Part of a 43-photo record of the MMBW�s engineering feat in drilling a 12 inch pipe line up to 40 feet deep through rock hardened by volcanic action associated with geological fault that occurs along the line. The work took place from October 1979 to May 1980 on the southern boundary of Hubbard Reserve, North Ringwood. The collection was presented to the Ringwood Historical Research Group by J Clarke on 9th June 1980.E561 N17 3 March 1980 A43 Powder-monkey marks out the spots for holes

Part of a 43-photo record of the MMBW�s engineering feat in drilling a 12 inch pipe line up to 40 feet deep through rock hardened by volcanic action associated with geological fault that occurs along the line. The work took place from October 1979 to May 1980 on the southern boundary of Hubbard Reserve, North Ringwood. The collection was presented to the Ringwood Historical Research Group by J Clarke on 9th June 1980.E561 N15 3 March 1980 A43 View towards Debbie Place, showing 2 swivel cranes at shafts, timber of manhole in creek, the tracked drill rig and its compressor caravan.

Part of a 43-photo record of the MMBW�s engineering feat in drilling a 12 inch pipe line up to 40 feet deep through rock hardened by volcanic action associated with geological fault that occurs along the line. The work took place from October 1979 to May 1980 on the southern boundary of Hubbard Reserve, North Ringwood. The collection was presented to the Ringwood Historical Research Group by J Clarke on 9th June 1980.E561 N14 3 March 1980 A43 View west behind No. 29 Burlock Avenue, showing gantry over manhole 38 feet deep.

Part of a 43-photo record of the MMBW�s engineering feat in drilling a 12 inch pipe line up to 40 feet deep through rock hardened by volcanic action associated with geological fault that occurs along the line. The work took place from October 1979 to May 1980 on the southern boundary of Hubbard Reserve, North Ringwood. The collection was presented to the Ringwood Historical Research Group by J Clarke on 9th June 1980.E561 N11 3 March 1980 A43 The work on sewer line from 29-39 Burlock Avenue. Lundy-Clarke's place on sky-line.

Part of a 43-photo record of the MMBW's engineering feat in drilling a 12 inch pipe line up to 40 feet deep through rock hardened by volcanic action associated with geological fault that occurs along the line. The work took place from October 1979 to May 1980 on the southern boundary of Hubbard Reserve, North Ringwood. The collection was presented to the Ringwood Historical Research Group by J Clarke on 9th June 1980.E550 N12 Dec 1979 A43 Debbie Place from the east end

Part of a 43-photo record of the MMBW�s engineering feat in drilling a 12 inch pipe line up to 40 feet deep through rock hardened by volcanic action associated with geological fault that occurs along the line. The work took place from October 1979 to May 1980 on the southern boundary of Hubbard Reserve, North Ringwood. The collection was presented to the Ringwood Historical Research Group by J Clarke on 9th June 1980.E561 N13 28 Feb 1980 A43 View from Debbie Place, preliminary sewer work

Part of a 43-photo record of the MMBW�s engineering feat in drilling a 12 inch pipe line up to 40 feet deep through rock hardened by volcanic action associated with geological fault that occurs along the line. The work took place from October 1979 to May 1980 on the southern boundary of Hubbard Reserve, North Ringwood. The collection was presented to the Ringwood Historical Research Group by J Clarke on 9th June 1980.E561 N10 Feb 1980 A43 Line of tunnel shafts behind 29-39 Burlock Avenue. Horizontal gantry was above the manhole in the corner of No. 29.

Part of a 43-photo record of the MMBW�s engineering feat in drilling a 12 inch pipe line up to 40 feet deep through rock hardened by volcanic action associated with geological fault that occurs along the line. The work took place from October 1979 to May 1980 on the southern boundary of Hubbard Reserve, North Ringwood. The collection was presented to the Ringwood Historical Research Group by J Clarke on 9th June 1980.E561 N9 Feb 1980 A43 First hole west of bore hole at 39 Burlock Avenue

