VFF is seeking an appropriate framework to ensure farmers do not bear the cost of infrastructure on their farms. Overhead powerlines are proposed through the rich volcanic soils around Ballarat. This land supports 1200 jobs in processing in Ballarat. The towers would impact on the ability to irrigate crops, to use tractors around them, on biosecurity and on ability to use emergency equipment near them. VFF wants assurances that the managing entry to farm policy position will be adhered to and that a statewide strategic plan for renewable energy is prepared. https://www.vff.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/PS210901LG-Managing-Entry-to-Farms-adopted.pdf https://www.vff.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/VFF-Renewable-Energy-and-Energy-Efficiency-Policy-Statement-Meeting-172-June-2021.pdfadvocacy, renewable energy, farmers, protest, rally, managing entry to farm, victorian farmers federation, ballarat

VFF is seeking an appropriate framework to ensure farmers do not bear the cost of infrastructure on their farms. Overhead powerlines are proposed through the rich volcanic soils around Ballarat. This land supports 1200 jobs in processing in Ballarat. The towers would impact on the ability to irrigate crops, to use tractors around them, on biosecurity and on ability to use emergency equipment near them. VFF wants assurances that the managing entry to farm policy position will be adhered to and that a statewide strategic plan for renewable energy is prepared. https://www.vff.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/PS210901LG-Managing-Entry-to-Farms-adopted.pdf https://www.vff.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/VFF-Renewable-Energy-and-Energy-Efficiency-Policy-Statement-Meeting-172-June-2021.pdfphotos of Lydiard St Stop Ausnet Rallyadvocacy, renewable energy, farmers, protest, rally, managing entry to farm, victorian farmers federation, ballarat

VFF is seeking an appropriate framework to ensure farmers do not bear the cost of infrastructure on their farms. Overhead powerlines are proposed through the rich volcanic soils around Ballarat. This land supports 1200 jobs in processing in Ballarat. The towers would impact on the ability to irrigate crops, to use tractors around them, on biosecurity and on ability to use emergency equipment near them. VFF wants assurances that the managing entry to farm policy position will be adhered to and that a statewide strategic plan for renewable energy is prepared. https://www.vff.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/PS210901LG-Managing-Entry-to-Farms-adopted.pdf https://www.vff.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/VFF-Renewable-Energy-and-Energy-Efficiency-Policy-Statement-Meeting-172-June-2021.pdfphotos of Lydiard St Stop Ausnet Rallyadvocacy, renewable energy, farmers, protest, rally, managing entry to farm, victorian farmers federation, ballarat

Mostly used in nurseries when fumigating with bromide to sterilise the soilGas mask and canister (c 1960)Nu Plac productsforests commission victoria (fcv), safety equipment

Ross Milne grew up on his family's tobacco property in Myrtleford, and began skiing at Falls Creek at an early age. He was taught by Austrian Sigi Haberzettl, who was chief coach at Falls Creek for 17 years. Ross went on to win the North-Eastern District Ski Association (NEDSA) Junior Championships for three consecutive years. In 1961 Ross was a member of the Australian team which competed against New Zealand in the Inter-Dominion Championships. In 1963, he won the Downhill and Alpine Combined title at the Australian Championships, while placing second in the Grand Slalom event. Ross was selected in the Australian team that participated in the 1964 Olympic Winter Games at Innsbruck, Austria. A few days before the opening of the Games, on 25th January 1964, he tragically lost his life when he crashed into a tree during a training run for the Men's Downhill. He was only 19 years of age. The construction of the Ross Milne Memorial Ski Jump was first discussed and built between 1964 and 1966. It was located at the top of Gully, Site 99, heading down the gully and ending with a run out onto Falls Creek Road. The Jump was constructed by the Nordic Committee of the Victorian Ski Association. Problems plagued the construction of the Jump and continued until 1974 when it was deemed unsafe. Problems such as construction methods and materials, snow loading and soil foundations and footings were some of the issues which the VSA Nordic Committee faced. On top of this there was discontent with Resort Management and the Lift Company of the day with respect to safety of the Ski Jump and its effect on adjoining chair lifts if an emergency should occur. The cost of reconstruction was prohibitive and an order was given that the SkiJump was not to be used during the 1974 ski season. The Jump was dismantled not long after.These items are significant as they document the development of a memorial to an Australian Olympic Skier, Ross Milne.A collection of documents and photographs documenting the construction of the Ross Milne Memorial Ski Jump built at Falls Creek in 1966. A display board including photographs and explanatory text is part of this collection.ross milne, ross milne memorial ski jump

