style ceiling is fully lined with tongue-and-groove pine boards and the floor is also pine. The walls have arched oblong leadlight windows. In 1977 the congregaton decided not to join the Uniting Church, whcih amalgamated some Presbyterian churches with all the Methodist and Congregational churches in Australia. Together with the store and school, the church is one of Kangaroo Ground's three public buildings. Covered under Heritage Overlay, Nillumbik Planning Scheme. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p91 The small Presbyterian church in Main Road, Kangaroo Ground, has been a spiritual centre for more than a century. Built in 1878, the orange polychromatic brick structure replaced a rude slab building, which had been used as both a church and school since 1851. Earliest settlers, who were Scottish farmers, had worshipped together since 1841 in a barn owned by farmer James Donaldson and led by a layman called Smith.1 However, from 1843, the Reverend Peter Gunn conducted church services. Prominent early church members include the Donaldson, Bell and Cameron families. In 1851, Samuel Furphy (father of author Joseph) built their first church building, a 30 feet x 18 feet (9m x 5.5m) slab structure on half an acre (0.2ha) donated by Mr Donaldson. Conditions could be very uncomfortable in extreme weather.The green slabs of timber and sapling logs, covered partly with mud, had centimetre-wide cracks, allowing rain and wind through, when not blocked out by folds of paper.2 However this did not deter the first couple marrying there in 1857: John Wilson of Nillumbik and Christina Macpherson of Christmas Hills. The Reverend Peter Gunn seldom visited so it was usually left to Andrew Ross, the settlement’s first teacher and founder of the newspaper The Evelyn Observer, to lead the divine services instead.3 In 1877 the settlers raised £355/19/- and hired architect, Charles Maplestone and builder, Mr Self, to construct today’s church building. Each family rented a pew or pews for ten shillings a half-year; they also paid quarterly subscriptions for the minister’s stipend.4 It was not until 1886 that the church celebrated its first wedding, that of John Bell (junior) from Violet Bank and Elizabeth Charlton of Cunis Nillen. The Sunday School’s first recorded meeting was also held that year. In 1892 a weatherboard vestry was built, and the following year John Bell donated a church bell, which the fire brigade used as a warning for several years. Conditions have varied greatly during the century. In 1893 the Reverend Darroch had to travel more than 2000 miles (3220km) to attend to his scattered parishioners. Then in the Depression, the minister Mr Brown, subsisted only on lodgings with no stipend. The Sunday School ceased for many years because of the small population, but reopened in 1949. The building has changed little with its handmade bricks buttressed on both long sides, a slate roof and a Celtic cross on top of the front gable. The carved wooden pulpit and 18 pews are original and in fine condition. The cathedral-style ceiling is fully lined with tongue-and-groove pine boards and the floor is also of pine. The walls have arched oblong leadlight windows. One window has stained glass commemorating Mrs Jessie Agnes Cameron and her ancestors – the pioneering Bell family. It depicts The Sower because the family comprised farmers who came to a strange land to sow the seeds of their faith as much as their crops. Thistles signify their Scottish ancestry and the pigeons are a symbol of Pigeon Bank, the Kangaroo Ground farming property where Jessie Cameron was born.5 Other historical ties are seen on two marble memorial tablets and carved wooden chairs dedicated to former members. The Church still has the original Bible with gold edged paper, presented by the women of the congregation in 1871, although it is no longer used. In 1977 the Presbyterian congregation decided not to join the Uniting Church, which amalgamated some Presbyterian churches with all the Methodist and Congregational churches in Australia. Together with the store and school, the church is one of Kangaroo Ground’s three public buildings.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, kangaroo ground presbyterian church

Covered under National Estate, National Trust of Australia (Victoria) Local Significance and Heritage Overlay, Nillumbik Planning Scheme. