The City of Moorabbin Historical Society was formed c 1960 by a group of Moorabbin residents who were concerned that the history of the area should be preserved. A good response to a call for items related to the historical area of Moorabbin Shire brought donations of a wide variety of artefacts which are now preserved by the current members of CMHS at Box Cottage Museum . Helen Stanley, Secretary of CMHS, began producing a Newsletter for members in April 2007 to provide current information and well researched items of historical interestHelen Stanley has produced a bi-monthly Newsletter, 2007 - 2013, for the members of the City of Moorabbin Historical Society that contains well researched interesting historical items, notification of upcoming events, current advice from Royal Australian Historical Society , Museums Australia Victoria and activities of Local Historical Societies. The Newsletter is an important record of the activities of the CMHS5 x A4 paper printed on 1 side Issue 15 of the bi-monthly, City of Moorabbin Historical Society Newsletter produced by Society member and Secretary, Mrs Helen Stanley in February 2010. Notices for the meeting February 28th , subscriptions due, and this is 50th Anniversary of CMHS. Water flooded Joyce Park, the grounds of the Cottage and a little seeped into Grace Lewis Room in December 2009 when a water main at the neighbouring Bowling Club burst, but little damage occurred and the Glen Eira Council will install drainage pipes between Box Cottage and the Bowling Club. In January, 2 brush tailed possums had taken up residence in the Barn and after failed attempts by Helen and Dennis to move them, Glen Eira Council relocated them. A description of the establishment of Cobb & Co Coaches by Freeman Cobb in 1853, for cartage between Melbourne and the Ports but they soon began transporting people and mail to the gold fields around Victoria. 3 photocopied photographs of Cobb & Co Coaches and 1 photo of the 2 Possums CITY of MOORABBIN HISTORICAL SOCIETY / February 2010 NEWSLETTER city of moorabbin historical society, stanley helen, maynard dennis, melbourne, moorabbin, cheltenham, ormond, bentleigh, market gardeners, pioneers, early settlers, moorabbin shire, box cottage museum, lewis grace, cobb freeman, cobb and co coaches, ballarat, goldfields, gold miners, bendigo, castlemaine, governor latrobe, victoria, sydney road, sutherland alexander, chinese gold miners

Washing Tailings No 9. Coloured illustration of Chinese gold miners , panning, cradling, whim in background.Unknownartwork, print, mining

The Blowhole is an artifical diversion tunnel in the Jim Crow Creek made by Chinese miners seeking gold around the 1870s. Ann Gervasoni and Clare Gervasoni stand on the edge of the pool associated with The Blowhole. hepburn, hepburn regional park, blowhole, mining, heritage, chinese

A number of rubbings of calligraphic carvings thought to be from the Ballarat East Joss House in Main Road. .1) Blue and brown crayon. Translation: Erected on an auspicious day in winter 1859. Think of his loyalty (Quan Yu, now can canonised as the god of war to whom this temple is dedicated) (AD1084) to his sworn lover their sworn botherhood pledged in the peach garden as has been praised for thousands of years. .2) Rubbing in blue crayon of Chinese calligraphy from pole on right hand side of Joss House Door. (Larger) his great graciousness spreads to other (us here in foreign lands) kingdoms, and his virtue guards our gold miners everywhere. (Smaller) Dedicated to his disciples the Chu Pei-Huo family .3) Rubbing on litho paper. translation - One who knows the nature of things (in the world) will thus understand human nature. .4) Rubbing on litho paper. Translation of middle calligraphy - We all behold the wisdom of the gods in the heavens, earth and man. .5) Rubbing on litho paper - translation - The grace of god flows to all corners of the earth. .6) Charcoal rubbing - translation - Temple of the god of war. .7) Crayon rubbing of calligraphy on litho paper. Translation - Dedicated by the Ma Chu-Feng family. Emperor's virtue spreads far and wide. Grace in Abundance. Erected in winter, 1859. .8) Crayon rubbing of calligraphy on litho paper. Translation: Respectfully dedicated by the Ts'Ai Chi-Yang family. Grace in abundance. Erected in winter of 1859. .9) Crayon rubbing .10) Outline of calligraphy on copy paper .11) Rubbings of calligraphy on copy paper. Translation: The Holy God of War. Exhibited in 1862. Your respectful disciples. .12) List of 11 disciples chinese, joss house, keith rash, chu pei-huo, quan yu, ma chu-feng, ts'ai chi-yang, lee chua-yeh, hwong tien-jyue, wa perg-nan, liu chin-chuson, an lee factory, lice hsue-chiere, lee mei-tzy, lee pas-chi, lui lih-nie, wir hon-fu, li hsi-yang

