Black and white photograph of a horse tram at the Kew Cemetery terminus with a uniformed MTOC. employee, two horses and the Cemetery buildings in the background. Has Victoria Bridge & Cemetery written on the side of the tram. 2nd copy added with different crop. Photo from the Collection of the Department of Infrastructure now with the Public Records Office - image number H1. Note: this photo is now out of copyright and was not an original VR photograph, but one copied from another source and collected as their Heritage series. From an email from Rod Atkins 29/7/2019: This Stevenson six widow saloon horse tram No 46 is fairly standard. The horse cars did not have wheel skirts like the cable trams 6 and 8 window cars. Sitting at the terminus in High Street at Parkhill Road at the gates of the Boroondara General Cemetery ready for its return trip to Richmond. The tram is being run one man. Note the location of gates, pay as you enter the front step. The driver has a conductors bag around his neck and waist. No conductor present in the photo. His uniform is classic Company issue. He is wearing a Tunic and vest! And early issue cap with a white band. Date: around circa 1900 as the clock tower, brick wall and cast iron fence are all in place and the car number is faded out. I have seen a photo of a tram there with no clock tower from around the opening of the line.Has part of the Department of Infrastructure copy right stamp on rear and number in ink on rear and "1-5"trams, tramways, horse trams, kew, mto co, cemetery, uniforms

Report - carbon copy 6 foolscap sheets untitled and not signed. Report looks at the finances of the MMTB in about 1930 based on the report, its constitution, payments to consolidated revenue, the tramway system in general, the board's financial position, the cable tram system, trams vs buses, the possibility of buses in Melbourne, Co-ordination of Public Transport and the Ministry of Transport Bill. Written by A. Cameron Chairman??Has some pencil correctionstrams, tramways, mmtb, parliament, victorian government, finances, buses, tramways, cable trams, public transport

Digital scans of the Hawthorn Tramways Trust file in the Public Records Office of Victoria archive relating to the report and cost estimate for the construction of a tramway from Victoria St to Prince Patrick St in Church St Richmond. Prepared by McCarty and Underwood. VPRS7860/P1/002 (box 2) refers.. Includes correspondence dated August 1917 from McCarty and Underwood, consulting Engineers about the cost of the project and general report on the nature of the route, correspondence with the City of Richmond, and other councils within the Trust, letters approving the basis of construction, and residents. Correspondence through to Oct. 1918 - do as part of the metropolitan system.trams, tramways, htt, church st, richmond, new tramway, costs

Newspaper clipping from The Herald Sun, 15/12/1992, titled "Shutdown Ahead", about the Government (Liberal - Kennett with Alan Brown as Transport Minister, threatening to shut down the Public Transport system in Melbourne if industrial action is taken. Follows the October 1991 election. Looks at issues with falling patronage, use of conductors and general industrial issues. With the item is a photo and story of Albert Pryor, conductor, who has worked on the trams for 40 years and that his days are numbered.trams, tramways, ptc, tramways, melbourne, unions, victorian government, public transport, conductors

Report - 148 pages + card covers, perfect bound, titled "Public transport reforms - Moving from a system to a service", Special Report No. 57 by the Victorian Auditor General's Office, May 1998. Has a $10 Price label on front cover, purchased from Information Victoria 2-2-1999. Follows the implementation of the Public Transport Reform Project of 1993 looking at implementation and the outcomes. Notes that Government is moving towards a privatisation model. Has a table of contents. Gives a background, conduct of the audit, level of the Government subsidy to transport, reliability, cleanliness, safety, efficiency and the planned privatisation environment for public transport.Has in ink "K-S 2-2-1999" on the first page.trams, tramways, ptv, reports, transport, public transport

1074.1 - Book or Manual, 20 pages + 6 "PTC Customer Services Revenue Maximisation" form + green card covers bound with a black plastic comb binder - titled "Ticket Checker's Manual - Met Ticket System". or ticketing manual. Has PTC and railway photo on front cover. Gives procedures, concession fares, Met Fare zones, colour coding of tickets, samples of tickets, including a used scratch card ticket (2 hour zone 2 concession) and a number of other tickets which have been stamped cancelled. Would appear that used tickets have been recycled for the publication, also has reproductions of concession cards. On page 19 gives information on free travel for police in uniform and conditions for bicycles, surfboards, prams etc, seeing eye dogs, pets and V/Line tickets. 1074.2 - 21 pages + 9 "PTC Customer Services Revenue Maximisation" form, yellow card covers bound with a black plastic comb binder - titled "Ticket Checker's Manual - Section 1 General Information", Section II, The Met, Section III Concession Cards - has a number of blank pages. Very similar to .1 with sample tickets glued in. 1074.3 - 30 pages, 10 duplicate sheets - "Ticket Checkers' Manual" - Met Ticket system, similar to other issues, has tickets stamped 1993, includes scratch tickets, and concession cards..1 - has "11271 Rev Max Number" written in ink on the top of the first page.trams, tramways, the met, scratch tickets, tickets, manual, concession fares

