MEYER COLLECTION - FALLS CREEK PHOTOS In 1947 a determined group of like-minded State Electricity Commission (SEC) staff including Ray Meyer, the chief surveyor of the Kiewa Hydro-Electric Scheme, had a common interest that revolved around the skiing potential of the snow-covered high plains which included what is now the resort of Falls Creek. The six SEC employees, Toni St Elmo, Ray Meyer, Jack Minogue, Lloyd Dunn, Adrian Ruffenacht and Dave Gibson (together with their families) banded together to secretly build a 'hut' that was the first ski lodge at Falls Creek. Using a road built in 1930s to gain access to Falls Creek, their hut project was carried out in secret as efforts by other skiers were blocked by H.H.C. Williams – the engineer in charge of the Hydro Scheme. In 1946 Ray Meyer made a trip to the Lands Office in Melbourne. He came away with a 99-year lease on three acres that was ideally suited for a hut designed by Lloyd Dunn. Adrian Ruffenacht (Design Engineer for the KHS) had suggested where the group should build because of easy access to a spring for water. Much of the building material required was scavenged from derelict huts on the high plains. Due to the need for secrecy, the determined group worked on the hut in the evenings and weekends to avoid detection. During the building period the group had met at Echidna Rock (now known as Eagle Rock) where Skippy St Elmo announced, "This is my favourite ‘Skyline’.” And so the first lodge in the area at Falls Creek Ski Resort came into existence. With the development of the International Poma in the 1970s, the Skyline Lodge, which was sited between the ski-lift’s pole one and pole two, was demolished. However, the legacy of Ray Meyer, Toni St Elmo, Jack Minogue, Lloyd Dunn, Adrian Ruffenacht and Dave Gibson and Skyline lives on in the vibrant atmosphere of Falls Creek Resort. The MEYER COLLECTION documents developments on the Kiewa Hydro Scheme and their life at Falls Creek from the mid 1930s to 1960s.This image is significant because Wallace's Hut is a heritage listed building which has provided shelter to cattlemen and skier on the High Plains since 1889.A black and white photo taken by John Meyer inside Wallace's Hut. The hut was built in 1889 and is probably the oldest surviving hut on the high plains of north-east Victoria. The State Electricity Commission used the hut from the late 1920s until the early 1940s to collect data on precipitation for possible future hydroelectric works. Toni and Skippy spent their first years on the mountain living in Wallace's Hut. falls creek, victorian snowfields, joan meyer, diamantina hut

Wallace's Hut is the oldest surviving cattlemen's hut on the High Plains, built in 1889 by the three Wallace brothers - Arthur, William and Stewart. Their father David bought land at Kergunyah as well as grazing land on the banks of the Kiewa River, North East Victoria. Once the boys were old enough, the family followed the local squatters’ custom of taking their cattle up to the mountains for the spring and summer to fatten the mob, at the same time resting their home pastures. They decided to build a hut where they could shelter from the extreme mountain weather. The timber was cut from the forest about four hundred metres east of the hut, and the hearth stone was dragged in from Pretty Valley. The chimney had a base of rubble and above this iron sheeting on a timber frame. The slab walls were lined with hessian and later with tar-paper, and inside there was a bush table, sleeping platform and a rustic fire-side settle. The hut nestled among snow gums sheltered by a rocky outcrop. The names of the Wallace brothers were burnt into the tie-beams of the roof and at the back of the mantelpiece. The Wallace family’s lease expired in the late 1930s and the hut was bought by the State Electricity Commission to house staff on the High Plains and it became the first home of Toni and Skippy St. Elmo. The SEC covered the old shingles with iron, and later on the walls and chimney as well, and they added a lean-to. Wallace’s Hut is now owned by the Crown and maintained by Parks Victoria. It is on the Historic Buildings Register and is classified by the National Trust.This image is significant because it depicts an important heritage-listed structure and refuge for cattlemen and other travellers in Victoria's High Country.A black and white photograph of a skier outside of Wallace's Hut. Several sets of skis and poles are standing around and other skiers are in the background.wallace's hut, toni and skippy st. elmo, high country huts