Frances Gertrude Gladstone was born on the 18th of September 1919 to Arthur George Ladson and Gertrude Hunrick Irving. France's grandfather, Alfred Ladson, came Beechworth from Norfolk, England, during the gold rush. Alfred had a grocery business, and was well known for writing letters for the miners to send to their families. Alfred also travelled to Beechworth with his sister, who was a trained nurse and helped establish a hospital for the goldfields. Frances remembers her father saying the Chinese miners were not allowed to bring their families to the goldfields, hence there were no Chinese children in schools around Beechworth. Frances was an avid botanist, and wrote a book called 'The Little Huntsman', which she wrote while watching her husband gold mining. This oral history recording was part of a project conducted by Jennifer Williams in the year 2000 to capture the everyday life and struggles in Beechworth during the twentieth century. This project involved recording seventy oral histories on cassette tapes of local Beechworth residents which were then published in a book titled: Listen to what they say: voices of twentieth century Beechworth. These cassette tapes were digitised in July 2021 with funds made available by the Friends of the Burke.Frances Gladstone's story is significant, as she remembered important information about Chinese miners in the gold rush, explained the role of women in the 20th century in Beechworth, and the history of the hospitals in the region. This is a digital copy of a recording that was originally captured on a cassette tape. The cassette tape is black with a horizontal white strip and is currently stored in a clear flat plastic rectangular container. It holds up 40 minutes of recordings on each side.listen to what they say, beechworth, oral history, burke museum, botanist, chinese miners, goldmining, gladstone

Horace Monshing was born in Beechworth in 1935. In this oral history, he relates his understanding of the life of his Grandfather, Peter Monshing (Munshing), as a Chinese immigrant to Australia in the mid-nineteenth century, as well as his life as the last descendent of Chinese goldminers to live in Beechworth. While Peter, who was originally from Hong Kong, was not a particularly successful goldminer, he was a very talented gardener, and made his living growing a market garden and selling the produce. He died in 1947 in his nineties, in the same year that Horace and his parents moved to Myrtleford. Horace relates the discrimination he faced as a child based on his grandfather’s ethnicity, as well as how his grandmother, mother and wife have all faced discrimination for marrying into a family with a Chinese name. This oral history recording was part of a project conducted by Jennifer Williams in the year 2000 to capture the everyday life and struggles in Beechworth during the twentieth century. This project involved recording seventy oral histories on cassette tapes of local Beechworth residents which were then published in a book titled: Listen to what they say: voices of twentieth century Beechworth. These cassette tapes were digitised in July 2021 with funds made available by the Friends of the Burke. Mr Horace Monshing’s account of his life in Beechworth and Myrtleford and the local area during the 20th century, as well as his understanding of his grandfather, Peter Monshing’s life as a Chinese immigrant in the mid-nineteenth century, is historically and socially significant to the cultural heritage of the region, especially as it relates to Chinese settlers in the region. He details the discrimination he and his family have faced as the result of being related to a Chinese immigrant, as well as describing his life in general. This oral history account is socially and historically significant as it is a part of a broader collection of interviews conducted by Jennifer Williams which were published in the book 'Listen to what they say: voices of twentieth-century Beechworth.' While the township of Beechworth is known for its history as a gold rush town, these accounts provide a unique insight into the day-to-day life of the town's residents during the 20th century, many of which will have now been lost if they had not been preserved. This is a digital copy of a recording that was originally captured on a cassette tape. The cassette tape is black with a horizontal white strip and is currently stored in a clear flat plastic rectangular container. It holds up 45 minutes of recordings on each sideMr Horace Monshing / peter monshing, peter munshing, horace monshing, monshing, munshing, beechworth chinese community, chinese immigration, chinese community, chinese miners, immigration, gold rush immigration, beechworth goldfield, marketing and promoting agricultural products, market garden, garden, racism, discrimination, oral history, jennifer williams, myrtleford, eurobin, beechworth primary school, beechworth state school., school, listen to what they say: voices of twentieth century beechworth, listen to what they say, burke museum

This black and white photograph taken c1900 at a camp in Beechworth, depicts the last six survivors of the Beechworth Chinese mining community. The two men standing on the far right are believed to be local Beechworth men. The man second-from-right is believed to be George Young, a Chinese Presbyterian catechist whose task was to fulfil the Church's remit to evangelise the Chinese population. Beechworth became home to one of the largest Chinese communities in Australia after the 1857 Buckland Riots pushed Chinese miners from their claims and they were forced to relocate their camps. Under the Protectorate system, the Chinese were required to live in camps on the outskirts of town and were subject to many additional controls and regulations. Chinese miners continued to form a large part of the Beechworth population, and surrounds, until gold ran out at the turn of the century.This photograph is historically significant for its association with the development of Victoria through the discovery of gold and the first wave of free Chinese immigration to Australia as part of the 1850s gold rush. This photograph is also of social significance for its association with the history of the Chinese community in Beechworth, and the adversity faced by Chinese immigrants during the gold rush as part of a system of Chinese protectorates and segregated camps enforced by the Victorian Government in response to the hostility and violence directed at the Chinese during this period. Black and white rectangular photograph (copy) on matte photographic paper unmountedReverse: Chinese / BMM2676 / 84-79-1 / 1998.00059 / 'UNITED SHIRE OF BEECHWORTH / SHIRE SECRETARY'beechworth, chinese camp, beechworth chinese camps, 1900s beechworth, ovens goldfield, chinese mining community, beechworth presbyterian church

This photograph was taken during the late 1800s at the Chinese camp at Beechworth, Victoria. It was in camps such as these that many would-be gold miners made their home after arriving in Australia from across Asia. After arriving in South Australia where there was no poll-tax required of migrants as was the norm in Victoria and New South Wales, those looking to settle on the gold fields walked en mass overland for hundreds of kilometres before arriving in destinations such as Beechworth. Due to widespread prejudice against Chinese gold diggers they were forced to live separate from the town and developed enclaves much like the one depicted in the photograph. As the years progressed the Chinese camp began to construct more permanent structures and included temples of worship, shops and separate burial grounds. This photograph demonstrates the early multi-cultural aspects of Australia and Victoria during the late 1800s. It also showcases pressures and prejudices specific to the Chinese migrant community and the measures taken to separate them from the rest of the predominantly white community. It also reflects the gold-rush period and one of the first draws to Australia due to its mineral wealth. Black and white rectangular photograph developed on paperObverse: None Reverse: From the/Chinese Camp/84-80-1/1997-3221chinese camp, beechworth, houses, immigrants, gold mining, gold rush, late 1800s, chinese, asia

