Councillor Pauline DeLuca was driving the grader and 'turning the first sod' at the beginning of the upgrade work that was done on the Bulla Community Centre. She was the councillor who represented that area in the former Shire of Bulla. The upgrade work on the local community centre provided a more modern facility for the town's growing population'A non-digital coloured photograph of a lady driving a grader on a work site at the Bulla Community Centre with two sedan cars in the background.bulla community centre., cr. pauline de.luca, shire of bulla, bulla, greene street

In the 1920s some joy flights took off in small biplanes from McMahon's dairy property in Sunbury.Many different social activities took place in Sunbury when the town's population was less than 2000 despite its distance from Melbourne. The joy flights are one example of these activities.A sepia photograph with a cream border of the front view of a small biplane in a paddock with people standing behind it. joy flights

The powerhouse in Sunbury began generating electricity for the town in 1910 after the Shire of Bulla saw the benefits of the town having electricity. It functioned until 1926 until the State Electricity Commission took over the project. The post card was written on 21 June 1910 and sent to a Miss Hillary who was living in Benalla. It was from her cousin Mr. Gregor who was a Sunbury resident. From the date on the card, the photograph must have been taken shortly after the powerhouse began operating. An engineer's cottage was built at the rear of the main building and it is still standing on its original site in Jackson Street,The establishment of an electricity supply for the town of Sunbury by the Shire of Bulla in the early decades of the twentieth century was a very advanced decision and brought lots of benefits to the town.A sepia photograph in post card format of the former Electric Powerhouse at Sunbury with a short message and address written on the back of the photograph.ELECTRIC POWERHOUSE/SUNBURY.electricity supplies., gregor, a., sunbury powerhouse

The function took place at the Sunbury State School in 1916. As many of the town's menfolk were away fighting in the First World War and the flags flying were of allied countries, the function was most likely held to raise funds for the war effort. During those years many community groups in Sunbury held a variety of events to aid the3 war effort.A black and white photograph of a social gathering of people in a park with flags from various countries flying overhead.

The scene featured on the post card is a view of The Nook on the Jacksons Creek. For many years before the Aquatic Centre was build in the town, The Nook was the swimming place for local residents. The surrounding area had seats and change rooms. The Sunbury Swimming club was established at this site before the Aquatic Centre was built.A sepia photograph in post card format of river bend and small sandy beach on the bank.the nook, swimming

The post card is an early view of the intersection of Brook and Evans Street looking west and towards Sunbury Station. Mount Holden is in the distance. Chris Christianson's shop is on the LHS of the picture with the post office on the RHS. This image is an early view of Sunbury town centre with the railway station and post office. Like many country towns of this era, The roads have been formed but not surfaced. A sepia photograph in post card format of a view of a town centre showing an intersection and some small buildings with a hill in the distance.TO THE RAILWAY/SUNBURYbrook street, evans street, sunbury railway station, christianson, chris.

The post card is one of a set of commercial cards produced for Sunbury. Each card featured particular buildings or places of interest in the town. This card included Ben Eadie winery, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church, the former old mill by Jacksons Creek and the railway viaduct and bridge at Rupertswood. All the buildings featured on the card are of historical significance to Sunbury's early development.A post card featuring a collage four sepia views of Sunbury. The following greeting is written on the card: In and around Sunbury with Greeting. ben eadie winery, our lady of mount carmel catholic church, railway viaduct, the old mill

The post card is one of a set that were produced by Chris Christainsen, who had a pharmacy in Sunbury and was also a photographer. The four photos featured on the card are the Rupertswood Mansion, St Mary's Church of England, Jacksons Creek in floods ands Sunbury Railway station.The buildings and places featured on the card are of historical significance in the Sunbury town precinct. A post card with four sepia photographs of interesting sites which can be seen in the Sunbury township. IN AND AROUND SUNBURY WITH GREETING. christainsen, chris., rupertswood mansion, st. mary's church of england., jacksons creek, sunbury railway station

The building in the photograph is the recently built stadium which is part of the Boardman Reserve Sporting Complex in Mitchells Lane. This complex caters for Australian Rules Football, basketball, netball and other community sporting activities for the Sunbury Community. The stadium was built during the 1980s when the town's population was on the increase.A coloured photograph of a large colour bond building with a brick annex side at the entrance of a reserve.boardman reserve sporting complex, australian rules football, basketball

The dance and concert advertised on the sign was to take place at the hall which was in the grounds of the Sunbury Asylum, commonly referred by residents as 'The Hill'. A number of community events took place at the hall within the asylum complex.The Sunbury Asylum was an important institution for patients, employees and Sunbury residents for many years in the town. A small black and white photograph with a cream border of a picket fence with a sign advertising a coming concert and dance in a hall.entertainments