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p95 Thanks to an Australia first effort by local residents, the historic Shillinglaw Cottage still survives. The cottage at Panther Place, Eltham, once stood about 100 metres away on Main Road. But in 1963 it faced demolition to make room for the Eltham Shire Offices (since demolished). However residents rallied to save Shillinglaw Cottage and became the first in Australia to remove and reconstruct an early settler’s brick building. A fundraiser was the residents’ compilation of loved recipes into the cookery book, Flavour of Eltham. The cottage, built in the late 1870s by noted pioneer builder George Stebbing, is one of Eltham’s earliest buildings and associated with significant early settlers. It is on the National Estate and National Trust Registers. The cottage was constructed with handmade bricks in the Flemish Bond style, typical of cottages and farmhouses in Flanders, Europe. It features burnt ‘header’ bricks over the façade, which gives a chequered effect. The roof is made of slate, while the windows are 12-paned sash with relieving arches. It is not clear who were the first owners of the cottage. The National Trust claims that Stebbing built it for farmer Thomas Cochrane.1 Others say Cochrane first owned the land but Stebbing was Shillinglaw’s first owner and remained so until 1887. The Shillinglaw family then bought it and lived there for around 80 years until 1963 when they sold it to the Eltham Council.2 Farmer Thomas Cochrane bought the Shillinglaw Cottage site from land developer Josiah Holloway. The site was the largest in what Holloway called Little Eltham, of some 30 acres (12 ha), extending along the creek from Henry Street to Luck Street. In 1874 Cochrane sold the land to George Stebbing. Meanwhile in 1861, Stebbing was the owner and occupier of a house at Pitt Street, Eltham, which he had built. Evelyn Observer journalist James Rossiter rented the Pitt Street house, then in 1881 Phillip Shillinglaw occupied it. Stebbing constructed several buildings of note in the area, including the Uniting Church at John Street, the building beside it – a former bank – and St Margaret’s Church of England in Pitt Street. Stebbing was also an Eltham Shire Councillor from 1871 to 1873 and a trustee and treasurer of the Eltham Wesleyan Church.3 In the 1870s he is recorded as the owner of up to five houses. Earlier he had been described as a bricklayer and later became a farmer. In 1882 Stebbing returned to the Pitt Street house and Shillinglaw occupied the new house in Main Road, which he owned from 1887. Shillinglaw was a prolific poet and preached at the Eltham Primitive Methodist Church, where he also served as Sunday School superintendent and led the Young People’s Society Christian Endeavour. The Shillinglaws saw many changes in their property’s boundaries – the major one occurring at the turn of the century when land for the railway and Eltham station was acquired from their holding. The northern part of the remaining land was then used for some of the first commercial developments in what was to become the Eltham Shopping Centre. Later still, the land immediately north of the cottage was bought by the Eltham War Memorial Trust for the War Memorial Buildings and the fire station. The Trust’s land eventually passed to the council. The council bought the remaining two acres (0.8 ha) with the house, and with the exception of the commercial development between the fire station and the post office, all of the former Shillinglaw land is owned by the council or government instrumentalities.4 Since the late 20th century, the cottage has had varied uses, such as a handcrafts store and as a restaurant.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, shillinglaw cottage

Stuchbery Farm was situated on the Plenty River bounded by Smugglers Gully to the north and La trobe Road, Yarrambat, to the east. Alan and Ada Stutchbery moved to the valley in 1890, first living in a tent where four children were born. Alfred built a home and outbuildings around 1896. They planted an orchard, then a market garden and developed a dairy. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p179 The dramatic steep-sided Plenty Gorge lies along the divide of two geological areas, and separates the Nillumbik Shire and the City of Whittlesea. On the Nillumbik side are undulating hills and sedimentary rock, and in Whittlesea, lies a basalt plain formed by volcanic action up to two million years ago. This provides the Plenty Gorge Park with diverse vegetation and habitats, making it one of Greater Melbourne’s most important refuges for threatened and significant species. The park, established in 1986, consists of around 1350 hectares, and extends 11 kilometres along the Plenty River, from Greensborough to Mernda. It provides a wildlife corridor for around 500 native plant and 280 animal species.1 The area’s plentiful food and water attracted the Wurundjeri Aboriginal people and then European settlers. By 1837 squatters had claimed large runs of land for their sheep and cattle. The Plenty Valley was among the first in the Port Phillip District to be settled - mainly in the less heavily timbered west - and was proclaimed a settled district in 1841.2 But by the late 1880s, the settlers’ extensive land clearing for animal grazing, then agriculture, depleted the Wurundjeri’s traditional food sources, which helped to drive them away. Many Wurundjeri artefacts remain (now government protected), and so far 57 sites have been identified in the park, including scarred trees, burial areas and stone artefacts. Pioneer life could be very hard because of isolation, flooding, bushfires and bushrangers. Following the Black Thursday bushfires of 1851, basalt was quarried to build more fire-resistant homes. Gold discoveries in the early 1850s swelled