Black vinyl covered two ring folder titled "Customer Service Employees", with the Public Transport Corporation Logo printed on dark green paper. Contains approx. 120 sheets with information about Melbourne's public transport including general information, maps, fares, Met Tickets (3 zones), disabilities, sports and entertainment Map, Hospitals, AFL Grounds, Bus & Tram Services, Night Rider Bus Services and basic first aid. The map shows tram line to Bundoora but no services to Docklands, the Altona - Laverton rail line shown. Gives details of Ansett airlines office. Book not dated as such. Estimated date - mid 1990's, prior to Metcards, still using Met tickets.trams, tramways, ptc, the met, tickets, information, melbourne, buses

Book - 36 sheets - A4, two colour - printed on off white paper, titled "Tram Network Disability Services" published by Public Transport Corporation Victoria, with a drawing of SW5 758 on the cover along with a The Met logo. Provides information in map form on each tram route in a large print format, contact numbers and some general information. No date of publication. Port Melbourne route shown as route 111; Reg Item 252 notes that this route ran between Port Melbourne and the Exhibition Buildings between 12/1987 and 12/1993. See Reg Item 1865 for pamphlet version and 6000 for a PTC 1998 version. 2nd copy added 24-5-2023 - larger size issue - 248H x 242W - wire boundtrams, tramways, ptc, the met, maps, disability services, tram routes, routes

Providing GA drawings of the following: R1146 – General Data of Tramcars – 24-9-1924 PMTT 160 - PMTT Bogie closed car (O class) PMTT 161 - PMTT Combination car PMTT 162 – Summer car (old type) – F class PMTT 163 - PMTT Bogie car PMTT 164 – Summer car – G class PMTT – 700 – Bogie Car with dropped centre compartment and longitudinal rattan saloon seats R2461 – class W – W class converted to W2 R2460 – class W1 R2459 – class W2 R2462 – class X R2464 – class Y R2463 – class X1 R2465 - class Y1 R3071 - class W3 R3076 - class A R3077 - class G R8617 - class Sw6 and W6 R3078 - Class C R3080 – Class X2 R3093A - Class T R3812 - class W4 R4382 - class T - arrangement for one man operation R4646 - class Sw2 R4678B - class W5 R4771A - Class SW6 R5818 - class SW5 R5963 - class A - One man Coburg type R6928 - PCC Car - double end operation (based on a USA drawing) R7416 - class L R8332 - PCC Type car (980) R8999 - Class A tramcar Coburg type original R9601 - class CW5 R9529 - class W7 R9622 - Proposed SW6 car with front entrance R9980 - Freight car 17 R10-129 - class VR R11-333 - Class Z1 and Z2 trams R11-387 - class Z 0 outside dimensions R11-580 - class Z3 tram R12-052 - class W5 sliding door conversion R12-062 - class A tram Articulated tram - class B2Yields information about the MMTB fleet including scrapped trams and their General Arrangement.Album or Set of 41 A4 sheets, photocopied with the title "MMTB Electric Tramways".trams, tramways, drawings, tramcars, tramcar design, preston workshops, mmtb

Pamphlet produced by Met Bus, the Government operator of 7 routes following the 1993 tender to provide information on the operation, its plans, public transport, routes operated, contact details and general information. Managing Director John G Wilson. Services were operated out of the former Footscray Tram depot in Buckley St.Yields information about Met Bus in 1993.Pamphlet, 3 fold DLfull colour.met bus, buses, public transport

Book - 33 sheets + covers, stapled and cloth binding - special size, two colour - printed on off white paper, titled "Metropolitan Tram Network" published by Public Transport Corporation Victoria or Department of Infrastructure, with a drawing of SW5 758 on the cover along with a The Met logo. Provides information in map form on each tram route in a large print format, contact numbers and some general information. Follows on from an earlier version - see Reg Item 1181.trams, tramways, ptc, the met, maps, disability services, tram routes, routes, doi

