Showing 13 items
matching 2004 bushfire
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Wooragee Landcare GroupPhotograph, 12th September 2004 or 15rh September 2004
... 2004 bushfire... change bushfire recovery bushfires 2004 bushfire field work after ...This photograph was taken at Wooragee Landcare workshop (Quoll), field day in Mt Pilot park on Bush Recovery: After the Fires. This is part of the Biodiversity Month on September 2004. The Bush Recovery workshop was held on Sunday 12th September 2-4pm with Christine Watson, Sue Berwick and Natasha Schedvin, and another workshop on Wednesday, 15th September, 9am to 12 noon with local biologist Glen Johnson and botanists Gill Earl and Christine Watson. The topics involved in the training involved what species have returned, what species haven't, what recovery studies are being carried out, how are the barking owls and phascogales faring, and why is Mt Pilot important. The photograph shows L-R: Colin Payne; Jerry Alexander; Geoff Galbraith. Bush fires are common in Australia due to several reasons. One is due to the geographic spread of fire's seasons, secondly, the absence of El Nino conditions are also linked to fires. Climate change also affected Australia's hot and dry seasons. Australia's climate began warming since the 1970s. Human-induced fires also contributed to this increase in temperatures across the nation. Bush fires happened in Mt Pilot in 2003 but it has recovered well since. This makes Mt Pilot an important site to understand bushfire recovery. This photograph contributes to the scientific and historical records on bushfire recovery in Victoria. It creates a picture of Victorian community activities and efforts on biodiversity, climate change, and environmental care.Landscape coloured photograph printed on gloss paperReverse: WAN NA 0A2A0N0 NN2 0 163 / (No. 2)wooragee, wooragee landcare group, wooragee landcare, bush fires, bush recover, mt pilot, biodiversity month, botany, botanists, bush recovery, quoll, foxy, fox, forest, environment, climate change, bushfire recovery, bushfires, 2004 bushfire, field work, after the fires, fire, biodiversity -
Eltham District Historical Society IncPhotograph, Fay Bridge, Former Morrison property, Killeavey, Laughing Waters Road, Eltham, 28 June 2004
Beatrice Wanliss Irvine was the daughter of former Victorian Premier Sir William Irvine. From age 13 she lived at “Killeavey” off Laughing Waters Road (later accessed from Reynolds Road). In 1923 she married James Morrison and the couple received Killeavey as a wedding gift. The property supported fruit and vegetable growing as well as an impressive botanical garden. But James died in 1936 after a period of ill health, leaving Beatrice to support their six children. The Killeavey house was built atop a cliff, 40 metres above the Yarra River. The garden was designed in 1910 by William Guilfoyle who was the second director of the Royal Botanical Gardens. The house was totally destroyed in the Black Friday bushfires in 1939, but was rebuilt. Beatrice continued to live at Killeavey and became well regarded as a botanist and naturalist. She died in 1989 and is buried in Eltham Cemetery with her husband and one of their sons. The (rebuilt) house was demolished by Parks Victoria. It contains significant garden remnants. The surrounding bushland is valued for its significant plant communities.fay bridge collection, 2004-06-28, beatrice wanliss morrison (nee irvine), eltham, james morrison, killeavey, laughing waters road, william irvine -
Eltham District Historical Society IncDocument - Folder, Pugh, Clifton
The artist, Clifton Pugh, grew up in Briar Hill. He served in WWII and settled at Cottles Bridge, building his own house and forming Dunmoochin artist colony. He married three times and had two sons. He painted the portraits of many eminent people. Contents Newspaper article: "This is the house that Cliff built", The Age, 2 May 1964. Description of Clifton and Marlene Pugh's house.. Folder: Brief biography Clifton Pugh. Photocopy section of "Clifton Pugh: Patterns of a lifetime", Traudi Allen, Nelson, Melbourne 1981. Magazine article: "Clifton Pugh: His home is a work of art", Woman's Day, 16 January 1894. Describes Clifton Pugh's house at Hurstbridge. Newspaper article: "A guide to our orchids", Diamond Valley News, 14 February 1984. Clifton Pugh contributed to the book "A Year of Orchids". Newspaper article: "A family tradition is continued". Diamond Valley News, 28 February 1984. Clifton Pugh's childhood and career. Magazine article: "Clifton Pugh's bush paradise", Home Beautiful, May 1989. Clifton Pugh's house and studio. Clipping: "Clifton Pugh award winning artist". Clifton Pugh currently working on illustrations for a book, with Pam Blashki, on wood chipping ["A Kingdom Lost: A Story of the Devastation of Our Wilderness", published 1989]. Newspaper