Showing 213 items
matching rural land.
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Surrey Hills Historical Society Collection
Digital photo, George L Coop, 688 Whitehorse Road, Mont Albert c 1953, c1953
... of Surrey Hills and Mont Albert as formerly semi-rural land ...This was the home of 3 generations of the Coop family: 1. Josephine and George Frank Coop (noted in Box Hill Rate Books for 1947-1954). 2. George Burton Coop (1906-1960) and his family. He was Assistant Chief Architect of Victoria in the Public Works Department (P.W.D.) George Burton Coop was born in c1906 in Williamstown, the son of Josephine Vistarini and George Frank Coop. He married Winifred Alice Trewartha in 1936 and they are listed in the electoral rolls at 688 Whitehorse Road in 1937. George died 3/4/1960, aged 54 years at Mont Albert. 3. George Burton and Alice Coop had 2 children: George Lister Coop - born St Georges Hospital, 8/10/1937 Alison - born c1945. The donor George Lister Coop informed that he initially attended Chatham State School because his first home was the Spanish Mission style flats at 346 Whitehorse Road, opposite Brenbeal Street, Balwyn. When his grandparents died, the family moved to 688 Whitehorse Road and he then attended Mont Albert Central School. The California bungalow style of housing was the dominant style of housing built in the interwar period through the northern parts of Surrey Hills and Mont Albert as formerly semi-rural land was subdivided for new housing. It was relatively inexpensive and affordable. In Australia the Californian bungalow drew upon elements that were popular across the United States from around 1910 to 1939. In Australia the style became popular from 1913. In Melbourne both timber and red brick were used as the main building material. Typically they are one or one and a half story houses and feature sloping roofs and eaves with unenclosed rafters and often a feature a dormer window (or an attic vent designed to look like one) over the main portion of the house. Decorative elements include wood shingles, part stucco rendered exteriors, brick, stone, rendered or a combination of these treatments to exterior chimneys and front porches supported by heavy timber, brick or stucco columns.A black & white photo taken at an angle of a Californian bungalow.californian bungalow, whitehorse road, george frank coop, (miss) josephine vistarini, (mrs) josephine coop, george burton coop, (miss) winifred trewartha, (mrs) winifred coop, george lister coop, alison coop -
Surrey Hills Historical Society Collection
Digital photo, George L Coop, 688 Whitehorse Rd. Mont Albert c1950, c1950
... of Surrey Hills and Mont Albert as formerly semi-rural land ...This was the home of 3 generations of the Coop family: 1. Josephine and George Frank Coop (noted in Box Hill Rate Books for 1947-1954). 2. George Burton Coop (1906-1960) and his family. He was Assistant Chief Architect of Victoria in the Public Works Department (P.W.D.) George Burton Coop was born in c1906 in Williamstown, the son of Josephine Vistarini and George Frank Coop. He married Winifred Alice Trewartha in 1936 and they are listed in the electoral rolls at 688 Whitehorse Road in 1937. George died 3/4/1960, aged 54 years at Mont Albert. 3. George Burton and Alice Coop had 2 children: George Lister Coop - born St Georges Hospital, 8/10/1937 Alison - born c1945. The donor George Lister Coop informed that he initially attended Chatham State School because his first home was the Spanish Mission style flats at 346 Whitehorse Road, opposite Brenbeal Street, Balwyn. When his grandparents died, the family moved to 688 Whitehorse Road and he then attended Mont Albert Central School. The California bungalow style of housing was the dominant style of housing built in the interwar period through the northern parts of Surrey Hills and Mont Albert as formerly semi-rural land was subdivided for new housing. It was relatively inexpensive and affordable. In Australia the Californian bungalow drew upon elements that were popular across the United States from around 1910 to 1939. In Australia the style became popular from 1913. In Melbourne both timber and red brick were used as the main building material. Typically they are one or one and a half story houses and feature sloping roofs and eaves with unenclosed rafters and often a feature a dormer window (or an attic vent designed to look like one) over the main portion of the house. Decorative elements include wood shingles, part stucco rendered exteriors, brick, stone, rendered or a combination of these treatments to exterior chimneys and front porches supported by heavy timber, brick or stucco columns.A sepia photo taken at an angle from the street corner of the property. It is of a Californian bungalow with a driveway that extends through a carport, attached and roofed as part of the house, to the rear of the property. The veranda is accessed from under this covered area. The veranda and carport are supported by brick pillars and the veranda balustrades between are plain with an occasional wider feature panel. The front door is in shadow. There are rolled up striped canvas blinds on the veranda and at least 2 cane chairs. The main structure of the house is weatherboard with a terracotta tiled roof. There is a flower bed across the front of the house with an elevated brick flower box under the main window. There are no chimneys visible.californian bungalow, whitehorse road, george frank coop, (miss) josephine vistarini, (mrs) josephine coop, george burton coop, (miss) winifred trewartha, (mrs) winifred coop, george lister coop, alison coop -
Surrey Hills Historical Society Collection
Photograph - Mrs Long's house, Delta Street area, Surrey Hills
... few photos which record the transformation of rural land ...The property is in the area that later became Delta Street, on the north side of Back Creek. Once roads were made and streets numbered, this became 1 Delta Road, Surrey Hills. Part of the undeveloped land would become part of South Surrey Park. According to Alan Holt's property register the house was built in c1920 and was demolished after having been neglected in 1991. He records it having had various names: 'Westward Ho', 'Pembroke' and 'The Oaks'. The first owner from 1920 was Eric Rowland Handyside Long who married Agnes May Hay Murray in March 1920. They had one son James Murray Long, born in September 1921. They divorced in 1937 and thereafter the property is listed in the name of Mrs Mary Hay Long, James M Long or Miss Mary Hay Long. According to Alan Holt, the house featured in the television series 'Carson's Law' in c1984.This is one of relatively few photos which record the transformation of rural land into the suburb that became Surrey Hills.A simple dark-stained timber house with a veranda and tiled roof. It is simply fenced with posts and wire mess. There are other houses in the background but part of the area remains as open space.delta road, back creek, south surrey park, wetward ho, pembroke, the oaks, hose names, miss agnes may hay murray, mrs agnes may hay long, mrs mary hay long, miss mary hay long, james murray long, carson's law -
Surrey Hills Historical Society Collection
Photograph - Aerial view Riversdale Heights Estate area, c1923
... of the last pieces of former rural land to be sub-divided for housing ...This was probably part of a real estate promotion for the sale of the Riversdale Heights Estate. This was subdivided by Messrs. Duncan and Weller. Of the allotments offered, 30 were sold and realised £4600. Date of this sale was c December 1923. This suggests that the date This are was one of the last pieces of former rural land to be sub-divided for housing in Surrey Hills.The land between it and South Surrey Park was sub-divided post WW1, hence the naming of the streets after sites of WW1 battles.A black and white reproduction of an aerial photo of the area near the corner of Warragul and Riversdale Roads looking west towards the city. Some features have been identified by name including the Riversdale Heights Estate, which was being sub-divided. North and South Courts are shown. Other roads (unmarked) in the foreground are Graham Street, Allie Street, Thistle Street, Lille Street, Amiens Street, and Marne Street. Beyond these is the area marked 'PARK' (South Surrey Park), which is devoid of vegetation. Areas of Camberwell and Canterbury are also shown. The area covered extends to beyond St Dominic's Church. The original is mounted on a cream deckle-edged paper.Beneath the original on the mount: "SOUTH SURREY HILLS LOOKING WEST c. 1936" [The reference to the sale in the Box Hill Reporter of December 1923 found on Trove suggests that this date is not accurate.] Rear top LH corner of original in Jocelyn Hall's handwriting: "For Centre / from Mr James Long"riversdale heights estate, riversdale road, allie street, south surrey park, lille street, thistle street, amiens street, marne street, south court, north court, duncan and weller, real estate sales, graham street, st dominics church, highfield park, canterbury primary school, aerial photo -
City of Greater Bendigo - Civic Collection
Newspaper, Shire of Marong, Upfront, c 1989
