This artwork was found among items associated with the Ballarat School of Mines. Although its purpose remains unknown, it was possibly painted by a staff member or student for use on Wattle Day. Wattle Day originated in October 1889 by the Wattle Blossom League, and was associated with the Australian Natives Association during the lead up to the Federation of Australian States. The first 'national' Wattle Day was celebrated on 1 September 1910. Early Wattle Days involved planting wattle trees in school grounds, street decorations of wattle blossom, and wearing sprigs of wattle. As public support for Wattle Day peaked, World War I broke out. Wattle took on a new significance during the war years, symbolising home for military personnel serving overseas. Beautifully designed Wattle Day badges, as well as wattle sprigs, were sold as a means of raising money for organisations such as the Red Cross. This item is part of the Federation University Art Collection. The Art Collection features over 1000 works and was listed as a 'Ballarat Treasure' in 2007.The Australian coat of arms with wattle, painted onto canvas.art, artwork, emu, kangaroo, crest, advance australia, wattle day, wattle, coat of arms, patriotic, australian coar of arms, national symbol

Box of coloured slides, all from different collections. (1) "Students Margaret Oliver," on reverse,"Equipment 2190 Cultivator" (2) "Green manure crops. Field peas lupins." 1975 (3) "B.H.C." on reverse, "Seed beds." (4) "29/4/64 Crops Section." (5) "Seed Testing Lab (1966)." (6) "Julie Provan Peach stock Block." Sep (7) View of back of lawn." Aug 1980 (8) View of Ponds." ((0 Constructing Native Garden. (10) Crack Willow in winter. Jul 1978 (11) Crack Willow in summer. Jul 1988 (12) Administration Building. 1985 (13) Blossom. (14) Blossom on fruit trees. Sep (15) Children Planting. Aug 1985. Also others see Mediastudents, margaret oliver, cultivator, lupins, crops section, seed testing lab, julie provan, lawn, ponds, native garden, blossom, fruit trees, children, planting, green manure, garden views, administration building, crack willow, peach blossom, orchard, sunken garden, rose garden, flowers, acacia maidenii, vegetables

Photograph Album sent in with the National Estate/Heritage Register by Sandi Pullman. (1) Old car park (Bull Paddock) with Cork Oak. (2) Main Building front steps. (3) Main Building with Magnolia grandiflora. (4)View of Luffmann Ponds and old willow. (5) View of Ginkgo and Emily Gibson bed. (6) Looking between Emily Gibson beds to English Oak. (7) Summer House. (8) Luffmann Ponds. (9) Bergenia Walk with conifers. (10) View of Pencil Pines around entrance to Sunken garden. (11) Luffmann Ponds and Pinus canariensis. (12) View of entrance to Sunken garden. (13-14) Sunken garden. (15) Original terracing at entrance to Shady Walk. (16) Pears in blossom in Field Station. (17) Agathis robusta from the Herb Garden. (18) Ellis Stones Rock garden newly replanted. (19) james Hitchmough Grasslands. (20) Elm tree with Dairy in the background. (21) Original Red Gum in james Hitchmough Grasslands. (22) Kath Deery Native garden. (23-24) Rose Garden. (25) Sequoiadendron giganteum.national estate, heritage register, sandi pullman, sandra pullman, bull paddock, cork oak, magnolia, luffmann ponds, willow, ginkgo, emily gibson bed, english oak, summer house, bergenia walk, conifers, pencil pines, sunken garden, pinus canariensis, shady walk, pears, blossoms, field station, agathis robusta, herb garden, ellis stones rock garden, james hitchmough grasslands, elm tree, dairy, red gum, kath deery native garden, rose garden, sequoiadendron giganteum.

Black and white photograph. Photograph of plants surrounded by mulch.On reverse, "Natives, 15 months after planting at Merricks. Poor soil. Only tank water. 30 yrs old pine trees on this block (removed?) 18 months before photo taken. Ground mulched with 12" sawdust. Planted by "Schubert Method."merricks, pine trees, schubert method, natrive plants, sawdust mulch

cactus, cacti, clematis, orchard redevelopment, r. hall, geoff olive, pruning garden, field station, vcah, university of melbourne, burnley, jill kellow, field station redevelopment, field nursery, student gardens, turfgrass, grassy woodland, chris findlay, phil tulk, grasslands, herbaceous border, car park, native garden, restoration native garden, john rayner, hilda kirkhope rockery, herb garden, rainforest garden redevelopment, plant lists, shady walk, salvia, trees, tai-haku cherry, tree management, tree lists, david aldous, grey border