the population, particularly around Smugglers Gully; but food production made more of an impact. In the late 1850s wheat production supplanted grazing. In the 1860s the government made small holdings available to poorer settlers. These had the greatest effect on the district, particularly in Doreen and Yarrambat, where orchards were established from the 1880s to 1914. Links with a prominent early family are the remains of Stuchbery Farm, by the river’s edge bounded by Smugglers Gully to the north and La Trobe Road, Yarrambat, to the east. The Stuchberys moved to the valley in 1890, and the family still lives in the area. In 1890, Alfred and Ada first lived in a tent where four children were born, then Alfred built the house and outbuildings around 1896. They planted an orchard, then a market garden, and developed a dairy. The family belonged to the local Methodist and tennis communities. Their grandson Walter, opened the Flying Scotsman Model Railway Museum in Yarrambat, which his widow, Vi, continues to run. Wal was also the Yarrambat CFA Captain for 22 years until 1987. Walter sold 24 hectares in 1976 for development - now Vista Court - and in 1990, the remaining 22.6 hectares for the park. Remaining are an early stone dairy and remnants of a stone barn, a pig sty and a well.3 Until it was destroyed by fire in 2003, a slab hut stood on the Happy Hollow Farm site, at the southern end of the park. The hut is thought to have been built in the Depression around 1893. This was a rare and late example of a slab hut with a domestic orchard close to Melbourne. Emmet Watmough and his family first occupied the hut, followed by a succession of families, until the Bell family bought it around 1948. There they led a subsistence lifestyle for 50 years, despite encroaching Melbourne suburbia.4 The Yellow Gum Recreation Area includes the Blue Lake, coloured turquoise at certain times of the year. Following the 1957 bushfires, this area was quarried by Reid Quarries Pty Ltd for Melbourne’s first skyscrapers, then by Boral Australia. However in the early 1970s water began seeping into the quarry forming the Blue Lake and the quarry was closed. The State Government bought the site in 1997 and opened it as a park in 1999.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, ada stuchbery, alan stuchbery, dairy, stuchbery farm, farm buildings, yarrambat, plenty gorge park

A quarry was transformed into the Blue Lake. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p179 The dramatic steep-sided Plenty Gorge lies along the divide of two geological areas, and separates the Nillumbik Shire and the City of Whittlesea. On the Nillumbik side are undulating hills and sedimentary rock, and in Whittlesea, lies a basalt plain formed by volcanic action up to two million years ago. This provides the Plenty Gorge Park with diverse vegetation and habitats, making it one of Greater Melbourne’s most important refuges for threatened and significant species. The park, established in 1986, consists of around 1350 hectares, and extends 11 kilometres along the Plenty River, from Greensborough to Mernda. It provides a wildlife corridor for around 500 native plant and 280 animal species.1 The area’s plentiful food and water attracted the Wurundjeri Aboriginal people and then European settlers. By 1837 squatters had claimed large runs of land for their sheep and cattle. The Plenty Valley was among the first in the Port Phillip District to be settled - mainly in the less heavily timbered west - and was proclaimed a settled district in 1841.2 But by the late 1880s, the settlers’ extensive land clearing for animal grazing, then agriculture, depleted the Wurundjeri’s traditional food sources, which helped to drive them away. Many Wurundjeri artefacts remain (now government protected), and so far 57 sites have been identified in the park, including scarred trees, burial areas and stone artefacts. Pioneer life could be very hard because of isolation, flooding, bushfires and bushrangers. Following the Black Thursday bushfires of 1851, basalt was quarried to build more fire-resistant homes. Gold discoveries in the early 1850s swelled the population, particularly around Smugglers Gully; but food production made more of an impact. In the late 1850s wheat production supplanted grazing. In the 1860s the government made small holdings available to poorer settlers. These had the greatest effect on the district, particularly in Doreen and Yarrambat, where orchards were established from the 1880s to 1914. Links with a prominent early family are the remains of Stuchbery Farm, by the river’s edge bounded by Smugglers Gully to the north and La Trobe Road, Yarrambat, to the east. The Stuchberys moved to the valley in 1890, and the family still lives in the area. In 1890, Alfred and Ada first lived in a tent where four children were born, then Alfred built the house and outbuildings around 1896. They planted an orchard, then a market garden, and developed a dairy. The family belonged to the local Methodist and tennis communities. Their grandson Walter, opened the Flying Scotsman Model Railway Museum