PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN IN FRONT OF SHINGLE ROOF HUT, DURING SMOKO BREAK. MEMBERS SEATED ON USED WOODEN BOXES AROUND SET TABLE - BEER BOTTLE, WINE CARAFE, TEA AND COFFEE. EMPTY WOODEN BOXES AND CHINESE CARRYING BASKET.POST CARD PHOTOGRAPH CLUNES GUN CLUB - TEA BREAK AT CLUB HOUSE.VICTA STUDIO CLUNESlocal history, photography, photographs, gun club

Table mats presented after a visit to Schwerkolt Cottage and Museum Complex by delegates from City of Whitehorse's sister city MatsudoSymbol of White horse City and City of Matsudo's friendshipTwo table mats presented to WHS by our sister city Matsudo. Number 1 shows Togo Tea House built in 1884 with the garden in the foreground with pots of chrysanthemums in many colours. An insert in the left hand bottom corner 'Whitehorse-Matsudo Sister Cities Celebrating Friendship'. With black circle on left side with a yellow and pink flower and 1971 on it. Number 2 is Named ' Pear Orchard' with background of green trees gold pears hanging from branches. Insert in left hand bottom corner as above.Whitehorse- Matsudo Sister Cities Celebrating Friendship.domestic items, food & drink consumption

Metal tin, dark green, gold writing. On side of tin 'Mutual Tea, the house stands behind the packet. Mutual Tea, pure economical delightful flavor' Mutual Tea was a Melbourne Company. See research tab.

The (known) people in the top photo are - boy running in background, Bert Knight; couple third & fourth from left, Ellen and Augustus Knight; 3rd from right, Gil Rogers. The bottom photo is Henham house and tea rooms and Dougal and Effie McArthur (1924 - 1929) are among the people.This is a photocopy of two photos. The first (top) image shows eight people standing in front of a building (the tea-rooms at Henham). There is the corner of a house and a picket fence to the right. A log fence with a gap is behind the people and a ninth man is running towards the gap. The second (bottom) image shows eight people standing in front of a house with a smaller building to the side (Henham house and tea-rooms).people, knight, buildings, tea rooms

MERLE HALL COLLECTION: ROSALIND PARK CREATIVE VILLAGE BENDIGO PROJECT PAMPHLET Pathway to History Bendigo Creek Linear Park Inside pages - Graphic image of the Linear Park from Alexandra Fountain to the Botanical Gardens, includes Rosalind Park, Golden Dragon Museum, Shamrock Hotel, Bendigo Gas Works, Chinese Joss House, Chinese Tea House, Lake Weroona, Wetlands, White Hill Cemetary and mine sites. On outside pages, cover, historical notes on Bendigo and Notes on the Bendigo Creek Linear Park. Notes on the back cover: A joint project of the City of Greater Bendigo and the Department of planning and development. Production by the Publick Affairs Branch, Department of Planning and Development. Printed in Bendigo June 1993 4360/93.

Black and white photograph of Sarah Westerson proprietor of Cliff Crest Guest House and Tea Rooms with her 2 daughters Zilpah and Thelema Lakes Entrance Victoriagenealogy, guesthouses

Black and white photograph of Sarah Westerson proprietor of Cliff Crest Guest House and Tea Rooms with her 2 daughters Zilpah and Thelma Lakes Entrance Victoriagenealogy

Knight's tea-rooms. See "Victoria's Wonderland" p. 103-104 for further information.Photo shows a house with a smaller building behind and a picket fence (house and tea-rooms at Henham. Two cars are parked to the left of the smaller building (tea-rooms)bbuildings, tea rooms

Boys identified as Les Fish, Frank Tomlin, John Rowe, Bert Stocks, George Ward, Arthur Falk, A Cooper - Headteacher, Vic Fish, Ted Fish.Black and white photograph showing summer house of tea tree sticks with three boys on top of roof and five boys with teacher standing, Kalimna West Primary School. Kalimna West VictoriaOur Summer House Kalimna Schoolschools, students

A group of ladies with cups of tea at Legacy House. The lady second from corner is Valerie Rae. The other ladies are not known. Date is not known but possibly in the 1980s. Was donated with three other photos after Valerie Rae passed away. The note with the photos was dated 2014 and it said she died in 2009.A record of activities that Legacy provided for widows.Black and white photo of a group of widows at Legacy House with cups of tea and food.Handwritten on back in blue pen 'Legacy House'.widows, widows clubs

Photoof a car with passengers. In winter it was too muddy for passengers in cars to travel all the way to Lorne so a horse drawn coach was used to travel to Clarke's where it met the service coach from Geelong. The passengers had tea at Clarkes Guest HousePhotograph of car, passengers and horse drawn coach. Inscribed "taken from the bottom of Clarke's Hill in 1923" In winter it was too muddy for cars to travel all the way to Lorne so the horse drawn coach was used to travel from there to Clarke's Hill where it met the service coach from Geelong. The passengers had tea at Clarke's Guesthousegreat ocean road, m1923 clarkes guest house, coach. winter transport

One of several Dandenong Creek marker posts inscriptions: "Busch's Weir was located at this section of the creek between 1930s to 1960s. In the 1930s, German migrant Hermann Otto Busch and his wife Dorothea moved to Bayswater and opened the Waldheim Farm Guest House. Busch built a concrete weir to create a popular swimming and fishing destination. The weir was a thriving attraction until the 1960s. Although little remains, it is fondly remembered by the Heathmont community. City dwellers would retreat to the guesthouse and wander down to Dandenong Creek to enjoy a weekend in the 'country'. Busch's guest house, tea rooms, and weir attracted locals and tourists alike."A private weir on Dandenong Creek Bayswater and Heathmont, 1930s-1967. Landscape layout soft covered book by Heathmont History Group (Ringwood & District Historical Society.Front cover image: A 1956 painting by Hermann Busch of his weir. The publication of this book has been made possible by a financial grant from Melbourne Water, as part of the Enhancing Our Dandenong Creek program. We particularly acknowledge the encouragement and support of Sarah Watkins, Senior Planning Engineer, MW.

