The artist: Marianne Louise Charlotte Amalie Wehl (19 Sept. 1867, Mt Gambier; 26 Oct. 1926, Melbourne), a flower painter who was active in South Australia and Victoria, and not to be confused with Marie Magdalene Wehl. Connection with Baron von Mueller: Von Mueller’s younger sister, Clara married Doctor Eduard Wehl and they lived in South Australia. They had 14 children, 6 of whom collected and painted botanical studies – some now in the National Herbarium, Melbourne. A cousin of Doctor Wehl – Carl Wehl – married Sophia Caroline (née Gorte) and one of their daughters was Marianne Wehl. It is recorded that von Mueller visited the Wehls and D’Altons in Halls Gap (Henrietta D'Alton was also a painter of wildflowers), so it is hard to believe that there is no influence at least. Von Mueller had over 1,400 collectors/artists working for him and 225 of them were women and children. Their work is housed in the National Herbarium, Melbourne. The donor believes that Marianne contributed to this work. There is no record of that, however, as only 169 of the artists have been identified, it may be a possibility. Marianne was one of six children of Carl Jakob Wilhelm Wehl (1830–1899) and Sophia Caroline Wehl (née Gorte) (1843–1920). She never married. https://data.environment.sa.gov.au/Content/Publications/JABG34P001_Dowe.pdf The plants: All of the plants painted by Marianne Wehl's in this donation were identified by Botanist Neil Marriott & Wendy Marriott, in July 2022. Neil Marriott said that the quality and beauty of these botanical studies made it easy for them to identify all the plants. He suggested they may be some of the first paintings of Grampians wildflowers. This makes the paintings highly important scientifically and botanically. Visitors to WAMA will be able to compare them with today’s plants in the Endemic Garden. Neil marvelled that Marianne found the specimens, as some of them are endemic and found only in the highest parts of the Grampians (Mt Rosea, Mt William and Major Mitchell Plateau) and are listed as rare and endangered. Some of these same rare plants have now been propagated by the WAMA team and in winter 2022 were planted in WAMA's Endemic Garden. Left to right: (Neil's comments) Tetratheca ciliata - Black-eyed Susan. Common and widespread. Marianthus bignoniaceus –Orange Bell-Climber. Confined to drainage lines and winter-wet areas, generally well shaded. A most beautiful light climber with the Grampians being its only location in Victoria, but amazingly, it is also found in small numbers in the wetter parts of the Mt Lofty Ranges and on Kangaroo Island in South Australia. Although not strictly endemic, it has been propagated for planting in our endemic garden due to its rarity in Victoria. Leptospermum myrsinoides - Heath Tea-tree. Common and widespread. Spider Orchid Caladenia species- need my orchid books for accurate identification! Thryptomene calycina - Grampians Thryptomene. Grampians endemic but common. Epacris impressa - Common Heath - white flower form. Common and widespread NB In some records she is called Marianna (as the donor calls her) and in others Marianne. Wildflower art, Wildlife artGift of Barbara Crick in memory of Marjorie and Lachlan McLennanSix individual, small paintings of Grampians wildflowers, matted together and framed in a smooth gloss olive green simulating wood or bamboo.All are signed with the initials “M.W.” underlined, to the left or right of the stem of the plant. On the reverse side - Shield-shape stamp centre top: “J.A. Reynolds. Decorator & Picture Framer, 28 Sturt St., Ballarat”. Hand-written right of that in black felt pen at an angle, “McLennan, 106 Bennett Rd. (2)”.wildflowers, flowers, marianne wehl, marianna wehl, wama, painting, gouache, wildlife art museum australia, wild art museum australia, flower painter, works on paper, halls gap, botany, baron von mueller, ferdinand von mueller, carl wehl

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

The building is the 3rd in a series of 3 water colours by Stan Thomas. The building is the HQ of the Kangaroo Flat RSL Sub Branch. The Sub Branch was formed on December 18th 1951. Refer Cat No 8231 for the series.Painting, water colour, gold timber frame, painting set in two white card insets showing a brick building with white double doors and a flag out the front with 4 large pot plants, by artist Stan Thomas.On top of the building, "Kangaroo Flat RSL", hand painted on "Stan Thomas"brsl, smirsl, painting, water colour, kangaroo flat

The gardens of Ovens District Hospital were laid out and planted by R H Jenkyns in 1874. Over 200 species of trees and shrubs were planted, including several large Himalayan Cedars (Cedrus deodora), a Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), rare Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris), Pencil Cedar (Juniperus virginiana), Bunya Bunya Pines (Araucaria bidwillii), a Purple-leaved Dutch Elm (Ulmus x hollandica 'Purpurascens'), American Ash (Fraxinus americana), Pinus radiata, and numerous Populus alba trees and suckers. The gardens were considered integral to the healing process, also including orchards and kitchen gardens. In the 1880s, tourists flocked to Beechworth as the area became recognised as a health resort and picturesque beauty spot. Although the hospital closed in 1940, and parts were subsequently demolished, the gardens remain and form part of the site's listing on the Victorian Heritage Register. This photograph is part of a collection of items held by the Burke Museum relating to Ovens District Hospital. At the time of being built, the Ovens District Hospital was the only hospital between Melbourne, Victoria, and Goulburn, New South Wales, treating patients from all of north-east Victoria, including Indigo Shire.Black and white stereoscopic photograph mounted on card.Reverse: 97-2292 / View up centre path of Hospital / A03177 / BMM3177 / Note: A03178 / View of the central path of the Ovens Hospital / (Church St) Beechworthovens hospital, hospital garden, gardens and parks, ovens district hospital

