Edendale Farm is Nillumbik Shire Council's environment centre situated in Gastons Road, Eltham between the railway and the Diamond Creek. The homestead on the property was built in 1896 and is of historical significance, being the subject of a Heritage Overlay under the Nillumbik Planning Scheme. The Edendale property was originally part of an extensive land purchase in 1852 from the Crown by pioneer Eltham farmer Henry Stooke. He initially purchased 51 acres and later expanded his holdings by purchasing another three adjacent Crown allotments extending northerly from Josiah Holloway's Little Eltham subdivision. Despite clearing the land, Stooke did not build on this property, choosing to live on his property "Rosehill" at Lower Plenty. In 1896 Thomas Cool, Club Manager of the Victoria Coffee Palace in Melbourne purchased 7 acres of the original Stooke land and built the house now known as Edendale. Cool did not farm the land, instead using it as a gentleman’s residence, retiring to Eltham at weekends. In 1918 he purchased an additional 7 acres but in 1919 he sold the property. Later owners included J.W. Cox, the Gaston family and D. Mummery. In the 1980s the Eltham Shire Council purchased the site for use as a Council depot, but this use did not proceed. Subsequently, it was used as the Council pound. The Edendale Farm Pet Education and Retention Centre was established in the summer of 1988/1989 and was set up to replace the existing dog kennels with a high standard pet retention centre. The design style of the building was established to compliment the features of the existing house. It was equipped with 10 retention pens, a veterinary room and a pet education area where school children and other interested parties learnt about pet care procedures. It was later developed into a community farm and was run by an advisory committee and in 2000 it became an Environment Centre. In early 2006 an advisory committee was established for the development of a master plan for future development at Edendale Farm. The committee included Russell Yeoman, a former long-time shire planner and founding member of the Eltham District Historical Society. At the time of filming the Master Plan and future for Edendale was about continuing to develop Edendale as a centre of environment learning and looking at expanding displays and school program, running a lot more of life-long learning and workshops around sustainable living. Covered under Heritage Overlay, Nillumbik Planning Scheme. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p101 A sharp turn from busy Wattletree Road by the railway line, brings a surprise. Only 1.4 km from Eltham’s centre, sheep feed, blissfully unaware of the hectic suburban activity so close by. At the entrance to the 5.6ha Edendale Farm is another surprise. A work of art that looks like huge tree trunks transformed into bowler and top-hatted men. The Fences Act 1968 by Tony Trembath with Mark Cain and John Doyle, 1996, is classified by the National Trust of Australia as having Regional Significance. The title refers to a government act on disputes between neighbors over the placement of fences and boundaries. This takes a ‘wry swipe’ at a community divided by trivial squabbles. It also celebrates making do with limited resources.1 Further along on the left, the office wall is decorated with a massive Eltham Copper Butterfly, designed by Robert Tickner and made by school children with used plastic bottles and other waste material. Nillumbik Council runs Edendale as an Environmental Education Centre, to help preserve and enhance the local environment. As early as 1988 the former Eltham Shire Council realised Edendale’s importance in meeting people’s needs, particularly of children, to enjoy farmland. The centre, with the Eltham North Reserve to the north - including remnant bushland and open parkland - makes up the major part of the public open space for this area. The council considers this area will become increasingly important to the local community for recreational use.2 Educational programs aim to encourage community involvement to ensure the long-term rehabilitation and protection of natural bushland areas. Edendale is used by people of all ages - from school children to adults - for environmental programs and workshops, as well as for recreation, to enjoy the domestic animals and to picnic. Edendale is also home to the Environmental Works staff who manage reserves and roadsides and support Nillumbik Friends environmental groups. The Friends propagate plants at the nursery, which grows indigenous plants and sells these to the public.3 The centre demonstrates the sustainable living the farm teaches, with features like solar hot water and drive lighting and for the fireplace, logs of recycled cardboard. Edendale has had a varied history as a dog pound and even as a retreat for Thomas Cool, Club Manager of the Victoria Coffee Palace in Melbourne. His single-storey weatherboard house built in 1896, which still stands, was grander than most homes in Eltham. Although such buildings were common in many other parts of Melbourne, Eltham’s poverty and remoteness did not encourage such construction. The Victorian rectangular-shaped house, with a corrugated iron roof and veranda, has elegant large rooms, leadlight windows, ceiling roses, two bay windows and ornately carved wooden fireplace surrounds. Cool bought seven acres (2.8ha) from pioneer Eltham farmer Henry Stooke’s 200 acre (81ha) farm, which he had bought from the Crown in 1852. In 1918 Cool bought an extra seven acres (2.8ha) but in 1919 sold the estate to farmer John Cox. In 1933 Cox sold Edendale to Mrs Elizabeth Gaston, after whom the road leading to the centre was named. The property was owned by several Gaston family members, who called it Edendale, then by a police constable, Douglas Mummery, until the Shire of Eltham bought it in 1970. Oddly Edendale was known as Mummery’s for almost 20 years, although Mummery owned it only for a short time.4 The shire used Edendale as a dog pound until amalgamation with other municipalities in 1996. The pound then moved to the Yan Yean Road, Plenty site, which had been used by the former Diamond Valley Shire Council. To the west and north the centre is bounded by Diamond Creek and on the east by the Melbourne-Hurstbridge railway line. Part of the Research creek forms the centre’s southern boundary.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, edendale farm