The magazine was started in 1933 by Frank Packer as a weekly publication. The first editor was George Warnecke and the initial dummy was laid out by WEP (William Edwin Pidgeon) who went on to do many famous covers over the next 25 years. It is the most widely read magazine in the history of Australian publishing. During wartime despite printing restrictions, and it began publishing coloured photographic covers.This is an example of anAustralian women's magazine published during WW11.It gives practical advice on needlework / knitting and evidences the widespread interest in contemporary fashion. In doing so it shows what were the fashionable, but broadly affordable, women's and children's clothing styles of their day. These magazines also reflect women's interests.A 32 pp magazine, titled The Australian Women's Weekly. On the front cover is a coloured drawing of a man and a woman sitting under a tree. The woman is pouring tea from a billy into the tin cup held by the man. A tethered horse is grazing to their right and a small brown and white dog is in the foreground. This illustration is signed WEP (William Edwin Pidgeon). The magazine contains advertisements, stories and recipes.The special 4 page peace supplement is missing from the centre.In handrwitten pencil on the front cover - Gibbs.australian-women's-weekly magazine-ww11

This photograph shows the Richardson family having a picnic on the verandah of Captain McNeil' house at Marlo - April 1897. Snowy River Shipping Company formed in 1880. They were soon shipping produce (mainly vegetables) from the area to Melbourne. The Snowy River Shipping Company was formed by Mr Henry James during the 1880s, with Captain McNeil as master. Captain Hegarty was the shipping agent at Marlo. Towing a line of small barges these paddle steamers plied their trade between the port of Marlo, and the farms along the river banks, churning their way almost twenty miles upstream to a landing beside what is now Frank Richardson’s property. On these trips, the barges carried mail and supplies to the townspeople and farmers, loading their produce, mostly maize, on the return trip to the coast. The coming of the railway in 1915 spelt the end for the little river boats. ( ref. F. W. RODWELL in the “Snowy Review”) Frank Richardson 1877-1950 was a sawmiller at Tabbara and helped build and run paddle steamer "Curlip"as engineer. Captain McNeil was an always cheerful Marlo identity and local children had many times sailing with him on the river. Captain McNeil with tug went out through the entrance and brought in the schooners.This item is associated with the Richardson family, early settlers of the Orbost district.A black / white photograph of a group of people having afternoon tea on the end of a verandah of a wooden house. All are seated.on back - " The Richardson family picnic at Marlo"richardson-family-orbost-marlo mcneil-captain

A large black and white photograph of 9 ladies dressed in long garms with tea cups and saucers, some standing and some sitting in a house garden and onto verandah. A central figure is pouring tea from a silver pot on a table with a lace table cloth. This image depicts the way in which female residents in Beechworth in the late 1800s would enjoy their time through garden tea parties, providing insight to their ways of entertainment. Black and white rectangular reproduced photograph printed on matte photographic paper Reverse: BMM 8785 / 1997 2600/ PH 79 beechworth, tea party, burke museum, garden party, garden, verandah, cups and saucers