The sharpening stone can also be referred to as a whetstone, oil stone or honing stone. It is a well-worn double-sided sharpening stone retrieved from the wreck site of the Loch Ard. It is used to grind and hone the edges of metal blades and tools. ‘Natural’ sharpening stones like this one are quarried from ancient sedimentary rock that has metamorphosed from clay and volcanic ash to produce garnet crystals. Most modern stones are artificially produced, or ‘bonded’, abrasive stones, made by fusing clay and metal powder under heat and pressure. The softer yellow Corticule stone is found in thin vertical veins running through the more plentiful Belgian Blue rock. Coticule is a fine-grained and dense material that ‘cuts’ metal slowly but to a superior standard of sharpness and finish. The relatively coarser Belgian Blue is stronger and ‘cuts’ more quickly, but with a less polished finish. A double-sided whetstone is therefore valued for its increased durability (the harder BBW ‘backs’, or supports, the softer Coticule), and additional utility (the fine ‘grit’ of Coticule complements the coarser BBW to meet a range of sharpening needs). The blue-grey base of this stone is thinner than the remaining yellow Coticule on top. This suggests that the majority of grinding and honing work it has done on board the ship was for larger tools, rather than on surgical or shaving blades. Its rounded or spherical shaping may also be related to the ‘tumbling’ action of the sea on the ocean floor. History of the Loch Ard wreck: The Loch Ard got its name from ”Loch Ard” a loch that lies to the west of Aberfoyle, and the east of Loch Lomond. It means "high lake" in Scottish Gaelic. The vessel belonged to the famous Loch Line which sailed many vessels from England to Australia. The Loch Ard was built in Glasgow by Barclay, Curle & Co. in 1873, the vessel was a three-masted square-rigged iron sailing ship that measured 79.87 meters in length, 11.58 m in width, and 7 m in depth with a gross tonnage of 1693 tons with a mainmast that measured a massive 45.7 m in height. Loch Ard made three trips to Australia and one trip to Calcutta before its fateful voyage. Loch Ard left England on March 2, 1878, under the command of 29-year-old Captain Gibbs, who was newly married. The ship was bound for Melbourne with a crew of 37, plus 17 passengers. The general cargo reflected the affluence of Melbourne at the time. Onboard were straw hats, umbrellas, perfumes, clay pipes, pianos, clocks, confectionery, linen and candles, as well as a heavier load of railway irons, cement, lead and copper. There were other items included that were intended for display in the Melbourne International Exhibition of 1880. The voyage to Port Phillip was long but uneventful. Then at 3 am on June 1, 1878, Captain Gibbs was expecting to see land. But the Loch Ard was running into a fog which greatly reduced visibility. Captain Gibbs was becoming anxious as there was no sign of land or the Cape Otway lighthouse. At 4 am the fog lifted and a lookout aloft announced that he could see breakers. The sheer cliffs of Victoria's west coast came into view, and Captain Gibbs realised that the ship was much closer to them than expected. He ordered as much sail to be set as time would permit and then attempted to steer the vessel out to sea. On coming head-on into the wind, the ship lost momentum, the sails fell limp and Loch Ard's bow swung back towards land. Gibbs then ordered the anchors to be released in an attempt to hold their position. The anchors sank some 50 fathoms - but did not hold. By this time the ship was among the breakers and the tall cliffs of Mutton Bird Island rose behind. Just half a mile from the coast, the ship's bow was suddenly pulled around by the anchor. The captain tried to tack out to sea, but the ship struck a reef at the base of Mutton Bird Island, near Port Campbell. Waves subsequently broke over the ship and the top deck became loosened from the hull. The masts and rigging came crashing down knocking passengers and crew overboard. When a lifeboat was finally launched, it crashed into the side of Loch Ard and capsized. Tom Pearce, who had launched the boat, managed to cling to its overturned hull and shelter beneath it. He drifted out to sea and then on the flood tide came into what is now known as Lochard Gorge. He swam to