Marong was first incorporated as a road district on 27 August 1861, and became a shire on 23 December 1864. On 1 October 1915, the Borough of Raywood, which was gazetted on 17 January 1865 on 23.31 square kilometres of land 28 kilometres north of Bendigo was united with Marong. On 1 October 1990, the Shire of Marong became a rural city, under the Local Government Act 1989. In a report on 17 February 1994, the Local Government Board recommended that the five councils in the Bendigo region merge to form a "super city", with a population of about 81,000. Marong, Eaglehawk and Huntly had earlier objected to the proposal, and the Board noted a weak no vote against the merger proposal in a referendum in the region; about 70% had voted against, but with a turnout of between 30% and 40% of eligible voters. The three councils filed a writ in the Supreme Court, alleging failure to follow process by the Minister for Local Government, Roger Hallam, but by the time the new "super city" was announced, the writ had not yet been heard, and on 24 March 1994, the Rural City of Marong successfully applied for an injunction blocking the publication of the gazette the following day abolishing the five councils and appointing three commissioners. The government responded by introducing legislation, the City of Greater Bendigo Bill 1994, to Parliament, to effectively override the Supreme Court action, with Hallam saying "the bill would make clear that the Government is determined to achieve its objective for a more efficient municipal structure for the Bendigo region." Marong mayor Robert Hynes described the action as "terribly disappointing", adding, "One way or another, I believe it does mean an end to our fight... it seems the Government are above the law to me." On 6 April 1994, Marong voted to drop the Supreme Court action, effectively in doing so voting itself out of existence, and on 7 April 1994, the Rural City of Marong was abolished, and along with the City of Bendigo, the Borough of Eaglehawk and the Shires of Huntly and Strathfieldsaye, was merged into the newly created City of Greater Bendigo. On 29 April 1994, the Minister confirmed the Bill was not being proceeded with. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rural_City_of_MarongEight page newspaper style council newsletter providing community updates, news and information. shire of marong, city of greater bendigo amalgamation, councillor phillip eddy, rural city of marong -
Melton City Libraries
Document, West Melton: A preview of tomorrow, c.1969
"In April 1969, the first major residential development in Melton began with the release of 148 homes for purchase. This was the first stage of a staggered release of a planned 30,000 homes for 100,000 people by 1990. The development, called Westmelton Satellite City, was described as ‘a preview of tomorrow’.101 It was the first estate built in a ‘modern’ style, with curved streets, and dozens of culs de sac. Westmelton was also the first major development in Victoria to build all the supply lines to the houses – including electricity and telephone lines – underground. The six different home designs in Westmelton were ‘specially designed for the future’, and with allotments ten feet wider than regulations required, there was plenty of ‘space for gracious living’ and for a family swimming pool. The developers of this new estate were active in promoting Westmelton as a new community within the Shire of Melton. By 1971, the Westmelton City News reported that Ian McIntosh, General Manager of Westmelton, had given away $100,000 on behalf of the company ‘to aid community projects’. This included a $72,000 donation towards building a community centre in Westmelton, and $25,000 for the shire’s Olympic-sized swimming pool. Ian McIntosh and his family moved to Melton and Ian said he was ‘very much aware of the needs of [the] Westmelton community’. By the end of 1971, Westmelton was home to 100 new families. The modern residences were obviously an appealing drawcard, but so was the country feel that characterised Melton. Mrs C. Allen, described as a ‘housewife’, said she and her husband chose to move to Westmelton because of ‘the quality homes ... and we both love the clean, fresh, natural environment that surrounds us’. Similarly, Mr W. Coxhead, insurance consultant, moved to Westmelton because of the ‘clean, fresh country air’. Accountant Mr B. Swanton echoed their sentiments, describing Westmelton as ‘far enough away from the industrial pollution carried over Melbourne suburbs by prevailing westerly winds’. The new development attracted an increasing number of young, professional couples and families, representing the beginning of a significant shift from the predominantly rural and farming community of the district’s past. The Westmelton development had four different ‘neighbourhoods’ designed to cater to a variety of different lifestyle needs. Westmelton was the first to be established, followed by Brookfield, which offered ‘superb land in a rustic setting’. Brookfield Acres offered ‘wide open spaces with lots of room for a pool and even a tennis court’ on huge one-acre blocks, while Westlake was an innovative development with ‘different sized homesites’ and ‘lakeside living’.Westmelton was the first of many residential developments that would come to play a huge role in shaping the shire in the decades to follow".A marketing brochure for the Westmelton Satellite City developmentlocal significant events, council -
Melton City Libraries
Newspaper, Stone Walls protected, 2015
Dry stone construction as a technique is used for much more than paddock walls. Across the volcanic plains of western Victoriaare marvelous sheep dips, stock loading ramps, huts, dams, retaining walls, and the rich and largely undiscovered heritage of indigenous dry stone structures. Dry stone walls indicate many aspects of our rural environment; the geological beginnings of the way the landscape was created, the patterns of early settlement by pastoralists and squatters, the types of stock that grazed the land and the methods of cattle and sheep management, of the efforts to thwart the spread of rabbits .... "For the casual but interested observer dry stone walls are good to look at, to photograph, to get up alongside and see the way they are constructed, to appreciate the varying shapes and sizes of stones and learn of the techniques of keeping often quite rounded stones in place. Apart from walls and other dry stone structures on grazing land we can also see dry stone techniques used in other places and in other phases of our history. Indigenous Australians have built, and continue to build, structures for shelter or hunting or trapping eels and fish in rivers and estuaries around the country. At spots around our coast line there is evidence of simple stone structures built by early maritime explorers. Prospectors in early mining encampments used dry stone construction to build retaining walls or the low walls of rudimentary shelters. If the future of dry stone walls in the Australian landscape is to be assured. wall owners and local governments have to accept and embrace their custodial role in assuring the preservation and celebration of walls. This is not an easy task, but, along with putting the necessary statutory mechanisms to ensure their retention, it is a task that must be pursued. The Dry Stone Walls Association of Australia has as its primary goal the increase in awareness of wall owners and local governments of the importance of dry stone walls. It also seeks to increase the level of training of skilled and semi skilled wallers, and the gaining of rudimentary skills by farmers so that they can maintain their own walls". Melton Star Weekly article about the Stone Wallslandscapes of significance -
Mont De Lancey
Book, Milshinock, The Weekly Times Farmers' Handbook, c 1940's
A handbook for farmers compiled from articles from practical information from the Rural Section of the Weekly Times in Australia. It has informed generations of farmers on the way of the land, with useful tips and invaluable advice. Few farms would have been without a well-thumbed copy.A brown hardcover book with the title printed in black text, The Weekly Times Farmers' Handbook on the front cover. Compiled from the Farmers' Information Bureau with Practical Information from the Rural Section of The Weekly Times. Second Edition is printed in a black rectangular shape at the bottom with the price - 2/6. Three black lines decorate both sides and across the cover information. Ink stains on the front. The spine has the faded title written. The title page is missing, but there remains A Forward and Preface. An index is at the back, along with advertising for farming products and equipment. Diagrams, illustrations are included. 286Pp. Stains and foxing on the edges of the pages are visible. Some damage to the spine top and bottom.non-fictionA handbook for farmers compiled from articles from practical information from the Rural Section of the Weekly Times in Australia. It has informed generations of farmers on the way of the land, with useful tips and invaluable advice. Few farms would have been without a well-thumbed copy.farming australia, the weekly times, farmers -
Mont De Lancey
Book, Milshinock, The Weekly Times Farmers' Handbook, 1933
A handbook for farmers compiled from articles from practical information from the Rural Section of the Weekly Times in Australia. It has informed generations of farmers on the way of the land, with useful tips and invaluable advice. Few farms would have been without a well-thumbed copy.A brown hardcover book with the title printed in black text, The Weekly Times Farmer's Handbook. Compiled from the Farmers' Information Bureau with the publisher The Herald Press in a square underneath. Price - 2/6 at the bottom. Three black lines decorate both sides and across the Publisher section. Ink stains on the front. The spine has the faded title written. An index is at the back, along with advertising for farming products and equipment. 240p. Stains and foxing on the edges of the pages are visible. Some damage to the spine top and bottom.non-fictionA handbook for farmers compiled from articles from practical information from the Rural Section of the Weekly Times in Australia. It has informed generations of farmers on the way of the land, with useful tips and invaluable advice. Few farms would have been without a well-thumbed copy.farming australia, farming, the weekly times newspaper -