A black and white photograph of a main street with buildings in a town. There is a 1920s motor car being driven along the street with a stationary horse and cart on the opposite side. Members of a pipe band are waiting further up the street to perform. towns

The building in the photograph is the Sunbury Railway Station in Brook Street and before it underwent renovations and externaL changes.The establishment of the railway in Sunbury in 1859 was an important development in the town's history and fore the Bendigo regional rail network.A black and white photograph of a weatherboard building behind a post and rail fence with a tall power pole in front of the building. A roadway is in front of the building.sunbury railway station

The single span bluestone bridge is on the Calder Highway at the base of Corkscrew Hill between Gap Road and the town of Gisborne. In the early 1990s the highway was widened and dual carriageways constructed, as a result the traffic no longer travelled along the winding Corkscrew Hill road. The bridge still stands between the two carriageways. A black and white photograph with a cream border of a single arched stone bridge spanning a watercourse. Small bushes are growing in the foreground and there are some buildings dotted across the hill in the middle distance.bridges, corkscrew hill, calder highway

This is a view of one of the settled parts of Sunbury when it was a small country service town and before its rapid suburban expansion.A black and white photo with a cream border of a landscape in a country town. A driveway is in the foreground wi A small settlement on a distant rise is visible. a post and rail fence in the middle distance and two tries growing beyond the fence line.

In the 1920s a few Californian style homes were built in the township of Sunbury and some of them can still be seen in the town.A black and white photograph of the rear view of a weatherboard Californian style bungalow built in an open paddock. The house also has a smaller building on the RHS and an outdoor toilet as well as a double clothes line are in the yard. sunbury township.

The man photograph in a garden is Joseph David Starkie, who was a Bulla Shire councillor for more than twenty years and during that time he was elected Shire President four times. He was also a member of the Sunbury Waterworks Trust and served as the chairman from 1905 - 1908. While serving on the water board he was instrumental in Sunbury gaining a permanent water supply. A drinking fountain has been erected on a reserve at the Village Green to honour the arrival of the permanent water supply to the town. The installation of a permanent water supply benefitted the town and contributed to a more reliable rail service as steam trains refilled their tanks with water at Sunbury Station. Prior to this the water was transported by horse and cart from nearby Jacksons Creek.A sepia photograph of a well-dressed man who is holding a book and is standing in a front garden of a weatherboard house.starkie, joseph daniel.

This view of Sunbury Railway Station was taken from the corner of Brook and Evans Streets two years after the station underwent refurbishment and extensions and a carpark was constructed adjacent to the station. The Sunbury & District Heritage Association Inc. has a photograph P0663 of the station taken a century ago from the same place, when Sunbury was a small country town. The contrast between the two images is interesting. A coloured photograph of a streetscape with a weatherboard building in the middle distance,sunbury railway station, brook street

The photograph shows a section go the Jacksons Creek at Sunbury where it is spanned by the high arched Rupertswood railway bridge north of the town on the Bendigo line. The Melbourne to Bendigo rail line has a number of significant bridges along its route, five of which can be seen in Sunbury.A sepia photograph in post card format of a river flowing under a bridge. There is a partial view of the tall pylon on the LHS of the image.jacksons creek, bridges

The Sunbury War Memorial is sited in a grassed reserve at the intersection of Stawell and Macedon Streets in Sunbury. At its initial installation, the names of Sunbury ex-servicemen who had seen battle in World Wars 1 and 2 were listed on the four plaques. In later years the names of other servicemen who have fought in recent battles have been added to the memorial. On Anzac Day a service takes place at the memorial and is attended by many of the townspeople.The war memorial in Stawell Street is one of Sunbury's important heritage structures and commands an important position in the town.A black and white photograph with a cream border of a memorial set in an open area. The memorial has been set on a pedestal of three steps. a lamp supported by a metal tripod with four smaller lamps below the main one is on top of the memorial.

