Erin swims the river when she finds herself too late to reach the drovers before their crossing; and amazes O'Day and Keiran when she arrives with the news that the police have them cut off. Behind her a major storm up river is causing the water to rise.The album and images are significant because they document literature written by a prominent member of the Wodonga community. The presentation of this precis was supported by several significant district families and individuals.Ringer's River Album Coloured photo Plate 27des martin, many a mile, ringer's river, northeast victoria stories

A book of 160 pp - Snowy River Inquiry Final report 23rd October 1998. Submitted to the Governments of New South Wales and Victoria / Commissioner: The Hon. Robert Webster. On the front cover are three aerial photographs of the Snowy River and Snowy Hydro Scheme. The book contains maps and photographs.non-fictionThe Snowy Water Inquiry was commissioned in 1998 with a brief to recommend environmental water release options to the Commonwealth, Victorian, and NSW Governments so that corporatisation of the Snowy Mountains Scheme could proceed. This book contains the findings of the Inquiry into water allocation and uses of the Snowy River.snowy river hydro, snowy river government inquiry, water allocations, water resources developmen

Ill, maps, p.373.non-fictionEarly history of N.T. and explorations; Detailed account of intercepting Macassan proas around coast of Arnhem Land whilst author was Sub-Collector of Customs for 14 years; Names of proas and masters, Malay camps & smoke houses along coast & nearby islands; Natives employed by Malays in trepang fishing and collecting tortoiseshell, relationships between Malays and Aborigines; influences (physical & cultural); Habit of exchanging children between tribes (Roper R. & Normanton) for the purpose of learning each others language & customs; Description of native camps at Fort Dundas (1895) shelters, finding of bark water bags, types of canoes used; Platform burial at Daly R.; Sacred burial site on Maria Island; Geographical features, vegetation, climate etc., general ecology, depredations & murders by natives; Cannibalism practiced by Fitzmaurice River tribes. northern australia - description and travel, ethnography

The Bethanga Bridge was built between 1927 and 1930 as a joint venture between Victoria and New South Wales and was a key element of the River Murray Waters Agreement. It consists of nine spans of 82 metres long. Each span is supported between double reinforced concrete pylons and a riveted steel camel back Pratt truss. The overall span of the bridge is a length of 752 metres. It was completed in 1929 at a cost of £194,000. The road deck was initially constructed from timber but was replaced in 1961 with a concrete waffle slab deck 7.7metres wide. In 1961 the bridge deck and truss structure were raised 300 millimetres to allow for the enlargement of the lake. The bridge was designed in NSW by road engineer Percy Alan and the trusses were built by the Charles Ruwolt Pty. Ltd. Charles Ruwolt Pty. Ltd. was originally established by Charles Ruwolt as a foundry at Wangaratta in 1902 and transferred its operations to Richmond, Melbourne in 1914. By 1938 it had become one of the biggest engineering companies in Australia. After Charles Ruwolt’s death in 1946, Vickers Ltd. acquired the company and in 1948 the firm became known as Vickers Ruwolt Pty. Ltd. Because of the Bethanga Bridge’s unique location, over the waters of a dam with the border running down the centre of the body of water, the Bethanga Bridge is the only built structure shared by both Victoria and New South Wales. As the border of New South Wales aligns with the southern bank of the Murray River all of the other bridges along its length are deemed to be in New South Wales. The Bethanga Bridge is listed on both the New South Wales State Heritage Register and the Victorian Heritage Database. In 2015 the Bethanga Bridge was nominated for a heritage award by the Institution of Engineering Australia.These images are significant because they document the construction of a bridge which links Victoria and New South Wales and has been recognised for its historical, technical and engineering significance.A collection of photos documenting the construction of the Bethanga Bridge which links the States of Victoria and New South Wales as part of the construction of the Hume Dam .bethanga bridge, hume dam constuction, charles ruwolt, percy allan engineer