A comprehensive thick catalogue book: D.W. Chandler General Hardware Ltd. Catalogue established 1876 which has a very decorative busy front cover with green, burgundy and cream colours for the title, full details of the contents, address, Registered Trademark, phone numbers and more. It is bound on the spine with red tape, 27.5 Inside on the left front end paper are details about Chandler's mail orders, a map of the Melbourne city location and addresses for Melbourne, Fitzroy and country cities. Opposite is a NOTICE page, explaining prices were current at the time of issue, (October 1937) with several altered prices since printing. Pp. 180 with four thin blue paper Order Forms at the back; two which have been filled in and two with a child's scribble on them. There is a comprehensive four page Index at the back. Hundreds of black and white drawings of hardware items and general life of the times are included throughout. Inserted in the catalogue are four dried plants or flowers, a small leaflet which shows illustrations and information about "Rega" spraying nozzles with diagrams and handwritten prices. A leaflet of a Parts Price List for Stewart No.1 Clipping machine and clipping heads. A copy of a D. W. Chandler Ltd Fitzroy order dated 12 March 1937 for "Ringlock" Fencing. On page 146 is a light blue thin paper Note for P146 about models of Churchill's and Jeffery's guns. Attached to this paper with cellotape is a typed copy dated 10/11/37 for an order for Square Iron Tanks to be delivered by rail. The back cover has advertising for "Perfect" Welded Fencing from Chandler's hardware stores. There is a manufactured hole by the publisher in the top left hand corner to hang it for future reference.non-fictionA comprehensive 1937 catalogue of general hardware for household and farm use for buyers to order in Melbourne and rural cities in Australia. The company was established in 1876. This is the 49th issue. social history, australian history, history, hardware, catalogues, objects, tools

Administrative record - "Superintendent of cable running sheds daily return" for MMTB dated 21/2/1938 - form 21A of 11/37. Give details of the weather, traffic conditions, depot tram cars - cars and dummies, and their availability. Lists 2 cars taken out of service - issues or accidents. Would have been compiled from individual depot reports. The rear of the sheet has been used to prepare a report by K L Mackenzie on applicants for the Compressed Gas Plant attendant at Clifton Hill depot. The Compressed Gas plant was part of the equipment installed to provide gas for the buses during the early stage of the Second World War. Names listed are: Hence, Wrigly, Maynard, Fay, Coates, Stephens, Lyons, Langton, and C J M Campbell. See item 7521, 7517 and 7518 for similar reports. Yields information the mmtb cable tram allocation and events at cable tram running sheds - 1938.Completed preprinted quarto form with typed information with hand writing on rear.tramways, trams, mmtb, depots, daily reports, cable trams, clifton hill, compressed gas, buses

Administrative record - "Superintendent electric running sheds' daily return" for MMTB dated 4/5/1925 - form 71. Give details of the weather, traffic conditions, depot tram cars - bogie and single truckers Lists 1 car taken out of service - defective or accidents, provides detail of the status of fire services at depots, and watchmen's tell tales. Would have been compiled from individual depot reports. The rear of the sheet has been used to prepare a report by K L Mackenzie on applicants for the Compressed Gas Plant attendant at Clifton Hill depot. The Compressed Gas plant was part of the equipment installed to provide gas for the buses during the early stage of the Second World War. Names listed are: Hence, Wrigly, Maynard, Fay, Coates, Stephens, Lyons, and Langton. See item 7521, 7516 and 7518 for similar reports. Yields information the mmtb cable tram allocation and events at electric tram running sheds - 1925 and the compressed gas system attendants.Completed preprinted foolscap form with typed information and hand writing on the rear.tramways, trams, mmtb, depots, daily reports, cable trams, clifton hill, compressed gas, buses

This image appears to have been created to depict this good size Agave Americana plant, also known as the 'Century Plant'. Agaves are an introduced species to Australia. Their local propagation in Victoria is mentioned in Victorian newspapers as early as the 1850s. By the 1870s they appear to have become fairly common but still relatively novel. The side by side view of the Holy Trinity Anglican and Saint Andrews Presbyterian Churches forms an interesting frame for this botanical study. On the far right of the image in the background can be seen the Presbyterian Church Manse built in 1858 and demolished in the 20th century.Small sepia 'carte de viste' style unframed photograph on card with gold border framing photograph. Housed in the Jeremeas Family Album which contains photographs of Bacchus Marsh and District in 1883 by the photographers Stevenson and McNicoll. In the foreground of this image is an Agave Americana plant growing alongside a post and rail fence. In the background can be seen the Anglican Holy Trinity Church on the left and Saint Andrews Presbyterian Church on the right.Printed On the front: Stevenson & McNicoll. Photo. 108 Elizabeth St. Melbourne. COPIES CAN BE OBTAINED AT ANY TIME. On the back: LIGHT & TRUTH inscribed on a banner surmounted by a representation of the rising sun. Copies of this Portrait can be had at any time by sending the Name and Post Office Money Order or Stamps for the amount of order to STEVENSON & McNICOLL LATE BENSON & STEVENSON, Photographers. 108 Elizabeth Street, MELBOURNE. stevenson and mcnicoll 1883 photographs of bacchus marsh and district, churches bacchus marsh, holy trinity anglican church bacchus marsh, holy trinity church of england bacchus marsh, saint andrews presbyterian church bacchus marsh, plants, agaves, exotic plants, agave americana