The Borough of Eaglehawk was a local government area which covered the northwestern suburbs of the regional city of Bendigo and covered an area of 14.54 square kilometres (5.6 sq mi). Eaglehawk was first incorporated as a borough on 29 July 1862. It had nine councillors, who represented the entire borough. Councillors met at the Town Hall (incorporating the Star Cinema) at the intersection of Sailors Gully Road and Loddon Valley Highway, Eaglehawk. The Town hall has always been the centre of the Borough's activities and was built in 1901 on the site of an earlier town hall which had stood on the location since 1865. The Victorian Heritage Database notes: "The present building replaced this earlier building and was opened on 14 August 1901. The architects were the Melbourne firm of Wilkinson and Permewan. As a much larger and more sumptuous building of brick and stone featuring a central clock tower, the new hall reflected prevailing architectural fashion and was a remarkable investment for a town consisting predominantly of poor mining families. The condition of the town hall is substantially as built. The design is almost identical to the Castlemaine Town Hall." On 7 April 1994, the Borough of Eaglehawk was abolished, and along with the City of Bendigo, the Rural City of Marong and the Shires of Huntly and Strathfieldsaye, was merged into the newly created City of Greater Bendigo.Brass bell with eaglehawk topper / handle on timber stand. The lower front section of the topper has the Borough of Eaglehawk seal attached. No hallmarks or makers stamps visible.borough of eaglehawk, star cinema

This pamphlet provides comprehensive information on Memorials around Ballarat dating from May, 1917.Avenues of Honour are unique to Australia and found particularly Victoria. The Ballarat Avenue of Honour is of national importance as the longest and earliest known memorial tree planting of its type.This is an information pamphlet printed on both sides and folded into 3 sections. The headings are written in green and there is a black and white photograph of the Arch of Victory and the Avenue of Honour on the first fold. Over the page, there is a large diagram down the middle of the page, 2 black and white pictures of the righthand side and 2 sketches on the lefthand side of the page.None.john garner, doctor john garner, arch of victory, avenue of honour, heritage information guide, matilda l. thompson, tilly thompson, e.lucas &co pty.ltd, memorial wall project, memorial rotunda and roll of honour, memorial cairn and cross of remembrance, avenue trees and memorial plaques, ballarat city council., john garner collection, gardens, ballarat

This photograph shows the Melbourne District Nursing Service (MDNS), Headquarter and Nursing Home at 452 St. Kilda Road, Melbourne. The cars in front of the building are part of the MDNS fleet of cars and are Australian built Holden vehicles of the 1960s. The MDNS Trained nurses (Sisters) seen are wearing their grey uniform coats and hats which had a red Maltese cross in the centre front. Under their coats the Sisters wore grey cotton frocks. The Melbourne District Nursing Service (MDNS) building at 452 St. Kilda Road, Melbourne was originally called 'Airlie Mansion', the childhood home of Stanley Melbourne Bruce, the Prime Minister of Australia 1923-1929. 452 St. Kilda Road, Melbourne is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register. 'Airlie' was used by Queen Victoria Memorial Hospital nurses as a Nurses Home prior to Melbourne District Nursing Service (MDNS), moving into this building as their Headquarters and Nursing Home in 1953. MDNS was given Royal patronage in 1966 and continued to occupy the building as Royal District Nursing Service (RDNS) until 1996. Royal District Nursing Service (RDNS) has had various modes of transport over the last 130 plus years. At first, from 1885 as Melbourne District Nursing Society (MDNS), their Trained nurses (Nurses) walked the streets and lane ways amid the slums of central Melbourne. As the Society expanded public transport was used, and bicycles were bought by the Society in 1903 and used in inner areas until 1945. During the Spanish flu epidemic, in 1919, MDNS appealed for assistance to procure Motor vehicles so the Nurses could visit an influx of cases. Through trusts, grants and donations four 'Ford T Model' cars were procured which enabled the Nurses to triple their visits. Through constant use the cars were in such a poor state they were sold in 1927. A Motor Auxiliary was formed in 1929 to take Sisters to patients, and some Sisters used their own cars; even a motorcycle was used by one Sister in 1933. All these forms of transport were intermingled and in the early 1950s, and now as Melbourne District Nursing Service, seven Ford Prefect cars were bought followed by twelve Ford Anglia cars 1955. Having received Royal patronage; the now Royal District Nursing Service (RDNS) had its own fleet of Holden vehicles by the mid 1960s and the Motor Auxiliary ceased operating in 1971 as by then all staff employed were required to have a driving licence. Seat-belts had been introduced to Victoria in 1959 and District fitted them to their cars from 1962, even though they did not become compulsory until 1970. The Holden vehicles were replaced with grey Holden Torana vehicles. After several years the fleet was changed to white Toyota Corolla vehicles. The Melways Directory of maps was introduced in 1966, which was a boon to the Sisters though it was a few years before it went beyond Seville, so a large paper map was used by the Sisters visiting patients in the areas passed Seville. By 2009 there were 598 cars in the fleet and the Sisters travelled 9 million 200,000 kilometres – this is equivalent to 12 trips to the moon and back. Black and white photograph of two Melbourne District Nursing Service (MDNS) Holden vehicles parked outside MDNS Headquarters, which is seen in the background of the photograph. To the right is a MDNS Sister, who is wearing her grey peaked hat over her drawn back long hair. and is wearing her grey coat and carrying a square nursing case with the capital letters 'RDNS' written on it; she is standing side-on, looking to her left, and her right hand is on the door handle of the front door of the right hand car. To her left is another car, with a MDNS Sister standing on the grass behind the bonnet. She is wearing glasses and her uniform hat is worn over short dark hair. She is wearing a grey coat, scarf and both gloved hands are holding the handles of bags. On the drivers door of this car the words 'Melbourne District Nursing Service' are written in capital letters. On the far left hand side of the photograph, half of a third Holden vehicle is seen and a large tree is on the nature strip between this and the middle car. Behind the vehicles, bushes and a large tree can be seen on the left hand side behind the cast iron fence. Several other bushes and small trees are seen. In the background is MDNS Headquarters; a large white two storey Italian style building, which has three, roman column, arched Arcadia on either side of a polygon shaped bay window on the ground floor, and three long windows to the left and a three arched Arcade to the right on the second floor. Two Sisters in uniform are standing on the veranda of the 2nd floor between the far right hand arch. To the left and right of the building, parts of single storey hip roof buildings can be seen.melbourne district nursing service, mdns, rdns, royal district nursing service, rdns headquarters, rdns transport, mdns uniforms