This item is a souvenir booklet that would have been purchased by a tourist in the Warrnambool district in the mid 20th century. The photographs are representative of the tourist attractions of the area – Hopkins Falls, the mouth of the Hopkins River, Shelly Beach, the Breakwater, the Botanical Gardens etc. Tourism in Warrnambool began to be important towards the end of the 19th century when the coastal scenery, the beaches and the Sea Water Baths were advertised to promote Warrnambool as a spa resort town. Today tourism is a major industry in the city. This item is of minor interest as a souvenir of the type of postcard purchased by tourists in the mid 20th century. This is a piece of blue paper folded in two with black and blue printing on the front and back covers and an image of two kookaburras on the front cover. In the back of the front cover is pasted a strip of paper containing 13 black and white photographs folded in concertina fashion to form a booklet. The front cover has an extension that fits into a slot on the back cover to enclose the photographs. There is space for a stamp and an address on the front cover and space for the name of the sender on the back cover. There is pencil writing on the space for the stamp.Warrnambool Photographic Booklet 9d. (ninepence) warrnambool souvenir, warrnambool tourist attractions

Eppalock. Construction. Shows water in the bottom of the lake, or possibly river running into it. Markings: Eppalock Dam. Dec 1962 near Lyal.Kodakcivil engineering, water supply, eppalock

Patrolling the Mekong Delta's Bassac River in hot-rodded cabin cruisers called PBRs, the U.S. Navy's brown-water sailors in 1967 were like tigers waiting for the cage door to open. Then Lieutenent Commander Don Sheppard cut them loose.vietnam war, 1961-1975 - riverine operations - american, u.s. navy, brown-water sailors, mekong delta, bassac river

Typed notes on Bendigo Foundaries. Notes mention some of the foundries that were in Bendigo, the work they did, where they were, and where some of their work can be seen.document, bendigo foundaries, horwood & sons, girton college, the victoria foundary, andrew harkness & co, palmer river diggings, george lansell, robert harkness, abraham roberts, united iron works, laanecoorie weir, bendigo railway station, coles new world supermarket, target stores, taylor horsefield's engineering works, improved harvester, hugh victor mckay, holland bros., state rivers & water supply, civic buildings, st aiden's, bendigo hospital, carter & brown, osborn bros, bendigo building society, a'becket chambers, fortuna, george lansell, lansell mine, army survey regiment, jorgenson's, st killian's fence, redpath & brown

Centenary history of the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works, the organisation responsible for Melbourne's water supply, sewerage and industrial waste disposal, town planning, rivers & creeks, metropolitan parks and building of freeways until its closure in 1992.432 p. hardback, black & white photographsmmbw, melbourne and metropolitan board of works

Blind Creek was located between the Abbotsford Convent and what is now the Collins Bridge in Studley Park. In an 1858 map of East Collingwood by Clement Hodgkinson, in the State Library of Victoria, one can see how the creek was originally a significant landmark in Collingwood; remaining vacant land until a barrel drain enclosed it. The area was later filled in, surveyed and developed. The position where Blind Creek entered the Yarra was in the immediate vicinity of Hodgson’s Punt, which had linked Kew to the other side of the Yarra from 1839. The Punt was purchased by the Colonial Government in 1852 and was in use until the opening of the Studley Park Road (Johnston Street) Bridge in 1858 made its continued use redundantThe point of view selected by the artist for the watercolour is from the banks of Blind Creek in East Collingwood, looking across the Yarra to the Kew side of the river.Inscribed verso 'Creek and Old Watering stage, on the Yarra East Collingwood 1854 / Trees, stage, &c have long since disappeared / [Artist Signature] / FT 110 / Creek itself now being filled in 1903.gb richardson, blind creek - abbotsford, yarra river - abbotsford (vic) - kew (vic), colonial artists, australian art - 19th century, george bouchier richardson

The paddle steamer "Gem was first launched in 1876 as a passenger and cargo mode of transport on the Murray River. In the '30's and '40's it operated as a tourist passenger boat. In 1948 it sunk in 15 feet of water but was repaired and refloated. It was retired in 1950. In 1962 it was sold to the Swan Hill pioneer Settlement. The Swan Hill Folk Museum was Australia's first open air museum and opened to the public in 1966, It was renamed the Pioneer Settlement.Bendigo Advertiser ''The way we were'' from 2003. Memories: the paddle steamer Gem arrives at Swan Hill in 1963. the pioneer Settlement Museum is seeking contact with people who have worked at the museum in the past 40 years. The clip is in a folder.newspaper, bendigo advertiser, the way we were