Specification - tender document - approx. 90 pages + folded drawings + card covers (with one plastic sheet), black comb bound, titled "PTC Restoration of Heritage Trams - Specification Tender No. 95252" with table of contents. Prepared by Asia Pacific Rail for the Public Transport Corporation June 1995 for work on trams or general overhaul of trams S164, T180 and X217. Details the work to be tendered for, conditions, paintwork, electrical interior and exterior of the trams. Drawings, Rolling stock Standards, lists relevant drawings. Notes the input of the TMSV Work was not proceeded with. Not known if actual prices received.trams, tramways, restoration, tramcars, s class, t class, tmsv, x class, tenders, specification, ptc

Information booklet provided to members of the Public Transport Union (PTU) about services, legal services, financials, health and general insurance, medical, household, and travel services. Has a list of staff and elected officials. Gives a short history of the PTU on page 3. Has several advertisements from service providersYields information about the PTU and member services available.Booklet - light card covers with an image of a tram stop information guide, 16 pages + cover, centre stapled, titled "PTU information and services directory 96/97". tramways, melbourne, unions, ptu, public transport union

Training program "PTC - One person operation Training Program for Tram Depot Trainers" - outlining the training of the depot trainers for crews at individual depots. Has a course outline, ticketing instructions, zones, general driving, operational procedures, and working safely. Two additional documents - test questions for ticketing and general driving and safe workings procedures. Dated 11/2/1993.Yields information about training of tram depot trainers for one person operation.Document - comb bound with card and plastic covers, approx 30 A4 pages + two stapled document of test questions.driver training, one person, ticketing, safeworking

Titled "Metropolitan Tram Network" published by Public Transport Corporation with a drawing of an A class tram on the cover along with a The Met logo. Provides information in map form on each tram route in a large print format, contact numbers and some general information as a disability service. Gives details of Met customers services, office hours and Legend. See also item 1181 and 6000 for other examples. Possibly late 1980s as the Port Melbourne and St Kilda Light rail lines are detailed.Demonstrates the provision of information about Melbourne's tram routes at the time.Book - wire bound, 34 pages + card covers.tramways, ptc, the met, maps, disability services, tram routes, routes

Titled "Swanston Trams General and Operational Rules and Regulations 1999", published by Swanston Trams. Provides a list of definitions. Gives rules regarding tram operations, dealing with the public, driving, tickets, one-person operators, accidents, and behavior. Dated 19/4/1999, 4th Edition, author Alan J Rees.Yields information the rules and regulations that Swanston Tram operational crews were to abide by.Document or Book - yellow cover, single pages, with an Arnos plastic binder clip on the left-hand side, 74 pages + cover with an indextramcars, tramways, operations, swanston trams, rules, regulations

An audio recording by Mal Rowe at a dinner sponsored by the TMSV at the Wattle Park Chalet of Major General Sir Robert Risson, MMTB Chairman on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Melbourne and Metropolitan Tramways Board (MMTB). Covers many topics about Melboune's trams, international experiences, fares, loan council, new trams, tickets, reserved track, rates, roads. Recorded the day before a two-day strike by the SEC workers which meant the Melbourne's public transport could not operate. Jim Dowell was the TMSV Chairman at the time and Peter Duckett, a well-known enthusiast and operator of the Model Dockyard in Swanston St.Yields information from the MMTB Chairman's viewpoint on Melbourne's tramways.Set of 3 images and three audio files recorded on a reel to reel tape recorder.robert risson, 50th anniversary, mmtb, jim dowell, peter duckett, tmsv, speach

Titled "General and Operational Rules Tram and Buys", published by the Public Transport Corporation. Provides a list of definitions. Gives rules regarding tram and bus operations, dealing with the public, driving, tickets, one-person operators, accidents, and behavior. Undated, early to mid 1990s.Yields information the rules and regulations that Public Transport Corporation operational crews were to abide by.Document or Book - white cover, single pages, with an Arnos plastic binder clip on the left-hand side, 72 pages + cover with an indextramcars, tramways, operations, rules, buses, ptc