article: "Funeral drama shows the Pugh touch", The Age, 19 October 1990. Clifton Pugh's funeral at Montsalvat. Newspaper article: "Friends bid farewell to Pugh". Herald-Sun, 19 October 1990. Clifton Pugh's funeral at Montsalvat. Newspaper article: "Friends paint a lowing portrait". Herald-Sun, 19 October 1990. Funeral and obituary of Clifton Pugh. Newspaper article: "Montsalvat mourns passing of a great". Diamond Valley News, 23 October 1990. Clifton Pugh's funeral at Montsalvat. Newspaper article: "Loner who was a fair dinkum mate". Diamond Valley News, 23 October 1990. Obituary of Clifton Pugh. Newspaper article: "Pugh's last works", Tempo, The Age, 17 July 1991. Clifton Pugh was illustrating Helen Lunn's book 'The Digger's Mate' when he died. Newspaper article: "Dunmoochin's rich tradition to live on", Diamond Valley News, 29 October 1993. Dunmoochin Foundation Board to advertise lease of studios. Newspaper article: "Clean up for Cliff", Herald Sun, 8 December 1993. Preparation for exhibition of Clifton Pugh's work at LaTrobe University Art Museum. Flier: Exhibition "Clifton Pugh: A Retrospective", Montsalvat, 12 to 14 November 1999. Newsletter: "Dunmoochin: an edited version of the history prepared for the Heritage Study by David Bick", Eltham District Historical Society newsletter 140, September 2001 Newspaper article: "Hail rising of Phoenix", Diamond Valley Leader, 20 July 2005. Dunmoochin Foundation and official opening of buildings Phoenix I and Phoenix II after the 2001 bush fire. Newspaper article: "Legacy to the arts", Diamond Valley Leader, 10 August 2005. Dunmoochin Foundation and the rebuilding after the 2001 bush fire. Newspaper article: "Tiwi art to go on show", ?publication, ?2002. Shane Pugh, Johnny Young and Ian McKimmie organising exhibition of Tiwi art to mark 100th birthday of Strathewen hall. Flier: Exhibition "Clifton Pugh AO: Reflections of Dunmoochin". Briar Hill Primary School, 23 to 25 November 2007. Printout: "Dunmoochin", http://www.standrews.vic.edu.au/dunmoochin.html. 19 May 2004. Newspaper article: "Hail rising of Phoenix", Diamond Valley Leader, 20 July 2005. Rebuilding at Dunmoochin after bushfire. Newspaper article: "Legacy to the arts", Diamond Valley Leader, 10 August 2005. Rebuilding at Dunmoochin after bushfire. Newspaper article: "Artist's legacy on show". Dunmoochin one of four Cottles Bridge sites for a tour by Trust for Nature, 2 and 3 October no year. Newspaper clippings, A4 photocopies, etcclifton pugh, hurstbridge, adriane strampp, princess michael of kent, arthur boyd, john brack, charles blackman, fred williams, shane pugh, marlene pugh, professor jock marshall, briar hill victoria, cottles bridge victoria, turner family of briar hill, yandell family of briar hill, st helena church, st helena road, briar hill primary school, eltham high school, dunmoochin, campbell beardsell, david beardsell, ivanhoe boys grammar school, national gallery art school, hurstbridge grevillea, montsalvat, george dreyfus, kew city band, justus jorgensen, sir edward "weary" dunlop, prue acton, john howley, fay dunmore singers, derryn hinch, jeff kennett, tom uren, dennis gowing, matcham skipper, kyra skipper, gordon ford, hilary jackman, peter graham, robert marshall, john greaves, jenni mitchell, rodney roschollor, gough whitlam, sir john kerr, lionel murphy, manning clark, arts policy committee of victorian branch of the australian labor party, latrobe's art museum, rudy komon gallery, leonard french, jon molvig, rick armor, john olsen, latrobe university, donovan pugh, trevor welshman, australia council visual arts board, lesley alway, dailan pugh, paul barnett, helen nixon, helen lunn, a year of orchids book, campbell bearsdell, david bearsdell, johnny young, ian mckimmie, tiwi art, strathewen hall, rhonda noble, latrobe university art museum, traudi allen, clifton pugh patterns of a lifetime book, trust for nature, randall robinson -
Marysville & District Historical SocietyPostcard (Item) - Colour postcard, Graphic Print Postcards, Marysville, Vic, 2004
A colour photograph of a snow covered Murchison Street in Marysville in Victoria.A colour photograph of a snow covered Murchison Street in Marysville in Victoria. This photograph was taken in 2004 before the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires that destroyed most of the businesses in the main street.Marysville's main street covered with a light layer of snow. Marysville is a small country town in Victoria, just 10/ minutes from Lake Mountain, one of Australia's best/ Cross Country Skiing Resorts. Graphic in Print/ Postcards Place/ Stamp/ Here Graphic in Print/ Country Towns Collection/ Classic 2/ c 2004/ Ph: (03) 5966 8523 Fax: (03) 5966 8458 Mob: 418 593 534marysville, victoria, murchison street, snow, postcard, souvenir, graphic in print, country town collection -