in Yarrambat, which his widow, Vi, continues to run. Wal was also the Yarrambat CFA Captain for 22 years until 1987. Walter sold 24 hectares in 1976 for development - now Vista Court - and in 1990, the remaining 22.6 hectares for the park. Remaining are an early stone dairy and remnants of a stone barn, a pig sty and a well.3 Until it was destroyed by fire in 2003, a slab hut stood on the Happy Hollow Farm site, at the southern end of the park. The hut is thought to have been built in the Depression around 1893. This was a rare and late example of a slab hut with a domestic orchard close to Melbourne. Emmet Watmough and his family first occupied the hut, followed by a succession of families, until the Bell family bought it around 1948. There they led a subsistence lifestyle for 50 years, despite encroaching Melbourne suburbia.4 The Yellow Gum Recreation Area includes the Blue Lake, coloured turquoise at certain times of the year. Following the 1957 bushfires, this area was quarried by Reid Quarries Pty Ltd for Melbourne’s first skyscrapers, then by Boral Australia. However in the early 1970s water began seeping into the quarry forming the Blue Lake and the quarry was closed. The State Government bought the site in 1997 and opened it as a park in 1999.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, blue lake, plenty gorge park

The Golden King Mine poppet-head stands at the school’s Yan Yean Road exit gate. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p23 Early Yarambat - Tanck's Corner Its early settlers, who in the 1840s were amongst the first non-Aboriginal people in the area,1 found life tough as they grazed their sheep and cattle. Yarrambat was then known as Tanck’s Corner or Reynolds Corner, after wood carter, Frederick Tanck, who owned land north of Ironbark Road, at the corner of Yan Yean Road, and Thomas Reynolds, owner of the opposite property. After Reynolds sold his land, the corner became known as Tanck’s Corner.2 In 1929 the district’s name was changed to Yarrambat, believed to mean ‘high hill’ in the Wurundjeri language. Tanck’s Corner was in the centre of gold-bearing country and the district is honeycombed with old tunnels and shafts. However although gold played a dominant role for decades, there was insufficient to develop a substantial township. Meat and agricultural produce made a greater impact.3 Until the mid-20th century the only substantial building was the primary school. The first gold rush occurred around 1860, the second after 1900; then during the Depression, the Government paid men to pan for gold. The first rush attracted hundreds of Chinese people to Smugglers Gully, who constructed round diggings to keep away spirits. Alluvial miners lived along the Plenty River in tents or humpies - some fenced with gardens - and some miners distilled their own ‘plonk’. It was a wild time and bushrangers - and later gangster Squizzy Taylor - were said to hide4 in the old Pioneer Tunnel in Dunne’s Gully between Heard Avenue and Pioneer Road. Mines opposite Tanck’s Corner included Beer’s Line, Golden Crown and Golden Stairs. Some of the big mines had batteries and stampers to process quartz. At first there was plenty of alluvial gold, as much as two ounces to the ton. At times gold was exposed after heavy rains so fossickers panned for gold around orchard irrigation trenches. Gold was mined until 1984 when Yarrambat’s last operating goldmine, the Golden King Mine, in North Oatlands Road, closed. The Clayton family operated it full-time, making a comfortable living and in the 1960s it was the only private family gold mine in Victoria.5 Gold was such an important part of Yarrambat’s history that a gold poppet-head is the Yarrambat Primary School’s logo. The Golden King Mine poppet-head stands at the school’s Yan Yean Road exit gate.6 However this school was built in 1988. The original school No 2054, at the corner of Ironbark and Yan Yean Roads, was opened in 1878 and modified to its present form in the 1920s. In 2000 it was relocated to the Heritage Museum at Yarrambat Park.7 The school, whose first head teacher was Charles Planner, consisted of one room with a three-roomed residence. The school was also the community centre. On Saturday nights it was crammed for dances or euchre parties, community singing or other social events. On Sundays, services for different denominations took turns each week. However the school had its teething problems. Parents accused Charles Planner of neglecting his duties and the school closed several times. When it closed in 1892, only church services continued. Social activities moved elsewhere, such as the tennis club to the Stuchbery tennis court opposite. A sports day and woodchop on Boxing Day around 1900 was held at the Evelyn Hill Hotel, also called Evelyn Arms and Tunnel Hill Hotel, on the Greensborough–Diamond Creek Road. An annual agricultural show in Diamond Creek paraded through the town, and New Year’s Day picnics at the Yan Yean Reservoir included highland dancing and competitions. Also popular were the Indian hawkers who visited every three months, selling trinkets, clothing and other items. One called Jimmy ‘Allem dem Bedi’, gave presents and told stories, played draughts and sold delicious curries he cooked over his camp fire at night.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, golden king mine, tanck's corner, yarrambat primary school

