ELTHAM HERITAGE TOUR The Society excursion on 24th May 1992 was arranged by David Bick, leader of the team carrying out the Shire's heritage study. David selected a number of sites or buildings identified in the study, some of them lesser known components of the Shire's heritage. The tour commenced at the Eltham Shire Office at 10.00 am. Travel was by private car and mini-bus with stops at about twelve locations for commentary by David.It included a short walk in Hurstbridge and lunch at Kinglake. Highlights of the tour included: - 10 am Leave from Shire Offices - 3 Important Trees - A Physical Link to Eltham's First Settlers - Toorak Mansion Gates - A Surviving Farm House - An Intact Circa 1900 Main Street - First Settlers - Gold Miners, and Timber-getters - An Early Hotel - A Pioneering Homestead - Changing Eltham Shire - 20th Century - 4 pm Afternoon Tea and Finish Tour Extract from ELTHAM CULTURAL HERITAGE TOUR (Newsletter No. 85, July 1992, by Bettina Woodburn) "In some respects Eltham is a 'back-water' and it has its own distinctive flavour. On the outskirts the homes date from the 1960's, 70's and 80s with a sprinkling of 'earth homes', mud-brick or pise, rammed dirt. Crossing Main Road into Beddoe Street and Thompson Crescent a very pleasant drive past pines and old fence lines, front lawns unfenced, the occasional ·old farm building, we eventually looked down on a huge circular roof of a 1992 adobe home. Other distinctive places included the Pauline Toner Butterfly Reserve, Gordon Ford's splendid garden at Fulling in Pitt Street, cypress hedges and old houses in Bridge Street and in every direction Eltham's special feature - a totally treed horizon. We were now in the part of the Shire closest to Melbourne - Montmorency - not on the way to anywhere, with no through road going across it, developed in the 1950's and 1960's with conventional gardens, now converted to native plants. The rail looped between Greensborough and Eltham and a shopping street (Were Street) served the area, growing up the hill from the station. It was a typical outer Melbourne suburb with lawns and roses with patches of originality. The shopping precinct still has 1950 characteristics - walls which sloped back, projecting roofs, the original shop fronts are nearly all tiled below the old windows. There's an air of past times about the School, the Dairy, the Butcher's (now a milk bar) and the Castlemaine stone face of the Commonwealth Bank. The final stop for the tour was at the mud-brick Woodburn residence, adobe of 1949 with additions. After War Service, Bill Woodburn had commenced an Architecture course at Melbourne University and after second year in the Christmas vacation, with his wife, Betti, built the two bedroom house - with amazing saving of costs. In the three and a half months they made over 3000 bricks (external walls 18" x 12" x 4", internal walls 12" x 9" x 4"), sifted top soil for mortar and laid them, on concrete foundations and slab floor, made all the structural window frames, door frames and roof members to carry 'super six' asbestos sheets, laboured for the electrician and plumber, did all the glazing and, still without electricity, moved in in March 1949. Rooms have been added, at first with glass walls, later using concrete blocks, to accommodate three daughters and a son. The house not only grew from the earth, but also with the family."Record of the Society's history and activities and highlighting various aspects of the Heritage Study undertaken by David Bick used to create the future heritage overlay for the Shire of Eltham and later Nillumbik Shire.Roll of 35mm colour negative film, 4 stripsKodak Gold 100 5095shire of eltham historical society, activities, heritage tour, woodburn house

The Shire of Eltham Office was constructed in the late 1960s on the original site of Shillinglaw Cottage. Upon cessation of the Shire as a local government body following dismissal of councils by the Kennett Liberal Government in December 1994, the new Nillumbik Shire offices were located in Civic Drive, Greensborough. The Shire of Eltham office building was demolished and the site has remained vacant ever since. The three pine trees which featured in front of Shillinglaw Cottage and then the Shire of Eltham Offices remain standing on the vacant site as of 2017. Roll of 35mm colour negative film, 7 stripsKodak Gold 100-5eltham, main road, shire of eltham, shire of eltham office