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

The history of Charles Brandt in the area. Clear plastic cover over white paper with blue print, card back cover, fawn plastic comb spine Charles Brandt Pioneer Blacksmithstawell, family history

From Victorian Heritage: The single storey mansion house with enclosed glass verandah, Burswood was built in 1853 on a site overlooking the Portland Bay for English born pioneer colonist Edward Henty. John Barrow of Adelaide was the architect for this exceptional Australian regency style residence which he designed as a central block of fine axed basalt ashlar and slate roof (now replaced) with flanking brick wings forming an enclosed rear courtyard. Burswood is the most important early mansion house in western Victoria, being an exceptional Australian regency design by distinguished colonial architect James Barrow. Edward Henty, a member of one of Australia's most remarkable colonial families and the founder of Portland, established the first permanent settlement in Victoria on 19th November 1834, and Burswood is testimony to his success as an early colonist. Henty lived in his mansion for 17 years in a semi-regal state. Burswood has been little altered since completion in 1853. A glasshouse conservatory to the side of the present enclosed verandah was demolished prior to 1895 and the slate roof replaced with iron. Johnstone, O’Shannessy & Co was a leading photographic studio located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It was active from 1865 to 1905. Henry James Johnstone was also an artist and studied at Louis Buvelot's school and with Thomas Clark.Painting of a sandstone coloured building. A grand house with a driveway and well-kept gardens to the front. There is a horse and cart with a man standing to the side of it. There is a female figure exiting the building and another female and a man further along the driveway with a dog. The building has a glass conservatory attached to the side. The sky is blue with several fluffy clouds.Bottom right: Johnstone O'Shannessy & Co Melbourne (in white paint)homestead, henty, historic buildings, colonial, burswood house

Allwood, Hurstbridge, 1905. Hurst/Gray family in the garden in front of the Victorian style Allwood house with lace iron work on the verandah. Left to Right: Whittaker, Mrs. Catherine Hurst, Frederick George Hurst (at rear), Hurst Gray, Mrs. Frances Ellen Gray (nee Hurst), William (Bill) George Gray, Sylvia Gray (later Birch). Frederick and Catherine Hurst relocated this Victorian style weatherboard home from an inner Melbourne suburb to its present site on their Allwood property. Mr Charles Verso, builder and farmer, reassembled and refurbished the home for the Hurst’s. In 1897 Frederick and Catherine’s daughter, Frances Ellen, married William (Bill) George Gray of Cottlesbridge and the newlyweds moved into the new house. Frederick and Catherine Hurst moved into a little cottage, ‘Mia Mia’, on the other side of the Diamond Creek. William and Frances Gray established Allwood Nursery and by 1900 most of the Allwood property was under orchard, largely apples, pears, cherry plums and peaches. They also developed an extensive nursery, growing seedling stock for supply to other local orchardists and the overseas market. Cross Ref: Sepp_1018 Source: Mrs. Ferguson, Hurstbridge This photo forms part of a collection of photographs gathered by the Shire of Eltham for their centenary project book,"Pioneers and Painters: 100 years of the Shire of Eltham" by Alan Marshall (1971). The collection of over 500 images is held in partnership between Eltham District Historical Society and Yarra Plenty Regional Library (Eltham Library) and is now formally known as The Shire of Eltham Pioneers Photograph Collection.' It is significant in being the first community sourced collection representing the places and people of the Shire's first one hundred years.Digital image 4 x 5 inch B&W Neg Print 20 x 25 cm (x2)shire of eltham pioneers photograph collection, hurstbridge, hurst family, sylvia gray, hurst gray, whittaker, allwood house, allwood, frederick george hurst, gray family, mrs. catherine hurst, mrs. frances ellen gray (nee hurst), william (bill) george gray