Marysville & District Historical SocietyPostcard (item) - Colour postcard, Graphic Print Postcards, Marysville, Vic, 2004
A colour photograph of a snow covered Murchison Street in Marysville in Victoria.A colour photograph of a snow covered Murchison Street in Marysville in Victoria. This photograph was taken in 2004 before the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires that destroyed most of the businesses in the main street.Marysville's main street covered with a light layer of snow. Marysville is a small country town in Victoria, just 10/ minutes from Lake Mountain, one of Australia's best/ Cross Country Skiing Resorts. Graphic in Print/ Postcards Place/ Stamp/ Here Graphic in Print/ Country Towns Collection/ Classic 2/ c 2004/ Ph: (03) 5966 8523 Fax: (03) 5966 8458 Mob: 418 593 534marysville, victoria, murchison street, snow, postcard, souvenir, graphic in print, country town collection -
Marysville & District Historical SocietyPostcard (item) - Colour postcard, Graphic Print Postcards, Marysville, Vic, 2004
A colour photograph of a snow covered Murchison Street in Marysville in Victoria.A colour photograph of a snow covered Murchison Street in Marysville in Victoria. This photograph was taken in 2004 before the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires that destroyed most of the businesses in the main street.Marysville's main street covered with a light layer of snow. Marysville is a small country town in Victoria, just 10/ minutes from Lake Mountain, one of Australia's best/ Cross Country Skiing Resorts. Graphic in Print/ Postcards Place/ Stamp/ Here Graphic in Print/ Country Towns Collection/ Classic 2/ c 2004/ Ph: (03) 5966 8523 Fax: (03) 5966 8458 Mob: 418 593 534marysville, victoria, murchison street, snow, postcard, souvenir, graphic in print, country town collection -
Falls Creek Historical SocietyPhotograph - John Meyer near Wilkie and Basalt Hill, 1949
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.These images are significant because they depict aspects of the life of a pioneering family of Falls Creek and the founders of "Skyline", the first lodge at Falls Creek.Two black and white images of John Meyer skiing near Wilkie and Basalt Hill, Bogong High Plains. Wilkinson’s Hut (Wilkie) was built for the SEC in the summer of 1932-3 to accommodate the snow research program manager. The cottage was sited next to a hydro-meteorological station, set on stilts above the snow. It was not a refuge hut but a permanent residence for all of the year. The work carried out there included operation of a meteorological station at the cottage, measuring the snow depth and density along two pole lines, and operating stream gauging stations in the area. The engineers stationed there included Adrian Rufenacht (1934-6), and Norwegian Martin Romuld (1936-42) Romuld was a champion skier, constructing a ski-jump and a grass tennis court near the hut during his residency. Adrian was one of the founders of 'Skyline". The hut was sold in 1948 to the Victorian Ski Club and renamed Wilkinson Lodge. Robert Wood Wilkinson, best known as 'Wilkie, was the 'Father figure' of Victorian skiing. Robert Wood Wilkinson died on May 22, 1939. The hut was resold some 12 years later to the Melbourne Bushwalkers club. In 1983, the National Parks Service described the building as an old SEC hut which had been purchased and, afterwards, maintained and occupied solely by the Melbourne Bushwalking Club. Wilkie Hut survived the 2003 bushfires but burnt down one year later (January 2004) in a cooking accident.falls creek, ray meyer, skyline -
Falls Creek Historical SocietyPhotograph - Joan Meyer at Bogong High Plains, 1947- 53
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.These images are significant because they depict aspects of the life of a pioneering family of Falls Creek and the founders of "Skyline", the first lodge at Falls Creek.Two black and white images of John Meyer skiing near Wilkie and Basalt Hill, Bogong High Plains. Wilkinson’s Hut (Wilkie) was built for the SEC in the summer of 1932-3 to accommodate the snow research program manager. The cottage was sited next to a hydro-meteorological station, set on stilts above the snow. It was not a refuge hut but a permanent residence for all of the year. The work carried out there included operation of a meteorological station at the cottage, measuring the snow depth and density along two pole lines, and operating stream gauging stations in the area. The engineers stationed there included Adrian Rufenacht (1934-6), and Norwegian Martin Romuld (1936-42) Romuld was a champion skier, constructing a ski-jump and a grass tennis court near the hut during his residency. Adrian was one of the founders of 'Skyline". The hut was sold in 1948 to the Victorian Ski Club and renamed Wilkinson Lodge. Robert Wood Wilkinson, best known as 'Wilkie, was the 'Father figure' of Victorian skiing. Robert Wood Wilkinson died on May 22, 1939. The hut was resold some 12 years later to the Melbourne Bushwalkers club. In 1983, the National Parks Service described the building as an old SEC hut which had been purchased and, afterwards, maintained and occupied solely by the Melbourne Bushwalking Club. Wilkie Hut survived the 2003 bushfires but burnt down one year later (January 2004) in a cooking accident.falls creek, joan meyer, bogong high plains -