The unveiling of the Eltham Obelisk War Memorial was performed by the Rev. Padre Charles Tregear, assisted by Church of England vicar, Mr Safsford on August 3, 1919. Reproduced page 99 of "Pioneers & Painters." "Beneath a lonely pine tree on the hill crest out from Eltham, where the Greensborough Road junctions with the main Melbourne Road, Eltham has erected an everlasting tribute to the memory of the fallen heroes of the district. It is an obelisk of Harcourt granite in the rough, bearing an appropriate inscription and 27 names—an unpretentious monument by the wayside, which will stand for all time silently expressing the appreciation of the living for the sacrifice of the dead. The obelisk stands 14 feet high. ... Representatives of every house in the town, and many people from the surrounding district, gathered around the obelisk for the opening ceremony. The spring-like sunshine of the afternoon attracted everybody out of doors. There must have been 700 people present when the Lieutenant-Governor, Sir William Irvine, removed the draping of flags and revealed the names on the obelisk, the base of which was surrounded by wreaths and branches of wattle bloom, placed there by parents whose sorrow at the loss of sons was blunted, for the day at least, by feelings of pride. .." Age, Monday 4 August 1919, page 8 This was the memorial's orginal location. It has been relocated numerous times.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 '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 9 x 12.5cmsepp, shire of eltham pioneers photograph collection, eltham, main road, eltham war memorial, bridge street, obelisk, obelisk corner

Digital images of a decorated Christmas tree on the corner of Nepean Street and Sainsbury Avenue Greensborough, 18/12/2019Part of a collection of miscellaneous historical images with a connection to the local area.Digital colour photographchristmas, nepean street greensborough, sainsbury avenue greensborough

This edition includes a report on the Progress Association's April 1975 meeting, Have you ever admired our trees? Stop press: purchase agreement for a 413 acre park in Diamond Valley [from Mr. and Mrs. Young's combined properties], Diamond Valley Repertory, From the Council Chamber, Letter to the Editor, In memoriam: Gertrude Kerry, Jack Moncrieff, This and that, Kinder news, Meet the natives, Half a horse. Is it better than no horse? A digital copy of this Newsletter is available from Greensborough Historical Society.Newsletter, 23 p., illus.greenhills and north greensborough progress association, greenhills

This edition includes a report on the Apollo Parkways Progress Association's October 1975 meeting, How green is our valley, From the Council Chambers, Apollo Parkways tree planting, The great drain robbery, Nillumbik Historical Society. A digital copy of this Newsletter is available from Greensborough Historical Society.Newsletter, 6 p., illus.greenhills and north greensborough progress association, greenhills, apollo parkways progress association, apollo parkways

This edition includes a report on the Progress Association's February 1974 meeting, Councillor's report, Sporting facilities in Diamond Valley, Ian Bennet, Mr. Poulter's report on child care, From the Council Chamber, Poisonous plants and trees. Supplement to February 1974 "Community News" Join in the fun of the fair at... The 1974 Diamond Ck. town fair. A digital copy of this Newsletter is available from Greensborough Historical Society.Newsletter, 16 p., illus.greenhills and north greensborough progress association, greenhills

Good news! Our tree stays!, Strife in the streets... The great Greenhills roads row, Confessions from the Chamber, I remember when, We beg your pardon... you didn't promise us a plastic egg carton, Bodies ['Out-Fit'], New sport in N.V., From the Council Chamber, Nillumbik Historical Society, This and that, Diamond Valley Repertory. A digital copy of this Newsletter is available from Greensborough Historical Society. Newsletter, 20 p., illus.greenhills and north greensborough progress association, greenhills, apollo parkways progress association, apollo parkways