A history of the Family of Charles and Hannah Collins, Pioneers. 24-page booklet. Compiled in 1973 by Iris E. Hocking (Great Granddaughter) and her father, George William Collins (Grandson). Sketch map of Victorian Goldfields area on title page. B&W photos of George C R Collins and Jemima on page 13. B&W photo of family of George and Jemima on page 14. Printed by Advertiser (Jamieson) Printery.Signature of Iris E. Hocking in ink at bottom of page 1.charles and hannah collins, family history, george c r collins, hannah charlotte whitaker-clarke, jemima martin, charles collins, hannah collins

non-fictionA4, 9p. A history of the Rooks Family from 1854rooks family, rooks abraham 1824-1889, scotchman's hill, wesleyan chapel, rooks ina, rooks charles francis, rooks henry

From the album of WWI soldier William West (1268) of the 29 Infantry Battalion, 5th Pioneers Battalion. This collection of postcards, photographs and clippings were sent between William and his family and loved ones during the years he was on active service. See also 207 and 220. Postcard with a colour cartoon depicting a crowd of people lining up to get in a door. One gentleman has a very large stomach. Handwritten message on the back.Front: "Lummy, Guv'nor, you ought to be in the Big Push!"album, photo album, newspaper clippings, postcard, wwi, the big push, ladies, gentlemen

From the album of WWI soldier William West (1268) of the 29 Infantry Battalion, 5th Pioneers Battalion. This collection of postcards, photographs and clippings were sent between William and his family and loved ones during the years he was on active service. See also 207 and 220. Postcard with a colour cartoon depicting a uniformed soldier with a pick axe digging a hole. Blue and red line border. Handwritten message on the back.Front: "I'm not half picking up since I joined the army!"album, photo album, newspaper clippings, postcard, wwi

From the album of WWI soldier William West (1268) of the 29 Infantry Battalion, 5th Pioneers Battalion. This postcard, addressed to soldier William West, was written by his wife on behalf of their young daughter. The final line reads, 'When are you coming home Daddy dear?' This collection of postcards, photographs and clippings were sent between William and his family and loved ones during the years he was on active service. See also 207 and 220. Cheaper and more efficient than traditional letters, postcards were an enormously popular means of communication between families and those at the front. Postcard with white background and cut out of a green gum leaf"wishing you a speedy and safe return" "A gum leaf from Australia"album, photo album, newspaper clippings, postcard, wwi, remembrance, gum leaf, gumleaf, australia

From the album of WWI soldier William West (1268) of the 29 Infantry Battalion, 5th Pioneers Battalion. This collection of postcards, photographs and clippings were sent between William and his family and loved ones during the years he was on active service. See also 207 and 220. Mini postcard - two separate black and white images both featuring the moonPrinted on front " The same old moon" Hand written on rear.. To Enid From Dad I just got a letter from you 22 July Best Love xxxalbum, photo album, newspaper clippings, postcard, wwi, wattle flower, wattle, australia, flowers, merry xmas, christmas

From the album of WWI soldier William West (1268) of the 29 Infantry Battalion, 5th Pioneers Battalion. This collection of postcards, photographs and clippings were sent between William and his family and loved ones during the years he was on active service. See also 207 and 220. Postcard with a cartoon of a dog and rabbit chasing a boy"The rabbit: "what a nervous little boy! Aint he scared of me!!"album, photo album, newspaper clippings, postcard, wwi, boy, dog, rabbit, running, chasing

From the album of WWI soldier William West (1268) of the 29 Infantry Battalion, 5th Pioneers Battalion. This collection of postcards, photographs and clippings were sent between William and his family and loved ones during the years he was on active service. See also 207 and 220. Postcard with a illustration of two pink and purple flowers, gold text and white background."Good / Luck"album, photo album, newspaper clippings, postcard, wwi, boy, flower, gold, horseshoe, good luck

From the album of WWI soldier William West (1268) of the 29 Infantry Battalion, 5th Pioneers Battalion. This collection of postcards, photographs and clippings were sent between William and his family and loved ones during the years he was on active service. See also 207 and 220. Postcard with a vase of wattle flowers in the centre"Merry Xmas"album, photo album, newspaper clippings, postcard, wwi, wattle flower, wattle, australia, flowers, merry xmas, christmas

From the album of WWI soldier William West (1268) of the 29 Infantry Battalion, 5th Pioneers Battalion. This collection of postcards, photographs and clippings were sent between William and his family and loved ones during the years he was on active service. See also 207 and 220. Postcard with gold font and foliate border, bouquet of blue flowers and white backgroundalbum, photo album, newspaper clippings, postcard, wwi, flower, gold, remembrance

From the album of WWI soldier William West (1268) of the 29 Infantry Battalion, 5th Pioneers Battalion. This collection of postcards, photographs and clippings were sent between William and his family and loved ones during the years he was on active service. See also 207 and 220. Postcard with a colour illustration depicting four women in evening wear (each representing the flags of the allies) watching a soldier on a stage. Handwritten message on the back.Front: "We all think you're acting fine / Joue bien ton role, Tommy!"album, photo album, newspaper clippings, postcard, wwi, tommy, evening wear, flags of the allies, flags

