Note the blue stone edging surrounding the grassy island in the intersection. This stone was originally part of the blue stone lock-up situated behind the Police Station and residence at 728 Main Road (present day Local History Centre and home to Eltham District Historical Society). Following a redesign of the intersection the stone was again relocated back to 728-730 Main Road for use as garden edging.Digital TIFF file Scan of 35mm Ilford HP4 black and white transparency728 main road, d-639, eltham, level crossing, local history centre, lockup, main road, police station, railway parade, red rattler, steam engine, wattletree road, wattletree road bridge

Digital TIFF file Scan of 35mm Kodak Safety 5063 black and white transparencyeltham railway station, harris (blue) train

Digital TIFF file Scan of 35mm Kodak Safety 5063 black and white transparencyeltham railway station, harris (blue) train

Digital TIFF file Scan of 35mm Kodak Safety 5063 black and white transparency471m, eltham railway station, hurstbridge line, red rattler, single motor carriage, tait train

Digital TIFF file Scan of 35mm Kodak Safety 5063 black and white transparencydiamond street, eltham, level crossing, red rattler, single motor carriage, tait train

Digital TIFF file Scan of 35mm Kodak Safety 5063 black and white transparency471m, diamond creek railway station, hurstbridge line, red rattler, single motor carriage, tait train

Digital TIFF file Scan of 35mm Kodak Safety 5063 black and white transparency471m, diamond creek railway station, hurstbridge line, red rattler, single motor carriage, tait train

Digital TIFF file Scan of 35mm Kodak Safety 5063 black and white transparency471m, diamond street, eltham, hurstbridge line, level crossing, red rattler, single motor carriage, tait train

Digital TIFF file Scan of 9 x 13 cm black and white printparcels van, red rattler, spencer street, tait train

Digital TIFF file Scan of 9 x 13 cm black and white printb class diesel-electric locomotive, b63, spencer street

Digital TIFF file Scan of 9 x 13 cm black and white printbanksia street, heidelberg railway station, overpass, parcels van, red rattler, single motor carriage, tait train

Digital TIFF file Scan of 9 x 13 cm black and white print575m, eltham trestle bridge, harris (blue) train, panther place

Digital TIFF file Scan of 9 x 13 cm black and white print747m, eltham trestle bridge, harris (blue) train, panther place

Digital TIFF file Scan of 9 x 13 cm black and white print747m, eltham trestle bridge, harris (blue) train, panther place

c.1962 photo of original Victorian Railways photoDigital TIFF file Scan of 35mm Ilford FP3 black and white transparency of an original printechuca railway station, george coop collection, steam engine, victorian railways

Current Southern Cross Railway Station was originally Spencer Street Railway Station prior to upgrade and addition of wave form roof This photo was taken the same time as EDHS_05399 Diesel-electric rail cars in the Railmotor Yard on the other side of the platform at Spencer Street Railway Station.Digital TIFF file Scan of 35mm Ilford FP3 black and white transparencya2 class steam locomotive, a2-987, george coop collection, southern cross railway station, spencer street railway station

The Melbourne Road level crossing is now the location of the pedestrian underpass. Hall Street is seen to the right and the two-storey brick building remains to present day One of several photos at Newport taken the same day in the early 1950s when George Coop was a secondary school student. This photo is a 35mm copy (1962) of an original print of the c.1951 negative - possibly to use up the last frame after photographing several other early VR prints.Digital TIFF file Scan of 35mm Ilford FP3 black and white transparencygeorge coop collection, hall street, level crossing, melbourne road, newport railway station, y-103, y-class steam locomotive

The Harris trains operated in Melbourne 1956-1988. They were full of asbestos and were taken out of service, wrapped in plastic and buried in land fill near ClaytonDigital TIFF file Scan of 35mm Kodak Safety 5063 black and white transparencyharris (blue) train, eltham, silver street, overpass

Digital TIFF file Scan of 35mm Ilford FP4 black and white transparencyhurstbridge line, hurstbridge railway station, red rattler, red rattler single carriage, single motor carriage, tait train

The level crossing is the old McKinnon Rd. level crossing right at Mckinnon Railway Station on the Melbourne-Franston line. It no longer exists as the level crossing was amongst the first to be removed in the State Govt. grade separation programme c 2015. The line now runs under Mckinnon Rd in a cutting that holds the new station as well. The folding metal lattice gates were the only ones of their kind in Victoria and fairly rare anywhere else in Australia as well. Digital TIFF file Scan of 9 x 13 cm black and white printfrankston line, mordialloc, red rattler, tait train, mckinnon road, level crossing, mckinnon railway station

Program A4 photocopy, blue paper1988, eltham festival, eltham library, program

Possibly run in conjunction with the Eltham Community Festival or the Hurstbridge Wattle Festival; the steam train would conduct trips between Eltham and Hurstbridge Railway stations. As there is no turning table at Hurstbridge, the locomotive would simply shunt from one end of the carriages to the other to reverse direction, hence the locomotive is running in reverse as it approaches Eltham Station. The first house in the background on Railway Parade, Number 97, remains as of 2019. The next house, Number 95 has been demolised since April 2018 and new construction in place.Digital TIFF file Scan of 35mm Ilford HP4 black and white transparencyd-639, eltham festival, george coop collection, hurstbridge wattle festival, level crossing, passenger carriage 19bc, railway parade, steam engine, vintage train excursion, wattletree road