The ship building company E. & A. Sewall, from Bath, Maine, USA, built many ships that had wheels with the same decorative, starburst pattern on them as this particular wheel segment, including the Eric the Red. The wheel was manufactured by their local Bath foundry, Geo. Moulton & Co. and sold to the Sewall yard for $100, according to the construction accounts of the vessel. Eric the Red was a wooden, three masted clipper ship. She had 1,580 tons register and was the largest full-rigged ship built at Bath, Maine, USA in 1871. She was built and registered by Arthur Sewall, later to become the partnership E. & A. Sewall, and was the 51st ship built by this company. The annually-published List of Merchant Vessels of the U.S. shows that Bath was still the home port of Eric the Red in 1880. The vessel was named after the Viking discoverer, Eric the Red, who was the first European to reach the shores of North America (in 980AD). The ship Eric the Red at first traded in coal between America and Britain, and later traded in guano nitrates from South America. In 1879 she was re-metalled and was in first class condition. On 10th June 1880 (some records say 12th June) Eric the Red departed New York for Melbourne and then Sydney. She had been commissioned by American trade representatives to carry a special cargo of 500 exhibits (1400 tons) - about a quarter to a third of America’s total exhibits - from America for the U.S.A. pavilion at Melbourne’s first International Exhibition. The exhibits included furniture, ironmongery, wines, chemicals, dental and surgical instruments, paper, cages, bronze lamp trimmings, axles, stamped ware, astronomical and time globes, samples of corn and the choicest of leaf tobacco. Other general cargo included merchandise such as cases of kerosene and turpentine, brooms, Bristol's Sarsaparilla, Wheeler and Wilson sewing machines, Wheeler’s thresher machine, axe handles and tools, cases of silver plate, toys, pianos and organs, carriages and Yankee notions. The Eric the Red left New York under the command of Captain Z. Allen (or some records say Captain Jacques Allen) and 24 other crew including the owner’s son third mate Ned Sewall. There were 2 saloon passengers also. On 4th September 1880 the ship had been sailing for an uneventful 85 days and the voyage was almost at its end. Eric the Red approached Cape Otway in a moderate north-west wind and hazy and overcast atmosphere. Around 1:30am Captain Allen sighted the Cape Otway light and was keeping the ship 5-6 miles offshore to stay clear of the hazardous Otway Reef. However he had badly misjudged his position. The ship hit the Otway Reef about 2 miles out to sea, south west of the Cape Otway light station. Captain Allen ordered the wheel to be put ‘hard up’ thinking that she might float off the reef. A heavy sea knocked the man away from the wheel, broke the wheel ropes and carried away the rudder. The sea swamped the lifeboats, the mizzenmast fell, with all of its rigging, then the mainmast fell and the ship broke in two. Some said that the passenger Vaughan, who was travelling for his health and not very strong, was washed overboard and never seen again. The ship started breaking up. The forward house came adrift with three of the crew on it as well as a longboat, which the men succeeded in launching and keeping afloat by continually bailing with their sea boots. The captain, the third mate (the owner’s son) and others clung to the mizzenmast in the sea. Then the owner’s son was washed away off the mast. Within 10 minutes the rest of the ship was in pieces, completely wrecked, with cargo and wreckage floating in the sea. The captain encouraged the second mate to swim with him to the deckhouse where there were other crew but the second mate wouldn’t go with him. Eventually the Captain made it to the deckhouse and the men pulled him up. At about 4:30am the group of men on the deckhouse saw the lights of a steamer and called for help. At the same time they noticed the second mate and the other man had drifted nearby, still on the spur, and pulled them both onto the wreck. The coastal steamer Dawn was returning to Warrnambool from Melbourne, its sailing time different to its usual schedule. Cries were heard coming from out of the darkness. Captain Jones sent out two life boats, and fired off rockets and blue lights to illuminate the area. They picked up the three survivors who were in the long boat from Eric the Red. Two men were picked up out of the water, one being the owner’s son who was clinging to floating kerosene boxes. At daylight the Dawn then rescued the 18 men from the floating portion of the deckhouse, which had drifted about 4 miles from where they’d struck the reef. Shortly after the rescue the deckhouse drifted onto breakers and was thrown onto rocks at Point Franklin, about 2 miles east of Cape Otway. Captain Jones had signalled to Cape Otway lighthouse the number of the Eric the Red and later signalled that there was a wreck at Otway Reef but there was no response from the lighthouse. The captain and crew of the Dawn spent several more hours searching unsuccessfully for more survivors, even going back as far as Apollo Bay. On board the Dawn the exhausted men received care and attention to their needs and wants, including much needed clothing. Captain Allen was amongst the 23 battered and injured men who were rescued and later taken to Warrnambool for care. Warrnambool’s mayor and town clerk offered them all hospitality, the three badly injured men going to the hospital and others to the Olive Branch Hotel, then on to Melbourne. Captain Allen’s leg injury prevented him from going ashore so he and three other men travelled on the Dawn to Portland. They were met by the mayor who also treated them all with great kindness. Captain Allen took the train back to Melbourne then returned to America. Those saved were Captain Z. Allen (or Jacques Allen), J. Darcy chief mate, James F. Lawrence second mate, Ned Sewall third mate and owner’s son, John French the cook, C. Nelson sail maker, Clarence W. New passenger, and the able seamen Dickenson, J. Black, Denis White, C. Herbert, C. Thompson, A. Brooks, D. Wilson, J. Ellis, Q. Thompson, C. Newman, W. Paul, J. Davis, M. Horenleng, J. Ogduff, T. W. Drew, R. Richardson. Four men had lost their lives; three of them were crew (Gus Dahlgreen ship’s carpenter, H. Ackman steward, who drowned in his cabin, and George Silver seaman) and one a passenger (J. B. Vaughan). The body of one of them had been found washed up at Cape Otway and was later buried in the lighthouse cemetery; another body was seen on an inaccessible ledge. Twelve months later the second mate James F. Lawrence, from Nova Scotia, passed away in the Warrnambool district; an obituary was displayed in the local paper. The captain and crew of the Dawn were recognised by the United States Government in July 1881 for their humane efforts and bravery, being thanked and presented with substantial monetary rewards, medals and gifts. Neither the ship, nor its cargo, was insured. The ship was worth about £15,000 and the cargo was reportedly worth £40,000; only about £2,000 worth had been recovered. Cargo and wreckage washed up at Apollo Bay, Peterborough, Port Campbell, Western Port and according to some reports, even as far away as the beaches of New Zealand. The day after the wreck the government steam ship Pharos was sent from Queenscliff to clear the shipping lanes of debris that could be a danger to ships. The large midship deckhouse of the ship was found floating in a calm sea near Henty Reef. Items such as an American chair, a ladder and a nest of boxes were all on top of the deckhouse. As it was so large and could cause danger to passing ships, Captain Payne had the deckhouse towed towards the shore just beyond Apollo Bay. Between Apollo Bay and Blanket Bay the captain and crew of Pharos collected Wheeler and Wilson sewing machines, nests of boxes, bottles of Bristol’s sarsaparilla, pieces of common American chairs, axe handles, a Wheelers’ Patent thresher and a sailor’s trunk with the words “A. James” on the front. A ship’s flag-board bearing the words “Eric the Red” was found on the deckhouse; finally those on board the Pharos had the name of the wrecked vessel. During this operation Pharos came across the government steamer Victoria and also a steamer S.S. Otway, both of which were picking up flotsam and wreckage. A whole side of the hull and three large pieces of the other side of the hull, with some of the copper sheathing stripped off, had floated on to Point Franklin. Some of the vessels yards and portions of her masts were on shore. The pieces of canvas attached to the yards and masts confirmed that the vessel had been under sail. The beach there was piled with debris several feet high. There were many cases of Diamond Oil kerosene, labelled R. W. Cameron and Company, New York. There were also many large planks of red pine, portions of a small white boat and a large, well-used oar. Other items found ashore included sewing machines (some consigned to ‘Long and Co.”) and notions, axe and scythe handles, hay forks, wooden pegs, rolls of wire (some branded “T.S” and Co, Melbourne”), kegs of nails branded “A.T. and Co.” from the factory of A. Field and Son, Taunton, Massachusetts, croquet balls and mallets, buggy fittings, rat traps, perfumery, cutlery and Douay Bibles, clocks, bicycles, chairs, a fly wheel, a cooking stove, timber, boxes, pianos, organs and a ladder. (Wooden clothes pegs drifted in for many years). There seemed to be no personal luggage or clothing. The Pharos encountered a long line, about one and a half miles, of floating wreckage about 10 miles off land, south east of Cape Otway, and in some places about 40 feet wide. It seemed that more than half of it was from Eric the Red. The ship’s crew rescued 3 cases that were for the Melbourne Exhibition and other items from amongst the debris. There were also chairs, doors, musical instruments, washing boards, nests of trunks and fly catchers floating in the sea. Most of the goods were saturated and smelt of kerosene. A section of the hull lies buried in the sand at Parker River Beach. An anchor with chain is embedded in the rocks east of Point Franklin and a second anchor, thought to be from Eric the Red, is on display at the Cape Otway light station. (There is a photograph of a life belt on the verandah of Rivernook Guest House in Princetown with the words “ERIC THE RED / BOSTON”. This is rather a mystery as the ship was registered in Bath, Maine, USA.) Parts of the ship are on display at Bimbi Park Caravan Park and at Apollo Bay Museum. Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village also has part of the helm (steering wheel), a carved wooden sword (said to be the only remaining portion of the ship’s figurehead; further research is currently being carried out), a door, a metal rod, samples of wood and a medal for bravery. Much of the wreckage was recovered by the local residents before police and other authorities arrived at the scene. Looters went to great effort to salvage goods, being lowered down the high cliff faces to areas with little or no beach to collect items from the wreckage, their mates above watching out for dangerous waves. A Tasmanian newspaper reports on a court case in Stawell, Victoria, noting a man who was caught 2 months later selling tobacco from the wreckage of Eric the Red. Some of the silverware is still treasured by descendants of Mr Mackenzie who was given these items by officials for his help in securing the cargo. The gifts included silver coffee and tea pots, half a dozen silver serviette rings and two sewing machines. The wreck and cargo were sold to a Melbourne man who salvaged a quantity of high quality tobacco and dental and surgical instruments. Timbers from the ship were salvaged and used in the construction of houses and sheds around Apollo Bay, including a guest house, Milford House (since burnt down in bushfires), which had furniture, fittings and timber on the dining room floor from the ship. A 39.7 foot long trading ketch, the Apollo, was also built from its timbers by Mr Burgess in 1883 and subsequently used in Tasmanian waters. It was the first attempt at ship building in Apollo bay. In 1881 a red light was installed about 300 feet above sea level at the base of the Cape Otway lighthouse to warn ships when they were too close to shore; It would not be visible unless a ship came within 3 miles from it. This has proved to be an effective warning. The State Library of Victoria has a lithograph in its collection depicting the steamer Dawn and the shipwrecked men, titled. "Wreck of the ship Eric the Red, Cape Otway: rescue of the crew by the Dawn". “The Eric the Red is historically significant as one of Victoria's major 19th century shipwrecks. (Heritage Victoria Eric the Red; HV ID 239) The wreck led to the provision of an additional warning light placed below the Cape Otway lighthouse to alert mariners to the location of Otway Reef. The site is archaeologically significant for its remains of a large and varied cargo and ship's fittings being scattered over a wide area. The site is recreationally and aesthetically significant as it is one of the few sites along this coast where tourists can visit identifiable remains of a large wooden shipwreck, and for its location set against the background of Cape Otway, Bass Strait, and the Cape Otway lighthouse.“ (Victorian Heritage Database Registration Number S239, Official Number 8745 USA) Segment of a ship's wheel, or helm, from the wreck of the sailing ship Eric the Red. The wheel part is an arc shape from the outer rim of the wheel and is made up of three layers of timber. The centre layer is a dark, dense timber and is wider than the two outer layers, which are less dense and lighter in colour. The wheel segment has a vertically symmetrical, decorative copper plate inlaid on the front. The plate has a starburst pattern; six stars decorate it, each at a point where there is a metal fitting going through the three layers of timber to the rear side of the wheel. On the rear each of the six fittings has an individual copper star around it. The edges of the helm are rounded and bevelled, polished to a shine in a dark stain. Around each of the stars, front and back, the wood is a lighter colour, as though the metal in that area being polished frequently. The length of the segment suggests that it has probably come from a wheel or helm that had ten spokes. (Ref: F.H.M.M. 16th March 1994, 239.6.610.3.7. Artefact Reg No ER/1.)flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, ship's-wheel, eric-the-red, helm, shei's wheel, ship's steering wheel