Wodonga & District Historical Society Inc
Leisure object - Haeusler Collection Child's Chad Valley Money Tin c. 1930s-1950s, Chad Valley, c. 1930s - 1950s
The Wodonga Historical Society Haeusler Collection provides invaluable insight into life in late nineteenth and early twentieth century north east Victoria. The collection comprises manuscripts, personal artefacts used by the Haeusler family on their farm in Wodonga, and a set of glass negatives which offer a unique visual snapshot of the domestic and social lives of the Haeusler family and local Wodonga community. The Haeusler family migrated from Prussia (Germany) to South Australia in the 1840s and 1850s, before purchasing 100 acres of Crown Land made available under the Victorian Lands Act 1862 (also known as ‘Duffy’s Land Act’) in 1866 in what is now Wodonga West. The Haeusler family were one of several German families to migrate from South Australia to Wodonga in the 1860s. This child's money box was manufactured by British toy company Chad Valley, owned by the supermarket chain Sanisbury's. It is one of many items in the Wodonga Historical Society's Haeusler Collection that reflects domestic life and childhood in rural Australia in the early to mid twentieth century.This item has well documented provenance and a known owner. It forms part of a significant and representative historical collection which reflects the local history of Wodonga. It contributes to our understanding of domestic and family life in early twentieth century Wodonga, as well as providing interpretative capacity for themes including local history, social history, and the history of childhood. A black, gold and red money tin with a coin slot on a hinged lid. On back of tin on hinge of lid ""CHAD VALLEY"/'ENGLAND/10167"toy, child, children, money, money box -
Wodonga & District Historical Society Inc
Book - A Long Way from Silver Creek: A Family Memoir, Margaret Gee, 2000
This book tells the story of Margaret Gee's family, spanning three generations living on the land in picturesque North Eastern Victoria, near Beechworth-Kelly country and steeped in the history of the gold rush and early pioneers. It is the story of her indomitable father, who grew up at Silver Creek, then joined the Australian Navy, became a prisoner of war on the Burma Railway after surviving the sinking of HMAS Perth, of his wife and family.non-fictionThis book tells the story of Margaret Gee's family, spanning three generations living on the land in picturesque North Eastern Victoria, near Beechworth-Kelly country and steeped in the history of the gold rush and early pioneers. It is the story of her indomitable father, who grew up at Silver Creek, then joined the Australian Navy, became a prisoner of war on the Burma Railway after surviving the sinking of HMAS Perth, of his wife and family.gee family, beechworth, rural families, country life -- victoria -
Wodonga & District Historical Society Inc
Book - Uncharted Waters, Daniel Connell, 2002
Looks at the future of the Murray-Darling Basin and the livelihood of a large section of rural Australia, which is threatened because of unexpected consequences of water use and land clearing. The aim of this book is to stimulate public discussion and to present a wide range of views. Issued for the centenary of the Murray-Darling Basin Commission.non-fictionLooks at the future of the Murray-Darling Basin and the livelihood of a large section of rural Australia, which is threatened because of unexpected consequences of water use and land clearing. The aim of this book is to stimulate public discussion and to present a wide range of views. Issued for the centenary of the Murray-Darling Basin Commission.murray-darling basin, watershed management, environmental protection -
Wodonga & District Historical Society Inc
Book - Major Rural Dams In New South Wales, Department of Land and Water Conservation, NSW, 1996
A pictorial examination of key dams established throughout New South Wales as part of approaches to water management in the state.non-fictionA pictorial examination of key dams established throughout New South Wales as part of approaches to water management in the state.dams new south wales, water management, water conservation -
Wodonga & District Historical Society Inc
Negative - Haeusler Glass Negatives Collection - Merry-go-round - A. Weniger's Steam Carousel, c1910
This digital image was produced from one of the glass negatives that form part of the collection, probably taken by Louis Haeusler (b.1887) with the photographic equipment in the Wodonga Historical Society Haeusler Collection. Merry-Go-Rounds or Carousels were a popular entertainment accompanying many celebrations and events in Albury and Wodonga from as early as the mid 1870s. They featured at events such as Empire Day and Arbor Day celebrations as well as the Wodonga Racing Club meetings, Wodonga Agricultural Shows and Victory Day celebrations at the end of World War 11. They were operated by a variety of travelling showmen and entrepreneurs. Early merry-go-rounds were steam powered. The merry-go-round in this negative was owned by Anton Weniger of Melbourne. From 1909, Mr Weniger operated a shooting gallery and Steam Riding Gallery on the Lower Esplanade, St. Kilda on land he had leased in 1909 from the St. Kilda Foreshore Trust. Weniger also took his carousels by train to many rural areas, including several visits to Albury, Yarrawonga and Benalla. His largest carousel was designed and built in Melbourne by Herbert Thomson in 1915. It has now been restored and has been on show as the Civic Carousel in Canberra, ACT since 1974. Anton Weniger’s steam merry-go-round was definitely in the Albury- Wodonga area in September 1912. As reported in the Border Morning Mail on Saturday 2 November 1912, Mr. Weniger was the victim of a robbery which included some money and his gold watch and chain, stolen from a railway truck in the Wodonga railway yards. The riding gallery and other belongings had been placed on the truck in Albury after the Albury show and sent on to Wodonga in transit to Wangaratta. Whilst in the Wodonga yards the truck was broken into and the goods stolen. Two of Weniger’s former employees, Herbert Backhouse and Edmund Pressard were subsequently charged with the robbery and sentenced to respective sentences of 3 and 9 months imprisonment, both with hard labour. In January 1916, Weniger’s Steam Riding Gallery was attacked by a group of rioting soldiers as a result of rising anti-German sentiment with the onset of World War 1. As a result, Anton Weniger terminated his interest and lease of the Steam Riding Gallery to his partner, William George Kelly. Although he had lived in Victoria for over 25 years and had been a naturalised Australian for 20 years, Anton Weniger was interned for the duration of World War 1 as an enemy alien. Anton Johannes Matthias Weniger died on 14 August 1923 and is buried in the Brighton General Cemetery, Melbourne, Victoria.This item is unique and has well documented provenance and a known owner. It forms part of a significant and representative historical collection which reflects the local history of Wodonga. It contributes to our understanding of domestic and family life in early twentieth century Wodonga, as well as providing interpretative capacity for themes including local history and social history.Digital image created from the Haeusler Glass negative collection. A large group of people standing around a Merry-Go-Round.At top left of Merry-Go-Round "A.WENIGER./MELBOURNE"wodonga pioneers, haeusler family, glass negatives, dry plate photography, carousel, anton weniger -
City of Kingston
Photograph - Colour, 29 January 1993
Bonbeach, Carrum and Patterson Lakes are suburbs in the City of Kingston. Bonbeach and Carrum were holiday destinations in early 20th century and over time the housing has converted to permanent residential structures. In Patterson Lakes, the area consists predominantly of newer housing developments and the tidal canal system which is accessible to many dwellings joins Port Phillip Bay.Bonbeach, Carrum and Patterson Lakes were previously part of the extensive Carrum Carrum Swamp. The area was once a source of fish and eels for the Mayone-Bulluk clan of the Bunurong people. Over time the area was drained and this allowed farming at Carrum and Bonbeach, although the area was prone to flooding. In the early 1920s and 30s the land was converted to residential dwellings. In 1973 investigations commenced nearby to Bonbeach and Carrum into the development of a unique residential area comprising canals and waterways. It was originally proposed to be known as "Gladesville". Circa 1974, the area was rezoned from rural to residential and named Patterson Lakes. Development has been continuous since the 1970s with staged construction of the waterways, residential housing, and supporting infrastructure and facilities.Laminated colour aerial photograph of the Bonbeach, Carrum and Patterson Lakes region within City of Kingston. This 1993 image includes Bonbeach High School prior to demolition, Bonbeach Primary School and Patterson River Golf Club. Sections of Patterson Lakes are not yet developed, including Rhode and Staten Islands. Long Island Point appears to be a recent development with many spare blocks and new houses under construction. The Patterson River marina is prominent and the river mouth as it meets Port Phillip Bay. The Carrum railway station is visible.Black type on white adhesive sticker: No. 6661 Black type on white adhesive sticker: 26E/6661, 29/1/93, 4.25 pm Black type on white adhesive sticker 29-1-93 Yellow circular adhesive stickerbonbeach, carrum, patterson lakes, patterson river, carrum carrum swamp, canals and waterways -