Taken some time after 1864, these photographs depict the Star Hotel both directly (8674.1) and from the Hotel north west down Ford Street (8674.2). The images depict the building with its modern exterior, having settled for this brick form after several other building designs. The Star Hotel was the first hotel opened in Beechworth, and would go through a series of dramatic changes under its first three owners. The original timber structure was built by W.H. Neuber, though at the time it was only known as ‘The Beechworth Hotel’. The site was later purchased in 1855 by mining entrepreneur, and prolific business owner, John Alston “Six Stars” Wallace. He would go on to extend the established hotel, rebuilding much of it with weatherboard and a shingled roof, adding a two storey structure with a verandah and a theatre capable of supporting 400-500 people, which was often used for international performances. Renamed as the Star Hotel, it was the second in a chain franchise, eventually leading to the “Six Stars” moniker Wallace went by, with hotels at Rutherglen, Chiltern, Yackandandah, Bright, Snake Valley, and of course, Beechworth. Under his ownership, it developed into a popular location for merchants, wayfarers, and locals alike, with the help of his brother Peter as manager. Situated on a road once synonymous with Melbourne to Sydney roadtrips, and the allure of the gold mines, the popularity of the Star drew all manner of clientele from across the country. As such a central hub, the ‘Star Assembly Rooms’ were used as a meeting place for debates, discussions, festivities, and problem solving among the various working sects of the area. These meetings included shareholder discussions for prospecting companies, railway planning, council meetings, and discussions surrounding the interactions between European and Chinese miners, both good and bad. By late 1856, John had the Beechworth at auction through J.H. Grey & Co. It was most likely due to the high profile murder of the manager, Robert Murdoch, during an altercation in relation to a dine and dash event by a Swedish miner, Charles Jansen, who had been ‘excited by drink’ on November 17th. He had refused to pay for his meal and waiter James Mitchell failed to persuade him otherwise. Mitchell, or possibly Murdoch himself, forced him out as tempers and threats escalated. As the photos tell, there are a number of doors which may be entered through, and Jansen used an alternate entrance to access the building. Murdoch was investigating the noise when he encountered the furious man. He was subsequently stabbed with no warning by a small clasp knife, as he tried to stop the intrusion. His exclamations, "I’m stabbed, I’m stabbed!” alerting other occupants, and Jansen was restrained and arrested. Murdoch died the next day from his injuries, with the inquest carried out on the theatre stage. Some 3000 members of the town attended the funeral, and the Star hung black cloth in memory of Robert and his death. Afterwards, an auction caw the property pass to Messrs Robertson and Quirk, though would return shortly thereafter to Six Stars’ portfolio. Six Stars would later sell off his properties from 1862, with the Beechworth Star purchased by 1864 by John Sitch Clark. This allowed Clark to redevelop a significant portion of the Hotel, stripping a central section and constructing the brick structure that survives today, reopening the Star in July that year. It was after this time that our photographs were taken. Clark would later sell the property to Frank Mitchell, shortly before his own death. The next owner, Frederick Allen, lived on the property before the deed was sold to him in the 1880s. He would later sell the property to William Carroll in 1890, with proprietorship eventually moving to Mr. W.H. Porter, and transferring to a Mr. Marendaz by 1913 and Mr. Holly in 1915. Licensing disputes would arise 1917 between Margaret Carroll and a Mrs. McDonald, before it became delicenced some years prior to 1935. It was around this year that the property was bought by Mr. W.J. Pemberton at the meagre price of £500, down from the £13,000 Six Stars originally auctioned it for. It served as a Youth Hostel for a period of time around 1972, and currently the building serves as a private accommodation on the second floor, with shops taking up the ground floor level.These photographs of the Beechworth Star Hotel as they depict a form of Beechworth's first hotel, and also the site of a high profile murder. Two black and white rectangular photographs printed on matte photographic paper.8674.1 (reverse) Beechworth/ 734/ Tanswell’s Hotel [crossed out]/? Old Star/ Hotel,/[small pencil scratching]/ Saunders/ BMM 8674.1 8674.2 (reverse) Beechworth/ 60%[circled]/ Old Star Hotel/Building etc.,/ 12 ½ cm/ 3"[circled, arrows extending horizontally to edges]/[arrows extending top to bottom mid-right of reverse]/ Saunders/ 734[circled]/ BMM 867.2,/ [thin scribbled bordering around top, right, and bottom edges]star hotel, beechworth hotel, john alston wallace, ja wallace, john sitch clark, frederick allen, robert murdoch, meeting place, tragedy, theatre, mining town