shore, bruised and dazed, and found a cave in which to shelter. Some of the crew stayed below deck to shelter from the falling rigging but drowned when the ship slipped off the reef into deeper water. Eva Carmichael a passenger had raced onto the deck to find out what was happening only to be confronted by towering cliffs looming above the stricken ship. In all the chaos, Captain Gibbs grabbed Eva and said, "If you are saved Eva, let my dear wife know that I died like a sailor". That was the last Eva Carmichael saw of the captain. She was swept off the ship by a huge wave. Eva saw Tom Pearce on a small rocky beach and yelled to attract his attention. He dived in and swam to the exhausted woman and dragged her to shore. He took her to the cave and broke the open case of brandy which had washed up on the beach. He opened a bottle to revive the unconscious woman. A few hours later Tom scaled a cliff in search of help. He followed hoof prints and came by chance upon two men from nearby Glenample Station three and a half miles away. In a complete state of exhaustion, he told the men of the tragedy. Tom then returned to the gorge while the two men rode back to the station to get help. By the time they reached Loch Ard Gorge, it was cold and dark. The two shipwreck survivors were taken to Glenample Station to recover. Eva stayed at the station for six weeks before returning to Ireland by steamship. In Melbourne, Tom Pearce received a hero's welcome. He was presented with the first gold medal of the Royal Humane Society of Victoria and a £1000 cheque from the Victorian Government. Concerts were performed to honour the young man's bravery and to raise money for those who lost family in the disaster. Of the 54 crew members and passengers on board, only two survived: the apprentice, Tom Pearce and the young woman passenger, Eva Carmichael, who lost her family in the tragedy. Ten days after the Lochard tragedy, salvage rights to the wreck were sold at auction for £2,120. Cargo valued at £3,000 was salvaged and placed on the beach, but most washed back into the sea when another storm developed. The wreck of Lochard still lies at the base of Mutton Bird Island. Much of the cargo has now been salvaged and some items were washed up into Lochard Gorge. Cargo and artefacts have also been illegally salvaged over many years before protective legislation was introduced in March 1982. One of the most unlikely pieces of cargo to have survived the shipwreck was a Minton majolica peacock- one of only nine in the world. The peacock was destined for the Melbourne 1880 International Exhibition. It had been well packed, which gave it adequate protection during the violent storm. Today the Minton peacock can be seen at the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum in Warrnambool. From Australia's most dramatic shipwreck, it has now become Australia's most valuable shipwreck artifact and is one of very few 'objects' on the Victorian State Heritage Register. The shipwreck of the Loch Ard is of significance for Victoria and is registered on the Victorian Heritage Register ( S 417). Flagstaff Hill has a varied collection of artefacts from Loch Ard and its collection is significant for being one of the largest accumulation of artefacts from this notable Victorian shipwreck of which the subject items are a small part. The collections objects give us a snapshot of how we can interpret the story of this tragic event. The collection is also archaeologically significant as it represents aspects of Victoria's shipping history that allows us to interpret Victoria's social and historical themes of the time. Through is associated with the worst and best-known shipwreck in Victoria's history. A sharpening stone is also called a whetstone, oil, or honing stone. The stone is a worn double-sided rectangular block with rounded corners. There is a clear delineation between its coarser Belgian Blue base (grey colour) and its finer Belgian Coticule face (yellow colour). It bears sedimentary encrustation over one-third of its surface. flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, loch line, loch ard, captain gibbs, eva carmichael, tom pearce, glenample station, mutton bird island, loch ard gorge, sharpening stone, whetstone, oilstone, double-sided stone, belgian coticule, belgian blue whetstone, oil stone, honing stone