George Pethard Collection including references to Taraxale Brewing Company Pty brown covered 29x19mm photographic album bound with gold string / 52 black and white Photographs of Reso tour to central Australia and Northern Territory / includes Aboriginal camps , camel trains / landscapes , war cemetery at Adelaide River / May 13- June 13 1947 / the 40 members of the party are also named includes: George Pethard / Aboriginal camp , Jay Creek consisting of makeshift tents / crowd playing 'Two Up ' Photo of the ship 'Meggs' at Darwin / Manton Dam - Darwin's water supply photo. Reso Tour to Central Australia and Northern Territory.Roy Dunstan Publicity and Tourist services Victoria Railwaysphotograph, person, male, george pethard / taraxale brewing company pty ltd / aboriginal camps / camel trains / war cemetary at adelaide river photo of the ship 'meggs' at darwin / manton dam - darwin's water supply photo

Art Collection Previously located in History HouseThe painting depicts a body of water with two large trees in the foreground. The two trees are situated on the left side of the riverbank which extends across the foreground of the work. The trees extend beyond the borders of the work with only a few branches visible at the top of the work. To the right of the trees, on the surfaceof the water, is a boat with a large white sail. The river bed continues on the left and right sides of the work and is covered with brown trees. The background features a distant view of the riverbank covered in blue trees. The work has a gilded ornate frame with cardboard and gilded mount and glass.Front: A.S. Murray plaque attached to frame: SCENE on the RIVER MURRAY Back: W. HAMER __________Street, Ballarat

Art collection Previously located in History HouseThe painting depicts a large body of water surrounded by tree-covered riverbank. Depicted in shades of blue and grey, the water features patches of brown and blue which illustrate the reflections of riverbank trees. In the foreground to the left of the water is a large tree which extends up to cover the top left skyline of the work. Featured in the background is a dense patch of trees completed in shades of blue. To the right of the water is a dense patch of trees completed in shades of brown and black. These trees reach into a purple and blue cloud-filled sky. The work has a gilded ornate frame with cardboard and gold mount and exposed canvas.Front: A.S. Murray Plaque attached to frame: SCENE on the RIVER MURRAY Back: (no inscriptions)

Brown hard covered book. Chapter 16 is on gold deposits and discusses the discovery of gold in California and Australia.Brown hard covered book geology, water, rivers, the atlantic, great deep, africa, australian interior, eyre's expedition, murray river, darling river, earthqaukes, leichardt, moreton bay, volcanos, darwin's theory, evolution, egyptian race, human remains in caverns and gravel, rocks, metamorphism, iron ores, coal, coal fields, gold deposits, california, water-glass, artificial stone, porous stones, cements

Bridgewater is a situated 39km northwest of Bendigo and 170 km from Melbourne. It was established as a crossing point over the Loddon River for gold diggers en route to the Inglewood gold diggings. As gold began to dry up in the district the town of Bridgewater developed due to its proximity to the river which it relied on for industries such as brewing, farming and market gardens. As demand on the water supply grew, the Water Works were established to ensure supply and manage the quality of the water for drinking. Decorated hand operated cast iron embosser with 40mm seal head attached. Gold and orange painted decorations extend from top edge of handle to sides of base. Original knob has been replace with a newer wooden knob. Well used showing all over signs of wear. Seal is for the Bridgewater Waterworks Trust 1927.Bridgewater Waterworks Trust 1927.loddon shire

Mr Eric Sumsion was the gardening curator for Wodonga Shire in 1956. He had previously operated a bootmaker’s shop in High Street, Wodonga for many years. Eric saw the potential of the area in Wodonga now known as Belvoir Park and asked permission to work on part of the area. He eventually purchased a house adjoining the area giving him more time and easy access to work on it. The Lagoon, Lake Huon, Belvoir Lagoon, Belvoir Park and Sumsion Gardens are all names used over time for what is today one of Wodonga’s favourite recreation and picnic spots. In the 1800s river boats could enter Lake Huon from Wodonga Creek. There was a jetty south of where the water fountain is today. In later years, this jetty was used by the Clay Bird Shooting Club. From the early 1900s football and cricket were played there, and some mining leases were also allowed. At one time there were open gravel pits between House Creek and the main lagoon, and these were subsequently filled with town garbage collected by the Council. In the late 1940s, Wodonga Golf Club took over part of Belvoir Park for a 9-hole golf course with sand greens. The Golf Club House was built in 1946. The Club extended the course to 12-holes when the football ground moved to Martin Park and the course later extended to 18 holes. Under Eric Sumsion’s care the area became a magnificent area of parkland and curated gardens. After he had retired in 1961 his work was acknowledged by the Shire Engineer, Mr Bill Page, when the Sumsion Gardens were named in his honour. He was also responsible for the design and curating of many other gardens in Wodonga, including those at Sarah Coventry and Richardson Park. Eric Sumsion died in July 1988, aged 85.This item is significant because it acknowledges the dedication and commitment of Eric Sumsion to the Wodonga Community.A collection of photographic image and an advertisement related to the work of Eric Sumsion in Wodonga.eric sumsion, parks and gardens wodonga