City of Kingston
Photograph - Black and white, 20 December 1945
Cheltenham is a suburb in the City of Kingston that was originally established as a rural market gardening community. The area is bordered by Highett, Mentone and Heatherton. The market gardens, farms and paddocks have gradually been sub-divided into housing and industrial estates. The Southland shopping centre is a major feature of the area.Cheltenham was established as a rural market gardening community. The Le Page family lived in Cheltenham since 1854 when Nicholas Le Page, a tailor from the Channel Island of Guernsey, bought two acres of land on Chesterville Road near Bernard Street to establish a market garden. Over the years the Le Pages purchased more land in the area. In 1875-76 Nicholas' son Frank and his wife Mary built 'Daphne Cottage' near the corner of Bernard and Wilson Streets. n the 1940s Frank's son, Everest Le Page, bought five more lots of land in Chesterville Road from the Tuck family. The Le Pages grazed horses, ponies and cows on this land, and grew pumpkins, carrots, parsnips, onions, potatoes and cabbages. Many buildings and locations within in Cheltenham commemorate the Le Page family's contribution to the Cheltenham community.Aerial photograph taken in 1945 of the Cheltenham district within the City of Kingston. The image includes Chesterville Road, the future site of Turner Road pool (now Waves) and Highett Reserve, (top left), Jellicoe Street, Argus Street, Bernard Street, Wilson Street, the Methodist Children Homes (now Southland), McIvor Street, Goulburn Street, Nepean Highway, Jamieson Street and Barker Street (bottom left), market gardens and paddocks. In the top centre of the image, "Daphne Cottage", the home of Frank T. Le Page is visible on the corner of Bernard and Wilson Streets. Much of the land depicted in this image was owned by the Le Page family. This image is possibly from the collection of aerial photographs commissioned by the Department of Crown Lands and Survey and taken by Adastra Airways.Black and white ink: 57250 White print: VIC-170 57250 20.12.45 Run 6 PROJ. No. 5 MELB. METROP AREA Black type 10200 FTS 30' LENS 20.12.45cheltenham, market gardens, industry, le page family -
City of Kingston
Photograph - Black and white, 20 December 1945
This photograph depicts a section of Cheltenham with a mix of housing and market gardens. The visible market gardens, farms and paddocks have gradually been sub-divided into housing, commercial and industrial estates. A large part of Cheltenham was originally established as a rural market gardening community. The railway line and station brought urban development to the area and the gradual subdivision of farmland and large land holdings for the development of housing. Aerial photograph dated 1945 of the Cheltenham area in the City of Kingston. Sydney Street (bottom left); Sinclair Street (top left); Weymar Street area off Wilson Street, Charles Street (botton right).White print VIC-170; 57197; RUN5; PROJ.No.5; MELB.METROP AREA Lens information [indecipherable] Small photograph: clockface Black ink: 57197cheltenham, market gardens, urbanisation -
Buninyong & District Historical Society
Photograph - Black and white photograph, Mount Mercer circa 1920, 1920s
View of landscape and farming land at Mt Mercer in the early part of the twentieth century Representation of the small outlying rural areas near Buninyong in the early twentieth centuryLandscape around Mt Mercer circa 1920mt mercer, landscape -
Clunes Museum
Education kit - DOCUMENT, SOIL CONSERVATION AUTHORITY, MCHUGH'S GULLY - A LAND USE AND MANAGEMENT TEACHING RESOURCE KIT, 1982
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY OF MCHUGH'S GULLY RECORDED IN THE EARLY 1980'SBUFF COLOURED LEVER ARCH FILE CONTAINING SECTIONS A TO I WITH A CARDBOARD INSERT OF FRONT COVER WITH SEPIA IMAGES OF RURAL SCENES AND TOWN SHIP PRINTED ON IT. Section A contains documents of land use and management teaching resource kit. Section I contains slides and transparenciesnon-fictionENVIRONMENTAL STUDY OF MCHUGH'S GULLY RECORDED IN THE EARLY 1980'Smchughs gully, land management, environmental impact report -
Eltham District Historical Society Inc
Photograph - Digital Photograph, Alan King, Garden Hill, Eltham-Yarra Glen Road, Kangaroo Ground, 3 February 2008
The original house was built around 1850 was one of Kangaroo Ground's earliest homes, part of which remains today. Built by Scottish farmer Andrew Harkness who acquired the property in 1849 at the top of the hill with magnificent panoramic views as far as Kinglake, the same year he married Sarah Oswin. The property was known as Garden Hill from at least 1865. Andrew and Sarah had four sons and five daughters. Harkness was a founder of the Kangaroo Ground School and one of the first to suggest establishing the Eltham District Road Board (1858-71) of which he was a member, the pre-cursor to the Shire of Eltham (1871-1994). He was also a Trustee of the Kangaroo Ground Cemetery. His daughter Fanny married farmer Alexander White who purchased the property in 1893. Alexander White died in 1906 and ownership transferred to Fanny White. Son, Robert White was a Councillor of the Shire of Eltham at the time the Shire acquired two acres of land on the adjacent property from the Mess brothers for the creation of the Shire of Eltham Memorial Park (1921) in which the Shire of Eltham War Memoirial tower was erected (1926). Fanny White donated a small section of land from the Garden Hill property to facilitate entry access to the park. The White family sold the property to Sir Herbert Gepp in 1925. Covered under Heritage Overlay, Nillumbik Planning Scheme. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then / Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p29This 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, kangaroo ground -
Eltham District Historical Society Inc
Photograph - Digital Photograph, Alan King, Allwood House, Hurstbridge, 16 April 2008
Allwood - built in 1894 by Henry Hurst’s relatives, stands near the site of his house, which was demolisherd in the 1940s. Until 1924 Hurstbridge was known as Allwood. The building, one of the district's oldest is situated back from the corner of Arthurs Creek Road and Main Road. Covered under Heritage Overlay, Nillumbik Planning Scheme Published: Nillumbik Now and Then / Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p17 Hurst, who was a surveyor, came to Melbourne in 1852 by default, as on the way to Sydney he contracted typhoid and was off-loaded in Melbourne. Deciding to settle near Melbourne, he selected some land near the present Eltham railway station and was one of the first to grow crops there.2 But disaster struck again, when his shack was looted and burned, while he was carting goods for sale to nearby goldfields. It was then that Hurstbridge’s first settler, Cornelius Haley, asked Hurst to manage his 160 acres (65ha) grazing property and 9000 acres (3443ha) of leased land where the present Hurstbridge stands. Hurst proved equal to the tough conditions and he and his brother, Fred, cut a track with a bullock team from the property to Romsey, where Haley had selected some land. Hurst also put up a bridge across the creek near his house, after which Hurstbridge was named. He ran the property helped by two ticket-of-leave men and others, several of whom were sailors who had abandoned ship in search of gold, and were working there temporarily. In 1866, only 14 years after coming to Australia, Hurst met an early tragic death. One day a bushranger named Burke came to the house and demanded a horse. Hurst thought the bushranger might be an officer in search of runaway sailors3 and anyway, did not like the look of him, so he refused. A tussle followed and apparently Hurst shot first.4 He was shot and died five hours later from loss of blood. Later, troopers found Burke, who was subsequently hanged. The event is recorded in the Old Melbourne Gaol. The government offered the family £500 but the family refused it as ‘blood money’. Hurst’s father, Robert, even signed a petition against the bushranger’s death, claiming one life did not replace another. Hurst’s family continued to live in the district and saw a rise in their fortunes. They bought Haley’s cattle station and built the present Allwood House, using the original home as an orchard packing shed. The present Victorian style timber house had several outbuildings including a blacksmith’s shop. The property passed on to William Gray, an orchardist and nurseryman, who married Hurst’s grandniece, Frances. The business boomed from the early 1900s when it supplied most of the orchards in the area. Gray was Eltham Shire’s President for two terms and was asked to stand for parliament, but his wife’s illness and other family commitments prevented him from doing so. Then several calamities drove the family to bankruptcy. During World War One, Gray lost more than one million pounds on trees shipped overseas, which the Lloyd’s company had refused to insure. Other factors, including the Great Depression, ruined the family’s fortunes. The land was reduced from more than 640 acres (256ha) to 50 acres (20ha) and the older members married and left. After Mr Gray died, the house was leased, until his daughter Sheila Ferguson and her husband Gordon settled there in 1951, after buying it from other family members. However in 1975 the Shire designated the property as a passive recreation reserve. The Ferguson family sold most of the land, leaving the house on 0.6 hectares.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, hurstbridge, henry hurst, allwood house -