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

Hawthorn hedges are important reminders of Kangaroo Ground's Scottish heritage. They are Registered on the Victorian Heritage Register. They are "historically significant because the planting of hawthorn hedges reflects the adoption of Eurorpean farming techniques by the Kangaroo Ground population in the period following settlement and because the grid pattern of paddocks that the Hawthorn hedges define is very different to today's farm landscapes." Covered under Heritage Overlay, Nillumbik Planning Scheme. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p21 Hawthorn hedges bordering Kangaroo Ground’s gently rolling farmlands are important reminders of its Scottish heritage and are rare so close to Melbourne.1 As early as the 1840s newly arrived farmers from Scotland planted hawthorn hedges around their properties, to protect crops from the numerous kangaroos and wallabies. Many of these hedges survive today. These farmers had the good fortune to settle some of the most fertile land available for cropping in the Colony of Victoria. At that time the black volcanic soil could sustain an amazing two crops a year. By the mid 1850s, 500 acres (202ha) of wheat were growing in Kangaroo Ground. But the crops were threatened by kangaroos, which were so plentiful, that Surveyor-General, Robert Hoddle, named the district Kangaroo Ground in 1838. As post-and-rail fences proved inadequate barriers for the bounding kangaroos, the Scots planted hawthorn hedgerows as they had done in Scotland. Some also used the hedges to net birds, presumably for the table. Interestingly the farmers in the bordering townships of Panton Hill and Christmas Hills, did not plant hawthorn hedges around their properties. Perhaps it was because by the time they settled in the 1860s and 1870s most of the wildlife had been gunned down by residents.2 The canny Scots planted the hedges on public land outside their own farms, as the hedgerows could spread to about five yards (five m) in width. With this impenetrable barrier Kangaroo Ground’s industrious farmers flourished to gain the economic power that saw the Shire of Eltham governed from Kangaroo Ground for 79 years (1858-1937). The Scots jealously guarded their land, so hard to get in Scotland. That is why they refused to release any of it ‘for local roads to follow easier grades as was the case in surrounding districts where roads generally followed ridgelines or streams’.3 Instead the roads were built in accordance with the magnetic bearings of their first survey in 1847 whether that suited the steep topography or not. This could force traffic to diverge when wet through Greensborough and Diamond Creek. Until 1921, the Eltham-Yarra Glen Road beside Wellers Restaurant, ‘dipped down into the upper reaches of Stony Creek’.4 Later some corners were compulsorily cut for the increasing motor traffic. As late as the 1960s, corners were cut to form sweeping curves above and alongside the Kangaroo Ground Cemetery and opposite the Emergency Operations Centre. In the latter case, the farmers – understanding their hedgerows as important heritage – insisted upon their reinstatement to conform to the altered road alignment. Kangaroo Ground’s ancient manna gums also point to the district’s history and to that of the hedgerows. The Aboriginal people had transformed the original forests into grasslands with the fires they lit to attract kangaroos, (which the Scots were to exclude by planting hedgerows). But the Wurundjeri hunters left the gums (Eucalyptus vimminalis cygnetensis), on the grasslands as ‘stalking trees’ to hunt kangaroos. The hawthorn hedges in Kangaroo Ground were neglected for around 60 years from about the middle of the 20th century. Bushfires had created gaps and the hedgerows were not trimmed. Then in late 2005, local historian Mick Woiwod, formed a group to lobby the Nillumbik Shire to restore the hedges, which could last for many centuries. Some hedges in parts of Britain date back to AD 800.5 Although the original Scottish farmers have gone, the hedges are a reminder of when they flourished in the district, which has changed little in 150 years.This collection of almost 130 photos about places and people within the Shire of Nillumbik, an urban and rural municipality in Melbourne's north, contributes to an understanding of the history of the Shire. Published in 2008 immediately prior to the Black Saturday bushfires of February 7, 2009, it documents sites that were impacted, and in some cases destroyed by the fires. It includes photographs taken especially for the publication, creating a unique time capsule representing the Shire in the early 21st century. It remains the most recent comprehenesive publication devoted to the Shire's history connecting local residents to the past. nillumbik now and then (marshall-king) collection, eltham-yarra glen road, hawthorn hedgerow, kangaroo ground