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

Situated in King Street, Eltham, Alistair Knox built his home and office in 1962-1963 with mud-bricks made from the local soil and recycled materials blending the house with bush around it. Knox popularised the Eltham earth building movement, begun by Montsalvat founder, Justus Jorgensen. Alistair Knox (1912-1986) was also an Eltham Shire Councillor 1971-1975 and Shire President in 1975. Knox established the inaugural Eltham Community Festival in 1975. Covered under Heritage Overlay, Nillumbik Planning Scheme. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p145 Lack of money was a strong incentive for Alistair Knox to do what he did best when he built his house and office at King Street, Eltham in 1962-63. He used mud-bricks from local soil and recycled materials, characteristically blending the house with the bush around it. The result was a work of art. Knox popularised the Eltham earth building movement,1 begun by Montsalvat founder Justus Jörgensen. He was also an Eltham Shire Councillor from 1971 to 1975 and Shire President in 1975. For Knox mud-brick building was not just a building style, but a spiritual experience and a way of relating with nature. At 40 he rediscovered God and his building reflected his theological, political, philosophical and particularly environmental world view, which was far ahead of its time.2 He also contributed to building development in his use of concrete slab foundations when stumps and bearers were the norm. Knox was introduced to mud-brick construction in 1940 by Jörgensen, then shortly after, Knox joined the Navy. In 1946 Knox studied Building Practice and Theory at Melbourne Technical College (now RMIT University). There he befriended fellow student and artist Matcham Skipper who belonged to what was then called the Jörgensen Artists’ Colony. Knox decided to build an earth building in Eltham, partly because the post-war huge building demands resulted in expensive and scarce building materials. He asked artist Sonia Skipper for help who, with Matcham, had constructed mud-brick buildings at the Artists’ Colony. The simple rectangular low-lying house at King Street is framed by native plants and a 3.6 metres wide pergola surrounds the building. Wedded to the landscape, a door in every room at the perimeter, opens outside. The property also includes a forge, a small hut built by son Macgregor at 15, and a mud-brick tower for chickens. Building materials were foraged from a wide variety of sources. Some of the joinery material came from old whisky vats. When the Oregon of the highest quality ‘was put through the wood-working machines, it gave off a deep smell of whisky that made the whole atmosphere exotic and heady’.3 Amateur builders, including schoolboys from Knox’s Presbyterian Church, made some of the mud-bricks. But the building was finished with the professional help of Yorkshire builder, Eric Hirst. Inside, the light is subdued with the mud-brick, beamed timber ceilings and floors of slate, timber or orange-brown tiles. Skylights, with rich blue and red leadlighting, illuminate one entrance area and this feature is repeated as edging on the door. The centre of the house is like a covered courtyard, with rooms built around it. The central room, 11 metres x 7 metres, was built in the same proportions as Knox’s mud-bricks. Clerestory windows on four sides infuse the room with a soft light. A huge brick fireplace extends beyond one corner and opposite is a small one where timber can only be placed vertically. The slate for the floor was discarded from the Malthouse Brewery now used as a theatre in Southbank. In the middle is a large refectory table and benches that seat 18. Like much of the house, it is rugged, yet beautiful. Made of Western Australian Jarrah by Macgregor with a chain saw and an adze, it retains knot and nail holes. Each wall has an opening, 2.4 metres at the ends and 3.6 metres at the sides. Only one has doors and these concertina doors are made of the backs of old church pews. The main bedroom has an ensuite with a marble hand basin discarded from the Victorian Parliament building; and a dressing room, where two wardrobes of polished timber recovered from a tip are attached to the walls. Separate from the house is the strikingly original circular-shaped office made of bluestone sourced from the original Army campsite at Broadmeadows.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, alistair and margot knox house, alistair knox design, mudbrick construction, eltham, king street