Miscellaneous slides labelled "BHC Historical". Some individually labelled. 1, 2 and 5. of a display "trees to serve the community". "VPRI" (Victorian Plant Research Institute). 10 and 11. of "Wilson's Prom" 1950's. 12. "Apiary" 13. "Students Planting Wattle" beside the Yarra Oct 72. 17. "Native Park Area" 1960's. 14. Garden view.burnley horticultural college, trees, community, vpri, victorian plant research institute, wilsons promontory, apiary, students, wattle, garden views, yarra boulevard

This Tapa cloth was presented to the Bishop of Ballarat as head of the Oceanic Bishops' gathering in the 1980s. The Tapa or bark cloth is prepared from the bark of a tree, beaten flat and glued with a native plant. It is then printed with earth dyes and sap from a Koka or candlenut tree. The design is printed by hand and the cloth used, in this case for ceremonial and presentation purposes.tapa, oceania bishops, fiji

View of the gardensballarat botanical gardens, trees, parks, lawns, pathways, summer, leaves, plaque, memorial, w.l.j. crofts, president, australian natives association, ana, federation

View of the gardensballarat botanical gardens, trees, parks, lawns, pathways, summer, leaves, plaque, memorial, w.l.j. crofts, president, australian natives association, ana, federation

There is Bunya Pine in the Ballarat Botanical GardensThis is another example of an important Australian native to be found in the Ballarat Botanical Gardens1 photocopied page taken from a book. Print on lefthand side and coloured picture on righthand side with sketches of seed and cone beneath.Nonebunya pine, araucariaceae, subtropical softwood, john garner, doctor, ballarat botanical gardens, trees in ballarat, john garner collection, gardens, ballarat

A large homemade green cloth covered book, The Fruits and fruit-Trees of America by A.J. Downing, Second Edition by Charles Downing. It has diagrams and outline drawings of fruit, native and foreign cultivated in America. A section at the back is headed - Key to French Names. An Index to the Different Fruits is included along with a General Index. Appendixes I, II and III has a General Index with synonymous names in Italic. Tanning, foxing and stains are noted. 1098p. plus 193p. for Appendixes.non-fictionA textbook about the Fruits and Fruit-Trees of America; The Culture, Propagation, and Management, in the Garden and Orchard, of Fruit Trees generally; with descriptions of all the finest varieties of fruit, native and foreign , cultivated in this country.horticulture, agriculture, fruit growing

Murray Comrie Collection. This photograph shows the Treloar Foundry employees (possibly Henry Treloar with hand resting on the stump extractor) conducting a demonstration of their tree and stump extracting device on a farm in Inglewood while a large crowd watches. Information collated by Murray Comrie: H.W. (Henry) Treloar was a native of Redruth in Cornwall, where he was born in 1811. He worked as a blacksmith in his father's Cornwall foundry and then in 1840 went to work in Cuba as a foreman smith to the Royal Santiago Copper Mining Co. Returning to England in 1851 he remained for two years just as the reports of rich Victorian goldfields began to be heard there. He brought his family to Australia in September 1853, arriving in Geelong and then working in Heidelberg for eighteen months. He returned to Geelong to set up a business but after three months was drawn to the Maryborough goldfields, then Dunolly and then Sandy Creek (as Tarnagulla was then known), arriving in March 1855. He remained in Tarnagulla until his death. He established the Foundry in Tarnagulla in 1855 and was known as the best 'mining' smith in the district. After the decline of mining he turned to production of agricultural implements and the firm built a reputation in the field, through devices such as the 'NONPARIEL' tree and stump extractor, double furrow ploughs, seed harrows and scarifiers. On 26th October 1878 the firm won three first prizes for their implements at the North Western Agricultural Show at Inglewood. The business of Treloar & Son was taken over by the James Bros in November 1894. This photograph is a reasonable copy created from an older original, owned by Miss Doris Nicholls. Copy probably made by Murray Comrie in the 1970s. Monochrome photograph of a large crowd of people watching a stump-removal demonstration in a bush setting.tarnagulla, commerce, industry, blacksmithing, smithing, foundry, businesses, treloar, james, buildings, commercial road, main street