Eltham District Historical Society Inc
Photograph - Digital Photograph, Marguerite Marshall, Strathewen Public Hall, 20 August 2008
Strathewen Public Hall, social and spiritual centre was later lost in the Black Saturday fires 2009. The Strathewen Community decided a community hall was needed in 1901. In 1902 locals built the hall with messmate trees. It was located on the Cottlesbridge-Strathewen Road. The first function was a Grand concert and Balll attended by about 120 people. Several denominations held Church services and Sunday School services in the Hall. It survived several bushfires until after this photo was taken when it was destroyed in Black Saturday, 9 February 2009. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then / Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p89 Strathewen was settled late, largely because it was difficult to access.1 Early selectors found it a struggle to survive. They had to do everything themselves, from felling trees for buildings, to taking produce to market along bush tracks that they had helped cut. Small dairy farms were typical but fruit became the district’s prime produce. The first settlers east of Arthurs Creek were brothers John and Duncan Smith whose station Glen-Ard was probably operated as a sheep run. Other early settlers were the Mann family, who were to donate land for the hall, provide postal services and John Mann was an Eltham Shire councillor from 1916 to 1919.2 In 1873 James Mann, his wife Jane and their six children, settled on 207 acres (83.7) (Lang Fauld Farm) on both sides of Eagles Nest Road, from the foot of Mount Sugarloaf to the bank of the Arthurs Creek. In 1883 James took up another selection on Chads Creek. It was very hard work and at times he was well behind with his rent. However the family had a good social life, attending the Primitive Methodist Church at the Arthurs Creek Township and on New Year’s Eve throwing a party for all the locals. By 1874 James Mann’s younger brother, John, selected 311 acres (125.8ha) between Eagles Nest Road and upper Arthurs Creek. He called it Carseburn after his home parish in Scotland. Tragically in 1875 John drowned in the Yarra River, at Richmond.3 John Mann’s oldest son, also John, later purchased Duncan Smith’s land, which he named Violet Glen. He was to give one acre (0.4ha) of this land for the Strathewen Hall site. A Mann family diary written at Carseburn in 1897, tells how the district’s name was selected. Strathewen is derived from ‘strath’ meaning ‘broad mountain valley’ and from the name of Ewen H. Cameron, the local parliamentarian for almost 40 years. ‘George Brain came around to get a petition signed to get a post office up here and we had to vote for a name—Strathewen, Glen-Ard, or Headcorie’.4 It was at Carseburn that a public meeting in 1901, decided to build the Strathewen Hall on the Cottlesbridge-Strathewen Road. In 1902 the locals built the hall with messmate trees. The first function was a Grand Concert and Ball attended by around 120 people and several Protestant denominations took turns to hold church services and Sunday School there. Fortunately the hall has survived bushfires to be the town’s spiritual and social centre.5 The area continued to develop and in 1909 a post office operated somewhere at Strathewen and from around 1916 at Carseburn.6 It was not until 1914 that land was bought to establish the Strathewen State School on School Ridge Road. The residents paid £100 to build it on two acres (0.8 ha) while the Education Department contributed £30 and leased the building annually for £1. When teacher Miss Mary Golding opened the school in 1917, it had no equipment.7 But in 1921 the Education Department provided desks and a hexagonal shelter shed (now a rare style in Victoria) and took control in 1925.8 By 1917 Strathewen was booming.9 George Apted had built a coolstore in 1916, and local orchardists bought storage space until the 1950s. This allowed the area to supply the market in and out of season. Guesthouses catered for growing tourism. In the mid 1920s Mrs Eleanor Sparkes built the guest-house Singing Waters, which operated through the 1930s. Her daughter Mrs Vera McKimmie, ran it until the 1950s and the house remains in Chads Creek Road. In the Great Depression land was cleared for timber to be sold as firewood and there was small scale sawmilling. However the orchard industry diminished for several reasons including the 1939 bushfires and rapid changes in production methods. Today the Apteds still operate an orchard and farm at Glen-Ard, which straddles the border between Strathewen and Arthurs Creek. It includes the southern part of Duncan Smith’s original Glen-Ard selection.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, strathewan public hall -
Eltham District Historical Society Inc
Photograph - Digital Photograph, Alan King, Shillinglaw Cottage, 6 January 2008
Covered under National Estate, National Trust of Australia (Victoria) Local Significance and Heritage Overlay, Nillumbik Planning Scheme. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then / Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p95 Thanks to an Australia first effort by local residents, the historic Shillinglaw Cottage still survives. The cottage at Panther Place, Eltham, once stood about 100 metres away on Main Road. But in 1963 it faced demolition to make room for the Eltham Shire Offices (since demolished). However residents rallied to save Shillinglaw Cottage and became the first in Australia to remove and reconstruct an early settler’s brick building. A fundraiser was the residents’ compilation of loved recipes into the cookery book, Flavour of Eltham. The cottage, built in the late 1870s by noted pioneer builder George Stebbing, is one of Eltham’s earliest buildings and associated with significant early settlers. It is on the National Estate and National Trust Registers. The cottage was constructed with handmade bricks in the Flemish Bond style, typical of cottages and farmhouses in Flanders, Europe. It features burnt ‘header’ bricks over the façade, which gives a chequered effect. The roof is made of slate, while the windows are 12-paned sash with relieving arches. It is not clear who were the first owners of the cottage. The National Trust claims that Stebbing built it for farmer Thomas Cochrane.1 Others say Cochrane first owned the land but Stebbing was Shillinglaw’s first owner and remained so until 1887. The Shillinglaw family then bought it and lived there for around 80 years until 1963 when they sold it to the Eltham Council.2 Farmer Thomas Cochrane bought the Shillinglaw Cottage site from land developer Josiah Holloway. The site was the largest in what Holloway called Little Eltham, of some 30 acres (12 ha), extending along the creek from Henry Street to Luck Street. In 1874 Cochrane sold the land to George Stebbing. Meanwhile in 1861, Stebbing was the owner and occupier of a house at Pitt Street, Eltham, which he had built. Evelyn Observer journalist James Rossiter rented the Pitt Street house, then in 1881 Phillip Shillinglaw occupied it. Stebbing constructed several buildings of note in the area, including the Uniting Church at John Street, the building beside it – a former bank – and St Margaret’s Church of England in Pitt Street. Stebbing was also an Eltham Shire Councillor from 1871 to 1873 and a trustee and treasurer of the Eltham Wesleyan Church.3 In the 1870s he is recorded as the owner of up to five houses. Earlier he had been described as a bricklayer and later became a farmer. In 1882 Stebbing returned to the Pitt Street house and Shillinglaw occupied the new house in Main Road, which he owned from 1887. Shillinglaw was a prolific poet and preached at the Eltham Primitive Methodist Church, where he also served as Sunday School superintendent and led the Young People’s Society Christian Endeavour. The Shillinglaws saw many changes in their property’s boundaries – the major one occurring at the turn of the century when land for the railway and Eltham station was acquired from their holding. The northern part of the remaining land was then used for some of the first commercial developments in what was to become the Eltham Shopping Centre. Later still, the land immediately north of the cottage was bought by the Eltham War Memorial Trust for the War Memorial Buildings and the fire station. The Trust’s land eventually passed to the council. The council bought the remaining two acres (0.8 ha) with the house, and with the exception of the commercial development between the fire station and the post office, all of the former Shillinglaw land is owned by the council or government instrumentalities.4 Since the late 20th century, the cottage has had varied uses, such as a handcrafts store and as a restaurant.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, shillinglaw cottage -
Eltham District Historical Society Inc
Photograph - Digital Photograph, Alan King, Maroondah Aqueduct Siphon Bridge over the Plenty River, 26 January 2008