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

Great Hall at Montsalvat built 1938-52, designed by Justus Jorgensen Covered under National Estate, National Trust of Australia (Victoria) State Significance, Victorian Heritage and Heritage Overlay, Nillumbik Planning Scheme. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p129 At first glance, Montsalvat, the artists’ community at Hillcrest Avenue, Eltham, could belong to another time and place. The French provincial Gothic-style buildings blend picturesquely with the introduced and native trees and farm animals on the five hectare property. But Montsalvat belongs very much to today’s Eltham, having inspired much of its creative activity and style. The use of mud-brick and recycled building materials, for which Eltham is so well-known, was largely popularised by Montsalvat. Montsalvat – unique in Victoria and probably in Australia – is registered by the National Trust and National Estate.1 Montsalvat, named after the castle of the Knights of the Holy Grail, has attracted artists and intellectuals since it was founded in 1934. For years at weekends, artists, lawyers, philosophers, politicians and others, who shared a love for what Montsalvat stood for, gathered for a meal and stimulating discussion. The focus for this gathering of talent was Justus Jörgensen, an eccentric man with vision and charisma. It was Jörgensen’s foresight that saw the creation of Montsalvat, which in 1975 was formed into a trust to benefit the Victorian people. The property was then valued at about three million dollars. It is now visited by thousands of people annually. Born in 1894 and brought up a Catholic, Jörgensen had trained as an architect. He later studied painting at the National Gallery School under artist, Frederick McCubbin, then joined the studio of artist Max Meldrum. In 1924, Jörgensen married medical student Lillian Smith, and with artist friends they travelled to Europe to study the great masters. In London Jörgensen exhibited in several major galleries. One of his still life paintings was included in the book The Art of Still Life by Herbert Furst, which featured 100 of the greatest ever still life paintings.2 In 1929, Jörgensen returned to Melbourne where Lil, now qualified, worked as an anaesthetist at St Vincent’s Hospital. They bought a small house in Brighton and Jörgensen rented a large building in Queen Street for his studio until the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria bought it in 1955. While designing and overseeing the building of a studio for his friend the famous cartoonist Percy Leason, in Lavender Park Road, Jörgensen decided to buy land for a country retreat in Eltham. So the building of Montsalvat began. Jörgensen gathered around a dozen of his friends and students from his Queen Street studio. They set to work, first at weekends then some decided to live permanently on the site. Jörgensen had seen mud-brick buildings in Spain and recognised that Eltham’s clay soil was ideal for mud-bricks and although labour intensive, it was a very cheap way of building. Jörgensen’s students and friends worked under his direction with the help of local tradesmen, including carpenter, Len Jarrold and later stone mason, Horrie Judd. In return Jörgensen would give the students a painting lesson or two. It was the Great Depression when many were out of work. Jörgensen also inspired people to give generously of money and materials. With their help Jörgensen found second-hand materials for building. Friends donated slate for roofing, discarded firebricks were used for flooring and windows and doors and a cast-iron circular staircase came from a wrecker. The students’ day started at 7am with building and domestic chores, shared equally between the sexes. The first building was used by his friends at weekends and then became a home for his wife Lil. It consisted of three rooms and an attic under a high-pitched roof. Jörgensen then built a similar structure with the same high-pitched roof as a more permanent home for his students. The two buildings were joined together with a tower and a studio for Jörgensen. While excavating for the studio a reef of yellow mud-stone was found and then used in construction. The next building was the Great Hall, to be used for dining, exhibitions and meetings and completed in 1958, after a halt during the war. Whelan the Wrecker donated the stone-framed windows from the building that housed the Victorian Insurance Co. in Collins Street, which had been demolished in the 1930s. The swimming pool was donated and cubicles were built for the students with their initials marked in tiles on each doorstep.1 One of Jörgensen’s great abilities was to recognise how to use material which harmonised. He would comb through wreckers’ yards for what he needed. Regarding his buildings as sculptural pieces, his first consideration was for the aesthetic quality of a building and only then for its functionality.2 At Montsalvat, Jörgensen found he was able to put his ideas into practice without compromise and those who worked with him had to conform to his ideas. With the Jörgensens, the colony’s original nucleus consisted of the Skipper family – Mervyn and wife Lena, daughters Helen and Sonia and son Matcham,who was to become an eminent jeweller and sculptor represented in National Gallery collections throughout Australia and in European museums.3 Other members were Arthur Munday, Lesley Sinclair, Helen Lempriere, Ian Robertson, John Smith, George Chalmers, John Busst and Sue Van der Kellan; also Jörgensen’s three sons – Max, Sebastian and Sigmund – and Saskia, Sonia Skipper and Arthur Munday’s daughter. Montsalvat went through some hard times when local gossips spread rumours of sexual shenanigans at Montsalvat. However Montsalvat also had many local supporters – especially amongst the local tradespeople. The colony was certainly unconventional – with Jörgensen’s wife Lil (and son Max) and life-time partner Helen Skipper, (mother of Sebastian and Sigmund) living at Montsalvat. Sonia Skipper says in her biography that the group were ‘very conscious of their responsibilities to each other and a desire to make their relationships work’.4 By World War Two many buildings around the Great Hall were completed. Jörgensen was a pacifist, as were most of his students. Some of the Montsalvat community enlisted while others engaged in essential services like dairy farming and market gardening for the war effort. It was then that Jörgensen constructed farm buildings. After the war many well-known personalities such as Clifton Pugh, landscape gardener Gordon Ford, and builder Alistair Knox, were drawn to Montsalvat. They learnt that building was not a ‘sacred cow’ only for professionals, but that anyone who was willing to get their hands dirty could do it. The post-war shortage of materials also encouraged builders to follow Montsalvat’s lead in reusing materials. When Jörgensen died in 1975, his influence did not – thanks largely to the vigilance of his son, Sigmund, who became its administrator. The weekend dinners have gone, but in 2008 about 14 artists still work at Montsalvat – some living there – including a couple who have been there since its early days. Under Sigmund’s direction Montsalvat further expanded its activities which included festivals, art exhibitions, concerts and weddings. Sigmund completed the Chapel, then the Long Gallery next to the pool, After the barn burnt down, he replaced it in 1999 (the builder was Hamish Knox, Alistair’s son) with a new gallery and entrance and added a restaurant. Sigmund has been careful that any new building blends in with the character of Montsalvat. In 2006 Montsalvat was restructured for its continued financial viability and with the help of Arts Victoria a new executive officer was appointed. A representative board from the wider community was established, which includes members from the former Montsalvat Trust including Sigmund Jörgensen – who is now the heritage and arts adviser to the new company Montsalvat Ltd.5 Today, visiting Montsalvat one still sees artists, students and visitors enjoying the unique and beautiful surroundings.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, great hall, montsalvat