Wreath laying ceremony for Legacy widows at the Cenotaph at the Shrine of Remembrance. This is an annual event for Legacy widows at the start of Legacy Week, which is the first week in September. The photos show President David Ford carrying a wreath to be laid in the Garden Courtyard. The plants in the Garden Courtyard have been selected because they are native to the Mediterranean countries in which Australians have served. The olive tree planted by Legacy in 1972 was relocated to the new courtyard as part of the Shrine redevelopment. It stands as a centrepiece, representing peace. This is the olive tree of peace that was planted by Legacy in 1973 to mark their golden jubilee. It was relocated to the new courtyard in 2002 when the Shrine was being redeveloped. These photos are from 2003 when David Ford was president (see also 00614).A record of a ceremony at the Shrine 2003.Colour photo x 3 of the president laying a wreath in the Garden Courtyard at the Shrine.Printed on the back No.< > Clarendon Photos 0013 which is the frame numbers and place of processing. Negative numbers 18A, 19A and 22A.widows, widows' sunday, pilgrimage, wreath laying ceremony

Wreath laying ceremony for Legacy widows at the Shrine of Remembrance. This is an annual event for Legacy widows at the start of Legacy Week, which is the first week in September. The photos show widows carrying wreaths to be laid in the Garden Courtyard. The plants in the Garden Courtyard have been selected because they are native to the Mediterranean countries in which Australians have served. An olive tree stands as a centrepiece, representing peace. This is the olive tree of peace that was planted by Legacy in 1973 to mark their golden jubilee. It was relocated to the new courtyard in 2002 when the Shrine was being redeveloped. From the film numbers it appears to be 2003 when David Ford was president (see also 00614, 00615).A record of a ceremony at the Shrine in 2003.Colour photo x 4 of a wreath laying ceremony in the courtyard at the Shrine.Printed on the back No.< > Clarendon Photos 0014 which is the frame numbers and place of processing. Negative numbers 1, 2, 3 and 5.widows, widows' sunday, pilgrimage, wreath laying ceremony

Woodlands Homestead is the building in the photograph and the people standing at the entrance must have been invited by the former Shire of Bulla to visit the property when it became a tourist attraction. Des. Dumbrell, the gentleman wearing the light safari suit and standing in the front was one of the local councillors when Woodlands was opened to the public in the 1990. The park later became a home for retired racehorses.Woodlands Park became a popular tourist park within the area with many varied attractions which include the prefabricated homestead, native fauna and flora and mt. Gellibrand, the highest point in the park. A non-digital black and white photograph with a cream border, of a partial view of the entrance to a homestead built from stone with a galvanised roof. Nineteen people are gathered as a group at the main entrance. A palm tree is immediately behind the group with larger trees in the background.woodlands park, woodlands homestead, oaklands junction, shire of bulla

(1) Water Garden V.C.A.H Burnley Irrigation Plan, drawn by M.D. 12.11.87. (2) Tracing paper copy, Proposed Pool Development Native Garden V.C.A.H. Burnley -Survey of approximate dimensions showing fall and depth of pools. Drawn by J.H.K. 9.9.88. (3) Rough coloured plan, Water Garden Planting Plan. (4) Proposed Water Garden V.C.A.H. Burnley by Robert W. Boyle and Associates October 1988, with handwritten annotations by James Hitchmough. (5) Coloured final version. (6) Tracing paper copy, Planting Scheme Native Garden VCAH Burnley. Design by James Hitchmough. Drawing J.K. 13.8.90. (7) Section Native Grassland Burnley Campus - Larger Tree Cover by Marika Kocsis & Martin Hopkins. Drawn by Leigh Stone 25.9.95. Survey Plan, no key to numbers. (8) Section Native Grassland by Marika Kocsis & Martin Hopkins. Drawn by Leigh Stone 20.9.95. No key to numbers. (9) Tracing paper copy Native Garden by Paul Eaves 6.9.90. Scale 1:100. Also 2 plant lists (11.0478/1 and /2). Also see 11.0478 List of plants. (11) Letter to P. Tulk from Robert Boyle dated 07.10.1988 "Re: Cost Estimates for Construction of Proposed Water Garden."water garden, vcah, robert w. boyle, james hitchmough, jill kellow, marika kocsis, martin hopkins, leigh stone, paul eaves