The Royal District Nursing Service (RDNS) Sister is leaving Headquarters, 452 St. Kilda Road, Melbourne, to administer nursing care to patients in their own homes. The Sisters nursed patients referred by Hospitals and General Practitioners giving treatments, such as injections, wound care and doing other procedures, as well as assisting them with general care when required. The Sister is driving an Australian built Holden car of the 1960s which, along with the other parked Holden cars are part of the RDNS fleet of vehicles. From its inception in 1885 the Trained nurses (Nurses) of the then named Melbourne District Nursing Society (MDNS), later named Royal District Nursing Service (RDNS) gave high quality nursing care to patients in their own homes. They nursed patients referred by Hospitals and General Practitioners giving treatments, such as injections, wound care and doing other procedures, as well as assisting them with general care when required. From the early days the Nurses taught the importance of good hygiene, cleanliness, good nutrition in the prevention and curing of disease and in maintaining good health, as well as giving advice and support to the patient and their carers. The Sisters liaised with the patient’s Doctor. District has had various modes of transport over the last 130 years. At first the Nurses walked the streets and lane ways amid the slums of central Melbourne. As the Society expanded bicycles, public transport, District cars, the use of a Motor Auxiliary, nurses own cars, and even a motorcycle were used, and all these forms were intermingled until RDNS had its own fleet of vehicles. By 2009 there were 598 cars in the fleet and the nurses travelled 9 million 200,000 kilometres – this is equivalent to 12 trips to the moon and back. The Royal District Nursing Service (RDNS) building at 452 St. Kilda Road, Melbourne was originally called 'Airlie', the childhood home of Stanley Melbourne Bruce, the Prime Minister of Australia 1923-1929. RDNS, then named Melbourne District Nursing Service (MDNS) moved into this building as their Nurses Home and Headquarters in 1953. MDNS was given Royal patronage in 1966 and continued to occupy the building until 1996. 452 St. Kilda Road, Melbourne is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register. In the foreground of this black and white photograph are three cars on St. Kilda Road passing Arthur Street on their left. In the centre is a Royal District Nursing Service, (RDNS), Sister sitting at the driving wheel of her RDNS grey Holden car in Arthur Street, at the corner of St. Kilda Road. Behind the car are two round poles inset in the nature strip near the kerb; the pole on the right holds the street signs 'Arthur St' which points to the left of the photograph, and 'St Kilda Rd' points towards the number '452' attached to a square concrete column and metal spiked fence running down the right of the photograph behind the nature strip. In the background of the photograph is the corner view showing two sides, part in Arthur Street and part in St. Kilda Road, of RDNS Headquarters which is a large white two storey Italian style building, which has arched Arcadia on the ground floor, and an arched Arcade on the second floor; a flat roof with two chimneys is seen. A garden with trees can be seen running in front of both sides of the building and behind the cast iron spiked fence. In Arthur Street, to the left of the large building is a two storey white building with a tiled roof. It has a white solid fence in front of it Parked at the kerb in front of this building, and the section of RDNS large white building in Arthur Street, are three other RDNS grey Holden cars. Parts of a large trees are seen on the left and right of the photograph.Photographers stamp. Quote GE 46rdns, royal district nursing service, rdns transport, rdns headquarters