This old apple tree situated beside the Plenty River Trail at Greensborough has been associated with Melbourne Founder John Batman. The concrete block is inscribed with the date 1841, when the tree was thought to have been planted. Known as Batman's Tree, this apple tree is on the bank of the Plenty River near Leischa Court, Greensborough. It is said that Melbourne Founder John Batman may have planted the tree and later signed his treaty here with the Aboriginal people. It still bears fruit and its recorded on the National Trust's Register of Significant Trees, as the oldest apple tree in Victoria. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p7This 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, greensborough, john batman tree, plenty river trail

This old apple tree situated beside the Plenty River Trail at Greensborough has been associated with Melbourne Founder John Batman. Known as Batman's Tree, this apple tree is on the bank of the Plenty River near Leischa Court, Greensborough. It is said that Melbourne Founder John Batman may have planted the tree and later signed his treaty here with the Aboriginal people. It still bears fruit and its recorded on the National Trust's Register of Significant Trees, as the oldest apple tree in Victoria. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p7 Was This John Batman's Tree? An apple tree on the bank of the Plenty River near Leischa Court, Greensborough, is believed to have belonged to Melbourne’s founder, John Batman. It could also stand where John Batman signed his famous treaty with the Aboriginal people.1 Known as Batman’s Tree, it still bears fruit and is recorded on the National Trust’s Register of Significant Trees, as the oldest apple tree in Victoria. It is ‘Believed to have been planted by either John Batman, (c1837) or Martin Batey (1841)’.2 In 1966 a Horticultural Adviser, Mr Rolfe, after extensive questioning of aged Greensborough residents, wrote: ‘it thus seems fairly certain that the old tree on the banks of the Plenty River is an original Batman apple tree’. Mr Rolfe said that the tree stood on a spot formerly called Wattle Bend: ‘one of the sites claimed to be where John Batman signed his famous treaty with the aboriginals. ‘My main source of information has been interviews with people who attended school in the Greensborough area from 70 to 80 years ago. Their parents were close to the days when Melbourne was founded so information passed on by word of mouth.’ Around 1920 the tree was struck by lightning and a concrete block was placed in the split. The concrete is inscribed with the date 1841 when the tree was thought to have been planted. Not everyone agrees with Mr Rolfe however. Former secretary of the Nillumbik Historical Society, Kevin Patterson, said there was no written evidence to support the claim. But he said the tree had been known to locals for decades as Batman’s Tree. In the 1920s a holiday resort in the area advertised: ‘Come to Greensborough and see John Batman’s tree’. Mr Patterson said it was thought that when Batman died in 1839 his land was sold and a Greensborough man Frederick Flintoff bought seedlings from his orchard for £1 each. This was the only one left.3 Mr Rolfe said: ‘If planted in 1837, or even a few years later, it undoubtedly is the oldest living apple tree in Victoria. Title records of the property on which the tree grows show that the land was a crown grant of F D Wickham in 1840. Mr Wickham was reputed to be a friend of John Batman. All the early settlers prior to the crown grants were squatters, by virtue of Batman’s treaty. This treaty was revoked by the then New South Wales Government, so it is likely that Wickham or an agent was in occupation before 1840. ‘According to Mrs Mavis Latham (John Batman – Great Australian Series, Oxford University Press) when Batman came to Port Phillip in 1835 he brought fruit trees with him. He failed to get a crown grant for his selection on Collins Street, which included 20 acres (eight ha) of orchard and cultivation. His residence became the Government Office and Melbourne grew from wild bushland in 1835 to a town of over 20,000 people by 1841. It is possible Batman visited Wickham and presented him with a tree.’ However a Flintoff descendant in 1933 said Frederick Flintoff ordered his bailiff Martin Batey to transplant the Batman Tree from the Spencer Street orchard to its present site as a memorial to his friend Batman.4 Mr Rolfe spoke to many people, including descendants of the Bateys and Flintoffs and pupils at the Greensborough Primary School. Many had gained their information from a ‘very highly respected’ head master Lewis Amiet at the Greensborough School from 1895 to 1917. He must have gained this information from residents in the district and had this information been incorrect, the parents of the children would have promptly corrected him.’ One woman who attended the school before Mr Amiet’s appointment, said the previous teacher also taught that the tree on the Plenty River was a Batman tree, Mr Rolfe said.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, greensborough, john batman tree, plenty river trail