largely unknown; ultimately originated as part of series of basaltic volcanic events across victoriaClearly a fragment of a river rock- one surface is smooth and curved the others planar. Mineralogy is basalt-"bluestone"-with white veins of secondary quartz minralisation

Tower Hill is a volcanic formation believed to have erupted about 32,000 years ago. Its formation is known as a "nested maar" and it is the largest example of its type in Victoria. During formation, molten lava pushed its way up through the Earth’s crust and encountered a layer of water-bearing rock. Violent explosions followed creating a shallow crater which later filled with water to form the lake. Further eruptions occurred in the centre of this crater, creating the islands and cone shaped hills. In 1892 Tower Hill became Victoria’s first National Park. In 1961, Tower Hill became a State Game Reserve under the then Fisheries and Wildlife Department and a major re-vegetation program began. (https://www.towerhill.org.au/index.php/about-reserve/history, accessed 23 December 2019)A number of photographs taken at Tower Hill, including the lakes, volcanic ash layer, and koala.tower hill, ash layer, volcano

Tower Hill is a volcanic formation believed to have erupted about 32,000 years ago. Its formation is known as a "nested maar" and it is the largest example of its type in Victoria. During formation, molten lava pushed its way up through the Earth’s crust and encountered a layer of water-bearing rock. Violent explosions followed creating a shallow crater which later filled with water to form the lake. Further eruptions occurred in the centre of this crater, creating the islands and cone shaped hills. In 1892 Tower Hill became Victoria’s first National Park. In 1961, Tower Hill became a State Game Reserve under the then Fisheries and Wildlife Department and a major re-vegetation program began. (https://www.towerhill.org.au/index.php/about-reserve/history, accessed 23 December 2019)Black and white image of Tower Hill, near Koroit, Victoria.tower hill, volcano, crater

Tower Hill is a volcanic formation believed to have erupted about 32,000 years ago. Its formation is known as a "nested maar" and it is the largest example of its type in Victoria. During formation, molten lava pushed its way up through the Earth’s crust and encountered a layer of water-bearing rock. Violent explosions followed creating a shallow crater which later filled with water to form the lake. Further eruptions occurred in the centre of this crater, creating the islands and cone shaped hills. In 1892 Tower Hill became Victoria’s first National Park. In 1961, Tower Hill became a State Game Reserve under the then Fisheries and Wildlife Department and a major re-vegetation program began. (https://www.towerhill.org.au/index.php/about-reserve/history, accessed 23 December 2019)Panaramic view of Tower Hill, Victoria.tower hill, volcano, crater

Tower Hill is a volcanic formation believed to have erupted about 32,000 years ago. Its formation is known as a "nested maar" and it is the largest example of its type in Victoria. During formation, molten lava pushed its way up through the Earth’s crust and encountered a layer of water-bearing rock. Violent explosions followed creating a shallow crater which later filled with water to form the lake. Further eruptions occurred in the centre of this crater, creating the islands and cone shaped hills. In 1892 Tower Hill became Victoria’s first National Park. In 1961, Tower Hill became a State Game Reserve under the then Fisheries and Wildlife Department and a major re-vegetation program began. (https://www.towerhill.org.au/index.php/about-reserve/history, accessed 23 December 2019)Black and white photograph of Tower Hill devoid of trees.tower hill, crossley, volcano

Red Rock, Alvie, near Colac, is a complex of approximately 30 volcanic eruption points and is the Southern most of a chain of three volcanoes, the others being Warrion Hill and Alvie Hill. It is arguably the youngest eruption point in Victoria at around 8000 years, especially since the age of Mt Napier has been progressively pushed back. The highest point (on the Northern side) has many interesting features, including some awesome spatter ramparts. Driving around the rim to the south, you can also see layered tuff. There are some good views out to Lake Corangamite and the lava flows (probably from Warrion Hill) can be seen where they have entered the lake. Most of Red Rock is in private land, with two lookout points with some interpretive information. The water depicted in this photograph is not evident in 2019. Type: Volcanic Complex Location: South of Alvie, Victoria Last Eruption: 8000 years ago Access: Mostly private land, but there is an access road and some interpretive signage Visited: Visited Colour photograph of sisters Clare Gervasoni (left), Ann Gervasoni (centre) and Lisa Gervasoni and Red Rock, Alvie clare gervasoni, lisa gervasoni, ann gervasoni, red rock alvie

Tower Hill is a volcanic formation believed to have erupted about 32,000 years ago. Its formation is known as a "nested maar" and it is the largest example of its type in Victoria. During formation, molten lava pushed its way up through the Earth’s crust and encountered a layer of water-bearing rock. Violent explosions followed creating a shallow crater which later filled with water to form the lake. Further eruptions occurred in the centre of this crater, creating the islands and cone shaped hills. In 1892 Tower Hill became Victoria’s first National Park. In 1961, Tower Hill became a State Game Reserve under the then Fisheries and Wildlife Department and a major re-vegetation program began. (https://www.towerhill.org.au/index.php/about-reserve/history, accessed 23 December 2019)Colour photographs of a lake in a volcanic crater at Tower Hill, Victoria. volcano, crater, lake, tower hill