Appears to be original to Mt Buffalo Chalet. "A number of specific items, which have been useful in the day to day operations of the Chalet, remain in the building with each complementing the other to provide context, meaning and character to their setting. Items such as the hall porter bell, the many signs providing information to the guests, the wall clock, barometer and dinner bell point to the Chalet being a well-run social institution with a pleasant environment for rest, recreation and congenial company." (Pg 81 Historica, MBCC) This temperature gauge has a plaques inscribed "Presented by C.P Sanderson 7/08/1973. It is not known who this person was. Listed in Draft Inventory of significant Collection items. A.3 Fixtures and fittings. (Pg165 Historica Cultural Heritage Projects. Mount Buffalo Chalet collection. Prepared for Parks Victoria, 2011)Listed in Draft Inventory of Significant Collection ItemsSmall circular silver coloured temperature gauge mounted to wall. Plaque attached below temperature gauge. Face is white and has a glass cover.Plaque below barometer: "Presented by C P Sanderson / 7 - 8- 1973"

The unveiling of the William Wallace Statue in 1889; biography of William Wallace; biography of sculptor, Percival Ball.The Unveiling of the William Wallace Statue demonstrates the importance and loyalty to Scottish heritage of Ballarat people in the nineteenth century. 01Small coloured photograph of the Wallace Statue. Ref: The National Trust for Scotland. Newspaper Articles: 02 Ballarat Courier 12/9/1997, "Celebration of Battle's Anniversary". 03 Chambers Encyclopedia, Vol.X., 1892, "Wallace, Sir William", 04 The Ballarat Courier, 24/5/1889, 05 The Ballarat Star,24/5/1889, 06 Ballarat Star, 25/5/1889, 07 The Ballarat Star, 25/5/1889, "The Statue of Sir William Wallace" "Unveiling Ceremony" 08 "William Wallace", Wikipedia, 2011, 09 Percival Ball, Sculptor, Wikipedia, 2011. 010 Ball, Percival, Australian Dictionary of Biography,2006-2011.Ballarat Courier newspaper article, 12/9/1997 in blue biro, top left corner. Chambers Encyclopedia, Vol X, in black biro. Research by R. D. Mosman, April, 1997, FBBG logo. Courier Newspaper article, 24/5/1889 in black biro, research by R.D.Mosman, April, 1997. Photocopies taken by the Clark Centre 19/2/2002. Transcription of articles by John Garner. william wallace, percival ball, unveiling of wiliam wallace statue, statues in the ballarat botanical gardens, statue of a scottish hero, john garner collection, garner, dr, ballarat botanical gardens, gardens, ballarat, statues, wallace

These trees planted in the nineteenth century are an exceptional collection of exotic conifers and deciduous trees.These trees classified by the National Trust means that the trees are an essential part of Australia's heritage and should be preserved for future generations.A coloured pamphlet divided into three parts, with trees and coloured picture on one side and a map of where the trees are situated on the other.Right hand corner of coloured picture, there is the logo of the Friends of the Ballarat Botanical Gardensjohn garner collection, dr, significant trees, ballarat botanical gardens, gardens, ballarat, map