"The Mechanics Institute movement flourished in Victoria from 1839 to 1950. It was based on the development of Mechanics’ Institutes in Scotland and England from the 1820s, which were intended to educate and enlighten the working classes. The term ‘mechanic’ in those days meant an artisan, craftsman or working man, especially those who had moved from rural areas to work in new city factories during the Industrial Revolution. The early Institutes were usually equipped with a reading room, a library and a lecture room. Although enjoying mixed success in Britain, they contributed to the development of public education and library services. The movement was adopted more enthusiastically in the colonies. It began slowly in Victoria but its expansion after the gold rushes population influx was rapid, especially in rural areas. Every suburb and town wanted to have a Mechanics’ Institute. During the 1850s approximately forty Institutes were established, with even greater growth in the period 1860 to 1900. By 1900 there were 400 Institutes in Victoria. The establishment of a Mechanics’ Institute was often a great achievement for a local community, requiring organising committees to raise substantial funds for a building site (where this had not been granted by the Government), and the building. Once built, the committee then had to purchase books, provide a caretaker or librarian, and finance the ongoing use of and improvements to the building. ‘The history of many Institutes is a story of tremendous community effort, and often, financial difficulties’. In addition to being monuments to local enterprise and community life, the Mechanics’ Institutes played a vital role as an intellectual forum, and in contributing to an informed and participatory democracy in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. They provided journals and other reading matter on local, state, national and international issues, and hosted of lectures and held debates about wider issues such as Federation, colonial nationalism, defence, female suffrage, the price of land and labour. With the development of the school and technical education in the latter part of the nineteenth century, the need for community technical and adult education declined. As a result of the introduction of government library grants in 1867, many Mechanics’ Institutes incorporated a free library in their buildings to finance collection of their books. By 1884-85, there were 257 free libraries in Victoria. However, government support and library grants dropped off in the 1890s depression. Entertainment took on a greater role in the 1890s, with the introduction of moving pictures, billiards rooms, games rooms (chess), concerts and dances. The First World War had a devastating impact on many rural communities, and some Mechanics’ Institutes were no longer viable. On the other hand the early twentieth century was also a time of agricultural development, and many country towns were growing in this period. The 1930s depression further limited growth of many libraries and reduced grants substantially. In response many Mechanics’ Institutes were renamed, for example as memorial halls, in order to retain and attract more patrons (eg at nearby Sunbury). The diminishing role for Mechanics’ Institutes and the preference for larger and better appointed halls (with supper rooms, cloak rooms etc) resulted in demolition of some small Institutes. The advent of cars, radios, and television also provided other opportunities for recreation, learning and entertainment. The greater role of municipalities in providing library services also eroded the need for free libraries. While over 500 Mechanics’ Institutes or halls are extant, very few of these retain their original role as ‘diffusers of useful knowledge’. Most are still available for community purposes, as venues for meetings, socials, civic occasions etc, while others are employed as museums, shops and theatres. Most buildings are on Crown land, and managed by a delegated committee of management, who are responsible for raising revenue to maintain aging buildings. Many of those which were originally established on private land, such as Melton, have since reverted back to the Crown, and municipal Councils. The most common Mechanics Institute building form is the simple weatherboard gable building with iron roofs, notable for their ‘honest simplicity’ rather than as ‘monuments of the ancients’. At the other extreme there are some magnificent two storeyed brick and stucco structures with elaborate ornamentation (as was apparently envisaged by some in Melton in 1905-10)". The future of Melton Mechanic Institute Gazette articlelocal architecture

The mural of an impression of Macedon Street in Sunbury 100 years ago was painted by Frank Breen, on the brick garage wall of the Catholic Presbytery and it faced the garden in front of the former Sunbury Courthouse. Before the railway arrived in Sunbury in 1859, Macedon Street was the town's business centre. Early local businesses and and institutions that the artist included in the mural include on the LHS former courthouse, Out Lady of Mt. Carmel and the Sir John Franklin Hotel. On the RHS are some shops and the Ballcourt Hotel.The mural gives an impression of Sunbury's first business centre before it shifted closer to the railway station which arrived in Sunbury in 1859.A non-digital coloured photograph of an artist's impression of a street in Sunbury 100 years ago. The photograph has been encased in a cream card with an inscription on the back. 'MACEDON STREET 100 YEARS AGO'/ARTIST: FRANK BREEN/OLD SUNBURY COURTHOUSE/ SUNBURY, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIAmurals, macedon street, frank breen, sunbury courthouse, our lady of mount carmel, hotels

The administrative building along with four other buildings were part of the former Sunbury Asylum complex that operated in Sunbury on Jacksons Hill from 1876 to 1992. The white fence in the front of the photo was the boundary for The Pines golf club where patients, staff and Sunbury residents played before the Goonawarra Golf Club was established.The Sunbury Asylum was an important institution in the town and many of the townspeople worked there over the 120 years of its operation.A non-digital sepia photograph in post card format with a white border across the bottom, of the administrative building and other brick Victorian style buildings that were part of the Sunbury Asylum complex. A white post and rail fence is in the foreground. sunbury asylum, caloola, the pines golf club

The photograph was taken at one of the early Sunbury Shows. In April 1900 saw the establishment of the Sunbury Horticultural Society but it was in September 1915 that the first Sunbury Show was held at the Corporation Sale Yards in the form of a horse parade and sale. In 1917 the Show was held at the Old Reserve which was adjacent to the railway precinct. Today the Sunbury Show is held in October at the Clarke Oval. Annual Agricultural Shows are important events in many towns throughout the country and in Sunbury, it still draws crowds.A non-digital black and white photocopied photograph of a gathering of people at an agricultural show. Some people are on horseback while others are herding some cattle and a group are unloading barrels from a horse and dray. sunbury show, agricultural shows