This wooden sword is said to “possibly be the only remaining part of the figurehead from the sailing ship Eric the Red.” It was previously part of the collection of the old Warrnambool Museum and the entry in its inventory says “Wooden sword, portion of the figurehead, held by “Eric the Red” at the bow.” A large part of the ship’s hull was found on the rocks and a figurehead may have been attached or washed up on the shore. The shipping records for E. & A. Sewall, the builders, owners and managers of Eric the Red, are now preserved in the Maine Maritime Museum. There is no photograph on record of Eric the Red but photographs of other ships built around that time by the same company show that these did not have figureheads, and there is no record found of a figurehead for Eric the Red being ordered or paid for. Further research is being carried out. The ship building company E. & A. Sewall, from Bath, Maine, USA, built Eric the Red, a wooden, three masted clipper ship. She had 1,580 tons register and was the largest full-rigged ship built at Bath, Maine, USA in 1871. She was built and registered by Arthur Sewall, later to become the partnership E. & A. Sewall, and was the 51st ship built by this company. The annually-published List of Merchant Vessels of the U.S. shows that Bath was still the home port of Eric the Red in 1880. The vessel was named after the Viking discoverer, Eric the Red, who was the first European to reach the shores of North America (in 980AD). The ship Eric the Red at first traded in coal between America and Britain, and later traded in guano nitrates from South America. In 1879 she was re-metalled and was in first class condition. On 10th June 1880 (some records say 12th June) Eric the Red departed New York for Melbourne and then Sydney. She had been commissioned by American trade representatives to carry a special cargo of 500 exhibits (1400 tons) - about a quarter to a third of America’s total exhibits - from America for the U.S.A. pavilion at Melbourne’s first International Exhibition. The exhibits included furniture, ironmongery, wines, chemicals, dental and surgical instruments, paper, cages, bronze lamp trimmings, axles, stamped ware, astronomical and time globes, samples of corn and the choicest of leaf tobacco. Other general cargo included merchandise such as cases of kerosene and turpentine, brooms, Bristol's Sarsaparilla, Wheeler and Wilson sewing machines, Wheeler’s thresher machine, axe handles and tools, cases of silver plate, toys, pianos and organs, carriages and Yankee notions. The Eric the Red left New York under the command of Captain Z. Allen (or some records say Captain Jacques Allen) and 24 other crew including the owner’s son third mate Ned Sewall. There were 2 saloon passengers also. On 4th September 1880 the ship had been sailing for an uneventful 85 days and the voyage was almost at its end. Eric the Red approached Cape Otway in a moderate north-west wind and hazy and overcast atmosphere. Around 1:30am Captain Allen sighted the Cape Otway light and was keeping the ship 5-6 miles offshore to stay clear of the hazardous Otway Reef. However he had badly misjudged his position. The ship hit the Otway Reef about 2 miles out to sea, south west of the Cape Otway light station. Captain Allen ordered the wheel to be put ‘hard up’ thinking that she might float off the reef. A heavy sea knocked the man away from the wheel, broke the wheel ropes and carried away the rudder. The sea swamped the lifeboats, the mizzenmast fell, with all of its rigging, then the mainmast fell and the ship broke in two. Some said that the passenger Vaughan, who was travelling for his health and not very strong, was washed overboard and never seen again. The ship started breaking up. The forward house came adrift with three of the crew on it as well as a longboat, which the men succeeded in launching and keeping afloat by continually bailing with their sea boots. The captain, the third mate (the owner’s son) and others clung to the mizzenmast in the sea. Then the owner’s son was washed away off the mast. Within 10 minutes the rest of the ship was in pieces, completely wrecked, with cargo and wreckage floating in the sea. The captain encouraged the second mate to swim with him to the deckhouse where there were other crew but the second mate wouldn’t go with him. Eventually the Captain made it to the deckhouse and the men pulled him up. At about 4:30am the group of men on the deckhouse saw the lights of a steamer and called for help. At the same time they noticed the second mate and the other man had drifted nearby, still on the spur, and pulled them both onto the wreck. The coastal steamer Dawn was returning to Warrnambool from Melbourne, its sailing time different to its usual schedule. Cries were heard coming from out of the darkness. Captain Jones sent out two life boats, and fired off rockets and blue lights to illuminate the area. They picked up the three survivors who were in the long boat from Eric the Red. Two men were picked up out of the water, one being the owner’s son who was clinging to floating kerosene boxes. At daylight the Dawn then rescued the 18 men from the floating portion of the deckhouse, which had drifted about 4 miles from where they’d struck the reef. Shortly after the rescue the deckhouse drifted onto breakers and was thrown onto rocks at Point Franklin, about 2 miles east of Cape Otway. Captain Jones had signalled to Cape Otway lighthouse the number of the Eric the Red and later signalled that there was a wreck at Otway Reef but there was no response from the lighthouse. The captain and crew of the Dawn spent several more hours searching unsuccessfully for more survivors, even going back as far as Apollo Bay. On board the Dawn the exhausted men received care and attention to their needs and wants, including much needed clothing. Captain Allen was amongst the 23 battered and injured men who were rescued and later taken to Warrnambool for care. Warrnambool’s mayor and town clerk offered them all hospitality, the three badly injured men going to the hospital and others to the Olive Branch Hotel, then on to Melbourne. Captain Allen’s leg injury prevented him from going ashore so he and three other men travelled on the Dawn to Portland. They were met by the mayor who also treated them all with great kindness. Captain Allen took the train back to Melbourne then returned to America. Those saved were Captain Z. Allen (or Jacques Allen), J. Darcy chief mate, James F. Lawrence second mate, Ned Sewall third mate and owner’s son, John French the cook, C. Nelson sail maker, Clarence W. New passenger, and the able seamen Dickenson, J. Black, Denis White, C. Herbert, C. Thompson, A. Brooks, D. Wilson, J. Ellis, Q. Thompson, C. Newman, W. Paul, J. Davis, M. Horenleng, J. Ogduff, T. W. Drew, R. Richardson. Four men had lost their lives; three of them were crew (Gus Dahlgreen ship’s carpenter, H. Ackman steward, who drowned in his cabin, and George Silver seaman) and one a passenger (J. B. Vaughan). The body of one of them had been found washed up at Cape Otway and was later buried in the lighthouse cemetery; another body was seen on an inaccessible ledge. Twelve months later the second mate James F. Lawrence, from Nova Scotia, passed away in the Warrnambool district; an obituary was displayed in the local paper. The captain and crew of the Dawn were recognised by the United States Government in July 1881 for their humane efforts and bravery, being thanked and presented with substantial monetary rewards, medals and gifts. Neither the ship, nor its cargo, was insured. The ship was worth about £15,000 and the cargo was reportedly worth £40,000; only about £2,000 worth had been recovered. Cargo and wreckage washed up at Apollo Bay, Peterborough, Port Campbell, Western Port and according to some reports, even as far away as the beaches of New Zealand. The day after the wreck the government steam ship Pharos was sent from Queenscliff to clear the shipping lanes of debris that could be a danger to ships. The large midship deckhouse of the ship was found floating in a calm sea near Henty Reef. Items such as an American chair, a ladder and a nest of boxes were all on top of the deckhouse. As it was so large and could cause danger to passing ships, Captain Payne had the deckhouse towed towards the shore just beyond Apollo Bay. Between Apollo Bay and Blanket Bay the captain and crew of Pharos collected Wheeler and Wilson sewing machines, nests of boxes, bottles of Bristol’s sarsaparilla, pieces of common American chairs, axe handles, a Wheelers’ Patent thresher and a sailor’s trunk with the words “A. James” on the front. A ship’s flag-board bearing the words “Eric the Red” was found on the deckhouse; finally those on board the Pharos had the name of the wrecked vessel. During this operation Pharos came across the government steamer Victoria and also a steamer S.S. Otway, both of which were picking up flotsam and wreckage. A whole side of the hull and three large pieces of the other side of the hull, with some of the copper sheathing stripped off, had floated on to Point Franklin. Some of the vessels yards and portions of her masts were on shore. The pieces of canvas attached to the yards and masts confirmed that the vessel had been under sail. The beach there was piled with debris several feet high. There were many cases of Diamond Oil kerosene, labelled R. W. Cameron and Company, New York. There were also many large planks of red pine, portions of a small white boat and a large, well-used oar. Other items found ashore included sewing machines (some consigned to ‘Long and Co.”) and notions, axe and scythe handles, hay forks, wooden pegs, rolls of wire (some branded “T.S” and Co, Melbourne”), kegs of nails branded “A.T. and Co.” from the factory of A. Field and Son, Taunton, Massachusetts, croquet balls and mallets, buggy fittings, rat traps, perfumery, cutlery and Douay Bibles, clocks, bicycles, chairs, a fly wheel, a cooking stove, timber, boxes, pianos, organs and a ladder. (Wooden clothes pegs drifted in for many years). There seemed to be no personal luggage or clothing. The Pharos encountered a long line, about one and a half miles, of floating wreckage about 10 miles off land, south east of Cape Otway, and in some places about 40 feet wide. It seemed that more than half of it was from Eric the Red. The ship’s crew rescued 3 cases that were for the Melbourne Exhibition and other items from amongst the debris. There were also chairs, doors, musical instruments, washing boards, nests of trunks and fly catchers floating in the sea. Most of the goods were saturated and smelt of kerosene. A section of the hull lies buried in the sand at Parker River Beach. An anchor with chain is embedded in the rocks east of Point Franklin and a second anchor, thought to be from Eric the Red, is on display at the Cape Otway light station. (There is a photograph of a life belt on the verandah of Rivernook Guest House in Princetown with the words “ERIC THE RED / BOSTON”. This is rather a mystery as the ship was registered in Bath, Maine, USA.) Parts of the ship are on display at Bimbi Park Caravan Park and at Apollo Bay Museum. Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village also has part of the helm (steering wheel), a carved wooden sword (said to be the only remaining portion of the ship’s figurehead; further research is currently being carried out), a door, a metal rod, samples of wood and a medal for bravery. Much of the wreckage was recovered by the local residents before police and other authorities arrived at the scene. Looters went to great effort to salvage goods, being lowered down the high cliff faces to areas with little or no beach to collect items from the wreckage, their mates above watching out for dangerous waves. A Tasmanian newspaper reports on a court case in Stawell, Victoria, noting a man who was caught 2 months later selling tobacco from the wreckage of Eric the Red. Some of the silverware is still treasured by descendants of Mr Mackenzie who was given these items by officials for his help in securing the cargo. The gifts included silver coffee and tea pots, half a dozen silver serviette rings and two sewing machines. The wreck and cargo were sold to a Melbourne man who salvaged a quantity of high quality tobacco and dental and surgical instruments. Timbers from the ship were salvaged and used in the construction of houses and sheds around Apollo Bay, including a guest house, Milford House (since burnt down in bushfires), which had furniture, fittings and timber on the dining room floor from the ship. A 39.7 foot long trading ketch, the Apollo, was also built from its timbers by Mr Burgess in 1883 and subsequently used in Tasmanian waters. It was the first attempt at ship building in Apollo bay. In 1881 a red light was installed about 300 feet above sea level at the base of the Cape Otway lighthouse to warn ships when they were too close to shore; It would not be visible unless a ship came within 3 miles from it. This has proved to be an effective warning. The State Library of Victoria has a lithograph in its collection depicting the steamer Dawn and the shipwrecked men, titled. "Wreck of the ship Eric the Red, Cape Otway: rescue of the crew by the Dawn".The Eric the Red is historically significant as one of Victoria's major 19th century shipwrecks. (Heritage Victoria Eric the Red; HV ID 239) The wreck led to the provision of an additional warning light placed below the Cape Otway lighthouse to alert mariners to the location of Otway Reef. The site is archaeologically significant for its remains of a large and varied cargo and ship's fittings being scattered over a wide area. The site is recreationally and aesthetically significant as it is one of the few sites along this coast where tourists can visit identifiable remains of a large wooden shipwreck, and for its location set against the background of Cape Otway, Bass Strait, and the Cape Otway lighthouse. (Victorian Heritage Database Registration Number S239, Official Number 8745 USA)This carved wooden sword, recovered from the Eric the Red, is possibly the only portion of the figurehead recovered after the wreck. There are spirals carved from the base of the handle to the top of the sword. The hilt of the sword is a lion’s head holding its tail in its mouth, the tail forming the handle. The blade of the sword has engraved patterns on it. Tiny particles of gold leaf and dark blue paint fragments can be seen between the carving marks. There are remnants of yellowish-orange and crimson paint on the handle. At some time after the sword was salvaged the name of the ship was hand painted on the blade in black paint. The tip of the sword has broken or split and the remaining part is charcoal in appearance. On both the tip and the base of the handle are parts made where the sword could have been joined onto the figurehead There is a white coating over some areas of the sword, similar to white lead putty used in traditional shipbuilding. The words “ERIC the RED” have been hand painted on the blade of the sword in black paint sometime after it was salvaged.flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, maritime museum, maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, sword, wooden sword, eric the red, carved sword, figurehead, snake head on sword