Printed book. 160 pages. BMDHS Location: AR/SU4non-fictionPublication details: Bacchus Marsh Heritage Guide, 2nd Rev Ed. Published by Bacchus Marsh & District Historical Society, Bacchus Marsh, Vic, 2003. A guide book to heritage places and historical buildings in the town and surrounding district of Bacchus Marsh. Photos and maps are included to identify each place or building. Each site includes a description of its main features and historical or cultural significance. Places of natural heritage significance are included. A previous less extensive edition was published in 1997.historic buildings bacchus marsh, historic sites bacchus marsh, bmdhs publication

Each of the five telephones is attached to a timber, wall‐mounted box. They are original to the precinct buildings and date from the early twentieth century. Located in the lighthouse lantern room, the former head keeper’s quarters, the former assistants’ quarters, and the buildings known today as the generator shed and the café, they formed an intercom system that facilitated communication between the lightstation buildings.Wall‐mounted Bakelite telephones with crank handles can be found at all six light stations, however Gabo Island has the only other example of a timber‐mounted phone. Its design is slightly different for incorporating an inclined surface for jotting down notes. As fixtures, the telephones are considered to be part of the building fabric and included in the Victorian Heritage Register listing for the Cape Nelson Lightstation (H1773; 18 February 1999). They are historically significant for their historical and technical values as part of the early communications system used at the lightstation.Five similar intercom system telephones. All are wall mounted timber boxes with Bakelite black hand sets and black cords. The five phones each have two bells at the top of the box and a crank handle at the side. Three phones have brass bells, two have black metal bells. All phones have instructions on the front either in a frame or glued to the timber."C of A" and "PMG" Written instructions on how to use the phones are printed on paper fixed to the front of the telephones. "TO CALL ....../ TO ANSWER...../ WHEN FINISHED....."