Wooragee Landcare GroupPhotograph, 28th April 2004
This photograph was taken at Wooragee Hall on the 28th of April, 2004, during an general information event titled "Questions About Quolls." The event was hosted by Andy Murray, then president of the South East Forests Spot-Tailed Quoll Working Group. Information provided included quoll characteristics, habitats, and how to find them. This event was partially prompted by a desire to find out if quolls still lived in Mount Pilot-Chiltern National Park, as there had been no confirmed sightings since the 2003 bushfires. Andy Murray helped lead the efforts to find them. Currently, landcare group efforts have found evidence of a small but present spot-tailed quoll population in the park. Reasons for the decrease in population include fox populations in the area and destruction of habitat. The man pictured in the photograph is Owen Gemmill(?) The spotted-tailed quoll, also called the Tiger Quoll, is an endangered Australian animal. It is the largest carnivorous mammal in Australia, and is native to Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, and Tasmania. Slightly larger than a cat, the animals fur is normally brown, with black marking and white spots. Currently, there are approximately 14,000 spotted-tailed quolls in the wild. This photograph is significant as an example of events used by the Wooragee Landcare Group to inform the public on local environmental issues, and for its link to the hunt for the spotted-tailed quoll. Portrait colour photograph printed on gloss paper. Reverse: WAN NA 0ANA0N0 NN2+ 1 1636 -
Wooragee Landcare GroupPhotograph
This photograph was taken in April 2004, on the field day in Mount Pilot-Chiltern National Park as part of a workshop on quolls, led by Andrew Murray, then president of the South East Forests Spot-Tailed Quoll Working Group. IThis event was prompted by a desire to find out if quolls still lived in Mount Pilot-Chiltern National Park, as there had been no confirmed sightings since the 2003 bushfires. Andy Murray helped lead the efforts to find them. Currently, landcare group efforts have found evidence of a small but present spot-tailed quoll population in the park. Reasons for the decrease in population include fox populations in the area and destruction of habitat. Pictured, L-R: unknown, Andy Murray, unknown, Jerry Alexander, Geoff Galbraith, Mary Prowse The spotted-tailed quoll, also called the Tiger Quoll, is an endangered Australian animal. It is the largest carnivorous mammal in Australia, and is native to Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, and Tasmania. Slightly larger than a cat, the animals fur is normally brown, with black marking and white spots. Currently, there are approximately 14,000 spotted-tailed quolls in the wild.This photograph is significant as an example of events used by the Wooragee Landcare Group to inform the public on local environmental issues, and for its link to the hunt for the spotted-tailed quoll.Landscape colour photgraph printed on gloss paper. Reverse (partial) WAN -
Wooragee Landcare GroupPhotograph, circa April 2003
This photograph was taken in the Mount Pilot Chiltern National Park. This park is located near Chiltern in Victoria. It's most notable landmarks include Mt Pilot and Woolshed Falls. It also has many mines from the Gold Rush in the late 1800s. It is home to much flora and fauna, including the tiger quoll. The tiger quoll, also known as the spotted-tail quoll, is a marsupial that gives in the Mount Pilot Chiltern National Park. It is also main land Australia's largest carnivorous marsupial. It can weigh up too four kilograms and looks similar to either a possum or a spotted cat. It has red and brown fur with distinct spots. The tiger quoll is found along the Great Dividing Range, which includes Victoria, New South Wales and also near the border of Queensland. It lives in forests, rainforests and coastal heathlands and woodlands. In 2004 a team of volunteers from the Wooragee Landcare group as well as some of the Department of Sustainability and Environment staff set out to find the tiger quoll following the 2003 bushfires. Since the bushfires, concern had arisen for it because it hadn't been seen since the bushfires. They attempted to find traces of the quoll through finding and identifying their droppings as well as DNA testing. This photograph was taken during this search. This photograph represents the work