The grave of Thomas Sweeney, former convict turned respectable citizen. The Murray and Sweeney families were both early settlers of the Eltham district and connected by marriage. Their family plots are located side by side in the Catholic section of the Eltham Cemetery. Irish-born Thomas Sweeney is regarded as the first settler in Eltham. He was transported to Sydney in 1823 after being convicted of arson. He was granted his freedom in 1838 and married Margaret Meehan in the same year. They moved to Melbourne and in 1842 Thomas purchased 110 acres beside the Yarra River in the vicinity of present-day Sweeneys Lane. He called the property ‘Culla Hill’ and built a small slab hut (reputedly with Wurundjeri help; Margaret is said to have run an informal hospital for them in return). This was followed in 1846 by more substantial buildings consisting of a three-roomed Irish-style ‘longhouse’ and a barn made of stone and handmade bricks, with doors large enough to accommodate a fully loaded wagon. When the gold rush came, Thomas prospered by selling meat and potatoes to the prospectors, enabling him to purchase a further 308 acres in 1856. He promoted the construction of a bridge over the Plenty River and the establishment of a school at Eltham. Roman Catholic Church services were held at Culla Hill in the early years. When he died in 1867, he was regarded as a respected member of the community. Thomas and Margaret are buried in Eltham Cemetery with many of their descendants. Their first son John continued to farm Culla Hill until his death in 1909. Culla Hill passed out of the Sweeneys' possession in 1939. The house and barn remain today, though lesser outbuildings have gone. The facade of the house is much the same as it was in the 1840s. Sacred To the memory of Thomas Sweeney Who died Sep 6th 1867 Aged 65 years May his soul res in peace Also his wife Margaret Died Oct 3rd 1884 aged 73 years And their daughters Annie Died Aug 22nd 1860 aged 21 years Johanna Died Aug 19th 1872 aged 22 years Margaret Died 7th Sep 1913 aged 72 years R.I.P. Also In Memory Of John Sweeney Died 24th May 1909 Aged 65 years Also of his wife Ellen Died 8th March 1910 Aged 64 years R.I.P Also In Memory Of Caroline Infant daughter of John & Ellen Sweeney Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p55 From the piety and poverty of 19th century Eltham, 20th century artists and environmentalists, to today’s comfortable middle class, Eltham Cemetery records it all — and more. A visit to Eltham Cemetery reveals an important social record since its beginnings in 1858. The cemetery was situated on about six acres (2.4ha) (now around 4.8ha) at the corner of Mount Pleasant and Metery Roads.1* It is thought that Metery Road was originally called Cemetery Road, but in the early 1940s, a resident, possibly a councillor, objected to the name resulting in the change.2 Much can be gleaned about the developing Eltham community from burial styles and the names of former local residents. Originally the cemetery was divided into Christian denominations, like others of that time, following the United Kingdom burial system. In 1861 the cemetery included Church of England, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic and Wesleyans (later Methodist) sites. Graves also indicated social class. Some had grand tombstones, perhaps fenced with ornamental cast iron railing, but most in the 1860s and 1870s were constructed of modest stone slabs.3 This indicated the poverty of the district, which was largely inhabited by farmers on small landholdings. A poignant reminder of the high rates of infant mortality of those times, are the many infants and young children recorded on the headstones. Major changes occurred in the cemetery in the late 20th century as Christian adherence weakened and society became more egalitarian and informal. In the early 1970s a non-denominational lawn section for burials was established. Since then all new areas have been non-denominational to accommodate the more diverse local community. Now, instead of large ornamental headstones, some mourners have chosen boulders, reflecting the natural Eltham style, while others choose graves in the lawn areas or niches in walls. In the late 1970s, the University Donor Section was established north-west of Candlebark Lawn for those who donated their bodies for The University of Melbourne medical research. In the early 1980s the natural Australian garden style, popular in Eltham, was mirrored in a new section called Ashes Walk. Local landscape architect Gordon Ford, who had popularised this style, designed the Walk using boulders shaded by native plants beside curved pathways. Landscape architect Robert Boyle later redesigned Ashes Walk and developed other parts of the cemetery in keeping with this style.4 Appropriately Ford, who died in 1999, was interred in the Native Garden Section in a cluster of sites shaded by a large eucalyptus tree.5 By 2007, about 6400 interments were recorded in the Eltham Cemetery. Close inspection reveals notable names in the district’s history. The grave of Thomas Sweeney, a former convict who became a respected citizen, can be found in the Roman Catholic section near the path. Eltham Primary School’s first headmaster, David Clark, is buried in a modest grave in the Church of England section to the east of the path from the main entrance. Sir William Irvine, Victorian Premier from 1900 to 1902, whose grave is in the north-east Presbyterian section was at various times Victoria’s Chief Justice, Deputy Governor and Treasurer.6 Further south is the grave of social reformer Bertram Wainer, born in Scotland in 1928 and died in 1987. He campaigned to legalise abortion and exposed police corruption in allowing illegal ‘backyard’ abortions. Other prominent local residents interred in the cemetery include: Justus Jörgensen, who founded Montsalvat; Alistair Knox, the mud-brick housing pioneer and Eltham Shire Councillor from 1971 to 1975 and President in 1975; Clem and Nina Christensen, who had a major influence on the literary development of post World War Two Australia. Others were: composer Dorian Le Gallienne; artist Peter Glass; Stephen Dattner, a prominent Melbourne furrier; ALP parliamentarian for Greensborough, Pauline Toner and political scientist and commentator, Professor William Macmahon Ball.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, annie sweeney, caroline sweeney, ellen sweeney, eltham cemetery, graves, gravestones, johanna sweeney, john murray, john sweeney, margaret sweeney, mary ellen drain, mary murray, thomas murray, thomas sweeney