"A perpetual spring in the adjacent creek provided a steady supply of fresh water to the site on which the homestead is built. Although we can not be certain of the identity of the builder, the first stage of ‘The Willows’ homestead appears to have been constructed in the mid 1850s. The house is situated on Crown Allotment No.1 (No Section), Parish of Kororoit, an allotment of 5 acres 3 roods 4 perches. Although it had surveyed the land, the Crown did not offer it for sale until 22nd November 1861, at which time it was purchased by Charles March Williams. (Although the property is directly opposite and immediately adjacent to the Township of Melton, and was sold as ‘Suburban Allotment 33’, it was situated within the Shire of Braybrook rather than the Shire of Melton until 1917.) Considerable improvements had taken place on the land prior to the Crown sale. When CM Williams purchased the allotment in November 1861 he paid £23.5.0 for the land itself, and valued the improvements at £400. Even allowing for some exaggeration by Williams, this is an extremely high valuation for improvements, and must have included a house. Some local research has claimed that in 1858 Williams had taken over the interest of a Mr Parkinson in the property, and that Parkinson built the house upon taking possession of the land c.1855. It was definitely built by 1861, when a map shows a square building on the site marked as ‘House’. The property is important in the district for its association with the establishment of the pound. The district pound had been established in 1854, when George Scarborough of Mount Cottrell (Mt Cottrell Road, south of Greigs Road) was appointed pound-keeper. Scarborough resigned in 1857. The pound was moved to Melton following agitation from local farmers and Charles March Williams appointed pound-keeper on 26th April 1858. Williams, the son of a doctor, had been born in London. Reminiscences of local residents of the time, as recorded in the Express newspaper, note Williams’ success in breeding horses on the property. Sales of up to 60 guineas were noted. Whether this was from Williams’s own stock or from unclaimed pound stock is not made clear. Williams appeared before a government inquiry in 1860 and advocated registration of all stock brands in the State. Williams died in 1862 leaving a widow, Catherine, and five living children aged 15 years to five months. At the time of his death Williams had entered negotiations with one Matthew Devenish and had a mortgage of £100 on allotments 1 and 2, Parish of Kororoit. Catherine Williams was appointed pound-keeper on 2 September 1863, with her eldest son Charles as her assistant. Her tenure was short for on 22nd March 1864 George Minns senior paid Matthew Devenish £135 for allotments 1 and 2 Parish of Kororoit (considerably less than Williams had claimed the property was worth in 1861) and on the same day paid William Tullidge £45 for the adjoining allotments 3 and 4. In April 1867, James Ebden Minns, the newly married son of George senior became the owner of The Willows property having entered into a mortgage arrangement with his father to the extent of £200. At the time George Minns was residing in Kaarimba having left Melton in 1867 for a short trip to England and upon his return having taken up a selection in the Kaarimba district with his son Frederick who had a hotel licence there. James paid out the mortgage on 2-1-1873. James Minns was appointed pound-keeper in 1872; in 1885 the pound was moved elsewhere and Minns purchased the old pound site and added it to his farm. The Willows residence underwent a major change about this time. A two room extension, similar in style but with a lower elevation was added to the original rear of the house with a chimney matching the distinctive originals. Window arrangements did not match the original but became a feature of the façade when the new addition became the front of the building. Six buttresses were attached to the east and west walls of the old building, two to the south wall and the whole rendered with mortar to give the appearance of dressed stonework around the windows. Galvanized iron was placed over the shingles and a verandah added on three sides. By 1876 The Willows was the homestead for a thriving mixed farm of 340 acres of which 156 was rented from a H. Ruck. In October of that year the Australasian travelling reporter visited and reported on the property. In common with the nearly every other property in the district the farm had ‘recently’ (generally within the last two years) abandoned cultivation of crops, and turned over completely to cattle pasture. Butter making was the principal occupation of the farm, which had about 50 head of cattle, a large proportion of which were milking cows. The reporter also noted that a ‘large number of pigs are kept upon this farm and are found to be very profitable stock’. Their manure was used in an orchard and garden in which ‘large quantities of lucerne and prairie grass are grown for the use of stock when ordinary feed is scarce’. Two bores attached to deep brick lined wells supplied water for the house in addition to the farm. A commodious timber barn and necessary sheds had also been constructed. Access to the property was improved following the construction of the bluestone ford across the creek c.1887, when the recreation ground came into use. Prior to this date it may have been that the crossing referred to as ‘Mr Minns bridge’ was used. This appears to have been a flimsy structure and has but two references in Council reports in the Melton Express in the 1880’s. It is believed that in the late 1890’s a timber building was added near the rear of the building to house a kitchen, ablutions and laundry rooms and rooms for seasonal workers. This was attached to the house by means of a trellised walkway using the original front entry to the house (long since the back door). A photograph of this building appears in a local history of Melton. This was demolished in recent decades during the period when the house was tenanted (after the Minns family had left). James Minns son, George, took over the property following his marriage to Alice Walsh in 1903. James and Caroline moved into a house on the former JH Games property at the eastern end of Henry Street. George held the position of Shire Secretary for Melton for 40 years. He was a most prominent member of the community being Secretary to, among others, the Melton Coursing Club, the Shooting Club and the Cemetery Trust. He also rode with the hunting parties who sported across the Plains and were entertained at Mount Kororoit. George and Alice had one son, Norman who followed his father into local government and became Secretary of the Shire of Werribee completing a record term in this position. George retired to Werribee in 1951, where he died in 1965. The National Trust records note that James Ebden Minns and his sons were ‘leading men of the district, Justices of the Peace, and Shire Councillors’. It claims that Sir Thomas Bent was a frequent visitor. The Willows passed into the hands of George’s grandson, Bruce Minns and the property was let for a number of years. In the 1960s it became vacant and was subject to vandalism. Major structural problems arose with the part demolition of the roof, the loss of windows and doors and holes dug into and under the floorboards. The outbuildings were particularly targeted. Following widespread public support, the Shire of Melton purchased the house, with 3.75 acres of land, in 1972. In 1975 the Shire of Melton and the Melton and District Historical Society were successful in nominating the building for National Trust classification, and then the Australian Heritage Commission’s Register of the National Estate. The AHC particularly noted its ‘townscape importance’. It was envisaged that the farmhouse would form ‘a picturesque centrepiece to Melton’s planned … historical park, along with Dunvegan bluestone cottage … and similar structures as they become available.’ In a time of great Melton’s ‘satellite city’ development the Council spelt out its broader vision in its submission to the AHC: ‘Melton is destined to become, by the end of the present century, a city of between 75,000 and 100,000 people. Significant relics of the past, such as ‘The Willows’, regrettably will be rare in that situation. It is essential that sufficient tangible links with Melton’s pioneering days remain to promote in the new community a sense of history and continuity’. Under the direction of ‘The Willows’ Restoration Committee and consultant architect John Hitch, all outbuildings, with the exception of the garage and toilet, were demolished and the dwelling house restored. Finances were provided by the Shire of Melton and the National Estate Grants Program, and considerable amount of voluntary labour was provided by the local community. The orchard was removed, and remaining wooden buildings were relocated to provide an open vista for visitors to the Park. The property was furnished with donations from district families keen to preserve this example of pioneer life in the area. The Willows became the headquarters of the Melton and District Historical Society". Invitation to the family reunion at the Willowslocal identities, pioneer families