Newspaper article: A sustainable award, Diamond Valley Leader, 1 November2006, Architect and building Llewellyn Pritchard won resource Efficiency Housing Award, finalist in HIA Greensmart Building of the Year Award. House – Environmental Leader (Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p186) In 2006 environmental awareness was mushrooming in the community, which is reflected in the award-winning house at Main Road near Wattletree Road, Eltham. At first sight, the building appears a mix of a classic Eltham mud-brick house and an avant-garde building style. The crown of solar panels stretching along the width of the curved roof, indicates that this is no ordinary house. In fact it signals a new building trend of minimal impact on the environment. Yet it utilises the environment with high technical expertise to achieve comfort and cut running and maintenance costs. In recognition of this, its designer/builder, Conscious Homes, won the 2006 National HIA Greensmart Resource Efficiency Award. For Conscious Homes director, Llewellyn Pritchard, this house reflects a philosophy, strengthened by his connection with Aboriginal culture, through his foster siblings. Pritchard believes the sustainable way indigenous Australians lived and their spiritual connection with land, demonstrates how humanity is part of the ecology. His interest in environmental design stemmed from growing up in bushy Eltham Shire, with its mud-brick tradition. This was followed by studying Architecture at RMIT in the early 1980s, and learning about passive solar design. Pritchard says this house demonstrates that environmental sustainability is not about sacrifice, but about exceptional levels of occupant comfort, savings in running costs and modern fittings and appliances.1 The solar panels on the north roofs are intentionally obvious to make a statement about what the building is doing. But inside the systems are hidden and interactive with conventional services, such as the underground water tank. The house is water and energy self-sufficient and at 12 squares is much smaller than conventional houses, to minimise resources. Yet it accommodates his family of four with three bedrooms, a living/dining and kitchen area and a bathroom/laundry. Importantly the building is designed to last hundreds of years, by being able to be modified as the need arises, such as for commercial use. In this way the structure minimises its environmental impact. The solid double mud-brick walls (which are insulated) include steel beams and supporting frame, allowing the future removal or alteration of any section. The materials are local, recycled and of low toxicity where possible.2 Inside and out, the mud-brick is rendered and sealed with a combination of cement and sand and a mud-based coating in a soft golden hue increases its life. Inside, the golden-brown timber is plantation Mountain Ash and the concrete floors throughout – of local stone aggregate with a clear seal – have a natural looking random stone appearance. The house sustains a stable temperature of around 20 degrees, assisted by the concrete slab floor. The many large double-glazed windows and highlights (windows set high on walls) provide cross-flow ventilation. The north-facing living area maximises heating from the lower winter sun and is cooler in summer, because the sun is higher. Heating comes from a solar hydronic slab system. All appliances and fittings are high efficiency energy or water rated. Appliances in the timber kitchen include a gas stove and a dishwasher, using the building’s own power and water. French doors open from the living area to a deck, concealing the treatment system for all waste water. This is pumped through sub-soil drippers to the indigenous garden beds and no-dig vegetable patch. Below the carport is the 80,000-litre rainwater tank and at the back, the boiler room houses the solar boiler, water tank access, domestic water supply pump, filter gear and hydronic slab heating controls. The solar system is backed up with gas, which is needed to heat water only in winter. Gas used is less than one quarter of that for an average home with ducted heating. Excess power is fed back to the grid and the building uses about one quarter of the mains electricity of an average home. Other local builders have followed Pritchard’s lead in resource efficiency for minimal environmental impact.main road, eltham, businesses, llewellyn pritchard, hia greensmart building of the year award., efficiency housing award, conscious homes australia pty ltd

Electro hydraulic dredge Snake Valley 1909. J Mc Bennett, was an engineer back at the main base, at Dawson's dam on the Carngham Road, Between Linton and Snake Valley. These dredges were used for getting gold. The streams of water under high pressure just washed the hills and ground away. This dredge closed down early 1910. 200 H.P. motors were used and 10 in. pumps.Black and white image of three workmen, one beside mining building the other two at dredge pump outlet. Image mounted on dark brown card. Between 1904 and 1911 the Electro Hydraulic Company sought to extract gold in an area north of Linton known as the Hard Hills. By blasting water from high-pressure hoses into the hillsides, soil containing gold was washed out for sluicing. Two gravel pumps in Dawson's Dam pumped the wash through the sluices. Despite considerable investment in expensive equipment, the Company did not have a great deal of success, and the mining operation ceased in 1911.mining, gold, mining equipment, electro hydraulic dredge, dredging, sluicing, dawson's dam, snake valley, miners

A Fortin style mercury barometer from well-known Australian instrument maker, A.L.Franklin. The column of mercury is supported by the pressure of air on the free surface of the mercury in the cistern at the bottom. Its level can be adjusted to a datum using the screw at the bottom and then the height of the column can be accurately read off using a vernier scale at the top. Attached to a backing timber board with a thermometer. Thermometer made by Townson and Mercer. Metal vertical hanging eyelet.A.L.Franklin, established 1919, scientific instrument makers, Brookvale, NSW; A.L Franklin Sydney No. 457; Townson and Mercer Distributors Pty Ltd throughout Aust and NZ.;weather station, soil science, science, student outside activities, measurements, air pressure, atmospheric pressure, air temperature