Book, brown cover patterned (Deer skin?), titled "The Garden City of Australia / Twenty-four views of Melbourne" with 24 pages (smaller than cover) printed pages stapled inside. Inside front cover is a map of Melbourne, with specific buildings marked, inside rear cover - Where to go in Melbourne, General Information and Sight seeing tours. On rear cover is printer details. Page Photo details by 1 Skyline of the City of Melbourne from Yarra Bank Victorian Railways 2 Collins St from Spring St (with trams) ditto 3 Princes Bridge, River Yarra ditto 4 St Kilda Rd from Flinders St Station ditto 5 St Pauls Cathedral ditto 6 Bourke St Shopping Centre - with double deck buses no details of photographer 7 Elizabeth St - with trams and buses Victorian Railways 8 Swanston St with modern skyscrapers (Collins) ditto 9 Aerial view, city of Melbourne ditto 10 Parliament House ditto 11 Public Library, Museum and Art Gallery ditto 12 St Kilda Rd, Looking towards the City trams 772 and W2 ditto 13 Kings Domain - Pioneer Monument ditto 14 Royal Melbourne Hospital - with back view inset ditto 15 Alexandra Gardens and the Shrine of Remembrance ditto 16 Alexandra Gardens and Government House ditto 17 Captain Cook's House - Fitzroy Gardens ditto 18 Albert Park Lake no details of photographer 19 Melbourne Boys School, MacRobertson's Girls High School and Melbourne Uni - no details of photographer 20 Scene in the Botanical Gardens Victorian Railways 21 Aerial view of St Kilda with Brighton in background Victorian Railways 22 Melbourne Cricket ground, taken during the testimonial match to Sir Donald Bradman - no details 23 Queen Victoria Memorial Hospital and Exhibition Buildings and Aquarium - Victorian Railways 24 Dandenong - Showing Silvan Dam Victorian Railways The testimonial match took place in Melbourne during December 1948 (Reference Sir Donald Bradman Museum). Possibly arranged by the Victorian Government Information Bureau given the number of Victorian Railways photographs.trams, tramways, melbourne, st kilda rd, swanston st, bourke st, victorian railways, flinders st station, gardens

Report - 26 pages, stapled within textured card covers and cloth binding strip, titled "Metropolitan Transportation Study - Travel in Melbourne - A summary of the Consultants Report - Metropolitan Transportation Committee 1966". Provides a summary of the data provided by the traffic consultants - Wilbur Smith and Associates and Len T Frazer and Associates, late in 1963, looking a travel patterns in Melbourne. Includes public transport, goods movement, models economics, trip generation and general family stats. Has a table of contents and figures.trams, tramways, public transport, road transport, metropolitan transport committee, melbourne

Reports - "Transport Plan 1978 for Victoria" Draft for Community Discussion - Released December 1978. .1 - Vol 1 - "The Strategy" - 48 pages, comb bound with green card coves. Looks at issues and policies in general, metro and non metro, transport policies and basic strategy. .2 - Vol 2 - "The five year plan" - 52 pages, comb bound with manila card covers with two fold out plans, looking at funding, a work program, projects and a bibliography for the three volumes. .3 - Vol 3 - "Basic Transport Data" - 108 pages, comb bound with blue card covers, with many tables and figures, looking at various demographics, metrics, including historical background, transport administration, existing transport system, travel characteristics and forecasts.trams, tramways, public transport, road transport, melbourne

Instruction or Manual, brown comb binder, green covers with Metropolitan Transit logo on front cover and The Met name on rear cover, 54 single sided pages. Provides information for the training of inspectors or Operations Officers, titled "Public Transport Corporation - Tram and Bus Division - Operations Officer - Office Procedure". Has forms, procedures, traffic operations, change overs, staff issues, specials, transport cars, services, accidents, defective cars, closing of depots and general operations.trams, tramways, the met, inspectors, metropolitan transit authority, traffic officers, training, instructions, depot, staff, tram bus services

Book - yellow cover, single pages, with an Arnos plastic binder clip on the left hand side, 91 pages with an index titled "Met Tram General and Operational Rules and Regulations June 1997", published by the Public Transport Corporation. Also provides a list of definitions. Gives rules regarding tram operations, dealing with the public, driving, tickets, one person operators, accidents and behaviour. For another copy see Reg item 3375.1Has number "C601EM001" in black pen in the top right hand corner.trams, tramways, rules, regulations, met tram, ptc