that goes into protecting a important species like the tiger quoll. The tiger quoll is a significant species because it is main land Australia's largest carnivorous marsupial. As a result of this, there has been much work done to preserve and protect it. This photograph was taken when the Wooragee Landcare group went to ensure the survival of this species, highlighting how the tiger quoll is being protected. This photograph also demonstrates the impacts of the 2003 bushfires in the Mount Pilot Chiltern National Park. This is seen through the burnt trees featured in the picture. Landscape coloured photograph printed on gloss paperReverse: WAN NA 0ANA0N0 NNN 0 1636 / [PRINTED] (No.7) / 921quoll, mount pilot chiltern national park, national park, 2003 bushfires, search, endangered, beechworth, wooragee landcare group, wooragee landcare, wooragee, possum, australia, victoria, department of sustainability and environment, photograph, 2004, spotted-tailed quoll, great dividing range, spots, fur, forests, rainforests, woodlands, coastal heathlands, spotted quoll, spotted quoll habitat -
Eltham District Historical Society IncPhotograph - Digital Photograph, Marguerite Marshall, Eltham Library, Panther Place, Eltham, 18 April 2008
Rear view of Eltham Library showing loading dock and ramp to the front of the building. Designed by multi-award winning architect, Gregory Burgess, for which he won the 1995 Royal Australian Insitute of architects (Vic.) Merit Award in the New Institutional category. Covered under Heritage Overlay, Nillumbik Planning Scheme. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then / Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p183 Award-winning Eltham Library, with its earthy tones blending into the nearby parklands, celebrates some of the best of Eltham’s spirit. Designed by multi-award winning architect, Gregory Burgess, the library at Panther Place, won him the 1995 Royal Australian Institute of Architects (Vic) Merit Award in the New Institutional category.1 The design is typical of Burgess’ work, emphasising natural materials and forms, and the integration of building and site.2 In its distinctive architectural character, Burgess celebrated the spirit of Eltham’s artist/architect Justus Jörgenson and mud-brick builder Alistair Knox. However this library, which opened in 1994, follows decades of efforts to acquire a suitable library for local residents. It was only in 1971 that Eltham acquired its first purpose-built library. In the 1930s books were borrowed from a mobile library run by Mr Foster of Bible Street. From the 1930s to the early 1950s, adults borrowed books from the newsagency and general store in Main Road (still a newsagency) near Arthur Street. As late as the 1950s, adults borrowed books in the shire office foyer, then in Main Road near the corner of Arthur Street.3 In the early 1950s the ratepayers voted for lower rates rather than a library, in a referendum to build a public library financed by higher rates. Children depended on volunteers for their library service until 1966. In 1946 the inaugural meeting of the Eltham War Memorial Trust’s Women’s Auxiliary, decided to support the Trust by raising funds to buy land and build a Children’s Library, Baby Health Centre and other facilities. The auxiliary formed the Children’s Library Committee, which included Mrs Morrison, Mrs Bow and Mrs Currie. They ran a library service in the stage area of the Eltham Hall, at the corner of Arthur Street and Main Road. In 1952 the books were relocated to a room in the newly opened Baby Health Centre on Main Road. Then in 1961, the Children’s Library received its own hall beside the Eltham Pre-School Centre on Main Road. From there, each month, volunteers delivered books to every school in the shire. In 1966 the Children’s Library closed after 17 years of service, following the transfer of the Trust land and buildings to the Shire of Eltham. The books were donated to nine schools in the shire and to Community Aid Abroad. An important boost to the library service came in 1965, when the Heidelberg Regional Library Service was formed by the City of Heidelberg with the Shires of Eltham and Diamond Valley. Its first library service for Eltham Shire was a bookmobile van. Books for children and adults were finally housed in one building in 1966, when the shire converted the Brinkkotter house in Dudley Street, into a library. At last in 1971, the Eltham Library moved to new premises attached to the shire offices near Panther Place. However these were demolished in 1996, by State Government appointed commissioners during council amalgamations. Meanwhile the Heidelberg Regional Library Service was disbanded in 1985 and the Yarra Plenty Regional Library Service was established. The burgeoning population brought pressure for a bigger library. Eltham was one of several municipalities in the 