Typed notes titled 'Growing Plants Without Soil'. Typed on paper with printed letterhead of Howe & Franch Inc. Chemicals. Notes mention containers and method of planting plants for Hydroculture. Also gives the Formula to use in the water, price and size of the bottle of formula. Also mentioned that house plants watered with the formula improve their growth. Broadcast 'Final' written at the top of page.sciences, bill ashman collection - correspondence, growing plants without soil, howe & french inc. chemicals

Five page copy of a broadcast titled 'Growing Plants Without Soil' broadcast 18 June, 1937 in Boston, Mass. Typed on paper with printed letterhead - Chemistry of Today. Mentioned is plant growth, how water is used by the plant, the relationship between plants, dew and rain, fertilisers, chemicals and how to set up a hydroponic system. Broadcast (1) written at the top of the page.sciences, instruments - general, scalebuoy, bill ashman collection - correspondence, chemistry of today, growing plants without soil

This is a simple household labour-saving device. The box was fitted to the end of the table and knife polish was sprinkled on the cloth inside. The knife was then placed in the centre of the box and clamped in tightly. The knife was then pulled backwards and forwards several times (three seconds was the suggested time) and the object was then deemed to be polished. All households had cutlery of some sort and many had good silver pieces that were meant to be kept in a sparkling polished condition. This cleaner would have assisted those in a household assigned to the care of the cutlery. These would have included the women of the household, the children or domestic employees. This item is retained as an interesting example of a household labour-saving device from 100 years ago. This is a circular wooden box with an extra piece at one end of the base and a sliding top lid with a wooden knob. The lid lifts up and the inside of the box and the lid is covered with rough cloth. Some of this cloth has rotted away. The top of the lid has a printed label pasted on. This is torn and soiled. ‘Patent The Magic Knife and Fork Cleaner’ ‘I am handy and useful where’r I am used, To clean knives and forks brightly I never refuse, In mansion or cottage to both I do go, So buy me, and try me, my worth you will know.’ household devices, history of warrnambool

A wooden miner's cradle with metal sieve used to separate gold or other heavy minerals from soil and water. Washdirt and water were tipped into the sieve at the top while the cradle was rocked. The oscillating motion washed away sand and fine particles, leaving the gold trapped behind ridges across the bottom. Large rocks and gravel caught by the sieve were discarded by hand. The metal sieve is slightly damaged.gold minning, gold washing cradle

Black and white photographs, many labelled. Flowers, trees, propagation, signs, etc. Some for Journal articles. Publicity Branch Victorian Department of Agriculture: (1) 2 copies, C.1768A "Camellias Geraniums." (2) c.1262D "Anemone japonica." ((4) c.1262K "Hibiscus Wilder's White." (5) "Peace." (7) D521A Fruit tree. (8) c.1262E "Helenium autumnale." (9) c.1262I "Gerri Hock?" (12) c.1262F "Golden Ash. " (13) Struck cuttings 05 7.6.57. (14) "Kumquat." (15) Path to Principal's Residence. (16) A479 "Thujopsis dolobrata. Make an excellent tub specimen of the spreading type." (17) A477 "Aucuba japonica variegata. A very good foliage shrub for tubs. Sept '63 Jnl." (18) Struck cutting. (19-22) Arum, different views. (23) 2 copies ? (24) "June garden notes," small tree with roots. (25, 26) Different views ? (27)Pittosporum crassifolium. (28) "For Dec article (This is the one to use) Polyanthus are attractive & easily managed pot plants. (29) 2 copies ? (30) ? (31) Tubers. (32) "Oct Jnl" "Dividing the tubers. This is necessary to ensure that one eye is left etc." (33) Divided tuber. (34) Aucuba in pot. (35) ? (36) "Thuja plicata aurea a good tub plant of pyramid form." (37) "Buxus sempervirens. he English Box makes a neat, compact, low hedge." (38) "Cupressus torulosa is useful for a high narrow hedge for screening." (39) Sign giving information about different fertilizer treatments. (40) Sign comparing yield of Jonathons & Democrats with fertilzers. (41) "Russell Lupins." (42, 43) Different views ? (44) Soil profile in hole. (45) "Cyclamen is a good subject flowering over winter period." (46) "Cyclamen." (47) "Chabbads? & Malmaisons are suitable for bedding & make good cut flowers." (48) A478 "Seedlings." (49) A487 2 copies Roses in vase. (50) C.1767.E "Angophora 5-6 years." (51) C.1769.C "Jan '60 Jul. Ginko biloba Maidenhair Tree." (52) C.1768.C "Thuja plicata aurea, Golden Willow, Pinus radiata." (53) C.1762.I Vegetables. (54) A512 ?. (55) C.1767.C 2 copies "Eucalyptus torquata." (56) C.1769C 2 copies "Eucalyptus ficifolia." (57) C.1769.C 2 copies "Callistemon lanceolata( Bottle Brush.) (59) C.1769.B 2 copies "Pepperomias." (58) C.1769.F 2 copies "Melaleuca styphelioides (Paper Bark Tree.) (60) C.1769.D 2 copies "African Violets." (61) C.1768.F 2 copies "Pelargonium." (62) C.1768.B 2 copies "Tilia europea (Linden Tree.) Department of Agriculture Biology Branch: (6) Neg No 06 24.11.59 "A struck cutting of Rhododendron var. Alice. For a rhododendron this popular & beautiful variety strikes readily." (13) 05 5.6.57 Struck cuttings. No provenance: (3) "Araucaria excelsa, ?, ?, Metrosideros tomentosa." (10) "Thuja rheingold." (11) "Border of Geraniums (zonal Pelargoniums." (14) "Kumquat." (15) Path to Principal's Residence." (18) Struck cuttings. (19-22) Different views of Arum. (23) 2 copies ? (24-26) "June garden notes." Small tree with roots. (27) "Pittosporum crassifolium." (28) "For Dec article (This is the one to use) Polyanthus are attractive & easily managed pot plants." (29) 2 copies ? (30) ? (31) Tubers. (32) "Oct Jnl Dividing the the tubers. This is necessary to ensure that one eye is left etc." (33) Divided tuber. (34) Aucuba in pot. (35) ? (36) "Thuja plicata aurea a good tub plant of pyramid form. (37) "Buxus sempervirens. The English Box makes a neat, compact, low hedge." (38) Cupressus torulosa is useful for a high narrow hedge for screening." (39) Sign in Orchard giving information about different fertilizer treatments. (40) Sign in Orchard comparing yield of Jonathans and Democrats with fertilizers used. (41) "Russell lupins. (42-43) Different views ? (44) Soil profile in hole. (45) "Cyclamen is a good subject flowering over Winter period." (46) Cyclamen. (47) "Chabbads? & Malmaisons are suitable for bedding & make good cut flowers." flowers, trees, propagation, signs, camellias, geraniums, anemone japonica, hibiscus, fruit trees, principal's residence