Opened in 1891, the bridge formed part of the Maroondah Aqueduct carrying water from Watts River near Healesville to the reservoir at Preston where it joined Melbourne's metropolitan water system. Covered under Heritage Overlay, Nillumbik Planning Scheme. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then / Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p99 Built to supply thirsty Melbourne in the late 19th century, the siphon bridge spanning the Plenty River off Leischa Court, Greensborough, was part of an engineering masterpiece. Opened in 1891, the bridge formed part of the Maroondah Aqueduct carrying water from the Watts River near Healesville to the reservoir at Preston where it joined the metropolitan distribution system. A major link in Melbourne’s water supply, it also had a huge impact on communities, which mushroomed along its route. Named after the Aboriginal word for the area around the Maroondah Reservoir, the Maroondah Aqueduct was fully operational until the 1970s. Since the 1980s the land along parts of the aqueduct have been used for walking and bicycle riding, shaded in places by Monterey Pine trees planted to stabilise the surrounding ground. From 1857 the Yan Yean Reservoir supplied Melbourne’s water but the growing city needed additional catchments.1 In 1886 work began on a weir on the Watts River to enable the aqueduct to carry most of the river water 41 miles (66km) to Melbourne. The aqueduct, built by the Board of Works, is the oldest remaining aqueduct near Melbourne and was probably the first built with concrete.2 Although the aqueduct is now only used between the Maroondah and Sugarloaf Reservoirs, it can still be traced across the Shire. It extends from the Maroondah Reservoir through Christmas Hills, Kangaroo Ground, Research, Eltham, St Helena and then previously wound west through Greensborough to Reservoir.3 Built by horse and manpower the aqueduct gravity fed 25 million gallons (113.6ML) of water a day to Melbourne along a gradient of one foot to the mile. It included 25 miles (41km) of open concrete and brick channel, six miles (10km) of tunnels, and nine miles (15km) of 14 inverted siphons of riveted wrought-iron across creeks. Bricks for the aqueduct were made from clay found near the sites and remains of several kilns can still be found between Kangaroo Ground and Christmas Hills. Building the aqueduct transformed local communities. An abattoir was established at Christmas Hills. Grog shanties and labourers’ camps sprang up and local courts dealt with cases of ‘petty pilfering and boisterous behaviour’.4 The Kangaroo Ground school population jumped to 91, crammed into a room with one teacher. Miners who built the tunnels camped just north of Churinga in Greensborough – then called Tunnel Hill Camp – and adjacent to the Evelyn Arms Hotel. The miners’ high spirits were sometimes quenched in horse troughs or by a ‘welt under the ear and kick on the behind’ as the local constable calmed them down rather than lock them up.5 But the growing city of Melbourne needed more water, so the O’Shannassy catchment, east of Warburton, was added to the system in 1914. In 1920 work began on the present concrete Maroondah Dam one mile (1.6km) from the weir on the Watts River. The aqueduct capacity was thus doubled to 50 million gallons (227ML) a day.6 Intense land development threatened to pollute the open water supply, so channel sections were replaced with large pipes. In the late 1960s a large water main was built from the tunnel outlet at Research and extended through St Helena and Greensborough, so this section of the aqueduct was taken out of use. Long sections of the unused open channels in Greensborough and Bundoora were destroyed, but the old channel in Research and Eltham North remained largely intact. In the 1970s, the Sugarloaf Reservoir was constructed, inundating 445 hectares of land in Christmas Hills. Sugarloaf was officially opened in 1980 and serves as a water storage and treatment plant supplying Melbourne. In the early 1980s pipes replaced the section from Sugarloaf Reservoir to the tunnel entrance at Kangaroo Ground. The Research-Kangaroo Ground tunnel operates as part of the pipeline system.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, maroondah aqueduct, pipe bridge, siphon bridge -
Eltham District Historical Society Inc
Photograph - Digital Photograph, Marguerite Marshall, Alan Marshall by Marcus Skipper (1995) outside Eltham Library, Panther Place, Eltham, 11 October 2006
Sculture in bronze of Alan Marshall by Marcus Skipper, 1995 Alan Marshall, AM., O.B.E., Hon.LL,D. (1902-1984) was born at Noorat, Victoria and became one of Australia's most famous authors. His association with the Eltham area began in 1920 when he started his first job as a junior clerk at the Eltham Shire Offices, Kangaroo Ground. In the 1940's he spent some time living at Research. From 1955 he lived in Eltham for nearly 20 years. Disabilities resulting from polio as a young child did not prevent a wide range of experiences. Alan's occupations have been listed as clerk, night watchman, fortune teller, freelance journalist and author. He has been patron of many disadvantaged Children's Societies. Alan's books are numerous and include novels, short stories, children's books, history and travel. Among the best known are his autobiographies "I Can Jump Puddles" and "This is the Grass". Others include "These are My People", "Ourselves Writ Strange", "People of the Dreamtime"; "The Gay Provider" and "Wild Red Horses". In 1971 he wrote the Centenary History of the Shire of Eltham, "Pioneers and Painters". Covered under National Trust of Australia (Victoria), State significance. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then / Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p159 Outside the Eltham Library a bronze figure of a short one-legged man with a crutch invites people to the world of literature. The bronze statue, by Marcus Skipper, is of author Alan Marshall, who is famed for his autobiography I Can Jump Puddles, about growing up and overcoming the effects of polio. That plucky little boy later lived in the Nillumbik district for more than 50 years, and on his death in 1984, was buried in the Nillumbik Cemetery at Diamond Creek. Although a hugely successful author, his grave is modest with only a tiny boulder and simple bronze plaque on a grassed plot. From 1955 to 1972 Marshall lived in a tiny fibro-cement bungalow at the rear of a house at Park West Road, Eltham, owned by his older sister, Elsie McConnell. It was there that he wrote most of his autobiographical trilogy and his history of the former Eltham Shire, Pioneers and Painters. His long association with Eltham Shire began in 1918 when his family moved to Diamond Creek. Then in 1920 he began work as a junior clerk at the Eltham Shire Offices on Main Road, Kangaroo Ground near the Yarra Glen Road, while boarding at the hotel next door. Marshall later bought a block of land in Research, which had three bark huts. In one of these he wrote his first book These Are My People. He later sold the land but lived in a caravan there and in 1955 wrote I Can Jump Puddles.1 Proud of its citizen, the Eltham Shire named a park after Marshall at the corner of Main Road and Leanne Drive, Eltham. In 1985 the Shire initiated the Alan Marshall Short Story Award. It was Marshall’s early life in the country that taught him to live courageously in spite of his crippling polio, and he inspired many. This informed his writing – full of courage, championing the battler and love of the bush. Alan Marshall was born in 1902 at Noorat in Western Victoria, as the only son of Billy a drover, horse breaker, hawker and then general store owner. At the age of six, Marshall contracted infantile paralysis and was later hospitalised in Colac for 18 months. With his father’s encouragement, Marshall learnt to swim, wrestle and box, ride a bicycle (downhill), ride a horse and drive a car. Marshall won a scholarship to Stott’s Correspondence College to study accountancy. To help him continue his studies and find employment, his family bought 12 acres (4.8ha), in Ryans Road, Diamond Creek, opposite Windmill Court. There they ran cows, some poultry and an orchard. But life with a disability and during the Depression was hard for Marshall, who for 20 years, endured long periods of unemployment and loneliness and was often exploited at work.2 However, life improved in the 1930s, when he published short stories and articles in newspapers and magazines, including a column of advice to the lovelorn, which he wrote for nearly 20 years. At age 42 Marshall published his first book and in the next 30 years he published more than 20. His most successful book was I Can Jump Puddles, which sold more than three million copies internationally. It was made into a film, released in 1971, by Czechoslovakian director Karel Kachyna. Marshall was one of the first Australians to write about Aborigines who called him Gurrawilla - teller of tales - when he lived with them in Arnhem Land for eight months.3 In 1941 Marshall married Olive Dixon, with whom he had two daughters, Catherine and Jennifer. Marshall and Olive divorced in 1957. In 1972 Marshall was awarded an OBE for his work with the handicapped. He was also awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws by Melbourne University, an Order of Australia for services to literature and the Soviet Order of Friendship of Peoples.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, alan marshall, art in public places, eltham, eltham library, marcus skipper, panther place, public art, sculpture -
Eltham District Historical Society Inc