Possibly run in conjunction with the Eltham Community Festival or the Hurstbridge Wattle Festival; the steam train would conduct trips between Eltham and Hurstbridge Railway stations. As there is no turning table at Hurstbridge, the locomotive would simply shunt from one end of the carriages to the other to reverse direction, hence the locomotive is running in reverse as it approaches Eltham Station. The first house in the background on Railway Parade, Number 97, remains as of 2019. The next house, Number 95 has been demolised since April 2018 and new construction in place.Digital TIFF file Scan of 35mm Ilford HP4 black and white transparencyd-639, eltham festival, george coop collection, hurstbridge wattle festival, level crossing, passenger carriage 19bc, railway parade, steam engine, vintage train excursion, wattletree road

Digital TIFF file Scan of 35mm Kodak Safety 5035 colour transparencyKodak Safety 5035 March 1981 process date of printeltham railway station, george coop collection, hurstbridge railway line, red rattler, tait train

Digital TIFF file Scan of 35mm Kodak Safety 5035 colour transparencyKodak Safety 5035 March 1981 process date of printeltham railway station, george coop collection, hurstbridge railway line, red rattler, tait train

Digital TIFF file Scan of 35mm Kodak Safety 5035 colour transparencyKodak Safety 5035 March 1981 process date of printgeorge coop collection, hurstbridge railway line, montmorency railway station, red rattler, tait train

[article by Diana Bassett-Smith in EDHS Newsletter No. 117, November 1997:] MONUMENT HUNTING THE HUME AND HOVELL WAY - Sunday October 26 1997 dawned bright and very warm. Some twenty-five members, complete with picnic baskets, met outside the Eltham Library awaiting the Cobb and Co. large coach which would be taking us on the second leg of our travels along the route of the early explorers Hume and Hovell. Stephen West was our very good driver for the day. He would be guided around the circuitous route by Russell Yeoman who had made a detailed study, not only of the intended route, but of the story of these two explorers. During the trip Russell regaled us with poetry, quotations from the Journals and the History of the Shire of Seymour, "The New Crossing Place" by Martindale, 1982, (now Mitchell Shire due to the recent amalgamations). We headed towards the Hume Highway via Greensborough and Cooper Street and proceeded north to our first stop, noting on the way Monument Hill in the distance which is near Kilmore and, according to Russell, well worth the effort to visit as the view across the valley is magnificent. Past Sunday Creek Valley, Mt Piper and Mt Disappointment, all traversed and noted and named by them. We passed through Tallarook, then onto Seymour where we took photos of the monument telling us that Hume and Hovell had passed through on the 28th of October 1824. We also deviated down Hume and Hovell Road viewing deer and emu farming and the Bellbourie property now a sanctuary. Leaving Seymour behind we travelled up the Avenel Road to the Avenel monument, pyramidal in design of four reducing square blocks with a sharply pointed peak, erected in 1924 in memory of the 1824 exploration. The day was warming up and the countryside showing the dryness of the current drought. A parallel note had been made in their journal too of 1824 of the drought appearance of the country they were traversing. At Seven Creeks, Euroa we stopped for some minutes to check the monument placed 20th November 1924 to commemorate their passage on the 29th December 1824. More photos. Russell had pointed out the abrupt termination of the distant ranges which is noted in their journal. The next monument is beside the road at the entrance to Honey Suckle Creek Caravan Park, Violet Town. The squarish shaped monument some eight feet high is topped with a simple steel cross, and was to mark the date of 28th December 1824 and built for the 20th November 1924. By now it was 12.20 and nearly lunchtime as we drove along the Warranbayne Road to Roach's Road, monument hunting without success. Though there is a large, what appears to be an old timber sign which was hard to read, maybe this was the lost monument. In many of the paddocks hay had been cut and baled or was being cut, what a contrast to the rugged country they had passed through which was smoky from the fires of the natives burning off. By 1.00 pm we were at Benalla and pulled up beside the park where abundant beds of roses filled the air with their scent and the smell of barbecued food twitched the nostrils whilst the cheerful sounds of other picnickers could be heard throughout the park. We left the bus and collected up our picnics, dispersed to the various tables and enjoyed the shade from the various European trees. 2.00 pm and we were on the road again driving along the Benalla, Mansfield, Yea road. The Swanpool monument states that they passed four miles south and returned three miles north. Then we stopped at the Barjarg monument which notes that they camped near this spot. It is again a pyramidal monument and this time topped with a steel arrow indicating their route of the 29th November 1824. Half an hour later we came to another monument, again with a steel arrow marker on top and the plaque dated the 2nd of 12th 1824. Erected on the 12th of 12th 1924. "They blazed the way that we might inherit the land." Another square based and needle topped monument appeared at Yarck near Yea and this plaque records the date of 3 December 1824. Near McGuigans Road Russell related that the expedition had lost a dog but it had found them next day, the dog was apparently torn by a kangaroo. A short while later Russell reminded us here of the problems they encountered in crossing the Goulburn River near Molesworth where banks were high, water deep and wide. "Good coat of grass but quite dry due to drought". At Yea we stopped for afternoon tea and raided the last of our picnics and looked at the monument to their journey of 1824, situated at a corner of the gardens near the bowling green. No photo – we were out of film. We returned home via Kinglake West and Whittlesea past the Yan Yean Reservoir, not full. 5.00 pm back at Eltham we emptied out of the bus and everyone, including Joan Cole, collected their things, Joan also had the major souvenir of the day, a large carp she had picked up from the river bank, her cat was in for a great feast. The day was made so interesting by the informed commentary which Russell provided. His background knowledge of the route and nature of the journey could only have come from many hours of reading and driving the area. Thank you to Russell and to everyone who made the day so informative and pleasurable. Colour photographactivities, hume and hovell, monument, seymour

Colour photographeltham society (london), gwen orford, margaret taylor, sugarloaf reservoir, doug orford

Colour photographaustralia day awards, eltham citizen of the year, peter bassett-smith

Colour photographaustralia day awards, eltham citizen of the year, peter bassett-smith