1. Handmade seed drill - square wooden base with wooden hand, 80 brass posts (80 seed holes at once). 2. Handmade wooden Tamper with wooden handle - used to tamp down soil media, same size as the seed drill.tool, seeds, planting, nursery

Dr. Gwen Wilson, Emeritus historian, gifted this book at ANZCA's first independent Annual Scientific Meeting held in Launceston in 1994. Dr Wilson presented this gift after her speech about the life of William Russ Pugh and his significant contribution to anaesthesia in Australia. It is unclear as to how the book came into Dr Wilson's possession. Published in London, 1845, for Longman, Brown, Green and Longmans, this book was formally owned by general practitioner Dr William Russ Pugh, being the first medical practitioner in Australia to administer ether anaesthetic on 7 June 1847, in Launceston. The author of the book, P E De Strzelecki acknowledges Pugh for his assistance during his stay in Launceston and for allowing him the use of his laboratory for the analysis of the soils and minerals that were subsequently reported in this book (Page 131). Tan coloured cloth book with an embossed circular motif on the centre of the front and back cover. The same embossed motif is repeated four times along the spine of the book. An embossed design of small, four petal flowers borders the edge of the front and back cover. The title of the book 'Strzelecki's New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land' is printed in gold on the spine. The cloth has come unstuck at various places around the spine and a small section is missing from the base of the spine. The cover is worn and has numerous dark stains possibly from mould. The book contains 19 engraved and lithographed plates. This includes a handcoloured octavo folding, geological map, bound as a frontispiece, depicting the NSW coast down to Gippsland and Tasmania, a fold out single colour geological cross section of the Newcastle Coal Basin, 14 plates illustrating shellfish and flora and three tinted lithographs. Single page maps at the back illustrate wind patterns around Australia. [front title page, two black ink stamps that have bled through to the next page] W R.PUGH [front title page, black ink, cursive writing] H Grant \ 5 May 1910 [front title page, pencil, cursive writing, written around Pugh's stamp] Purchased from \ (unrecognizable script) [front title page, previous owner's name was rubbed out and consequently tore the page making the entry unreadable] [Inner back cover, bottom LHS, blue stamp] BOUND BY \ WESTLEYS & \ CLARK \ LONDON [Inner front cover, bottom LHS, black and purple ink] P65 \ 76 \ 78 \ 98 \ 163 \ 164 \ 217strzelecki, van diemen's land, wilson, gwen, pugh, william, launceston, green and longmans