Photocopy of a single page letter signed by John King, Director General of Transport advising people that the Metropolitan Transit Authority and the State Transport Authority had been amalgamated to form the Public Transport Corporation, passed by Parliament on 26/5/1989. Letter dated 13/6/1989. Looks at staff attrition, amalgamation. Affects the Met and V/Line.trams, tramways, unions, ptc, the met, v/line

Photocopy of a single page instruction titled "Hot Days Tram and Bus", providing policy in respect to working on hot days, OH&S issues, personal equipment, vehicle reliability and the provision of cool water. Signed by Russell Nathan, General Manager Tram and Bus for the PTC, has V/Line and The Met logos. Issued Jan. 1992trams, tramways, instructions, ptc, the met, v/line

Photocopy of an A4 document - 24 pages, stapled in the top left hand corner - titled "Expressions of Interest for Design of Tramway Museum At Hawthorn Depot" dated 28 Jan 1993. Issued by the Public Transport Corporation, providing an information brochure, description of work, general information, selection criteria, mandatory information, conditions of registration and decisions. Had a number of response forms at rear. Technical Queries were to Bob Roberts. .2 - newspaper advertisement - same title - advertising for EOI for design services. Advert not dated, gives closing date of 19/2/1993. Also has a an advert for a EOI for Provision of Design Maintenance and construction services for the PTC.trams, tramways, hawthorn, ptc, museum, construction, tenders, eoi

Nillumbik Shire Council transferred to the former Diamond Valley Shire Offices in Greensborough after municipal restructuing. The offices became the official Nillumbik Shire Council Offices on 16 October 1995. The former Shire of Diamond Valley Civic Centre or Shire Office building was officially opened on 26th February 1972. Archtiects were A.K. Lines, McFarlane & Marshall and it was built by L.U. Simon Pty Ltd, The Diamond Valley Shire had been created in 1964 from part of the City of Heidelberg. On December 15, 1994 the Shire of Nillumbik was established. Under the Council amalgamations imposed by the Kennett government, the Shire of Eltham, Shire of Diamond Valley and City of Heidelberg ceased to exist with the establishment of Nillumbik Shire Council and the City of Banyule.The new Nillumbik shire surrended the west riding from Eltham to Banyule but in place gained parts of the former Diamond Valley Shire which itself had been created in 1964 from parts of the City of Heidelberg. Three unelected and non-local Commissioners were put in place by the government bringing democracy into question by many members of the local community. The Commissioners determined to abandon the former Shire of Eltham offices located in Main Road, Eltham and in turn occupy the former Shire of Diamond Valley offices located at the boundary of the new shire with Banyule, in Civic Drive, Greensborough. In July 1996 the Commissioners sold the former Eltham Shire Offices and had them bulldozed leading to many years of communiity protest over the process and future development applications. The site has remained vacant ever since. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p43 It was the need for roads that led to this district’s first council. In 1853 a committee was formed to improve the rough roads, some in Kangaroo Ground being almost impassable in winter.1 The committee fundraised by voluntary levies and grants to improve in particular, the main road between Kangaroo Ground and the Plenty River. From this committee arose the Eltham District Road Board, in 1856, which was the precursor to the Eltham Shire Council. The Board’s first chairman was Kangaroo Ground farmer, John Barr. Secretary was the former committee’s secretary, Andrew Ross, Kangaroo Ground’s first school teacher, and founder of the district newspaper, The Evelyn Observer.2 Most of the board’s income came from a toll-house north of the Lower Plenty Bridge, which funded such projects as a road from Kangaroo Ground to the Caledonia Diggings. In 1871 the Shire of Eltham was proclaimed, with its boundaries the same as those of the Road Board, and Councillor A Donaldson of Kangaroo Ground was the first president. Eltham was at the southern tip of the shire, which extended north to Kinglake and east beyond Yarra Glen. In 1878, part of Kinglake was added to the shire, while the area east of Watts River, near Healesville was removed. In 1912, then again in 1958, the shire was further reduced. Yarra Glen, Steels Creek, Tarrawarra, parts of Healesville and Christmas Hills, were transferred to the Shire of Healesville. In 1972 a smaller area, at Kinglake, was transferred to the Shire of Yea, leaving 277 square kilometres in the Eltham Shire. Perhaps no other Victorian municipality has had so many meeting places. Although from 1858 to 1904, the council convened at the office in the home of Secretary Charles Wingrove, the board, and later the council, also met at other more central locations.3 The board moved from the Fountain of Friendship Hotel to the Eltham Courthouse, to the Kangaroo Ground schoolhouse. It then met at the Kangaroo Ground Hotel, which some considered put it in danger of interruptions by people ‘the worse for liquor’.4 In 1885 the council met at the hall on Mr J Donaldson’s land at Kangaroo Ground. After Wingrove’s retirement, the council rented space at the Kangaroo Ground General Store and Post Office. Then, in 1917, the council bought the former office of The Evelyn Observer, after its printing works transferred to Hurstbridge. In 1934, fire destroyed the shire office, which was temporarily relocated to the Kangaroo Ground home of Shire Secretary, Mr P J McMahon. In 1941, the shire office moved to a new building (which included a public hall) in Eltham, at the corner of Arthur Street and Main Road, where the Eltham Village Shopping Centre was eventually built. Growth required new offices, which opened in 1965, on the former Shillinglaw property in Main Road.5 In 1994, as part of municipal restructuring under the Jeff Kennett Liberal Government, most of the Eltham Shire formed part of the new Shire of Nillumbik. It joined with the north section of the Diamond Valley Shire and parts of the Healesville and Whittlesea municipalities. The Diamond Valley Shire had been created in 1964, from part of the City of Heidelberg. Turbulence followed Nillumbik Shire’s formation. Under the Commissioners the council transferred to the former Diamond Valley Shire offices in Greensborough, and the Eltham council offices were demolished. In March 1997 the first five-member Nillumbik Council was elected. But, in October 1998, the government suspended the council and appointed an administrator . Early in 1999, shire residents voted to increase councillors to nine: comprising five ward councillors and four shire-wide councillors. Elections were held in March 1999. Then, before the March 2002 elections, nine new wards were created.6 In 2008 these were reduced to seven. Today [2008] the council governs a varied population of more than 60,000 people living in townships and on bush properties in the green wedge.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, greensborough, nillumbik shire council offices, civic drive