1970s and 1980s, battling with the State Government for adequate funding for public libraries. Funds were so tight, that in 1987 Eltham councillors threatened to close the library. However public petitions persuaded them to set aside funds to replace the cramped library facilities. In 1992 the Federal Government gave $887,496 towards the $3 million cost of the 1560 square metre library.4 The result is a light and spacious building with surrounding verandas, made of sustainable natural materials including earth and recycled and radially sawn timbers. It includes a gallery and function areas. In 2004 Mr Burgess won Australian architecture’s highest accolade: the Royal Australian Institute of Architects Gold Medal. He has received more than forty professional and community awards.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, eltham library, panther place -
Eltham District Historical Society IncPhotograph - Digital Photograph, Marguerite Marshall, Eltham Lower Park, 20 April 2008
Originally a race course, the park has brought the community together with a variety of activities. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then / Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p45 Once used for horse racing, which attracted visitors from Melbourne, the Eltham Lower Park has brought the community together with a wide range of activities. Horse riding is now enjoyed as a recreation in the park as are other sports. The park also includes the Diamond Valley Railway miniature trains and a sanctuary for the rare and vulnerable Eltham Copper Butterfly. Eltham Lower Park, with other parks, forms an almost continuous green band from Eltham’s centre, along the Diamond Creek to the Yarra River.1 Before European settlement the Wurundjeri people met on this land, particularly at the junction of the Diamond Creek with the Yarra River, which they called Birr-arung. This is commemorated by the sculpture, Not just a Pretty Place by Aleks Danko, winner of the 2000 Nillumbik Art in Public Places Award. The first European to settle here was probably Henry Foley, who in 1841 used it as part of his pastoral run. Foley sold his leasehold to Joseph Wilson in 1845, who soon after sold it to Frederick Falkiner.2 During the 1840s the future park was part of a government square mile (2.6 sqkm) reserve, north of the Yarra, within the Parish of Nillumbik, later named Eltham. Soon the land was used for horse racing after nearby residents cleared ten acres (4ha) in the early 1850s. A three-quarter of a mile (1.2km) race secured the winner the £10 Publican’s Prize. In response to popular demand, the newly formed Eltham District Road Board petitioned the Surveyor General of the Colony of Victoria, in 1856, for 36 acres (14.6ha) of crown land for a racecourse and recreation. By 1858 the Eltham races had become an institution. ‘Many skirmishes occurred and the way home was paved with temptation, with sly-grog for sale.3 In the early 1870s, two jockeys were sons of the police officer in charge of the Eltham Police Station, Miles S Lyons.4 Another ten acres (4ha) was added to the area in 1866 and 12 acres (4.8ha) – Hohnes Hill – in 1870. In 1866, two acres (0.8ha) on the creek banks became an animal pound with William Walsh the pound keeper in 1870, but this was later incorporated into the park. By 1877 the area was called a public park but horse racing and training continued into the 1920s. In the mid-1900s trotters were trained on a circuit road. In 1953 the Eltham Pony Club was established and used a cross-country course on Hohnes Hill. From the mid 1950s the club held the Eltham Easter Fair at the park, later to include a procession along Main Road from the town centre to the park. The park also attracted picnic parties and campers from the inner suburbs as did Wingrove Park, and businesses catering for visitors, sprang up on the opposite side of Main Road. Bus-loads of school children visited the park for Gould League bird days in the 1960s. In 1979 the Eltham Shire Council bought Lenister Farm, linking the park with the Yarra River. The Lenister Farm wetland includes a bird hide, viewing platform and interpretive signs.5 Pioneer Henry Stooke, later Road Board chairman, bought the 11 acres (4.5ha) - later to become Lenister Farm - from the Crown in 1862. Stooke never lived on this site and the two houses at Lenister Farm were built in the 20th century. Since its formation in 1871, the Council has controlled this crown land, which it named Eltham Park. But in the 1920s Eltham Council bought land near the town centre for a park, which it named Eltham Central Park. To avoid confusion the Council renamed Eltham Park, Eltham Lower Park. Since 2004 the Yarra footbridge has linked the park with the Yarra Valley Metropolitan Park and the Main Yarra Trail.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 lower park, eltham park