Circa late 1800's to early 1900s. A horse-drawn furrow plough was the most common type of agricultural implement used by the pioneer market gardeners, in Moorabbin Shire, of the 1800s and continued on into the 1940s when motorised tractors came into use. This plough is an example of a single-mullboard plough which would have been pulled by horse. The long handle was used to lower the silver plate, (mullboard), to the chosen depth of soil. Following 'Dendy's Special Survey' of 1841 and the Crown Land Sale in 1852, land allotments were bought by pioneer settlers who established or rented allotments for market gardens in the area and they supplied produce to the markets in St Kilda and Melbourne. During the gold-rush of the 1850s the rapidly increasing population of Melbourne saw a huge demand and a rise in prices for all foodstuffs, including the vegetables and fruit grown in the Shire of Moorabbin. An "Oliver" single mull-board plough in good condition with faded manufactures markings on shaftsPainted on shaft "MANF'D BY/OLIVER CHILLED PLOW WORKS/Southend Ind. USA/" Engraved on blade " 13 OLIVER"brighton, moorabbin, plough, dendy henry, east bentleigh, market gardens, horse drawn plough, plow, mullboard

Bushfire behaviour is influenced by many things including temperature, relative humidity, forest type, fuel quantity and fuel dryness, topography and even slope. Wind has a dominant effect on the Rate of Spread (ROS), and also bushfire size, shape and direction. Fuel arrangement is as important as fuel quantity (tonnes/ha). Fibrous and ribbon bark, together with elevated and near-surface scrub fuels act as ladders which lead flames into the tree canopy. But the availability of fuel to burn depends largely on its moisture content. When it exceeds 20-25% not much will burn, whereas 12-15% is generally ideal for fuel reduction burning, but if the moisture content drops as low as 7-10% virtually everything will ignite, and fire behaviour becomes extreme. During the afternoon of the Ash Wednesday bushfires on 16 February 1983 fuel moisture contents were recorded at Stawell as low as 2.7%. Fine fuels like leaves and bark can rapidly absorb moisture after a shower of rain, or from the air when the Relative Humidity (RH) is high, and the temperature is low. Conversely, they can also dry out very quickly. So even though the overall fuel quantity in the forest doesn’t change, the fine fuel availability can increase rapidly from zero after rain to many tonnes per hectare as the fuel dries out. This can happen over a few hours on hot and windy days. Heavy fuels like logs on the ground take longer to dry out. Since the 1930s foresters, firefighters and researchers have been working to develop quick and reliable techniques for measuring fuel moisture content. One of the most accurate methods is slowly drying a sample of fuel in a conventional oven for 24-48 hours to remove all the moisture and measuring the weight difference, but this takes time and is not practical in the field when rapid measurements are needed. But oven drying is often used as a benchmark to compare other methods. Microwave ovens are faster but can cause uneven drying and even char the fuel. They are also not very practical for use in the field. Some mathematical models rely on weather records such as rainfall, wind speed, evaporation, cloud cover, shading, relative humidity, slope, aspect and season of the year to predict soil and fuel moisture. The Keetch-Byram Drought Index of soil dryness is the most common. But complex fuels with leaves, twigs, grass etc make the predictive models often inadequate for fine fuels. The most common technique in Victorian forests until recently was the trusty Speedy Moisture Meter. Originally developed in England during the 1920s for measuring moisture in wheat and other grains it was adapted for Australian forest fuels in the 1950s (I think). Fuel was first ground using a Spong mincer, often attached to the bullbar of a vehicle, and a small sample placed into the Speedy together with a measure of calcium carbide and then sealed. A chemical reaction created gas pressure which was read on the external dial. There were important techniques with cleaning, mincing and using the chemicals with the Speedy to give reliable readings, but it was quick, inexpensive, robust, portable and practical in the field. It was used routinely before igniting a fuel reduction burn or measuring fuel moisture differentials on slash burns. But in about 1996, Karen Chatto and Kevin Tolhurst from the Department’s Creswick Research Station developed the Wiltronics Fuel Moisture meter which measured electrical resistance. Wiltronics is an Australian owned company operating from Ballarat. The final result was a kit that was portable, accurate and could reliably measure fuel moisture contents between 3% and 200%. Although expensive, it is now widely used by fire agencies around the world which has virtually relegated the Speedy to the back cupboard.Prototype Fuel moisture meterT-H Fine Fuel Meterforests commission victoria (fcv), bushfire, forest measurement

This photograph was taken on Friday the 27th of August 2004 as part of an event called 'Direct Seeding Expo'. This event was one of many held by the Wooragee Landcare Group in the early 2000s which aimed to educate the local community on certain agricultural and biodiversity conservative techniques. This particular event took place at the property of Lisa and Marcus O'Connor in Wooragee. This photograph shows a demonstration being given on a Hamilton Tree Seeder (a soil ripper). This machine is used to loosen tough, compact soil in order to prepare it for the planting of seedlings.This photograph is significant as it provides evidence of a project undertaken by the Wooragee Landcare Group in the early 2000s to educate members of the public on alternative and potentially more efficient methods of planting seedlings. The Wooragee Landcare Group has been instrumental in the co-ordination of programs relating to biodiversity protection in the local area, providing great assistance to landholders.Portrait coloured photograph printed on gloss paperReverse: WAN NA EONA2N2. ANN+ 2 4240 / wooragee, wooragee landcare group, marcus and lisa o'connor, direct seeding expo, direct seeding, seeding, seedlings, soil ripper, soil ripping, ripper, hamilton tree seeder, alternative planting, seeding methods