Gold was discovered on One Tree Hill in 1854. The site has been worked intermittently until fairly recent times. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p53 Though still a working mine, One Tree Hill Mine at Smiths Gully, now stands in a tranquil reserve surrounded by bush and native animals - in contrast to its heyday. In the mid 19th century, when the mine was part of the Caledonia Goldfields, hundreds of men in search of their fortune worked the alluvial gold in the Yarra River, its tributaries and the reefs that made up the goldfields. Miner Stan Bone, assisted by Wilfred Haywood, is the last of the independent gold miners in the area and still uses the quartz crushing battery as miners did when gold was first discovered in the area in 1851.1 Stan, who is the last of six generations of miners in his family, was aged 17 when he began mining on his father Alex’ mine, The Golden Crown in Yarrambat. These days, after blasting the gold-bearing rock in Mystery Reef, one of the four reefs at One Tree Hill, Stan transports it around five kilometres by tip truck to the Black Cameron Mine for crushing. There he uses water from the waterlogged mine, (which still contains gold), as the Happy Valley Creek at One Tree Hill is usually dry.2 The One Tree Hill Mine has been worked for close to a century since it opened around the late 1850s.3 The Swedish Reef was its most productive reef and one of the largest in the area. Around 1859, extractions included 204 ounces (5.8kg) of gold, won from 57 pounds (26kg) of stone.4 Then during World War Two, Stan’s uncle, Bill Wallace, and Alex Bone, closed the mine. In 1973, Stan, with his Uncle Bill, reopened the Black Cameron Mine and worked there until 1988. Stan resumed mining One Tree Hill in 1998. As late as the 1920s gold was picked up by chance! When crossing a gully on his way to vote at the St Andrews Primary School, Bill Joyce picked up some quartz containing gold. This site was to become the Black Cameron Mine. The Caledonia Diggings, named after Scotland’s ancient name by local Scots, began around Market Square (now Smiths Gully) and included Queenstown (St Andrews), Kingstown (Panton Hill) and Diamond Creek. There were also poorer bearing fields in Kangaroo Ground and Swipers Gully (now Research). * None of these compared in riches to the Ballarat and Bendigo fields5, but the Caledonia Diggings continued intermittently for close to 100 years. Gold was discovered in Victoria following a bid to stem the disappearance of much needed workmen to the New South Wales diggings. Several businessmen offered a reward of £200, for the discovery of gold within 200 miles (322 km) of Melbourne. Late in June 1851, gold was first discovered at Andersons Creek, Warrandyte. Then in 1854, George Boston and two other men discovered gold at Smiths Gully. Gold transformed the quiet districts, with a constant flow of families and vehicles on the dirt tracks en route to the Caledonia Diggings. Three thousand people worked the gullies in Market Square, including about 1000 Chinese miners. The square established its own police, mining warden, gold battery, school, shops and cemetery and grog flowed. Market Square flourished until the middle 1860s. Bullocks transported quartz from the Caledonia Goldfields to the crushing machinery at the Queenstown/St Andrews Battery, near Smiths Gully Cemetery. It was destroyed by bushfire in 1962. By the late 1850s, most early alluvial fields were in decline, but minor rushes continued until around 1900 and some until the early 1940s. Some miners did well, although most earned little from their hard labour in the harsh and primitive conditions.6 But according to historian, Mick Woiwod, the gold fields helped to democratise society, as individuals from all walks of life were forced to share experiences, and the ability to succeed, depended less on inherited wealth or social rank.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, gold mining, one tree hill mine, smiths gully