This image shows six older Chinese men standing in a row with two younger non-Chinese men outside a small wooden business or official building in the Beechworth region, circa 1900. The two non-Chinese men are wearing clothes of the period that indicate relative prosperity (such as three piece suits, top hats, and a pocket handkerchief), whereas most of the Chinese men are wearing Western-style working clothes of the era. One Chinese man at the far right of the image is wearing similar garments to the non-Chinese men, including a bowler hat and longer, more tailored suit jacket. Chinese miners were a significant cultural group in Beechworth's gold rush period. Carole Woods' history of Beechworth, 'A Titan's Field', details that there were approximately 60 Chinese people in the area in 1855, more than 1000 in 1856 and 4700 (a quarter of the population) in 1857, despite the introduction in 1855 of official policies such as additional taxes formulated by the Victorian Government to limit access by Chinese immigrants. Most Chinese miners in the region came from southern China and had formerly worked as merchants, mechanics, farmers and shop-keepers. Chinese people were subjected to a 'protectorate' system, ostensibly to minimise the potential for conflict with other groups; this system required Chinese people to live in designated 'hygienic' camps with paid Chinese headmen who supervised the village and enforced the protectorate's rules. Chinese people were required to purchase an annual protection ticket to fund this system. The protectorate system was abolished in 1861, before this image was taken in approximately 1900, but it may still provide insight into social stratification or relationships between and within cultural groups in Beechworth resulting from such practices. Lantern slides, sometimes called 'magic lantern' slides, are glass plates on which an image has been secured for the purpose of projection. Glass slides were etched or hand-painted for this purpose from the Eighteenth Century but the process became more popular and accessible to the public with the development of photographic-emulsion slides used with a 'Magic Lantern' device in the mid-Nineteenth Century. Photographic lantern slides comprise a double-negative emulsion layer (forming a positive image) between thin glass plates that are bound together. A number of processes existed to form and bind the emulsion layer to the base plate, including the albumen, wet plate collodion, gelatine dry plate and Woodburytype techniques. Lantern slides and magic lantern technologies are seen as foundational precursors to the development of modern photography and film-making techniques.This glass slide is significant because it provides insight into Beechworth's cultural and social relationships in the early Twentieth Century, in particular the experiences of Chinese miners. It is also an example of an early photographic and film-making technology in use in regional Victoria in the time period.Thin translucent sheet of glass with a circular image printed on the front and framed in a black backing. It is held together by metals strips to secure the edges of the slide.burke museum, beechworth, lantern slide, slide, glass slide, plate, burke museum collection, photograph, monochrome, magic lantern, indigo shire, north-east victoria, nineteenth century, 1900s, twentieth century, emulsion slides, chinese, chinese miners, protectorate system, protection licence, immigration, racism, classism, social groups, cultural groups, taxes, hygiene camps

This image of a man on horseback is thought to have been taken in Beechworth in approximately 1900. The man pictured may be Chinese. Chinese miners were a significant cultural group in Beechworth's gold rush period. Carole Woods' history of Beechworth, 'A Titan's Field', details a rapid increase in the Chinese population beginning in 1856 that led to Government discrimination and hostility from other miners. Many Chinese people who came to the Victorian goldfields had formerly worked as merchants, mechanics, farmers and shop-keepers. The pictured individual is wearing Western-style clothes indicating prosperity, such as a top hat, so may have held an official position or provided services to the community rather than working as a miner. Lantern slides, sometimes called 'magic lantern' slides, are glass plates on which an image has been secured for the purpose of projection. Glass slides were etched or hand-painted for this purpose from the Eighteenth Century but the process became more popular and accessible to the public with the development of photographic-emulsion slides used with a 'Magic Lantern' device in the mid-Nineteenth Century. Photographic lantern slides comprise a double-negative emulsion layer (forming a positive image) between thin glass plates that are bound together. A number of processes existed to form and bind the emulsion layer to the base plate, including the albumen, wet plate collodion, gelatine dry plate and Woodburytype techniques. Lantern slides and magic lantern technologies are seen as foundational precursors to the development of modern photography and film-making techniques.This glass slide is significant because it provides insight into Beechworth's cultural and social relationships in the early Twentieth Century, in particular the experiences of Chinese people. It is also an example of an early photographic and film-making technology in use in regional Victoria in the time period.Thin translucent sheet of glass with a circular image printed on the front and framed in a black backing. It is held together by metals strips to secure the edges of the slide.burke museum, beechworth, lantern slide, slide, glass slide, plate, burke museum collection, photograph, monochrome, magic lantern, indigo shire, north-east victoria, nineteenth century, 1900s, twentieth century, emulsion slides, chinese, chinese miners, immigration, racism, classism, social groups, cultural groups, horse riding, horses, equestrian, horseback

A poem that was written about a journey taken by a local miner's daughter to the Sir John Franklin gold mine from Gooleys Creek.A poem that was written about a journey taken by a local miner's daughter to the Sir John Franklin gold mine from Gooleys Creek.sir john franklin gold mine, gooleys creek, stander's track, goulburn river, wood's point, johnstons hill, chinese miners, black friday