'Fulling', the half-hectare property at Pitt Street, Eltham was the home of landscape designer Gordon Ford and his wife Gwen. Ford bought the property in 1948, originally part of an orchard. The garden encapsulates the major trends of Australian garden design in the second half of the 20th century. The garden design is based on mass (plants) and void (paths and pools), textures and forms. It epitomises the Eltham style because of its relaxed informality and attraction to native wildlife. The mud brick house and designed and built by Ford commenced in 1948. Several extensions were added up to 1970 and were built by Graham Rose (Source: information panel for exhibition, n.d.) Covered under Heritage Overlay, Nillumbik Planning Scheme. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p147 A narrow timber gate opens onto a garden that has had a huge impact on natural garden development in Australia since the 1950s.1 Fulling, the half-hectare property at Pitt St, Eltham, was the home of the landscape designer, Gordon Ford, who died in 1999. The garden ‘encapsulates the major trends of Australian garden design in the second half of the 20th century...and epitomises the Eltham style of garden’.2 It in turn, was influenced by several Victorian major landscape designers of the mid 20th century – Ellis Stones, Peter Glass and Edna Walling. The gate opens onto a sandy gravel path, one of several, which wind around dramatic pools and what appear to be natural bush, but on close inspection are carefully integrated native, indigenous and exotic plantings. Retaining walls and steps of rock through the garden link different terrace levels. Lichen-covered boulders serve as steps across a pool, leading to the triple level mud-brick house. Ford bought the property, which was originally part of an orchard, in 1948. As the son of a Presbyterian minister, Ford received a good education, which included learning Latin. This was advantageous when he worked in plant sales for the Forestry Commission, before the Second World War. In the late 1940s, however, Ford turned to building and landscape gardening. He worked on the Busst house, an early mud-brick building designed by Alistair Knox and at the same time, Ford was employed by Ellis Stones. Knox described Ford as, ‘one of the funniest men of the district. ...Rocky’s (Ellis Stones) Depression stories and Gordon’s memory and quick tongue made the jobs the most enjoyable of all those hysterical times that made Eltham the centre of the eternal laugh, between the years of 1945 and 1950’.3 Ford’s house, like so many after the war, was built progressively, as more space was needed and formerly scarce materials became available. It began with an army-shed of timber-lined walls, now used as the kitchen. Ford then built what is now the lounge room, and the house grew ‘like topsy and on a shoestring,’ says his widow Gwen. A lot of second-hand materials such as window frames were used, a style made famous particularly with their extensive use at Montsalvat, the Eltham Artists’ Colony. The house was constructed as a joint venture with friends, including artist Clifton Pugh, who built Ford’s bedroom for £10. The polished floorboards and solomite (compressed straw) ceilings, interspersed with heavy beams, exude warmth. The result is a home of snug spaces, with soft light and garden vistas. Several other mud-brick buildings were constructed as needed, including a studio and units for bed-and-breakfast clients. The garden, which has been part of the Open Garden Scheme since the mid 1980s, is based on a balance of mass (plants) and void (paths and pools), textures and forms. It epitomises the Eltham style because of its relaxed informal ethos and attracts native animals. Wattlebirds, scrub wrens, pardalotes, currawongs, owls and even kangaroos, have been seen at Fulling. Gwen, a former English teacher who has worked on the garden since around 1970, urged and helped Ford write his book, The Natural Australian Garden.4 Several of Ford’s favourite trees are in the garden, including the native Casuarina or She-Oak. In spring, the garden is dusted with the purple Orthrosanthus multiflorus or blue native irises and rings with the calls of birds attracted to plants like the callistemons, correas and grevilleas.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, fulling, gordon ford garden, pitt street, eltham mud brick buildings, mud brick house

Dendrites are deposits of black minerals, typically manganese oxides that precipitated from water seeping through fractures in fine-grain rocks like a sandstone or limestone. Dendrites are much less regular than plant fossils and lacks vein structures. The manganese cryztallizes through the process called 'supercooling'. Some samples of dendrites occur in volcanic rocks in the Lilydale district, east of Melbourne. Sandstones are made of tiny sand grains that may have been deposited in the sea and later formed together. Most sandstones are made of quartz which are chemically-resistant minerals. This particular specimen was donated by Alfred Selwyn in 1868 as part of the Geological Survey of Victoria. It is connected to the original 1875 catalogue on Geological Specimen with number 189 'Quartz Crystals_Quartz Crystals (two are polished)'Dendrites on sandstones This specimen is an important contribution to the geological history of Victoria, as well as its links to the 1868 Geological Survey of Victoria. This specimen is part of larger collection of significant geological specimens in the Burke Museum that was collected from around the world between 1868-1880. A large percentage of these specimens were collection as part of the Geological Survey of Victoria 1852-1974. The Geological Survey of Victoria was an organisation founded in response to the Victorian gold rush to explore the geological and mineral resources and to record a detailed map of the state. It was headed by British geologist, Alfred Richard Cecil Selwyn (1824-1902), who was responsible for issuing over 60 geological maps during his 17 years as director. These maps were all hand-drawn and coloured and became the benchmark for accuracy for geological mapping. Collecting geological specimens was an important part of mapping and understanding the scientific makeup of the earth. Many of these specimens were sent to research and collecting organisations across Australia, including the Burke Museum, to educate and encourage further study. A hand-sized slice of light brown sandstone with dendrites formed from crystallized manganese oxide.Existing label: Not sure what / 'Slica dondrites' / means. / Sample is sandstone and original label / identifies it as from / the Grampians near Stawell. / C. Willman / 15/4/21 Other label: [illegible] / stone [ illegible] / from Grampians Stawell / 1894 /geological specimen, geology, geology collection, burke museum, beechworth, dendrites, sandstones, quartz, lilydale district, geological survey of victoria, grampians, victoria rocks, minerals, rocks, manganese oxides, alfred selwyn