Photograph - Digital Photograph, Alan King, Diamond Creek, Barak Bushlands, Eltham, 2008
A habitat corridor and it strengthens the community. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then / Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p185 Barak Bushlands lie west of the Diamond Creek on the corner of Falkiner Street and busy, noisy Main Road. They form part of an important habitat corridor linking the Yarra River to the Kinglake National Park.1 Manna Gums, tawny frogmouths and platypuses are some of the indigenous plants and animals that have made their home there. The bushlands are the result of more than nine years of hard work by the local community with the Nillumbik Council, to transform a degraded flood plain into this refuge of natural beauty. In 1997, shortly after moving into the new Riverside Estate on Falkiner Street, Eltham, several residents noticed the sorry state of the Diamond Creek and surrounding area. Part of it was used as a cow paddock and although small patches of vegetation survived, the area was infested with weeds, rabbits, rubbish and drainage from the housing estate. At various times the 4.4 hectares had been used as a market garden and for shire stock piles. The residents began to restore the area by revegetating land along the Diamond Creek. In 1998 they established the Friends of the Diamond Creek Falkiner Street Reserve2 and 35 families joined from the 90-house Estate. Carolyn Mellor, as the Friends’ Land Manager, undertook a four-year horticulture course to guide this massive project for a volunteer organisation. Since 1999, she has been the Friends’ President. In 1999 the Friends urged the Nillumbik Council to undertake a feasibility study into establishing a wetland system and urban forest. Work began in 2002 with Nillumbik Council funding the project, supplemented by government grants. The Friends also received grants from Melbourne Water and Parks Victoria.3 Aided by the Friends and other community members, the Council created the Barak Bushlands consisting of a forest, a wetland, a bridge, a path and open space. The beautiful wetland treats most of the estate’s stormwater runoff. Storm water is filtered through plants in the wetland ponds then is released slowly into the billabong, before flowing into the Diamond Creek. The wetland also helps to minimise flooding and the improved water quality provides a flora and fauna habitat. The Friends and other volunteers planted more than 27,000 plants, more than one third of which they grew from seeds they collected at Lower Eltham and Wingrove Parks. Eltham High School students planted thousands of these through a Year Eight program introduced for this purpose. Other groups who assisted were: Green Corps, local Scouts and Guides – 2nd Montmorency, 1st Diamond Creek and 1st Eltham Cub Packs, Eltham College students, Eltham East Primary School, Landcare members, Eltham Lions Club and the Eltham Baptist Church. To maintain enthusiasm for the mammoth task, the Friends and other volunteers ‘adopted’ trees to water and wrote their names on the stakes. In 2004, to recognise the area’s original occupiers, the reserve was named Barak Bushlands. William Barak, who lived from 1824 to 1903, was the last chief of the Yarra Yarra tribe of the Wurundjeri-willam people.4 Traces of these original inhabitants remain in scar trees (bark sections removed to make a shield or canoe). That same year the Friends’ group was a finalist in the prestigious Federal Government, Banksia Environmental Awards. The Friends have also participated in Clean Up Australia, removing tonnes of rubbish and regularly testing the billabong, wetland and creek, for pollutants. For years the Friends, together with the Australian Platypus Conservancy, have tagged, measured and checked the health of platypuses from the Diamond and Mullum Mullum Creeks. With Latrobe University the Friends have conducted night walks to view owls, possums, bats and sugar gliders.5 Challenges for the council and the Friends continue with a large rabbit population, some vandalism, weed eradication and maintenance. However, thanks to this community effort, locals can now escape confined urban living on small blocks of land and enjoy the beauty of indigenous plants and animals. Working together has also strengthened the local community,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, barak bushlands, diamond creek (creek), eltham -
Linton and District Historical Society Inc
Photograph, 'Glenfine' Shearing Shed, 1890
In July 1840, Glenfine, consisting of 31,440 acres, was acquired by Thomas Downie. In March 1842 the 'Right of Run' was taken up by Thomas Chirnside who with an imported stallion 'Delapre' ran a horse stud. He apparently lived here for ten years and employed a gardener with a wife and five children from Hobart, Tasmania. Only some blocks of stone and a few trees remain of their homestead. In 1853 the property was transferred to Dr. John Chirnside, an elder brother of Thomas. I, 1857, William Rowe of Naringal purchased Glenfiine where he and his family lived until 1904 when it was bought by Richard Howell's estate. It was then 39,000 acres. The present house was built by the Rowes in 1872 of bluestone quarried on the property with a cement render overall. The architect was H.R. Casselli. In 1911 R.C. Howell, son of Richard, became the owner, followed by his son in 1960. Gold was found on the property and by 1898 the township of Hollybush was first reported, situated at either side of the front entrance, on the Cressy Road. The land for the township was given by William Rowe. By 1990 Hollybush had a population of 426 persons. All of the early history of Glenfine, documents etc., were destroyed when Naringal homestead was burnt down in 1944. Glenfine was classified by the National Trust in 1974 and is on the Heritage Commission Register. Mounted black and white image of a large group of men and boys in front of a weatherboard shearing shed. The men are each holding a pair of hand shears. One young man is kneeling on top of a wool bale. A small blue biro 'x' identifies W. Todd. Glenfine was a pastoral station. The original homestead still stands.shearing sheds, shearers, rural activity, william todd, glenfine pastoral station, thomas chirnside, thomas downie, richard howell, william thomas rowe -
Eltham District Historical Society Inc
Photograph - Digital Photograph, Alan King, Cameron family graves, Kangaroo Ground Cemetery, Eltham-Yarra Glen Road, Kangaroo Ground, 28 January 2008
Six year old Judith Furphy was the first person known to have been buried at Kangaroo Ground Cemetery in May 1851. The cemetery is situated on an ancient river bed with exposed Nillumbik sands. The rest of the district is formed from black volcanic soil which was hard to dig. According to local historian Mick Woiwod (deceased) the site may have been a burial ground for the local Wurundjeri people as the exposed softer sands were always their prefered camping sites. The Hon. Ewen Hugh Cameron who lived at Pigeon Bank and was the Member for Evelyn for 40 years (1874-1914) was buried here in 1915. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then / Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p39 The Wurundjeri people might have buried their dead on the site of the Kangaroo Ground Cemetery, according to local historian Mick Woiwod. Kangaroo Ground was a premier hunting ground, but camping on the black volcanic soil would have been uncomfortable. Unlike most of Kangaroo Ground, its cemetery, on an ancient river bed, comprises a rare exposure of Nillumbik sands – always the preferred campsite for Aboriginal people. The cemetery area is the only place where the soil was soft enough to dig a grave easily.1 Six-year-old Judith Furphy was the first person known to have been laid to rest at the Kangaroo Ground Cemetery. She died on May 17, 1851, from a chill caught by resting on wet grass. Local Andrew Ross wrote ‘..no public burying place existed nearer than Melbourne. The case being considered urgent, a general meeting of the settlers took place on the evening of the 17th……. The result was the selection of unoccupied crown land …….which was subsequently granted by Government for a public cemetery.’2 Judith was buried the next day on May 18. Her grave was marked by the trustees with a plaque, which unfortunately states nine years old, when she was probably only six. Judith came from an illustrious family. Her brother, Joseph, was the author of Such is Life and other works. Another brother, John, developed and manufactured the famous Furphy water cart, which distributed water to World War One soldiers along with the latest rumours. Hence the name Furphy entered the Australian idiom, as synonymous with ‘rumour’. Judith’s father Samuel helped build the first Kangaroo Ground church school. Inside, near the entrance of the cemetery, on Yarra Glen Road, stand a rotunda and a water tank. Occasional benches invite mourners to pause and remember. The gate with wrought iron and brick supports, bears the inscription ‘Erected by Sir Ewen and Lady Cameron in memory of their daughter, Flora Margaret’. These are only two of the famous people connected with this cemetery. The Hon. Ewen Hugh Cameron JP and MLA from 1874 to1914, who lived at Pigeon Bank, Warrandyte Road, was buried here in 1915. Unrelated, but with the same name, was Sir Ewen Cameron who had been Minister for Health and was laid to rest there in 1964. Sir Herbert Gepp, a leading industrialist and the former owner of Garden Hill, at Yarra Glen Road, was buried there in 1954.3 Many of the more imposing tombstones belong to the earlier graves. Unfortunately bushfires have cracked several. But this adds to the melancholy attractiveness of the cemetery, graced by some beautiful eucalypts, cypress and pines. Early pioneering families represented at the cemetery include Armstrong, Barr, Bell, Harkness, Jardine, Johnston, Rogerson, Stevenson, Thomson and Walters. Armstrong and Bell were among the first families to come to the district and Stevenson owned the district’s first sheep station. It took in much of present day Christmas Hills, which was the name he gave his sheep station. Harkness was the first to suggest a Kangaroo Ground school be built, and one of the first to suggest establishing the Eltham District Road Board. Many of these families leased pastoral land before the mid-century and bought land when it came on sale in 1849. In the cemetery’s early days sections were devoted to the major Christian denominations (mainly the Protestant) and one section was set aside for ‘other’ or ‘non-believers’. However in modern times burial plots have not been placed in areas according to religious beliefs.