These dishes were part of a crockery set used in the George Rolfe household at Lyndoch, Warrnambool. George Rolfe (1836-1919) was a Melbourne tea merchant who acquired land at the mouth of the Hopkins River in Warrnambool from the 1880s on as a holiday home. He developed the property over the years, adding a windmill and reservoir, bone and chaff sheds, a stable, jetty and boathouse and an extensive garden. In 1891 he married Mrs Annie Lake and it was his stepdaughter, Florence Lake who built the house, Lyndoch in the 1920s. This building today forms part of an Aged Care Facility. This item is part of the larger Rolfe dinner set as described on Victorian Collections at VC001421 and VC001422These dishes are of importance as they belonged to the George Rolfe family of Lyndoch, Warrnambool. They demonstrate the quality of the household goods used by more affluent families in the second half of the 19th century. These are four china serving dishes or plates which are part of a set of crockery used in the Rolfe Lyndoch household in Warrnambool. The dishes have a circular base with a circular dish resting on the base. The dishes have or had two handles with these handles and the edges of the dishes being gold trimmed. Around the rim of the dishes is a pattern of loops and dots etc of teal and gold. One dish (.1) has no handles, one dish (.4) has one handle only and two dishes are cracked (.3 & .4) . Two dishes are stained, one severely (.2 & .4) ‘Minton’ george rolfe, florence lake