'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

The Eltham Community and Reception Centre was Australia's first public mud-brick building. Commissioned in 1977 by Eltham Shire Council, led by Shire president (and architect) Robert Marshall, architects Whitford and Peck were asked to design a multipurpose facility in mud-brick and timber. The official opening was performed by the Hon. R.J. Hamer; E.D., M.P., Premier of Victorai on Saturday, April 22, 1978. Architects: Whitford & Peck Pty Ltd Quantity Surveyor: D.J. Cant & Associates Structural Civil Engineers: Charlett & Moore Pty Ltd Landscape: Peter Glass, Dennis Edwards Mech Elec: Lobley Treidel & Partners Pty Ltd Acoustics: Riley Barden & Kirkhope Builder: L.U. Simon Pty Ltd Covered under Heritage Overlay, Nillumbik Planning Scheme. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p177 The Wiggles performed there, so has the ABC’s Play School. New citizens have made their vows, volunteers have been honoured, school children have performed, weddings celebrated and people mourned at funerals. Since 1978 the Eltham Community and Reception Centre at the corner of Pitt Street and Main Road, has provided a beautiful and quintessential Eltham environment for people from all over Melbourne. Recognised as Australia’s first public mud-brick building, the centre was built partly on the site of the parsonage of the former Methodist Church (now the Uniting Church).1 Commissioned by the Eltham Council headed by President Robert Marshall, architects Whitford and Peck were asked to design a multipurpose facility in mud-brick and timber. Following public consultation, it was agreed to build a centre for dances, exhibitions, films, plays or concerts. The results – at a cost of around $620,000 – captured the Eltham rustic style. The building – in soft tones of mud-brick and timber and immense floor-to-ceiling windows – overlooks the Diamond Creek and sporting fields. Eltham’s strong artistic heritage is reflected in the centre. Although the lighting is not ideal for a gallery and labels cannot be placed on walls, the centre hosts the Nillumbik Art Awards and displays around ten to 20% of the Nillumbik Shire Art Collection, usually for around a year at a time.2 On permanent display, close to the entrance, is local artist Clifton Pugh’s White Choughs in the Landscape. Further to the right is the Walter Withers Gallery, named after a local member of the Heidelberg School of artists. As part of the Eltham Gateway opposite the Eltham Hotel, the centre stands on what was once part of the Eltham Town Centre along this section of Main Road, then known as Maria Street. On the same site once stood the house and flour mill owned by Henry Dendy, best known as the founder of Brighton, although he lived longer in Eltham. Beside the drive is a wheel-rim tool with accompanying plaque, illustrating a technology important during the horse-powered age and now almost completely gone, as has the blacksmith’s shop that had housed it nearby. The implement is a platform for fitting iron tyres to the wooden rims of cartwheels. Beneath it is a capsule placed in 1985 to commemorate Victoria’s 150 years, which is to be opened in 2035. Although the plants, forming part of the landscaping by Peter Glass and Denis Edwards, are largely indigenous and other native species, some exotic plants are protected as an important link with the site’s past. Planted at the front around 1920, is a large Peppercorn tree with two joined trunks growing from the base, and close by is a Bhutan Cypress (Cupressus torulosa). Three other Peppercorn trees fringe the drive. The building includes two halls – the larger seating 250 people – and a large foyer overlooking trees and ovals. Both halls have retractable rear walls providing varying spaces as required, and guests can use several external decks. A site for outdoor theatre has been carved out of the natural slope outside the entrance. The Bricklayers Union refused to use the traditional mud-bricks, which weigh more than 22kg. As a result the mud-bricks were redesigned to reduce their weight and were laid back-to-back to produce a wall of normal thickness.3 The centre’s massive timber frame is reminiscent of timber bridge construction, with infill panels of mud-brick.4 In accord with the rustic style are colossal rough-sawn posts, bolts and steel brackets. The combination of mud-brick, exposed feature timber framing and creative design in this centre, characterises Eltham’s innovative buildings and the social movement behind them from the 1940s to the 1970s.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 community and reception centre, mudbrick construction