Gold was discovered in Victoria c1850 and people came from all over the world to seek their fortune at Ballarat and Bendigo and surrounding gold fields. This large wooden rocking- box or cradle was used by gold prospectors. A handle on the rocker is pushed back and forth, as the miner put gravel into the top part and finer and heavier particles dropped through a screen, helped along by buckets of water. The bottom part of the device had slats, that caught the heavier metals. After many shovel loads of gravel were pushed through the rocker, the miner would then use his gold pan to sort out the heavy minerals to find gold. Most of the pioneer settlers in Moorabbin Shire left the area to try their luck at gold mining and there was a desperate shortage of workers to maintain the market gardens and supply food to the ever increasing population of Melbourne.This gold prospector's 'cradle' is hand made and typical of those used by many hopeful Moorabbin Shire pioneers as they abandoned their market gardens to try their luck at finding gold in the Ballarat and Bendigo minefields c1850This gold miner's rocker is very old, and very well-used. It is a large wooden rocking- box or cradle used by gold prospectors. A handle on the rocker is pushed back and forth, as gravel is put in the top part of the box so that finer and heavier particles drop through a screen.. The bottom part of the device had slats, that caught the heavier metals. i.e gold particles. The water passed through the shute at the base back into the creek or river.moorabbin, brighton, market gardens, pioneers, early settlers, fruit, vegetable, ballarat, bendigo, gold mining, gold prospedtors, gold rush, were j. b., irish immigrants, chinese immigrants, gold panning, gold digger

This photograph shows land clearing at Bendoc. From 1845 the Bendoc area was part of pastoral leases. In the 1850s alluvial gold was discovered in the Bendoc River. This was quickly exhausted, and a number of mines began successful reef operations. At the head of the river, the settlement of Clarkville clustered round several other mines. Many miners, including numbers of Chinese, sluiced the rivers. The population of the area was as high as 500 during this period. The township was surveyed in 1869 and the hotel built in 1870. This building was burnt down in the early 1900s and rebuilt. A school was also begun at this time. In the 1870s there was a decline in gold mining. Some miners selected land, which in many cases is still held by descendants. Dairying was common in the early days, supplying a butter factory at the New South Wales border, and a milk factory at Orbost in more recent times. Wheat was grown for the settlers' own use and ground at Bombala. Now beef cattle grazing is the main occupation. (info. from Victorian Places)This is a pictorial history associated with the early settlement of Bendoc in East Gippsland.A badly distorted black / white photograph of a horse drawn wagon, three men and two women clearing land.on back - "Clearing land at Bendoc"bendoc-land-clearing bendoc-early-settlement

This reproduced photograph is of Pennyweight Flat near Beechworth, a notable area of the 1850's gold rush in Victoria. Donald Fletcher, migrating to Beechworth from Scotland in 1855, had substantial claims at Pennyweight Flat and was amongst the first in the district to utilise hydraulic sluicing and water diverting methods.The flat is said to have seen a flurry of 200 miners to the area around 1857, and by 1861 when work commenced on extending Fletcher's tail race the census recorded 644 people residing there (European males, females and Chinese).The search for gold is ingrained into the history of Victoria and therefore, images like this one which portray an open cut sluicing site can reveal important information for society and technology for the date when the photograph was taken. This image is of important historical significance for its ability to convey information about sluicing and the methods used to find gold in 1910. It also shows a location where sluicing was undertaken which provides insight into the impact of sluicing on the environment at a time when it was done. This image is important for current research into the history of Beechworth and surrounding area including Victoria's North East. The Rocky Mountain Extended Gold Sluicing Company was a long running and very active mine that was one of the most successful and largest in the district. Therefore, this image has the capacity to be beneficial for research into society and the motivations of those living and working in this region during this period and therefore, has social significance. The Beechworth Burke Museum has additional images relating to gold sluicing which can be analysed and studied alongside images like this one. When the mine closed in 1921, in a liquidation sale, Zwar purchased the tunnel and clear water supply that ran under the town of Beechworth. He directed the water to his tannery and over time built a major industry in leather works that was a major employer in Beechworth. In growing his leather business, Zwar installed crude oil engines for electricity in his factory. He oversaw working with local council to introduce electricity to Beechworth via a sub-station on Albert Street. In 1927 Electric street lamps replaced gas lamps in the streets of Beechworth. Black and white rectangular reproduced photograph printed on glossy photographic paperObverse: Reverse: 84.222.5/ digital print/ rocky mountain extended gold sluicing company, gold, sluicing, gold sluicing, hydraulic sluicing, gold mine, open cut mining, mining, gold mining, north-east victoria, beechworth, burke museum

Installed by the Queenstown Cemetery Trust December 2009 The discovery of gold in Smyth's Creek in 1854 and subsequent gold rush to the Caledonia diggings led to the establishment of Queenstown (present day St Andrews). The first recorded burial was July 31st, 1861 and it was officially declared a Cemetery Reserve in 1866. Many graves are unmarked and unrecorded including many Chinese and other itinerant miners. The cemetery was closed for new burials in 1851. The last recorded burial was in 1981 in an existing family grave.jim connor collection, 2023-03-08, queenstown cemetery, smiths gully road, st andrews