These saucers are part of a crockery set that belonged to George Rolfe and his family. George Rolfe (1836-1919) was a tea merchant in Melbourne who bought land at the mouth of the Hopkins River in Warrnambool in the 1880s. He had adjoining land and the properties of ‘Shipley’ and ‘Fairy Hill’ and developed ‘Lyndoch’, adding stables, jetty, boat house, windmill and reservoir, chaff and bone sheds and an extensive garden. In 1891 he married Annie Lake and it was his stepdaughter, Florence Lake who built the ‘Lyndoch’ house still standing today. ‘Lyndoch’ today is now the site of an Aged Care Facility. This item is part of the Rolfe Dinnerset as described on Victorian Collections at VC001420 and VC001422.These saucers, part of a crockery set, are kept because they belonged to George Rolfe, a prominent property owner and farmer in Warrnambool in the late 19th century and early 20th century. The items, dating from 1864, have social significance showing the type of crockery used by a more affluent family in the 19th century. These are six circular china saucers with a gold rim and ornamentation in a scallop design in gold and teal around the rim and the outer edges. The base of the saucers has a gold rim. One of the saucers has a chip on the edge and four show significant wearing of the inner gold circle. Some of the outside gold edging also shows wear. The maker’s marks and name are indented on the bottom of the saucers ‘Minton’ lyndoch, warrnambool, rolfe and co., george rolfe, history of warrnambool, florence lake

These dishes were part of a crockery set used in the George Rolfe household at Lyndoch, Warrnambool. George Rolfe (1836-1919) was a Melbourne tea merchant who acquired land at the mouth of the Hopkins River in Warrnambool from the 1880s on as a holiday home. He developed the property over the years, adding a windmill and reservoir, bone and chaff sheds, a stable, jetty and boathouse and an extensive garden. In 1891 he married Mrs Annie Lake and it was his stepdaughter, Florence Lake who built the house, Lyndoch in the 1920s. This building today forms part of an Aged Care Facility. This item is part of the larger Rolfe dinner set as described on Victorian Collections at VC001421 and VC001422These cups are part of a crockery set, and are kept because they belonged to George Rolfe, a prominent property owner and farmer in Warrnambool in the late 19th century and early 20th century. The items, dating from 1864, have social significance showing the type of crockery used by a more affluent family in the 19th century.Four small white cups decorated with aqua band around the top of each cup . A scalloped pattern of dots are suspended from the solid band which is decorated with a row of gold dots. There is a gold rim at the base of the cup.Mintonrolfe, lyndoch, warrnambool, minton cups, mrs annie lake

This book comes from the property of Lyndoch near the mouth of the Hopkins River. George Rolfe, a tea merchant from Melbourne, established Lyndoch in 1875 and Miss Florence Lake, daughter of Miss Annie Lake, later Mrs George Rolfe, inherited the property with her sister Annie. In 1920 Florence Lake built a large house called Lyndoch. She had a Rolls Royce car and a chauffeur and was a tireless worker for local charities. Florence Lake died in 1946 and the property became the site of an Aged Care Facility in Warrnambool. Florence Lake’s house now forms part of the hostel section of this facility. This book would have been in the Lyndoch library during Florence Lake’s time there. D K Broster ( Dorothy Kathleen) was a popular writer of historical novels in the early part of the 20th century. The Flight of the heron being her most acclaimed This book is of interest as it came from the historically-important property and house known as Lyndoch and so it is connected to Miss Florence Lake, a prominent person in Warrnambool in the first half of the 20th century. This is a hard cover book of 439 pages. It has a red cover with black lettering on the front and spine. It also has a dust cover which has a colour image of a man in late 18th century attire and a shield containing a yellow poppy. The dust cover is partly torn away. The book has 46 chapters. The inscription is handwritten in black ink. ‘Lyndoch Xmas 1937’lyndoch, florence lake, history of warrnambool