Kangaroo Ground's first school began in 1851 with 22 pupils from the district's ten families. It was a single room school located further south on the site, which also served as a Presbyterian church. The first teacher was Andrew Ross. The school building was used as a Post Office between 1854 and 1858 and during 1857 also served as a Court of Petty Sessions. With a growing farming community, a new building was warranted and the original Sate School No. 352 was closed and a new building, State School No. 2105 was oipened October 1, 1878. A residence for Head Teacher Henry Wallace School was erected in 1879 attached to the left of the school building. That residence is now home to the Andrew Ross Museum, which opened in 1993. Covered under Heritage Overlay, Nillumbik Planning Scheme. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p35 In a corner of the Kangaroo Ground Primary School playground stands an old weatherboard building. This structure, attached to the former teacher’s weatherboard residence facing Main Road, first served as a school in 1878. The former residence, built in 1879, houses the Andrew Ross Museum, which opened in 1993. It is named after the school’s first teacher,1 who also founded The Evelyn Observer newspaper, which began on the site in 1873. Later the printing presses were moved to brick newspaper offices by the Kangaroo Ground Hotel, which became the Shire of Eltham offices. However Kangaroo Ground’s first school began in 1851 for 22 pupils from the district’s ten families, in a slab building further south on this site. Andrew Harkness and other settlers campaigned for the building, which was built on half an acre (0.2ha) donated by local farmer, James Donaldson. Builder was Samuel Furphy, father of the novelist Joseph.2 The single room measuring 30 feet x 18 feet (9m x 5.5m), was unlined and the green slabs shrank, allowing the wind and rain entry through cracks except when they were stuffed with paper.3 The building served as a Presbyterian church as well as a school, where fees were 18 pence a week for education. Young men also attended evening classes there in winter. At one stage, a corner of the room was curtained off for the schoolmaster’s living space, and the platform, which was used for sleeping, was also the pulpit during church services. Teacher Andrew Ross also took church services when the minister was unable to attend, which happened frequently as he had long distances to travel on the bad roads. In 1857 the school building was also used as the Court of Petty Sessions, and from 1854 until 1858, it served as a post office. During the gold rush fossickers on their way to the Caledonia Diggings at Queenstown (now St Andrews) prospected the district, but did not remain long, as the fields were not rich in gold. But the farming community grew, until by 1878 the population warranted the building of State School No 2105 – the present one-roomed tongue-and-groove lined building measuring 49 feet x 18 feet (15m x 5.5m), to accommodate 60 children. The old school, No 352, was closed, and the new one opened on October 1, with Henry Wallace as head teacher, assisted by work mistress Annie Johnston. Early teachers included Messrs Smith, Hamilton and Prosser, with sewing teachers Misses Sweeney, Limerock and Oliver. In the early 1920s a small room was built on the front veranda of the teacher’s residence, and used as a State Savings Bank agency until about 1934. In 1928 the schoolroom’s three-tiered floor was replaced by a flat floor and teacher’s platform (which has since been removed). A half-glassed partition wall then divided the large room into two rooms in which the old style form-type desks were replaced with dual desks. The small playground, surrounded by pine trees and a picket fence, was extended in 1931 with an additional acre or so (0.4 ha) of land. During World War Two the school faced closure because of a fall to seven in the enrolment, but by 1946 it had increased again to 45. Mr Eric Morgan was head teacher and Mrs Margaret Banks was assistant head teacher, a position she held for ten years. In 1955, under the head teacher Mr V Gardiner, who taught there for 13 years, the school won a prize for the best-kept garden and school ground in the inspectorate. A district subdivision increased the enrolment in 1968 to 65 and a bus service was established. After the hall which had been used for lessons was demolished late that year, the pupils met in the original fire brigade meeting room (now the tennis club, diagonally opposite the general store). The new school building with a storeroom and staffroom was built in 1974.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, kangaroo ground, andrew ross museum, eltham-yarra glen road, kangaroo ground primary school no. 2105, kangaroo ground state school, state school no. 2105