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

Built c.1868, St Andrew’s Anglican Church is Nillumbik Shire’s oldest timber church and is historically, socially, and spiritually significant to the Shire of Nillumbik. The church is historically significant because it may have given its name 'St Andrews' to the town (another suggestion is that the name came from the local hotel), it is also historically significant as one of only four buildings that remain from the Caledonian goldfields era of Queenstown (now St Andrews) and one of only a handful of buildings that survived the 1960s bushfires. The church is historically, socially, and spiritually significant because it has played an important part in community life for more than 150 years; a proposal to move the church in 1984 met with strenuous opposition. Much of the fires on Black Saturday 2009 were the north of the town. The town itself remained intact - as did this heritage building. Covered under Heritage Overlay, Nillumbik Planning Scheme. National Trust of Australia (Victoria) Local significance Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p69 The St Andrews Anglican Church and former St Andrews Primary School, are two reminders of the district’s early days, when it was founded on gold. St Andrews, then called Queenstown, was the earliest goldfield in the Caledonia Diggings.1 It was the Upper Diamond Gold Mining and Administrative Centre, with 3000 miners. Queenstown was also the seat of the Court of Petty Sessions. The church and school then stood close to European and Chinese stores, three hotels, a brewery and a quartz mill.2 In 1861, Queenstown was officially proclaimed a township. From 1865, the name Queenstown was interchangeable with St Andrews, until 1952, when the town was officially named St Andrews. As gold declined from the early 1880s, Queenstown changed dramatically into a settlement of small farms. St Andrew’s Anglican Church, built in 1868, is the Shire’s oldest timber church and possibly gave its name to the township.3 The small timber church was opened on November 1, 1869, by the Dean of Melbourne. Anniversary tea meetings helped raise funds, and in 1889, a three-bedroom parsonage was built alongside. In 1910, the vicar, the Rev Selwyn Chase (and friend of the Scouting Movement’s founder, Baden Powell), established the 1st Queenstown Scout Troop, only two years after Scouting began in Australia. The church was important to the lives of many local residents who were baptised, married and had funeral services there. But by the 1950s the population had decreased and so did the weekly attendances. Around the mid-1960s the church closed, then fell into disrepair. So in the mid 1980s it was sold to the Education Department and was under threat of relocation or demolition. However this caused such opposition from locals,4 that instead, the Anglican church leased it as part of the Panton Hill parish5 and it was reconsecrated in 1987. Queenstown’s first school was held in a tent after transferring from Andersons Creek, Warrandyte.6 From 1858 a church school, Caledonia Diggings, stood west of the main road, a quarter of a mile (0.4km) before Buttermans Track. In 1882 the school was moved from a leased building, owned by headmaster Robert Harris, into a larger building on the corner of the School and the Heidelberg-Kinglake Roads. It had been moved from Smiths Gully and included a teacher’s three-roomed residence.7 In 1887 the school was replaced by the Queenstown State School No 128, although it was also called Caledonia Diggings until 1891. In 1956 it was renamed St Andrews. Still standing, this building is now used as the St Andrews Community Centre and the residence is leased for private use. The original timber-lined room remains alongside the extensions, and is distinctive with its high ceiling and tall small-paned windows. In 1984 a new school was built 500 metres west of the old school. Many residents have contributed much to St Andrews but one family that has done so for several generations is the Harris family. Robert Harris was an active member of the St Andrew’s Anglican Church, and worked hard at improving the town’s amenities until his death in 1887. He was a signatory to the successful 1863 petition to the Chief Commissioner of Police, against the proposed removal of the Court of Petty Sessions and police station at the Caledonia Diggings. The police station stayed in the town until 1917. Harris was Head Teacher of Queenstown State School from 1864 to 1874, then of the Smiths Gully school until it closed in 1882, and he continued teaching at Panton Hill until his death. His son, Robert Charles Harris, was editor and printer of the local newspaper, The Evelyn Observer, from 1873 until 1915. Robert’s son, William Shelley Harris, served in the Boer War and in World War One. In 1928 he became Kinglake National Park’s first park ranger. Robert’s daughter Elizabeth, taught needlework at Queenstown State School, and later ran the post office in Kinglake.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, st andrews, st andrews anglican church