We have little knowledge on this little teapot but is an item of interest and could even be part of a child’s tea set, based on its size. The hand painting on the pot is quite a typical depiction of Japanese scenes from the 19th century. We could find no provenance belonging to this item but it is an interesting and pleasing item suitable for display.Small white china teapot with lid and Japanese scene on both sides with trees and mountains in the background and village houses in the foreground. It is painted in greens, browns and blue and the painting is outlined in a slightly raised style. The trees in the background have raised white dots of paint. The front scene has two ladies and another person in a boat. The lid also has a similar scene. The lid, handle and rim of the spout are all highlighted in dark green.warrnambool, warrnambool history, teapot, asian teapot

This apron was made in 1915 by Irene Broughton, nee Long. She was born in Warrnambool in 1894 and married Arthur Broughton in 1913. She re married in 1924 Reuben Donnithorne and he died in 1931. Irene died in 1982 and is buried in the Warrnambool cemetery. The apron was left to Irene's niece, Helen Thomson who had the apron framed to preserve it. The apron would not have been in everyday use but a special garment worn when entertaining visitors for afternoon tea.This apron is a fine example of a home made house hold article from the early 20th century. The maker was born in Warrnambool.The apron is made of fine black cotton and edged with a broad lace flounce featuring a flower pattern. It is decorated with two sprays of delicately hand-painted motifs featuring Australian native flowers. The apron is in a wooden frame with a silver metal edging with scrolls on the front edge. The glass is clear and the mount is buff coloured card.vintage accessory, irene broughton warrnambool

This tin comes from the Melbourne firm of Rolfe and Co. and would have held tea. Rolfe & Co. was established by George Rolfe (Senior) in 1854 as a wholesale wine, spirit and provisions business. George Rolfe was a member of the Upper House of the Victorian Government from 1860 to 1862 and in 1867. He died in 1871 and his son, also George, succeeded him as the managing director of the business. This George Rolfe (1837-1919) came to Australia with his family in 1849 and lived first in South Australia and then came to Melbourne, joining his father’s business, George Rolfe was a keen farmer and fisherman and after holidaying in Warrnambool for some time, bought, in the early 1870s, the property at the mouth of the Hopkins River which he named Lyndoch after the town in South Australia. He came frequently to Warrnambool. He later extended his farming interests which included the properties of Fairy Hill and Shipley. George Rolfe married Jane Ann Lake in 1891 and the Lyndoch property passed to two of his stepdaughters. Today the Rolfe property is the site of an aged care facility. The business of Rolfe & Co. continued well into the 20th century.This tin is of great interest as a memento of George Rolfe of Lyndoch, Warrnambool and his Melbourne business, Rolfe & Co. George Rolfe was a prominent person in the Warrnambool district in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This is a metal container, rectangular in shape. It originally held tea. The sides of the tin have painted lettering regarding the contents and the supplier. This paint was originally in yellow, blue and brown tonings. The lid is round and slots into the rounded opening. The tin has been re-painted in a silver colour on the top and inside. The tin, especially the lettering on the sides, is much rusted and in some places the words are illegible. A small hole has been pierced in the top of the tin‘Rolfe’s Tea’ ‘Rolfe & Co. Ltd 300 King Street Melbourne’ rolfe & co, george rolfe senior, george rolfe junior, lyndoch, warrnambool

Laughing Waters Walk, 7 Sep 2013 This Society excursion was a follow up to the Laughing Waters Story told to us by Jane Woollard at our Annual General Meeting in March 2013. It involved a walk commencing from the corner of Laughing Waters and Overbank Roads along Laughing Waters Road to its eastern end and returning partly over the same route - a total distance of about 2.5km. On the way we visited the two artist in residence properties, River Bend and Birrarung, to view the houses on them that are associated with Alistair Knox, Gordon Ford and others in the local mud brick and artistic community. We also able to walk around the derelict ruin which was once home to Gordon and Sue Ford, Boomerang House. An unexpected afternoon tea was offered to us by the artists in residence at Birrarung House and we had a brief opportunity to view inside the house. River Bend was designed and built by Alistair Knox for Rosemary and Bill Cuming in 1968. It sits in a deep cutting on a steep slope above the Yarra River and features floor to ceiling windows and glass doors set into mission brown timber frames and walls of reclaimed bricks in pinkish hue. Rosemary laid the brick paving around the house, a copy of the shell paving found in the ancient French town of Colmar, where the family had lived for a period. The kitchen was equipped with a 1960s stove as well as a cast iron wood stove reclaimed from Rosemary's sister's home in Armadale. Max and Tini Huygens, migrants from Holland, purchased the property in 1975 and named it Tilwinda from an Aboriginal word meaning 'hole in a rock'. In late 1981 Tini died after a short illness, but Max continued to live at Tilwinda until he moved to a retirement village in 2000 and the property was sold to Parks Victoria. Renamed River Bend, the property became part of the Laughing Waters Artist in Residency Program in 2008. Nillumbik Shire Council upgraded the property in 2012 with solar panels, a heat pump for hot water and double glazing to improve the comfort of the artists in residence and make the house more energy efficient. For a more in-depth description of the property and biographies of the various artists in residence commencing from 2008 to 2015, see Jane Woollard's book, "Laughing Waters Road; Art, Landscape & Memory in Eltham" published 2016.2013-09-07, activities, artists in residence, eltham district historical society, heritage excursion, jim connor collection, laughing waters road, river bend house

Laughing Waters Walk, 7 Sep 2013 This Society excursion was a follow up to the Laughing Waters Story told to us by Jane Woollard at our Annual General Meeting in March 2013. It involved a walk commencing from the corner of Laughing Waters and Overbank Roads along Laughing Waters Road to its eastern end and returning partly over the same route - a total distance of about 2.5km. On the way we visited the two artist in residence properties, River Bend and Birrarung, to view the houses on them that are associated with Alistair Knox, Gordon Ford and others in the local mud brick and artistic community. We also able to walk around the derelict ruin which was once home to Gordon and Sue Ford, Boomerang House. An unexpected afternoon tea was offered to us by the artists in residence at Birrarung House and we had a brief opportunity to view inside the house. Birrarung is situated near the end of Laughing Waters Road. It was built in 1974 by Graeme Rose for Gordon Ford who he had asked to build him a small ‘bach’. Builder Peter Jarvis who did his apprenticeship with Alistair Knox for a couple of years recalled there were no drawings. It evolved as more funds became available. Graeme would source second-hand building materials around which he would shape the house. The fireplace was built with chicken wire over which it was rendered with faro cement. A brick floored glass studio, added later, faces a wall of boulders pressed into a manmade cliff, a large pond the link between the rock wall and glass studio. A waterfall, fed by river water, no longer functions. The property became part of the Laughing Waters Artist in Residency Program with the first artist taking up residency in 2001. For a more in-depth description of the property and biographies of the various artists in residence commencing from 2001 through to 2015, see Jane Woollard's book, "Laughing Waters Road; Art, Landscape & Memory in Eltham" published 2016.2013-09-07, activities, artists in residence, eltham district historical society, heritage excursion, jim connor collection, laughing waters road, birrarung house