Wooragee Landcare was formed in 1989 to promote sustainable conservation and land-use practices in the North-East region of Victoria. The organisation's work has included public awareness and education campaigns to control invasive, introduced species and protect native wildlife, such as campaigns to replant native plant species to improve soil integrity and restore habitat for flora and fauna. The organisation has drawn on the work of a variety of Government and academic experts to ensure best practice approaches are utilised. This photograph was taken at Riverview Farm, Victoria on Sunday the 5th of September as part of a day trip by the Wooragee Landcare Group. The event was about looking at land use on small farms and as a social get-together for the Group. Wooragee was also researching how small landholders could run some enterprises around the time of the trip. This photograph is a great example of the type of events that Wooragee Landcare Group has organized, while educating the public about the importance of land use management.Landscape colour photograph printed on gloss paper. Reverse: WAN NA E0NA2N2. NNN+ 4 4240/ [PRINTED] (No. 24) / 377wooragee, wooragee landcare group, wooragee landcare's collection, land use, social, riverview farm, animals, pests, indigo shire, tatong, samaria, north-east victoria

This photograph was taken on Friday the 27th of August 2004 as part of an event called 'Direct Seeding Expo'. This event was one of many held by the Wooragee Landcare Group in the early 2000s which aimed to educate the local community on certain agricultural and biodiversity conservative techniques. This particular event took place at the property of Lisa and Marcus O'Connor in Wooragee. This photograph shows farmer and Greening Australia Project Officer James Scholfield giving a demonstration on the Hamilton Tree Seeder (a soil ripper). This machine is used to loosen tough, compact soil in order to prepare it for the planting of seedlings. This photograph is significant as it provides evidence of a project undertaken by the Wooragee Landcare Group in the early 2000s to educate members of the public on alternative and potentially more efficient methods of planting seedlings. The Wooragee Landcare Group has been instrumental in the co-ordination of programs relating to biodiversity protection in the local area, providing great assistance to landholders.Landscape coloured photograph printed on gloss paperReverse: WAN NA EONA2N2. NNN 0 4240 / lisa and marcus o'connor, direct seeding expo, direct seeding, seedlings, seeding methods, wooragee landcare group, wooragee, james scholfield, greening australia project, hamilton tree seeder, soil ripper, ripper

This photograph was taken on Friday the 27th of August 2004 as part of an event called 'Direct Seeding Expo'. This event was one of many held by the Wooragee Landcare Group in the early 2000s which aimed to educate the local community on certain agricultural and biodiversity conservative techniques. This particular photograph shows attendees at the property of Neil and Anne Nankervis, inspecting sites where direct seeding had been used ten months earlier. Three different direct seeding techniques were demonstrated during the day by several experts in the field. Direct seeding involves the sowing of seeds directly into the soil to achieve germination and establishment. It is an alternative to planting seedlings in a contained nursery plot. This direct method is intended to mimic a more natural process of growth, revegetating larger areas in a more efficient manner.This photograph is significant as it provides evidence of a project undertaken by the Wooragee Landcare Group in the early 2000s to educate members of the public on alternative and potentially more efficient methods of planting seedlings. The Wooragee Landcare Group has been instrumental in the co-ordination of programs relating to biodiversity protection in the local area, providing great assistance to landholders.Landscape coloured photograph printed on gloss paperReverse: WAN NA EONA2N2. ANN+ 1 4240 / neil and anne nankervis, wooragee, wooragee landcare group, wooragee landcare, direct seeding expo, direct seeding, seeding, seedlings, direct seeding sites, alternative seeding, alternative seeding method

These hand tools are examples of early to mid-20th century garden cultivators, designed for home gardening, small-scale agriculture, or kitchen gardens. Their full-metal construction suggests they were built for durability and could be used in tough soils where wooden-handled tools might break. The minimalist yet practical design would have made them ideal for weeding, soil aeration, or root work in garden beds. Such tools were commonly found in household sheds and were often homemade or locally manufactured by blacksmiths or rural toolmakers. – Roy SCHMIDT resided with his siblings Mabel and Jack at ‘Parklands’ 85 Lake Avenue Natimuk home of Heinrich Friederick ‘Heiny’ & Minna Christina SUDHOLZ nee LANGE and their children Louis, Sophie, Alma, Lena (Roy's Mother), Florence 'Florrie' and Edward ‘Ted’.The image shows two vintage hand garden forks or cultivators, each constructed entirely from metal, including coiled wire handles. The implements are similar in size and style, but differ in tine configuration: [1] Handmade Garden Fork Straight Prongs: Has five straight, flatter tines, more like a rake, and is better suited for fine cultivation, weeding, or breaking up soil clods. [2] Handmade Garden Fork Claw Prongs: Features three thick, curved tines arranged in a spiral and claw-like fashion. These tines are more widely spaced and likely used for loosening tough or compacted soil, or for aerating.gardening