The c1860 St Andrews Hotel, with the c1930 additions, and the Canary Island Palm, and the surrounding site to the title boundaries are historically, socially and aesthetically significant to the Shire of Nillumbik. The St Andrews Hotel is historically significant because it may have given its name 'St Andrews' to the town (another suggestion is that the name came from St Andrews church) and for its connection to Ewen Hugh Cameron (1831-1915) the prosperous local farmer, member of the Eltham Roads Board/Shire Council and local MP. It is also significant as the oldest hotel building in the former Shire of Eltham, as one of the few surviving buildings connected with the Caledonian goldfields era and as one of a handful of early structures to have survived the 1960s bushfires; the additions and alterations to the hotel reflect its long life. The hotel is socially significant because it has served as an important meeting place for more than 160 years. The Canary Island Palm is historically significant as a rare example of exotic tree planting in this rural area. The tree is aesthetically and historically significant as a local landmark and for its contribution to the streetscape and landscape value. Covered under Heritage Overlay, Nillumbik Planning Scheme. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p71 Built around 1860, St Andrews Hotel has changed little since it first welcomed thirsty gold diggers from the Caledonia Goldfields. The timber building, with gabled roof, beamed ceilings and a massive fireplace, is Nillumbik Shire’s oldest hotel and has always been an important community centre, particularly in its early days. Fortunately, the hotel and the near-by Canary Island Palm Tree, which is quite rare in this area, survived the 1960s bushfires, along with a few other early buildings. St Andrews (formerly Queenstown) was founded on gold, as were Panton Hill (formerly Kingstown), Research and Diamond Creek, from the mid-1850s to the 1860s. But by the early 20th century common use changed the name Queenstown to St Andrews, possibly after this hotel or after the church or the mining district.1 The Caledonia Diggings were probably named by Scottish settlers after the Roman name for Scotland, despite this land bearing little similarity to their homeland.2 Queenstown, which was proclaimed as a township in 1861, was the gold-mining centre on the Upper Diamond and in the 1850s had up to 600 European inhabitants and a small camp of Chinese on the flats along the creek. Queenstown was the administrative centre of the Upper Diamond with three hotels, a brewery and a slaughterhouse.3 It is unclear which hotel was the district’s first, as distinct from the earliest unlicensed grog shops, some of which operated in tents. John Corke Knell was one of eight unlicensed storekeepers supplying drink to miners at Caledonia in 1857, named by Sgt. McNamara of the Caledonia Police Station.4 In February 1859, Knell apparently bought most of the present hotel’s site at the first township land sales. As he was a local storekeeper, he might have first established a store there.5 Knell and his wife Eliza were early licensees of the St Andrews Hotel. The hotel had eight bedrooms – including three for public use – and the dining-room seated 30 people. It is thought they named the hotel St Andrews after Eliza’s hometown of St Andrews in Scotland. St Andrews Hotel was an important local centre in several ways. In the same building the Knells also operated a post office and general store. In 1867 Mrs Knell was appointed Deputy Registrar of Births and Deaths for Queenstown. The hotel was also used to hold inquests into people’s deaths when the police residence became too small.6 The hotel also became a fashionable destination at Christmas for parties from Melbourne. In 1868, possibly following her husband’s death, Mrs Knell applied for a temporary licence, which was then transferred to Robert Smith after their marriage in 1869. But then, possibly after Robert’s death, Mrs Smith operated the hotel until 1892. This contradicts a report in The Evelyn Observer 1882 that JC Knells of the St Andrews Hotel was granted a publican’s licence in the Queenstown Police Court. At that time he was supposed to have been dead for around 14 years! Although Mrs Smith was a respected citizen, known for her geniality and as an ideal hostess, she had a minor brush with the law when she was fined ten shillings for not lighting a lamp outside her licensed premises.7 From 1892 several publicans owned the hotel including W Atkins, from 1895. In 1909 the licensee was apparently Mrs Smith’s son, Walter Knell, who held the licence until at least the 1920s. Not surprisingly, this old hotel has attracted romantic stories. Mrs Smith is said to be seen roaming the pub in her nightdress – even though she was buried in the Queenstown Cemetery in 1911.8 A musical The Hero of Queenstown, set in the hotel, was written and produced by local actor Reg Evans in 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, st andrews hotel

The discovery of gold in Smyth's Creek in 1854 and subsequent gold rush to the Caledonia diggings led to the establishment of Queenstown (present day St Andrews). The first recorded burial was July 31st, 1861 and it was officially declared a Cemetery Reserve in 1866. Many graves are unmarked and unrecorded including many Chinese and other itinerant miners. The cemetery was closed for new burials in 1851. The last recorded burial was in 1981 in an existing family grave. In Loving memory of David Band Died 30th Decr. 1862, aged 51 years. John Cork Knell Died 11th April 1867, aged 42 years. Eliza Smith Died 20th Jany. 1874, aged 3 1/2 years. William Band Died 20th Feby. 1883, aged 51 years. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p73 The discovery of gold at Smyth’s Creek* in 1854 brought 3000 people to the area in search of their fortunes.1 However in the harsh conditions many miners and their families died young, and were buried in unmarked graves. Their stories died with them but by 1861, the first burial was recorded at the Queenstown Cemetery – that of William Dalrymple aged 65 – although the cemetery was only officially declared a reserve in 1866. Even before this in 1856, a double burial had been recorded for the twin baby daughters of George Harrison at Market Square, the miners’ settlement – presumably where the cemetery is today. In 1951 the Queenstown Cemetery at 70 Smiths Gully Road, Smiths Gully, closed for burials. However the last burial in a family plot, that of Grace Evelyn Smith, occurred in 1981. Today only 55 headstones remain, but more than 380 burials are recorded. Remnant bushland dominates the cemetery where many graves are merely mounds and others have been damaged by vandalism and the neglect of time. Bushfire in 1962 destroyed the picket fencing, grave markers and cypress boundary planted in the early 1900s. The box/stringybark woodland in the 1.7 hectare Cemetery Reserve is regrowth from then and the indigenous and heritage vegetation is protected. Thanks to the volunteer Cemetery Trust and Friends & Relations of Queenstown Cemetery, the cemetery is maintained, stories recorded and the burial index corrected and expanded.2 Close by the cemetery on the site of today’s Peter Franke Picnic and Nature Reserve stood Market Square, the Caledonia Diggings village of tents and stores, the forerunner of Queenstown, now St Andrews. Many of the Caledonia Diggings miners were Chinese, many of whom, with itinerant prospectors, were buried in unmarked graves. Histories are being recorded of other immigrants, mainly English and German, who settled after the gold rush, some of whose descendants fought and died in the two world wars. Names on many headstones are also recorded on the district’s roads, reserves and war memorials such as Motschall, Joyce, Howard and Coutie. The oldest surviving tombstone is that of Scot, David Band who died in 1862 at 51 years. His oldest daughter Elizabeth, with husband John Knell, owned the Queenstown Hotel and the post office. Child-rearing in a colonial gold town was often tragically difficult, as demonstrated in the first 20 years, when 41% of the 34 burials recorded were children. Settlers endured harsh conditions graphically illustrated with the deaths of Annie Joyce at 30 years and of her family. Annie was married to gold miner Walter Joyce. Their third child Walter, born in 1886, died in March 1887. Eight months later Annie died of breast cancer. Walter died in 1909, aged 53, of miner’s phthisic caused by stone dust destroying his lungs. It was so hard to make a living that burials were usually held from 2.30 pm to allow mourners to work a day before paying their last respects.3 Most burials before 1890 were recorded as Anglicans, as the only church on the Caledonia Diggings was the Church of St Andrew, until 1897, when the Primitive Methodist Church came to Panton Hill. Generally miners came to better themselves, but some, like Grace Hopkinson (nee Milward), born in England in 1828, came from a well-off and educated family. According to family legend Grace emigrated with husband William, to live in a tent, but had kept her personally embossed sterling silver cutlery service. Amid the tough environment were some successes like that reported in The Evelyn Observer April/May 1901 of miner William Hopkinson who was buried at the cemetery in 1912 aged 81. The Observer stated that Hopkinson ‘recently dropped across another find in his claim at One Tree Hill’. The lump of gold found this time weighed more than half a kilo. Mr Hopkinson referred to it as ‘another little speck’. *Today’s Smiths GullyThis 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, david band, eliza smith, gravestones, john cork knell, queenstown cemetery, smiths gully road, st andrews, william band