The present store was built circa 1900 to replace another which had been destroyed by fire in 1898, which had replaced a predecessor on the opposite side of the road in 1865. The store was also used as a post office until early 2000s. The general store is historically significant because it has a long association with Kangaroo Ground and has been an important centre of community life for more than 120 years - Council meetings used to be conducted in the front room of the store at a time when Kangaroo Ground rivalled Eltham as the major centre of the Shire. The general store is historically and aesthetically significant as one of a group of three well preserved public buildings in the Kangaroo Ground hamlet and as a major heritage component of Kangaroo Ground which was one of the earliest settled areas of the Shire and which has the character of an English village rather than an Australian settlement. Covered under Heritage Overlay, Nillumbik Planning Scheme. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p77 Today the general store is an uncommon form of trade but the one at Kangaroo Ground continues a long tradition of friendliness and service. For more than 100 years it has been a centre of community life. In the settlement’s early days a previous general store, on the same site, was the meeting place for the Eltham District Road Board, precursor to the Eltham Shire Council. For years Kangaroo Ground rivalled Eltham as the shire’s major centre. It developed very differently from the rest of the shire as its rich soil attracted prosperous Presbyterian Scots who had large agricultural properties.1 The present store was built to replace another one, which had burnt down in 1898, after replacing a predecessor on the other side of the road in 1865. The store retains its outward character and its cellar, although inside it has changed considerably. It now includes a café and offers local produce, milk bar products, grocery items, gas and other fuel. Until early this century the store was also used as a post office. Kangaroo Ground’s first postmaster was Andrew Ross, who first operated from the school opposite, then from his hotel next to the present tennis court site. The first postmaster at this store was Edward Weller, followed in 1868 by James Anderson. At that time a mail coach ran three times a week between Eltham and Woods Point through Kangaroo Ground, Yarra Flats, Healesville, Fernshaw, Marysville and Matlock. Some early postmasters were Rodger, McLaughlin, Greenway and Burns.2 Burns was the only postmaster operating from the store. The others operated from Andrew Ross’s hotel. The mail service improved in 1892 when coaches ran from Melbourne to Queenstown (now known as St Andrews) and changed horses at Kangaroo Ground twice daily. The only telegraph office in the district at that time was at the Kangaroo Ground Post Office. Telegrams to outlying areas such as Queenstown and Kinglake had to be sent by hand. A local resident in the early 1900s often rode his pony to deliver telegrams and was paid one shilling a mile porterage. The store has also contributed to the lighter side of Kangaroo Ground life. During the years that Con Wraight owned the store, between 1906 and 1946, a new piano was needed for the Kangaroo Ground Hall, so monthly dances were held to raise money. When the piano was bought, a grand ball was held in the Kangaroo Ground Hall to celebrate the occasion and supper followed at Mr Wraight’s barn, cleaned especially for the occasion. Every New Year’s Eve, a Scottish piper would set off from between the store and the schoolhouse, playing his pipes, and march to Cameron’s Pigeon Bank homestead on the Kangaroo Ground-Warrandyte Road. Between 1914 and 1922, the store was a station for the Kangaroo Ground Bush Fire Brigade’s tanker. It consisted of a wooden barrel on a cart, fitted with a hand-pump, and stood on the side of the road outside the store. Joy Ness, who belonged to an early Kangaroo Ground family, moved here in 1940 and recalled her impressions of the store at that time: ‘It was a very dark shop stained in a dark colour and on the walls just below the ceiling hung hurricane lamps, ropes, kitchen utensils and other goods for sale. ‘Goods were weighed on a brass scale with weights, on which mothers also weighed their babies, because the nearest Infant Welfare Centre was at Greensborough. The bacon was cut with a hand slicer and later a pot-bellied stove warmed the store. Farmers and other locals used to gossip around it as they collected their daily mail. In those days the butter and cheese were kept in the cellar as no ice was delivered for cooling.’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, eltham-yarra glen road, kangaroo ground general store