Telephones x 3 (GILS 0001, 0038, 0070; attached fixtures) There are three, black Bakelite, wall mounted, crank handle telephones across the lightstation; one in the former assistant keeper’s quarters, and two in the former head keeper’s quarters. The phone has instructions for its use on the crank dial. Two have acoiled handset cord, which dates the phone to just after 1949 when these came into use. The third has a smooth cord and must pre date 1949 (GILS 0070). Another much older wallmounted phone remains in the lighthouse (GILS 0041; attached fixture; see above 6.1). The four telephones at Gabo Island formed an intercom system that facilitated communication between the lighthouse and lightstation buildings. They demonstrate the necessity for employing various methods of communication in a remotely located lighthouse as well as communication between the lightstation buildings. Telephones of the same wall mounted, crank dial type remain at Cape Otway and Point Hicks As fixtures, the telephones belong to the building fabric and are included in the existing listing of the Gabo Island Lightstation in the Victorian Heritage Register (H1773). These intact items of equipment have first level contributory significance for their historic value and provenance.Black bakelite telephone, wall mounted with reciever/ handset on spiral cord attached to the body of the phone. There is a crank handle attached to the front of the telephone.On dial under crank handle. Outer perimeter of circular LABEL,"TO CALL:-TURN HANDLE & LIFT HANDSET / WHEN FINISHED PEPLACE HANDSET & TURN HANDLE"

Ornamental drop finials x 4 from the lighthouse staircase.The four cast iron drop finials are decorative architectural features that were appended to the underside of the original lighthouse staircase, which was built between 1861 and 1862.The Conservation Management Plan prepared by Australian Construction Services in 1992 states that the original stair ‘was probably the first cast iron spiral stair to be built in an Australian lighthouse.’ From about 1978 to 1988 the tower’s original staircase was gradually removed and replaced by an iron replica and by 1992 the dismantled staircase had been shifted to the old jetty storage building and was ‘awaiting disposal’. Fortunately, it was not trashed but accessioned into the Eden Killer Whale Museum where it has since been incorporated into a recreated lighthouse.The staircase was removed from the tower prior to the lightstation’s inclusion in the Victorian Heritage Register in November 1999 (H1773). which may be the earliest cast iron spiral stair built in an Australian lighthouse.The four baluster drop finials are of first level contributory significance to the Gabo Island Lightstation for their historic value and clear provenance to the tower’s original staircase erected in 1862, which may be the earliest cast iron spiral stair built in an Australian lighthouse.4 x Cylindrical shaped finials. Threaded inside. Cast iron. tapers to a point. 1. & 2. have residue paint.

There are three, black Bakelite, wall mounted, crank handle telephones across the lightstation; one in the former assistant keeper’s quarters, and two in the former head keeper’s quarters. The phone has instructions for its use on the crank dial. Two have a coiled handset cord, which dates the phone to just after 1949 when these came into use. The third has a smooth cord and must pre date 1949. Another much older wall mounted phone remains in the lighthouse. The four telephones at Gabo Island formed an intercom system that facilitated communication between the lighthouse and lightstation buildings. They demonstrate the necessity for employing various methods of communication in a remotely located lighthouse as well as communication between the lightstation buildings. Telephones of the same wall mounted, crank dial type remain at Cape Otway, Point Hicks. As fixtures, the telephones belong to the building fabric and are included in the existing listing of the Gabo Island Lightstation in the Victorian Heritage Register (H1773). These intact items of equipment have first level contributory significance for their historic value and provenance.Black bakelite telephone, wall mounted with reciever/ handset on spiral cord attached to the body of the phone. There is a crank handle attached to the front of the telephone.On dial under crank handle. Outer perimeter of circular LABEL,"TO CALL:-TURN HANDLE & LIFT HANDSET / WHEN FINISHED PEPLACE HANDSET & TURN HANDLE"