A fossil refers to any remains or traces of past life that are preserved in the rock. It could be remains of plants or animals. Fossil leaves are commonly found on different types of rocks. These fossils can go as far back as the Triassic Age just like the series of fossil plants collected at Denmark Hill, Ipswich in Queensland. Fossils leaves are formed when dead plants get buried by sediments like mud, sand, or volcanic ash. Often, it gets detached cleanly from stems along a special layer of weak cells, then twigs, and, less commonly, cones of conifers and fruits and seeds of flowering plants. Over time, the leaves or pieces of leaves get buried by more sediments and eventually gets 'lithified' or hardened into a rock. Erosions and mining can cause the rocks to break and reveal the fossils buried in it. Fossilisation frequently takes place at sites in the lowlands where deposits of clay, silt, sand are found. This is usually due to weathering and erosion of rocks. Fossil leaves can provide information about ancient Australia's way of living. It contributes to Victorian biodiversity records and its botanical collections. It also contributes information on the geographical profile of Victoria as fossilisation usually occur at estuaries and deltas of rivers, river flood plains, ponds and lakes. This specimen is part of a larger collection of geological and mineral specimens collected from around Australia (and some parts of the world) and donated to the Burke Museum between 1868-1880. A large percentage of these specimens were collected in Victoria as part of the Geological Survey of Victoria that begun in 1852 (in response to the Gold Rush) to study and map the geology of Victoria. Collecting geological specimens was an important part of mapping and understanding the scientific makeup of the earth. Many of these specimens were sent to research and collecting organisations across Australia, including the Burke Museum, to educate and encourage further study.Piece of light brown rock with fossilised leaves in shades of golden yellow and brown.Existing label: Fossil Leaves / Locality unknown / might be worth checking if this is Glossopteris, a Permian age plant. / C. William 16/4/21 geological specimen, geology, geology collection, burke museum, beechworth, fossil leaves, fossilization, 1868 geological survey of victoria, lithified, rocks, fossilised leaf, rock, fossils, leaves

This specimen was recovered from Broken Hill, NSW. It was given the name Mangan Hedenbergite in 1819 by Jöns Jakob Berzelius in honor of Mr. Anders Ludvig of Hedenberg who was the first to define hedenbergite as a mineral. Hedenbergite, belongs in the pyroxene group having a monoclinic crystal system. The mineral is extremely rarely found as a pure substance. Mangan Hedenbergite is a manganese bearing variety of Hedenbergite. Manganese is the world’s fourth most used mineral after iron, aluminium, and copper primarily because it has no satisfactory substitute in its major applications. Globally, the steel industry is the primary user of manganese metal, utilizing it as an alloy to enhance the strength and workability of steel and in the manufacture of tin cans. Manganese is a key component of certain widely used aluminium alloys and, in oxide form, dry cell batteries used in electric vehicles. These batteries are in high demand. Another potential use for manganese may as an additive to help coat and protect a car’s engine. Manganese is also used for non-metallurgical purposes such as plant fertilizers, animal feed, and colorants for bricks. This specimen is part of a larger collection of geological and mineral specimens collected from around Australia (and some parts of the world) and donated to the Burke Museum between 1868-1880. A large percentage of these specimens were collected in Victoria as part of the Geological Survey of Victoria that begun in 1852 (in response to the Gold Rush) to study and map the geology of Victoria. Collecting geological specimens was an important part of mapping and understanding the scientific makeup of the earth. Many of these specimens were sent to research and collecting organisations across Australia, including the Burke Museum, to educate and encourage further study.A hand-sized mineral specimen in shades of silver and blackmanganese, open cut mine, manganese ore processing, bell bay, tasmania, northern territory, steel industry, zinc-carbon batteries, alkaline batteries, tin cans

Albury Pottery was established in the late 1970s to supply pottery for the party plan company Cooperware, a spin-off from Faberware. Located in Hudson Crescent, Lavington, the pottery was managed by Rudolph Dybka until 1983, then by Ron Petch, who had previously worked as sales manager for Cooper Pottery, one of Cooperware's UK suppliers. By the mid-1980s, the pottery had four throwers and a further 5-6 employees, and was specialising in stoneware with distinctive ribbed forms and light blond glazes. In 1985, the pottery was sold to the NSW Government as a workers' cooperative, and Petch moved to Old Ballarat Pottery as production manager. In 1987, the Petch's bought back into the business with partners Pat and Ken Snape, moving to slip casting, doubling the operating area, opening a terracotta plant in a separate location and establishing a tourism presence in the Old Cheese factory between Albury and Wodonga. As the business grew it took on more partners and this proved problematic in a declining market for production pottery. The Petch's pulled out in 1991 and the pottery closed shortly afterwards. (CC BY NC SA Judith Pearce, accessed https://www.flickr.com/groups/1281707@N21/discuss/72157629392131982/, 15 October 2024.)A ceramic jug with a brown top, and an emu on a white ground.albury pottery, emu