From the album of WWI soldier William West (1268) of the 29 Infantry Battalion, 5th Pioneers Battalion. This collection of postcards, photographs and clippings were sent between William and his family and loved ones during the years he was on active service. See also 207 and 220. Postcard with black and white design featuring a pyramid and the sphinx.Front: "Greetings from Egypt"album, photo album, newspaper clippings, postcard, wwi, egypt, pyramid, sphinx, greetings

From the album of WWI soldier William West (1268) of the 29 Infantry Battalion, 5th Pioneers Battalion. This collection of postcards, photographs and clippings were sent between William and his family and loved ones during the years he was on active service. See also 207 and 220. Postcard with black and white photograph of a Creswick street sceneFront: "Post office and free library, Creswick"album, photo album, newspaper clippings, postcard, wwi, creswick, post office, library

From the album of WWI soldier William West (1268) of the 29 Infantry Battalion, 5th Pioneers Battalion. This collection of postcards, photographs and clippings were sent between William and his family and loved ones during the years he was on active service. See also 207 and 220. Postcard with black and white photograph of five children next to a bassinetalbum, photo album, newspaper clippings, postcard, wwi, children, baby

From the album of WWI soldier William West (1268) of the 29 Infantry Battalion, 5th Pioneers Battalion. This collection of postcards, photographs and clippings were sent between William and his family and loved ones during the years he was on active service. See also 207 and 220. Postcard with a black and white photograph of a soldier in uniform. His right arm is resting on a wooden stand and he stands in front of a brick ivy covered wall. Handwritten message on the back.There is a small sign at the base of the stand that says "3251"album, photo album, newspaper clippings, postcard, wwi, photograph, soldier

From the album of WWI soldier William West (1268) of the 29 Infantry Battalion, 5th Pioneers Battalion. This collection of postcards, photographs and clippings were sent between William and his family and loved ones during the years he was on active service. See also 207 and 220. Postcard with a black and white photograph of a soldier in uniform. He is standing in front of a plain white background. Handwritten message on the back.album, photo album, newspaper clippings, postcard, wwi, photograph, soldier

From the album of WWI soldier William West (1268) of the 29 Infantry Battalion, 5th Pioneers Battalion. This collection of postcards, photographs and clippings were sent between William and his family and loved ones during the years he was on active service. See also 207 and 220. Postcard with a black and white photograph of soldiers constructing a roadway at the front. Handwritten message on the back.album, photo album, newspaper clippings, postcard, wwi, photograph, soldier, the front, road, construction

From the album of WWI soldier William West (1268) of the 29 Infantry Battalion, 5th Pioneers Battalion. This collection of postcards, photographs and clippings were sent between William and his family and loved ones during the years he was on active service. See also 207 and 220. Postcard with a sepia photograph of three men in a car. Handwritten message on the back.album, photo album, newspaper clippings, postcard, wwi, car, photograph

From the album of WWI soldier William West (1268) of the 29 Infantry Battalion, 5th Pioneers Battalion. This collection of postcards, photographs and clippings were sent between William and his family and loved ones during the years he was on active service. See also 207 and 220. Postcard with a colour design including two sailors holding flags, an outline of Australia with two magpies within, a ship at sea and two hands clasping.Front "hands across the sea"album, photo album, newspaper clippings, postcard, wwi, ship, sea, hands across the sea, holding hands, hand, magpie, currawong, sailor, ocean

From the album of WWI soldier William West (1268) of the 29 Infantry Battalion, 5th Pioneers Battalion. This collection of postcards, photographs and clippings were sent between William and his family and loved ones during the years he was on active service. See also 207 and 220. Postcard with a colour illustration of a bulldog carrying a brown sausage dog in its mouthFront "got him!"album, photo album, newspaper clippings, postcard, wwi, dog, sausage dog, bulldog

From the album of WWI soldier William West (1268) of the 29 Infantry Battalion, 5th Pioneers Battalion. This collection of postcards, photographs and clippings were sent between William and his family and loved ones during the years he was on active service. See also 207 and 220. Mini postcard with a blue grey design.Front "situation shortly vacant / with good prospects of a rise"album, photo album, newspaper clippings, postcard, wwi, bomb, missile

From the album of WWI soldier William West (1268) of the 29 Infantry Battalion, 5th Pioneers Battalion. This collection of postcards, photographs and clippings were sent between William and his family and loved ones during the years he was on active service. See also 207 and 220. Postcard with a black and white photograph of a cottage in a garden settingFront "the Queen's cottage, Kew"album, photo album, newspaper clippings, postcard, wwi, photograph, kew, the queen's cottage