Yellow soft covered report of 95 pages . The contents of the report include: Parks, reference areas, wildlife reserves, water production, harwood production, softwood production, flora Reserves and Flora and Fauna reserves, bushland reserves, historic area and reserves, rivers and streams, Roadside conservation and Highway parks, Education areas and School Plantations, Lake Reserves, geological reserves, recreation, scenic reserves, agriculture, mineral and stone production, utilities and survey, township land, Uncommitted Land, military training, other reserves and public land. Maps include: The Study area 1: 250 000 Supplementary Mapsland conservation authority, ballarat, endowment plantations, pine plantations, langi ghiran state park, mount buangor state park, enfield state park, ballarat-creswick regional park, rossbridge, black lake, flax mill swamp, dereel lagoon, lake bolac, lake wongan, langi ghiran reservoir, gong gong reservoir, pincotts reservoir, beales reservoir, wilsons reservoir, moorabool reservoir, korweinguboora, korweinguborra reservoir, learmonth bores, sago hill, illabarook reservoir, ballarat water commission, dunneworthy, mount cole, mont lonarch, ben major, waterloo, trawalla, linton, ross creek, canadian, shepherds flat, lal lal, mount doran, raglan, chute, carngham, buninyong, watsons hill, enfield, cape clear, illabrook, rokewood junction, mount warrenheip, nerrina, jubilee, golden stream, australasian deep lead mine, happy valley school, piggoreet, berringa, bulldog, ballarat common, wildlife, water, timber, flora, rivers, geology, agriculture, warrenheip, biodiversity

Pink paper dated 19th September 33. Note to Mr. Field from GAJ mentioning she encloses her costs herein. "R5?9 del20/9/33 JW" written in the top left corner.the miss g alice jones collection - account, mr field, state rivers & water supply commission, rushworth g.m. syndicate and mcdonald