The discovery of gold in Smyth's Creek in 1854 and subsequent gold rush to the Caledonia diggings led to the establishment of Queenstown (present day St Andrews). The first recorded burial was July 31st, 1861 and it was officially declared a Cemetery Reserve in 1866. Many graves are unmarked and unrecorded including many Chinese and other itinerant miners. The cemetery was closed for new burials in 1851. The last recorded burial was in 1981 in an existing family grave.35mm colour positive transparency Mount - white 7 dots (Technodia Italy)queenstown cemetery, smiths gully road, st andrews

The discovery of gold in Smyth's Creek in 1854 and subsequent gold rush to the Caledonia diggings led to the establishment of Queenstown (present day St Andrews). The first recorded burial was July 31st, 1861 and it was officially declared a Cemetery Reserve in 1866. Many graves are unmarked and unrecorded including many Chinese and other itinerant miners. The cemetery was closed for new burials in 1851. The last recorded burial was in 1981 in an existing family grave.35mm colour positive transparency Mount - white 7 dots (Technodia Italy)queenstown cemetery, smiths gully road, st andrews

The discovery of gold in Smyth's Creek in 1854 and subsequent gold rush to the Caledonia diggings led to the establishment of Queenstown (present day St Andrews). The first recorded burial was July 31st, 1861 and it was officially declared a Cemetery Reserve in 1866. Many graves are unmarked and unrecorded including many Chinese and other itinerant miners. The cemetery was closed for new burials in 1851. The last recorded burial was in 1981 in an existing family grave.35mm colour positive transparency Mount - white 7 dots (Technodia Italy)queenstown cemetery, smiths gully road, st andrews

The discovery of gold in Smyth's Creek in 1854 and subsequent gold rush to the Caledonia diggings led to the establishment of Queenstown (present day St Andrews). The first recorded burial was July 31st, 1861 and it was officially declared a Cemetery Reserve in 1866. Many graves are unmarked and unrecorded including many Chinese and other itinerant miners. The cemetery was closed for new burials in 1851. The last recorded burial was in 1981 in an existing family grave.35mm colour positive transparency Mount - white 7 dots (Technodia Italy)queenstown cemetery, smiths gully road, st andrews

Diggers & Mining. The Chinese on the Gold Fields. Slide: In a Ballarat Mine C. 1867. Only a few were employed in gold mines, and they usually did only surface work, Why? Picture; depicts miners pushing a loaded trolley, many of them have a shovel in hand. Markings: 17 (smudged number). Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Typed account of the Red Ribbon Movement of 1853. It mentions the resentment of the miners paying thirty shillings a month (whether they found gold or not) for a licence to dig for gold, why they started wearing a red ribbon, their banner with the pick, shovel and cradle representing labour, the scales representing justice, the Roman bundle of sticks meaning unity and the kangaroo and emu of Australia. They had a meeting and due to common sense on both sides a conflict was averted.event, red ribbon movement 1853, william dexter, derby china factory, la trobe, 40th regiment, george thomson, captain harrison, captain brown, dr jones, w d c denovan, commissioner panton, commissioner wright, bendigo art gallery, bendigo trades hall, eureka stockade incident

Probably brought to the area by Chinese miners or shopkeepers. It was used to weigh small items at a time when goods were often paid in gold. In could also be used for weighing opium. In China it was known as a Dotchin. Creswick had a large Chinese population which arrived circa 1855 and established the Chinese Camp (now Calembeen Park) plus other satelite camps in the area. In 1859 there was over 1,000 residents in the area and many operated as shopkeepers. Joined pieces of wood (bamboo), violin shape case joined with brass rivet together. The case features a long section to house the ivory rod with the bulbous section to house metal dish with four holes. Ivory rod. Metal weight is missingIvory rod has markings to indicate weight. Metal dish has four holesscale, goldrush, gold, miners, opium smoking, shopkeeping

China souvenir plate of Bendigo, off white fluted with holes around edge showing a sepia scene of miners panning for gold Bendigo 1800's.Norwood Ceramics Bendigo 1985 RWdomestic equipment, table setting, plate