The two storey building is the Royal Hotel which is sited on the corner of Brook and Evans Streets in Sunbury's main shopping strip.The photograph was taken sometime in 1939 after it was totally rebuilt. A fire had damaged the old single storey structure, which was built on the same site c1860 shortly after Sunbury had a rail service. The building still operates today on the same site.The Royal Hotel is one of four hotels that were built in Evans Street Sunbury between Brook and Station Streets ion the 1860s shortly after the rail service arrived in the town. They were They were the Railway Hotel (Olive Tree), White Horse Hotel, Royal Hotel and the Rupertswood Hotel, opposite the Royal Hotel. A non-digital black and white photograph with a cream border of a two storey brick hotel building with light concrete trimming around the windows and entrances sited on a corner. A large black sedan car is parked near the corner. royal hotel, hotels

The people photographed were attending a ball in Sunbury organised by the local Firemen to raise funds for the local fire service. It took place on the 26th August 1936 in the Sunbury Memorial Hall (formerly Mechanics Institute) in Stawell Street.Local fund raising social functions like balls were well supported on country towns across the country and were a way of raising the necessary money for the organisations to keep functioning.A non-digital sepia photograph in post card format of a group of people at a social function, posing for a photograph in a large hall. Details of the event, the donor and maker are on the back of the photograph.A Memento of the Firemen's Ball, Sunbury 26.8.36sunbury firemen, balls, social functions, stawell street, memorial hall

The people in the photograph were attending a ball organised by the Sunbury School Mothers' Club in September 1936. It was held in the Sunbury Memorial Hall ( formerly the Mechanics Institute) in Stawell Street, Sunbury.Local fund raising social functions held in country towns were very popular and well-supported by the community. In 1936 Sunbury State school was a small two-roomed rural school which catered for the children in the district.A non-digital sepia photograph in post card format of a people in a large hall at a community dance. Details of the event, the maker and the donor have been hand written in pencil; on the back. A Memento of the Mothers' Club Ball Memorial Hall Sunbury 5.9.36social gatherings, balls, memorial hall, sunbury mothers' club, stawell street

The students in the photo were attending Sunbury Common School No. 1002 which was first permanent government school building to be erected in 1871 in the town on the corner of Macedon and Stawell Streets with an enrolment of 32 students. Over the years faults appeared in the building and eventually after the local community made the government aware of the old building's many faults, a new two-roomed brick school was built on the same site in 1912.A photocopied black and white photograph of an old school photograph of 22 children standing in two rows in front of a building with two windows on either side of the group. sunbury state school no. 1002, schools, macedon street, stawell street, education

The photograph was taken in 1915 at the opening of the Starkie Memorial Fountain that was erected at the intersection of Brook, O'Shanassy and Stawell Streets in Sunbury Township. Joseph Starkie was instrumental in establishing a reliable water supply which was turned on 13th March 1905. The fountain was erected in recognition of his contribution to the town 10 years later on 26th February 1915. As the town grew and the main shopping strip became busier, it was relocated to a memorial site opposite the Memorial Hall.The Starkie Fountain is one of Sunbury's important memorials erected to celebrate an important development in the town.A non-digital black and white photograph of a crowd of people are gathered around a monument for a ceremony. Flags are festooned above the crowd and an open parkland is in the background as well as a church. Details of the event are handwritten on the back of the photograph.joseph starkie, j.d.starkie memorial, stawell street, sunbury, water fountain

The two storey house is 'Ardcloney. Dr. William Faulkner, formerly from Queensland, had it built for his residence in 1911. The property also included a garage, which accommodated his automobile and accommodation for his chauffeur. Owners in more recent times were Keith Campbell, who previously owned 'Willowbank' in the old Broadmeadows township and Bill Landeroo a former Victorian State MP. The buildings and surrounds have been redeveloped and the property is now the Sunbury Day Care Hospital.'Ardcloney' is one of Sunbury's significant historical properties in the town.A non-digital black and white photograph of a two- storey Californian style mansion in a garden setting. The ground floor is constructed of bricks and the upper storey of timber. The roof is tiled. The image is a copy of an original photograph. ardcloney, dr. william faulkner, sunbury, sunbury day care hospital

The photograph of The Nook is one of a series of photographs that was included in an exhibition organised by the former Sunbury & District Heritage Association in March 2001 and displayed in the George Evans Museum. Local; people were invited to submit photographs for the exhibition. The Nook is a major recreational area in Sunbury and over the years out has been an areas where grazing and cereal growing was practised before it became the original town's swimming area before the Aquatic Centre was opened in Ligar Street in 1966.Jacksons Creek at The Nook was the site of the original Sunbury Swimming Club for 49 Years from 1917 to 1966, when the Aquatic Centre opened in Ligar StreetA non-digital coloured photograph of river with trees growing along the banks and open ground across the river flats.the nook, swimming, sunbury swimming club