Rear view of Eltham Library showing loading dock and ramp to the front of the building. Designed by multi-award winning architect, Gregory Burgess, for which he won the 1995 Royal Australian Insitute of architects (Vic.) Merit Award in the New Institutional category. Covered under Heritage Overlay, Nillumbik Planning Scheme. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p183 Award-winning Eltham Library, with its earthy tones blending into the nearby parklands, celebrates some of the best of Eltham’s spirit. Designed by multi-award winning architect, Gregory Burgess, the library at Panther Place, won him the 1995 Royal Australian Institute of Architects (Vic) Merit Award in the New Institutional category.1 The design is typical of Burgess’ work, emphasising natural materials and forms, and the integration of building and site.2 In its distinctive architectural character, Burgess celebrated the spirit of Eltham’s artist/architect Justus Jörgenson and mud-brick builder Alistair Knox. However this library, which opened in 1994, follows decades of efforts to acquire a suitable library for local residents. It was only in 1971 that Eltham acquired its first purpose-built library. In the 1930s books were borrowed from a mobile library run by Mr Foster of Bible Street. From the 1930s to the early 1950s, adults borrowed books from the newsagency and general store in Main Road (still a newsagency) near Arthur Street. As late as the 1950s, adults borrowed books in the shire office foyer, then in Main Road near the corner of Arthur Street.3 In the early 1950s the ratepayers voted for lower rates rather than a library, in a referendum to build a public library financed by higher rates. Children depended on volunteers for their library service until 1966. In 1946 the inaugural meeting of the Eltham War Memorial Trust’s Women’s Auxiliary, decided to support the Trust by raising funds to buy land and build a Children’s Library, Baby Health Centre and other facilities. The auxiliary formed the Children’s Library Committee, which included Mrs Morrison, Mrs Bow and Mrs Currie. They ran a library service in the stage area of the Eltham Hall, at the corner of Arthur Street and Main Road. In 1952 the books were relocated to a room in the newly opened Baby Health Centre on Main Road. Then in 1961, the Children’s Library received its own hall beside the Eltham Pre-School Centre on Main Road. From there, each month, volunteers delivered books to every school in the shire. In 1966 the Children’s Library closed after 17 years of service, following the transfer of the Trust land and buildings to the Shire of Eltham. The books were donated to nine schools in the shire and to Community Aid Abroad. An important boost to the library service came in 1965, when the Heidelberg Regional Library Service was formed by the City of Heidelberg with the Shires of Eltham and Diamond Valley. Its first library service for Eltham Shire was a bookmobile van. Books for children and adults were finally housed in one building in 1966, when the shire converted the Brinkkotter house in Dudley Street, into a library. At last in 1971, the Eltham Library moved to new premises attached to the shire offices near Panther Place. However these were demolished in 1996, by State Government appointed commissioners during council amalgamations. Meanwhile the Heidelberg Regional Library Service was disbanded in 1985 and the Yarra Plenty Regional Library Service was established. The burgeoning population brought pressure for a bigger library. Eltham was one of several municipalities in the 1970s and 1980s, battling with the State Government for adequate funding for public libraries. Funds were so tight, that in 1987 Eltham councillors threatened to close the library. However public petitions persuaded them to set aside funds to replace the cramped library facilities. In 1992 the Federal Government gave $887,496 towards the $3 million cost of the 1560 square metre library.4 The result is a light and spacious building with surrounding verandas, made of sustainable natural materials including earth and recycled and radially sawn timbers. It includes a gallery and function areas. In 2004 Mr Burgess won Australian architecture’s highest accolade: the Royal Australian Institute of Architects Gold Medal. He has received more than forty professional and community awards.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, eltham, eltham library, panther place