In 1995, the upper school students from Bulla Primary School attended a camp at Hanging Rock Reserve which is part of the Macedon Ranges. At this camp the students were shown basic rock climbing skills and explored the rock for its interesting geological formations. Hanging Rock, also known as Mount Diogenes, is the traditional land of the Dja Dja Wurrung, Woi Wurrung and Taungurung people. It is a mamelon formed when magma poured from a vent and congealed. There are interesting rock functions at the site such as the Colonnade, the Eagle and the UFO. The highest point on the rock is 718metres above sea level and 105 meters above the land at its base.Hanging Rock is an important geological and volcanic structure in the Macedon Ranges area and in central Victoria. A non-digital coloured photograph of three holiday cabins and a barbecue in a bushland setting. A red car is parked outside one of the cabins as well as two permanent picnic tables.hanging rock, mount diogenes, mamelons, volcanoes, school camps, bulla primary school

The bridge in the photograph is the bluestone bridge at Bulla which spans the Deep Creek, a tributary of the Maribyrnong River. It was built in 1869 and replaced a ford crossing which was built further downstream. Many of the buildings and structures in the area were built from bluestone which is in abundance throughout this volcanic area.This bridge is one of many similar structures built across Western Victoria where the bluestone volcanic rock was found in abundance.A coloured close - up photograph of a four-arched blue stone bridge spanning a waterway. Some greenery is visible on either side of the bridge and above it. bulla bridge, bluestone, bridges, deep creek.

A coloured photograph of the bluestone bridge which spans Deep Creek at Bulla. The photograph is taken facing upstream. The bridge was constructed in 1869 and replaced a ford crossing further downstream. Many bridges in the South West of Victoria were constructed from Bluestone basalt rock because the area is on a large volcanic plain and that rock is in abundance. A coloured photograph of the Bulla Bridge which spans the Deep Creek at Bulla. Photograph 0178 is an identical photograph tho this one.bridges, bulla bridge

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

A fossil refers to any remains or traces of past life that are preserved in the rock. It could be remains of plants or animals. Fossil leaves are commonly found on different types of rocks. These fossils can go as far back as the Triassic Age just like the series of fossil plants collected at Denmark Hill, Ipswich in Queensland. Fossils leaves are formed when dead plants get buried by sediments like mud, sand, or volcanic ash. Often, it gets detached cleanly from stems along a special layer of weak cells, then twigs, and, less commonly, cones of conifers and fruits and seeds of flowering plants. Over time, the leaves or pieces of leaves get buried by more sediments and eventually gets 'lithified' or hardened into a rock. Erosions and mining can cause the rocks to break and reveal the fossils buried in it. Fossilisation frequently takes place at sites in the lowlands where deposits of clay, silt, sand are found. This is usually due to weathering and erosion of rocks. Fossil leaves can provide information about ancient Australia's way of living. It contributes to Victorian biodiversity records and its botanical collections. It also contributes information on the geographical profile of Victoria as fossilisation usually occur at estuaries and deltas of rivers, river flood plains, ponds and lakes. This specimen is part of a larger collection of geological and mineral specimens collected from around Australia (and some parts of the world) and donated to the Burke Museum between 1868-1880. A large percentage of these specimens were collected in Victoria as part of the Geological Survey of Victoria that begun in 1852 (in response to the Gold Rush) to study and map the geology of Victoria. Collecting geological specimens was an important part of mapping and understanding the scientific makeup of the earth. Many of these specimens were sent to research and collecting organisations across Australia, including the Burke Museum, to educate and encourage further study.Piece of light brown rock with fossilised leaves in shades of golden yellow and brown.Existing label: Fossil Leaves / Locality unknown / might be worth checking if this is Glossopteris, a Permian age plant. / C. William 16/4/21 geological specimen, geology, geology collection, burke museum, beechworth, fossil leaves, fossilization, 1868 geological survey of victoria, lithified, rocks, fossilised leaf, rock, fossils, leaves