This edition includes a report on the Progress Association's February 1972 meeting, Western Port, Some interesting specimen trees, The plastic bag menace, One of our best drains, The new sports' complex, Kinder news, Personal news, Letter to editor. A digital copy of this Newsletter is available from Greensborough Historical Society.Newsletter, 18 p., illus. greenhills and north greensborough progress association, greenhills

This edition includes a report on the Progress Association's February 1971 meeting, Councillors' report. Diamond Valley Repertory, Guide news, About Community News, The Greenhill Road Progress Association?, Kinder news, The trees of Greenhills, Supplement to "Community News". No. 1/71. Greenhills' panorama #2. p. 8-9. A digital copy of this Newsletter is available from Greensborough Historical Society.Newsletter, 12 p., illus. greenhills and north greensborough progress association, greenhills

This edition includes a report on the Progress Association's June 1971 meeting, Councillors' report, The establishment of a new school, Novel tree-planting scheme, May we introduce [Jarvis Richard Worn], Diamond Valley's claim to fame, Diamond Valley Repertory, Letters to the Editor. A digital copy of the Newsletter is available from Greensborough Historical Society.Newsletter, 15 p., illus. greenhills and north greensborough progress association, greenhills

Bush scene of the Plenty River at South Morang showing young gum trees on the river bank, painted by Greensborough artist, the late Doug Hall.This painting has strong ties to the Greensborough area, being owned by Ivy Lines who gifted it to the donor's mother-in-law.Oil painting of a bush scene, in timber frame.On back of painting "Plenty River South Morang. Doug Hall"doug hall, plenty river, south morang, painters

Greensborough Historical Society are calling for a 170 year old apple tree once owned by John Batman to be given heritage protection.The "Batman apple tree' in Greensborough is believed to be the last existing tree from those brought to Victoria from Tasmania by John Batman. The tree was planted on the present site by the Flintoff family in 1841.A4 printout of article from Banyule and Nillumbik Weekly. Colour photograph and textjohn batman, batman apple tree, flintoff family, greensborough historical society, noel withers, dennis ward

Family history of Anthony Beale, pioneer of the St Helena area of Greensborough.The St Helena area was named after the island on which Anthony Beale was born. St Katherine's Church was named for his wife Katherine Rose.2 x A4 pages printed from Internet. www.ozgenonline.com/~mytwigs/beale_general.html anthony beale, st helena, st katherines church, beale family, family trees

Details the family of Charles Partington and Ellen Whatmough, From Colston and Wenck GenealogyCharles Partington is a pioneer of the Greensborough district, arriving in Greensborough c1840,3 x A4 pages detailing the children of Charles Partington (c1825-1905) and Ellen Whatmough (c1829-1903)charles partington, ellen whatmough, partington family, family trees

Outlines some research findings regarding George John Mayger, William John Mayger and Sarah Mayger. Includes references found in various publications including Melbourne directories.The Mayger family were pioneers in the Greensborough area.5 pages, typed family tree information.mayger family, george john mayger, maygar

The emails are a discussion of the Mayger family of Greensborough. Details of some English records are included.The Mayger family were Greensborough pioneers and these documents trace the family to England.5 x A4 pages. Copies of emails outlining some members of the Mayger family.mayger family, maygar, family trees

Digital image of a decorated Christmas tree on the traffic roundabout at the corner of Nepean Street and Sainsbury Avenue Greensborough, 23/12/2020Part of a collection of miscellaneous historical images with a connection to the local area.Digital colour photograph of Christmas treechristmas, nepean street greensborough, sainsbury avenue greensborough