The dam at the entrance to the Nerreman Gateway in Eltham was built according to an internationally acclaimed theory developed by the builder's father. In 1920, Victorian engineer B.A. Smith was awarded the American Society of Civil Engineers J. James R. Cross Gold Medal for his Technical Paper titled 'Arched Dams'. It was the first time this medal had been awarded outside the United States. The concrete arched dam across the Eltham West Drain was built in 1940 by B.A. Smith's son and engineer, D. B. (Bernie) Smith to water the 24 acre (9.75 ha) hobby farm owned by himself and new wife, Isa Smith. Upon completion of the dam a pump-house was constructed beside the creek but before the water could be pumped up the hill they had to dig a trench and lay 500m of 100mm water main to an elevated holding tank. The Smiths made the pump-house their home for several years until they constructed their home at the top of the hill overlooking Eltham and views extending to Kinglake. Following Bernie's death in 1983, Nerreman Park was subdivided between 1993 and 1995. Gordon Ford designed the landscaping and the pump-house was demolished. Covered under Heritage Overlay, Nillumbik Planning Scheme. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p137 The dam at the entrance to the Nerreman Gateway in Eltham, was built according to an internationally acclaimed theory developed by the builder’s father. In 1920, Victorian engineer B A Smith was awarded the American Society of Civil Engineers J. James R. Croes Gold Medal, for his Technical Paper titled Arched Dams. It was the first time this medal had been awarded outside America. An international example of the application of Smith’s work can be found in the design of the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River, Nevada, USA. Built between 1930 and 1936, it is recognised by the ASCE as one of ‘America’s Seven Modern Civil Engineering Wonders’.1 The concrete arched dam across the Eltham West Drain was built by B A Smith’s son and engineer, D B (Bernie) Smith. Bernie’s dam followed his father’s theory, having a curvature that takes maximum advantage of concrete’s great strength in compression. The water load is carried into the abutments because of this curvature, which permits a wall thickness of only 225 millimetres thick at its crest, despite the dam’s capacity of more than 4.5 megalitres. The Eltham dam was designed to water the 24 acre (9.75 ha) hobby farm belonging to newly married couple Bernie and Isa Smith. Bernie, from Armadale, and Isa, from a farm at Tyntynder near Swan Hill, were attracted to the hilly topography and the creek running through the property. It extended from Ryans Road, Eltham, to Karingal Drive, Montmorency and was adjacent to Meruka Park. The Smiths named it Nerreman Park using the Aboriginal word Nerreman meaning ‘River Bend’ as their creek had a pronounced bend.2 In 1940 the first thing Bernie did was to build a dam, and with Isa’s help, a pump-house, to secure a water supply for their cattle, pigs, chickens, orchard and vegetable gardens. It was also available for the fire-plugs, which they placed all over the property in case of bushfire. The couple built the pump-house beside the creek and installed a Tange three-plunger pump, which had originally supplied the City of Wodonga with water. But before the Smiths could pump water up the hill from the dam they had to dig a trench and lay about 550 yards (500m) of a four-inch (100mm) water main up to an elevated holding tank. The trench was dug with a single furrow plough drawn by an old draught horse. Living in rough conditions did not deter the Smiths, who made the pump-house their home, where they still lived when their first child was born in 1944. They later built their home at the top of their property overlooking Eltham, with magnificent views to Kinglake, the Dandenong Ranges and Melbourne. From 1946 it took them almost 20 years to complete the 36-square house with its 12-foot (3.6m) high ceilings. Material for the concrete roof and walls faced with sandstone, was ripped out of the ground on their property by plough pulled by tandem Clydesdale horses. Isa was a strong woman – two days before their second child was born – she set three huge sandstone boulders in place in the bottom wall of the garage. She also mixed all the cement for the house. A collapsed kitchen wall did not discourage her from rebuilding it in a week, while her husband was away working in the country. She later recalled: ‘We stood back to admire this beautiful wall we’d built and while we were looking at it, it came tumbling down’.3 Following Bernie’s death in 1983, Nerreman Park was subdivided, between 1993 and 1995. Local Gordon Ford designed the landscaping and the pump-house was pulled down. But the dam remains as a reminder of exceptional engineering4 – and of a remarkable couple.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, karingal drive, smiths dam, bernie smith, gordon ford, isa smith, nerreman gateway, nerreman park estate, dams

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

Alice McGREGOR Born: 1908; unknown parents. Possibly adopted by the Salter family? Electoral Roll 1936: Highland Terrace Kangaroo Flat. Alice Mary Salter and William Robert Salter living together; presumed to be sister and brother. William Robert Salter was killed in a MVA in Bendigo in 1937 aged 26. In Victoria in 1938, Alice Mary Salter married James Thomas McGregor (born Victoria 1917, died Victoria 1983, buried Fawkner Cemetery) Lived: 1968; 22 Wade Street Golden Square Alice McGregor Died: 1999 aged 91 at Anne Caudle Centre, Bendigo Buried: Kangaroo Flat Cemetery See additional research. Postcard Album of Alice McGregor contained 86 post cards.Postcard Album of Alice McGregor containing 86 postcards. See 1400 Colour photo of the Erskine River, Lorne, Victoria Three figures fishing at the water's edge. Trees and shrubs growing on either bank. Addressed to Miss ? Stapleton, Arcade, Bendigo Sender - not decipherable Stamp dated 12 April 1905 postcard, collector, alice mcgregor

The Laanecoorie Weir on the Loddon River supplies both irrigation and domestic water. It was the second Victorian irrigation scheme after the Goulbourn. It was constructed 1889-1892 with the outlet valves installed in 1891.Bendigo Advertiser ''The way we were'' from 2003. Flowing: this photograph was taken at the Laanecoorie Weir in the mid 1980s. The clip is in a folder.newspaper, bendigo advertiser, the way we were