Contents: • Eltham Court House by Jim Connor • Fifty Years Ago In Eltham South; A historic tree planting by Michael Aitken • Heritage Excursion –Saturday 10th July • A Mud Brick Meander by Jim Connor • Eltham Watering Place Reserve (Shire of Eltham Heritage Study appendix 1-2) • Eltham Wurundjeri History by Jan Aitken • A Well Deserved Award of Merit by Jim Connor • Annual General Meeting - 2.00pm, Saturday 12th June 2021 • Eltham Cemetery Stories by Richard Pinn o Pauline Therese Toner o Bertram Barney Wainer • Contacts for the Eltham District Historical SocietyThe Shire of Eltham Historical Society was formed in October 1967. The first newsletter of the Society was issued May 1978 and has been published continuously ever since on a bi-monthly basis. With the cessation of the Shire of Eltham in late 1994, the Society's name was revised to Eltham District Historical Society and this name first appeared with issue No. 103, July 1995. The collection of the Society's newsletters provides a valuable resource on the history of the Society's activities, office bearers and committee members, guest speakers and subjects of historical interest pertinent to the former Shire of Eltham and the Eltham District.A4 newsletter distributed to members (Digital and A4 photocopy)newsletter, eltham district historical society, covid-19, coronavirus pandemic

This sign proudly hung outside the Forests Commission Victoria (FCV) Beechworth office which is now site of the Forestry Heritage Museum. The granite building in the Beechworth's historic precinct was once the Gold Warden's Office and is one of the town's original buildings. The FCV was the main government authority responsible for management and protection of State forests in Victoria between 1918 and 1983. The Commission was responsible for ″forest policy, prevention and suppression of bushfires, issuing leases and licences, planting and thinning of forests, the development of plantations, reforestation, nurseries, forestry education, the development of commercial timber harvesting and marketing of produce, building and maintaining forest roads, provision of recreation facilities, protection of water, soils and wildlife, forest research and making recommendations on the acquisition or alienation of land for forest purposes″. The Forests Commission had a long and proud history of innovation and of managing Victoria's State forests but in September 1983 lost its discrete identity when it was merged into the newly formed Victorian Department of Conservation, Forests and Lands (CFL) along with the Crown Lands and Survey Department, National Park Service, Soil Conservation Authority and Fisheries and Wildlife Service. After the amalgamation the management of State forests and the forestry profession continued but the tempo of change accelerated, with many more departmental restructures occurring over the subsequent four decades. Responsibilities are currently split between the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA), Forests Fire Management Victoria (FFMV), Parks Victoria, Melbourne Water, Alpine Resorts Commission, the State Government-owned commercial entity VicForests and the privately owned Hancock Victorian Plantations (HVP).Large office sign. Hand painted in traditional FCV mission brown and gold colour scheme.forests commission victoria (fcv), forest signs

February 1933: East Moon Gold Mining Co. N.L. has been formed with a capital of £25,000 in 36,000 shares of 10/- each issued at 1/-. The company will work an extensive lease on the Paddy’s Gully and Derby lines of reef at Eaglehawk. A shaft was sunk on the Paddy’s Gully line in the property of the New Moon Co. some years ago to a depth of 380 ft. and another shaft was sunk by the same company on the Derby line of reef to 134 ft. In the Paddy’s Gully shaft a large body of spurs 10ft wide at the 256ft plat was exposed and continued downward for 36 ft (56ft?) before passing out of the shaft to the east. A little gold was seen in the stone but no work was done. The development of this formation will be the first work undertaken by the new company. (The Sun News Pictorial Monday 20th February 1933, page 23) Black hard cover book, red binding on spine, one hundred and eighty eight pages of which sixty five are used. Label on front cover: 'East Moon G.M.C . N.L.' Book contains: a. handwritten reports from Alfred Jorgensen regarding the installation of the plant and machinery at the mine b. reports from E.G. Robertson, the Manager of the East Moon Gold Mining Company. Typed report by E.G. Robertson, 8th July 1935 reports on the Paddy's Gully shaft, the Derby shaft and the Hustlers shaft. Entries date from 20th July 1933 to 22nd. August 1935. Mine Manager's book forms part of the Margaret Roberts Collection of Mining records.bendigo, margaret roberts, legal managers, mine manager, east moon gold mining company n.l., e.g. robertson mine manager, alfred jorgensen contractor, paddy's gully shaft, derby shaft, hustler's shaft,

Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p175 It’s Saturday morning and thousands of people are visiting St Andrews Market at the corner of Heidelberg-Kinglake Road and Proctor Street. It’s hard to find a park. Cars are banked up along the narrow road and crammed in a nearby parking area. Yet, at the market, people look relaxed and happy amongst the yellow box gums on the site where the Wurundjeri people used to gather. Stone artefacts unearthed there by Koorie researcher, Isabel Ellender, indicate the site was once a Wurundjeri meeting place, according to Aboriginal Affairs Victoria. Acoustic sounds mingle with quiet conversations. A guitarist blows a mouth organ while his bare toes tickle chimes. A tiny busker, perhaps five years old, plays a violin while sounds of a harp emerge from the hall. One stallholder, selling delicious-looking pastries, chats to another in Spanish, then to me in broad Australian. ‘I was born in Fitzroy but my mother came from Mexico and my dad from Serbia,’ she smiles. A New Zealander fell in love with Mongolia and now imports their hand-made embroidered clothes and Yurts (tents) and runs adventure tours. A young woman visited Morocco and when friends admired the shoes she bought, she decided to import them and sell them at the market. Oxfam sells Fair Trade toys and clothes and displays a petition to Make Poverty History. Other stalls sell Himalayan salt, jewellery made from seeds from northern Australia, glass paper-weights from China as well as locally grown vegetables, flowers and organic freshly baked bread. A woman sits in a state of bliss under the hands of a masseur. Another offers Reiki or spiritual healing. A juggler tosses devil sticks – ‘not really about the devil,’ he smiles. This skill was practised thousands of years ago in Egypt and South America he says. At the Chai Tent people lounge on cushions in leisurely conversation. The idea for the market was first mooted among friends over a meal at the home of famous jazz and gospel singer Judy Jacques.2 Jacques remembers a discussion with several local artists including Marlene Pugh, Eric Beach, Les Kossatz, Ray Newell and Peter Wallace. ‘We decided we wanted a meeting place, where all the different factions of locals could meet on common ground, sell their goodies and get to know one another,’ Jacques recalls. They chose the site opposite another meeting place, St Andrews Pub. A week later Jacques rode her horse around the district and encouraged her neighbours to come along to the site to buy or sell. On February 23, 1973, about 20 stallholders arrived with tables. They traded ‘second-hand clothes, vegetables, meat, cheese, eggs, chickens, goats, scones, tea, garden pots and peacock feathers’. Now around 2000 people visit each Saturday. People usually linger until dusk. The market – with around 150 stalls of wares from a wide variety of cultures – stands alongside Montsalvat as the most popular tourist attraction in Nillumbik. By the 1990s St Andrews Market was in danger of being loved to death, as the site was becoming seriously degraded. The market was spreading in all directions and the degradation with it. A local council arborist’s report in 1994 noted exposed tree roots from erosion and compaction. The Department of Sustainability and Environment threatened to close the market if the degradation was not rectified. After many months of research, discussions and lobbying by a few residents, the council formed a Committee of Management, with an Advisory Committee, and introduced an Environment Levy. The State Government, the council and the market, funded terracing of the site to stop erosion, and retain moisture and nutrients. Vehicles were excluded from some sensitive areas and other crucial zones reserved for re-vegetation. Volunteers planted more than 3000 locally grown indigenous species. The old Yellow Box trees fully recovered and are expected to give shade for many years to come.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, didgeridoo, jesse tree, st andrews market, swiss hang drum

A quarry was transformed into the Blue Lake. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p179 The dramatic steep-sided Plenty Gorge lies along the divide of two geological areas, and separates the Nillumbik Shire and the City of Whittlesea. On the Nillumbik side are undulating hills and sedimentary rock, and in Whittlesea, lies a basalt plain formed by volcanic action up to two million years ago. This provides the Plenty Gorge Park with diverse vegetation and habitats, making it one of Greater Melbourne’s most important refuges for threatened and significant species. The park, established in 1986, consists of around 1350 hectares, and extends 11 kilometres along the Plenty River, from Greensborough to Mernda. It provides a wildlife corridor for around 500 native plant and 280 animal species. The area’s plentiful food and water attracted the Wurundjeri Aboriginal people and then European settlers. By 1837 squatters had claimed large runs of land for their sheep and cattle. The Plenty Valley was among the first in the Port Phillip District to be settled - mainly in the less heavily timbered west - and was proclaimed a settled district in 1841.But by the late 1880s, the settlers’ extensive land clearing for animal grazing, then agriculture, depleted the Wurundjeri’s traditional food sources, which helped to drive them away. Many Wurundjeri artefacts remain (now government protected), and so far 57 sites have been identified in the park, including scarred trees, burial areas and stone artefacts. Pioneer life could be very hard because of isolation, flooding, bushfires and bushrangers. Following the Black Thursday bushfires of 1851, basalt was quarried to build more fire-resistant homes. Gold discoveries in the early 1850s swelled the population, particularly around Smugglers Gully; but food production made more of an impact. In the late 1850s wheat production supplanted grazing. In the 1860s the government made small holdings available to poorer settlers. These had the greatest effect on the district, particularly in Doreen and Yarrambat, where orchards were established from the 1880s to 1914. Links with a prominent early family are the remains of Stuchbery Farm, by the river’s edge bounded by Smugglers Gully to the north and La Trobe Road, Yarrambat, to the east. The Stuchberys moved to the valley in 1890, and the family still lives in the area. In 1890, Alfred and Ada first lived in a tent where four children were born, then Alfred built the house and outbuildings around 1896. They planted an orchard, then a market garden, and developed a dairy. The family belonged to the local Methodist and tennis communities. Their grandson Walter, opened the Flying Scotsman Model Railway Museum in Yarrambat, which his widow, Vi, continues to run. Wal was also the Yarrambat CFA Captain for 22 years until 1987. Walter sold 24 hectares in 1976 for development - now Vista Court - and in 1990, the remaining 22.6 hectares for the park. Remaining are an early stone dairy and remnants of a stone barn, a pig sty and a well. Until it was destroyed by fire in 2003, a slab hut stood on the Happy Hollow Farm site, at the southern end of the park. The hut is thought to have been built in the Depression around 1893. This was a rare and late example of a slab hut with a domestic orchard close to Melbourne. Emmet Watmough and his family first occupied the hut, followed by a succession of families, until the Bell family bought it around 1948. There they led a subsistence lifestyle for 50 years, despite encroaching Melbourne suburbia. The Yellow Gum Recreation Area includes the Blue Lake, coloured turquoise at certain times of the year. Following the 1957 bushfires, this area was quarried by Reid Quarries Pty Ltd for Melbourne’s first skyscrapers, then by Boral Australia. However in the early 1970s water began seeping into the quarry forming the Blue Lake and the quarry was closed. The State Government bought the site in 1997 and opened it as a park in 1999.This collection of almost 130 photos about places and people within the Shire of Nillumbik, an urban and rural municipality in Melbourne's north, contributes to an understanding of the history of the Shire. Published in 2008 immediately prior to the Black Saturday bushfires of February 7, 2009, it documents sites that were impacted, and in some cases destroyed by the fires. It includes photographs taken especially for the publication, creating a unique time capsule representing the Shire in the early 21st century. It remains the most recent comprehenesive publication devoted to the Shire's history connecting local residents to the past. nillumbik now and then (marshall-king) collection, blue lake, plenty gorge park