Hawthorn hedges are important reminders of Kangaroo Ground's Scottish heritage. They are Registered on the Victorian Heritage Register. They are "historically significant because the planting of hawthorn hedges reflects the adoption of Eurorpean farming techniques by the Kangaroo Ground population in the period following settlement and because the grid pattern of paddocks that the Hawthorn hedges define is very different to today's farm landscapes." Covered under Heritage Overlay, Nillumbik Planning Scheme. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p21 Hawthorn hedges bordering Kangaroo Ground’s gently rolling farmlands are important reminders of its Scottish heritage and are rare so close to Melbourne.1 As early as the 1840s newly arrived farmers from Scotland planted hawthorn hedges around their properties, to protect crops from the numerous kangaroos and wallabies. Many of these hedges survive today. These farmers had the good fortune to settle some of the most fertile land available for cropping in the Colony of Victoria. At that time the black volcanic soil could sustain an amazing two crops a year. By the mid 1850s, 500 acres (202ha) of wheat were growing in Kangaroo Ground. But the crops were threatened by kangaroos, which were so plentiful, that Surveyor-General, Robert Hoddle, named the district Kangaroo Ground in 1838. As post-and-rail fences proved inadequate barriers for the bounding kangaroos, the Scots planted hawthorn hedgerows as they had done in Scotland. Some also used the hedges to net birds, presumably for the table. Interestingly the farmers in the bordering townships of Panton Hill and Christmas Hills, did not plant hawthorn hedges around their properties. Perhaps it was because by the time they settled in the 1860s and 1870s most of the wildlife had been gunned down by residents.2 The canny Scots planted the hedges on public land outside their own farms, as the hedgerows could spread to about five yards (five m) in width. With this impenetrable barrier Kangaroo Ground’s industrious farmers flourished to gain the economic power that saw the Shire of Eltham governed from Kangaroo Ground for 79 years (1858-1937). The Scots jealously guarded their land, so hard to get in Scotland. That is why they refused to release any of it ‘for local roads to follow easier grades as was the case in surrounding districts where roads generally followed ridgelines or streams’.3 Instead the roads were built in accordance with the magnetic bearings of their first survey in 1847 whether that suited the steep topography or not. This could force traffic to diverge when wet through Greensborough and Diamond Creek. Until 1921, the Eltham-Yarra Glen Road beside Wellers Restaurant, ‘dipped down into the upper reaches of Stony Creek’.4 Later some corners were compulsorily cut for the increasing motor traffic. As late as the 1960s, corners were cut to form sweeping curves above and alongside the Kangaroo Ground Cemetery and opposite the Emergency Operations Centre. In the latter case, the farmers – understanding their hedgerows as important heritage – insisted upon their reinstatement to conform to the altered road alignment. Kangaroo Ground’s ancient manna gums also point to the district’s history and to that of the hedgerows. The Aboriginal people had transformed the original forests into grasslands with the fires they lit to attract kangaroos, (which the Scots were to exclude by planting hedgerows). But the Wurundjeri hunters left the gums (Eucalyptus vimminalis cygnetensis), on the grasslands as ‘stalking trees’ to hunt kangaroos. The hawthorn hedges in Kangaroo Ground were neglected for around 60 years from about the middle of the 20th century. Bushfires had created gaps and the hedgerows were not trimmed. Then in late 2005, local historian Mick Woiwod, formed a group to lobby the Nillumbik Shire to restore the hedges, which could last for many centuries. Some hedges in parts of Britain date back to AD 800.5 Although the original Scottish farmers have gone, the hedges are a reminder of when they flourished in the district, which has changed little in 150 years.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, eltham-yarra glen road, hawthorn hedgerow, kangaroo ground