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, kangaroo ground, eltham-yarra glen road, agnes bell cameron, agnes cameron (nee bell), cameron family, edward aubrey haughton, eugene cameron, evelyn florence cameron, ewen hugh cameron, gravestones, jane armstrong, jane bell, jessie agnes haughton (nee cameron), jessie cameron, john donald cameron, kangaroo ground cemetery, neville cameron, simon armstrong, vera cameron, william bell armstrong, wurundjeri -
Eltham District Historical Society Inc
Photograph - Digital Photograph, Marguerite Marshall, Eltham Lower Park, 20 April 2008
Originally a race course, the park has brought the community together with a variety of activities. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then / Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p45 Once used for horse racing, which attracted visitors from Melbourne, the Eltham Lower Park has brought the community together with a wide range of activities. Horse riding is now enjoyed as a recreation in the park as are other sports. The park also includes the Diamond Valley Railway miniature trains and a sanctuary for the rare and vulnerable Eltham Copper Butterfly. Eltham Lower Park, with other parks, forms an almost continuous green band from Eltham’s centre, along the Diamond Creek to the Yarra River.1 Before European settlement the Wurundjeri people met on this land, particularly at the junction of the Diamond Creek with the Yarra River, which they called Birr-arung. This is commemorated by the sculpture, Not just a Pretty Place by Aleks Danko, winner of the 2000 Nillumbik Art in Public Places Award. The first European to settle here was probably Henry Foley, who in 1841 used it as part of his pastoral run. Foley sold his leasehold to Joseph Wilson in 1845, who soon after sold it to Frederick Falkiner.2 During the 1840s the future park was part of a government square mile (2.6 sqkm) reserve, north of the Yarra, within the Parish of Nillumbik, later named Eltham. Soon the land was used for horse racing after nearby residents cleared ten acres (4ha) in the early 1850s. A three-quarter of a mile (1.2km) race secured the winner the £10 Publican’s Prize. In response to popular demand, the newly formed Eltham District Road Board petitioned the Surveyor General of the Colony of Victoria, in 1856, for 36 acres (14.6ha) of crown land for a racecourse and recreation. By 1858 the Eltham races had become an institution. ‘Many skirmishes occurred and the way home was paved with temptation, with sly-grog for sale.3 In the early 1870s, two jockeys were sons of the police officer in charge of the Eltham Police Station, Miles S Lyons.4 Another ten acres (4ha) was added to the area in 1866 and 12 acres (4.8ha) – Hohnes Hill – in 1870. In 1866, two acres (0.8ha) on the creek banks became an animal pound with William Walsh the pound keeper in 1870, but this was later incorporated into the park. By 1877 the area was called a public park but horse racing and training continued into the 1920s. In the mid-1900s trotters were trained on a circuit road. In 1953 the Eltham Pony Club was established and used a cross-country course on Hohnes Hill. From the mid 1950s the club held the Eltham Easter Fair at the park, later to include a procession along Main Road from the town centre to the park. The park also attracted picnic parties and campers from the inner suburbs as did Wingrove Park, and businesses catering for visitors, sprang up on the opposite side of Main Road. Bus-loads of school children visited the park for Gould League bird days in the 1960s. In 1979 the Eltham Shire Council bought Lenister Farm, linking the park with the Yarra River. The Lenister Farm wetland includes a bird hide, viewing platform and interpretive signs.5 Pioneer Henry Stooke, later Road Board chairman, bought the 11 acres (4.5ha) - later to become Lenister Farm - from the Crown in 1862. Stooke never lived on this site and the two houses at Lenister Farm were built in the 20th century. Since its formation in 1871, the Council has controlled this crown land, which it named Eltham Park. But in the 1920s Eltham Council bought land near the town centre for a park, which it named Eltham Central Park. To avoid confusion the Council renamed Eltham Park, Eltham Lower Park. Since 2004 the Yarra footbridge has linked the park with the Yarra Valley Metropolitan Park and the Main Yarra Trail.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 lower park, eltham park -
Eltham District Historical Society Inc
Photograph - Digital Photograph, Alan King, Panton Hill Hotel, 27 March 2008
Today’s Panton Hill Hotel was built around 1920. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then / Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p61 Panton Hill was originally known as Kingstown, and consisted of only one hotel when the Orams Reef was discovered in 1859. Kingstown was a quartz mining centre and many old mine shafts remain in the area.1 Orams Reef was one of the first reefs with a rich find of gold in the area. The Hotel Francais, which had been operating in 1861, was well situated on the way to Queenstown (later St Andrews). So was Herr Hirt’s Hotel and store at Smiths Gully. The Kingstown hotel, known as the Frenchman’s and in 1864 as the Hotel de France, was run by a Monsieur Emile Hude and his wife Jeanne, and known for its good food. They hosted social events, business conventions and debates, attracting patrons from as far as Melbourne. The hotel’s name was changed to Panton Hill Hotel in 1905.2 In 1883 Charles Caudwell built another hotel nearby, possibly in Long Gully Road,3 which it is thought, was burnt down early last century. Today’s Panton Hill Hotel, built around 1920, is the only one of the cluster of buildings in the main road, not to date from around the turn of last century. It was severely damaged by fire in 2003, then underwent extensive alterations. It is the township’s only hotel and is an example of a modest hotel building exterior, constructed early last century. In its early days the hotel also housed the first post office, newsagency and store. Orams Reef yielded a total of £100,000, and fossikers also found alluvial gold in the creeks and gullies, but there is no record of the total value of their finds.4 Gold greatly increased the Panton Hill population, which peaked between 1865 and 1885. On holidays large sports meetings were held with wood chopping contests and foot races and the day would end with a ball. Miners came from various countries to seek their fortune, including many from China. The Chinese became unpopular however, and gradually left the district, although some stayed and grew and sold vegetables.5 Panton Hill was named after Joseph Panton, who in 1862 was appointed Police Magistrate for the Woods Point, Heidelberg and Yarra districts. Panton was an outstanding man, who in 1852, was Commissioner of Crown Lands and Assistant Commissioner of Goldfields at Bendigo. In 1874 he was promoted to Chief Magistrate for the Melbourne Police. Panton was also an artist, becoming president of the Victorian Arts Society in 1888, and in 1913, president of the Royal Geographical Society. Despite Panton Hill’s prosperity, it still lacked many services as poor roads made access to Melbourne difficult. A horse-drawn mail coach travelled to Melbourne until 1890, when the railway came to Heidelberg. The nearest doctor was at Yarra Glen or Heidelberg, and the Indian hawker Singh’s annual visit was very welcome. A miner’s shack opposite the school was used as a post office. Today’s general store and post office in the main road dates from early last century, and has changed considerably. While most people searched for gold, the more enterprising ones established farms to feed the diggers. Farmers grew wheat, barley and oats, and sent animal skins to the Eltham tannery, to make furs in Melbourne.6 As gold became scarce from around 1880, miners took up farming on 19 to 20 acre (8ha) allotments. The first settlers in Cherry Tree Road included Purcell, Smith, Owens, Hughes and Shillinglaw. By 1900 all the land had been taken up around Panton Hill and Hurstbridge. The orchards in Panton Hill and the wider district, particularly of apple and pear, were very successful, and made Panton Hill a cohesive and successful community. About 1914 the Moores built the first cool-store and refrigeration plant at their orchard in Cherry Tree Road. Many settlers planted vineyards and made high quality wine, but in 1922 the blight destroyed them.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, panton hill hotel