Stuchbery Farm was situated on the Plenty River bounded by Smugglers Gully to the north and La trobe Road, Yarrambat, to the east. Alan and Ada Stutchbery moved to the valley in 1890, first living in a tent where four children were born. Alfred built a home and outbuildings around 1896. They planted an orchard, then a market garden and developed a dairy. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p179 The dramatic steep-sided Plenty Gorge lies along the divide of two geological areas, and separates the Nillumbik Shire and the City of Whittlesea. On the Nillumbik side are undulating hills and sedimentary rock, and in Whittlesea, lies a basalt plain formed by volcanic action up to two million years ago. This provides the Plenty Gorge Park with diverse vegetation and habitats, making it one of Greater Melbourne’s most important refuges for threatened and significant species. The park, established in 1986, consists of around 1350 hectares, and extends 11 kilometres along the Plenty River, from Greensborough to Mernda. It provides a wildlife corridor for around 500 native plant and 280 animal species. The area’s plentiful food and water attracted the Wurundjeri Aboriginal people and then European settlers. By 1837 squatters had claimed large runs of land for their sheep and cattle. The Plenty Valley was among the first in the Port Phillip District to be settled - mainly in the less heavily timbered west - and was proclaimed a settled district in 1841. But by the late 1880s, the settlers’ extensive land clearing for animal grazing, then agriculture, depleted the Wurundjeri’s traditional food sources, which helped to drive them away. Many Wurundjeri artefacts remain (now government protected), and so far 57 sites have been identified in the park, including scarred trees, burial areas and stone artefacts. Pioneer life could be very hard because of isolation, flooding, bushfires and bushrangers. Following the Black Thursday bushfires of 1851, basalt was quarried to build more fire-resistant homes. Gold discoveries in the early 1850s swelled the population, particularly around Smugglers Gully; but food production made more of an impact. In the late 1850s wheat production supplanted grazing. In the 1860s the government made small holdings available to poorer settlers. These had the greatest effect on the district, particularly in Doreen and Yarrambat, where orchards were established from the 1880s to 1914. Links with a prominent early family are the remains of Stuchbery Farm, by the river’s edge bounded by Smugglers Gully to the north and La Trobe Road, Yarrambat, to the east. The Stuchberys moved to the valley in 1890, and the family still lives in the area. In 1890, Alfred and Ada first lived in a tent where four children were born, then Alfred built the house and outbuildings around 1896. They planted an orchard, then a market garden, and developed a dairy. The family belonged to the local Methodist and tennis communities. Their grandson Walter, opened the Flying Scotsman Model Railway Museum in Yarrambat, which his widow, Vi, continues to run. Wal was also the Yarrambat CFA Captain for 22 years until 1987. Walter sold 24 hectares in 1976 for development - now Vista Court - and in 1990, the remaining 22.6 hectares for the park. Remaining are an early stone dairy and remnants of a stone barn, a pig sty and a well. Until it was destroyed by fire in 2003, a slab hut stood on the Happy Hollow Farm site, at the southern end of the park. The hut is thought to have been built in the Depression around 1893. This was a rare and late example of a slab hut with a domestic orchard close to Melbourne. Emmet Watmough and his family first occupied the hut, followed by a succession of families, until the Bell family bought it around 1948. There they led a subsistence lifestyle for 50 years, despite encroaching Melbourne suburbia. The Yellow Gum Recreation Area includes the Blue Lake, coloured turquoise at certain times of the year. Following the 1957 bushfires, this area was quarried by Reid Quarries Pty Ltd for Melbourne’s first skyscrapers, then by Boral Australia. However in the early 1970s water began seeping into the quarry forming the Blue Lake and the quarry was closed. The State Government bought the site in 1997 and opened it as a park in 1999.This collection of almost 130 photos about places and people within the Shire of Nillumbik, an urban and rural municipality in Melbourne's north, contributes to an understanding of the history of the Shire. Published in 2008 immediately prior to the Black Saturday bushfires of February 7, 2009, it documents sites that were impacted, and in some cases destroyed by the fires. It includes photographs taken especially for the publication, creating a unique time capsule representing the Shire in the early 21st century. It remains the most recent comprehenesive publication devoted to the Shire's history connecting local residents to the past. nillumbik now and then (marshall-king) collection, ada stuchbery, alan stuchbery, dairy, stuchbery farm, farm buildings, yarrambat, plenty gorge park

A 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. 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. 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. 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