Laughing Waters Walk, 7 Sep 2013 This Society excursion was a follow up to the Laughing Waters Story told to us by Jane Woollard at our Annual General Meeting in March 2013. It involved a walk commencing from the corner of Laughing Waters and Overbank Roads along Laughing Waters Road to its eastern end and returning partly over the same route - a total distance of about 2.5km. On the way we visited the two artist in residence properties, River Bend and Birrarung, to view the houses on them that are associated with Alistair Knox, Gordon Ford and others in the local mud brick and artistic community. We also able to walk around the derelict ruin which was once home to Gordon and Sue Ford, Boomerang House. An unexpected afternoon tea was offered to us by the artists in residence at Birrarung House and we had a brief opportunity to view inside the house. Gordon Ford and photographer Sue Winslow were married in 1965. They set up home in an old log cabin on the property Gordon had purchased in 1954 on Laughing Waters Road. Situated between the Yarra River and Overbank Road, Gordon had built a small mud-brick shack on the river and a pontoon. Over the decades the shack has been locally referred to as “the love shack”, the “rooting shack” or simply “Gordon’s shack”. Gordon and Sue commissioned local builder Graeme Rose to do a wattle and daub renovation and extension to the old log cabin on the north side of Laughing Waters Road. The work had only just been completed in 1965 when a bushfire swept through the area and destroyed the cabin. Gordon and Sue relocated to his property, Fulling, in Pitt Street, Eltham. In 1970 work started on a new house at the Laughing Waters property. Originally known as the Banana House, it is now known as Boomerang. Designed by Alistair Knox, the mud-brick house includes iron window grilles made by Matcham Skipper that puncture the curved mud walls. The grilles were made from ‘off-pressings’ from the Sidchrome tool works in Heidelberg. Gordon, Sue and family moved into the house in 1972. Their marriage fell apart and Sue moved to Sydney with the children around the same time Gordon commenced building Birrarung just below Boomerang on the Laughing Waters Road block. After the Fords moved out, Boomerang it was rented out to various share households of students, musicians, artists and environmentalists for twenty-four years. Gordon Ford sold Birrarung and Boomerang to Melbourne Water in 1999. The Laughing Waters Artist in Residence Program was developed as a partnership between Parks Victoria and Nillumbik Shire Council. Boomerang was deemed unfit for habitation so was used as a day studio only. By 2001 Boomerang was in a poor state of repair and by 2002 the last artist in residence was to use the house as a studio. Nillumbik Shire Council had been granted funds from the Melbourne Community Fund to restore both Boomerang and Birrarung but it was apparent in early 2003 that the funds would be insufficient to restore both houses. Boomerang was infested with termites which presented a risk to any occupants and so the decision was made to close Boomerang and concentrate funding on Birrarung. Boomerang was fenced off for safety and to prevent intrusion and remains ‘caged’ today (2023). However, it is readily apparent the property has been occupied by squatters over the years. By 2023 it was clear that the squatters had abandoned the property and sections of the roof structure have given away in some areas and collapsed internally. For a more in-depth description and history of the property and that of Gordon and Sue Ford, see Jane Woollard's book, "Laughing Waters Road; Art, Landscape & Memory in Eltham" published 2016.2013-09-07, activities, eltham district historical society, heritage excursion, jim connor collection, laughing waters road, boomerang house, gordon ford

Laughing Waters Walk, 7 Sep 2013 This Society excursion was a follow up to the Laughing Waters Story told to us by Jane Woollard at our Annual General Meeting in March 2013. It involved a walk commencing from the corner of Laughing Waters and Overbank Roads along Laughing Waters Road to its eastern end and returning partly over the same route - a total distance of about 2.5km. On the way we visited the two artist in residence properties, River Bend and Birrarung, to view the houses on them that are associated with Alistair Knox, Gordon Ford and others in the local mud brick and artistic community. We also able to walk around the derelict ruin which was once home to Gordon and Sue Ford, Boomerang House. An unexpected afternoon tea was offered to us by the artists in residence at Birrarung House and we had a brief opportunity to view inside the house. Gordon Ford and photographer Sue Winslow were married in 1965. They set up home in an old log cabin on the property Gordon had purchased in 1954 on Laughing Waters Road. Situated between the Yarra River and Overbank Road, Gordon had built a small mud-brick shack on the river and a pontoon. Over the decades the shack has been locally referred to as “the love shack”, the “rooting shack” or simply “Gordon’s shack”. Gordon and Sue commissioned local builder Graeme Rose to do a wattle and daub renovation and extension to the old log cabin on the north side of Laughing Waters Road. The work had only just been completed in 1965 when a bushfire swept through the area and destroyed the cabin. Gordon and Sue relocated to his property, Fulling, in Pitt Street, Eltham. In 1970 work started on a new house at the Laughing Waters property. Originally known as the Banana House, it is now known as Boomerang. Designed by Alistair Knox, the mud-brick house includes iron window grilles made by Matcham Skipper that puncture the curved mud walls. The grilles were made from ‘off-pressings’ from the Sidchrome tool works in Heidelberg. Gordon, Sue and family moved into the house in 1972. Their marriage fell apart and Sue moved to Sydney with the children around the same time Gordon commenced building Birrarung just below Boomerang on the Laughing Waters Road block. After the Fords moved out, Boomerang it was rented out to various share households of students, musicians, artists and environmentalists for twenty-four years. Gordon Ford sold Birrarung and Boomerang to Melbourne Water in 1999. The Laughing Waters Artist in Residence Program was developed as a partnership between Parks Victoria and Nillumbik Shire Council. Boomerang was deemed unfit for habitation so was used as a day studio only. By 2001 Boomerang was in a poor state of repair and by 2002 the last artist in residence was to use the house as a studio. Nillumbik Shire Council had been granted funds from the Melbourne Community Fund to restore both Boomerang and Birrarung but it was apparent in early 2003 that the funds would be insufficient to restore both houses. Boomerang was infested with termites which presented a risk to any occupants and so the decision was made to close Boomerang and concentrate funding on Birrarung. Boomerang was fenced off for safety and to prevent intrusion and remains ‘caged’ today (2023). However, it is readily apparent the property has been occupied by squatters over the years. By 2023 it was clear that the squatters had abandoned the property and sections of the roof structure have given away in some areas and collapsed internally. For a more in-depth description and history of the property and that of Gordon and Sue Ford, see Jane Woollard's book, "Laughing Waters Road; Art, Landscape & Memory in Eltham" published 2016.2013-09-07, activities, eltham district historical society, heritage excursion, jim connor collection, laughing waters road, boomerang house, gordon ford, gordon's shack, love shack