Myrtle Grayson (nee McKay) was the Grand Daughter of John and Sarah Orchard (two of Cockatoo's first settlers) and worked for James and Caroline McBride in 1911 at the age of 14Handwritten letter by Mrs Myrtle Grayson on foolscap paper. Letter written in 1984Blue pen on foolscap paperletter, history of cockatoo, myrtle grayson, cockatoo creek,

An early Barratt photo of the Cockatoo Creek, looking towards the McBride St bridge. The four men depicted in the image, look relaxed and are taking in the serenity of the creek below.Dear Florrie, just a card to let you know I haven't quite ? altogether am up here among the ferns and ? It is a lovely place for a quiet holiday the fern gullys are just lovely you can see the Ranges in the distance as blue as the sea. This view is the bridge over Cockatoo creek near the R. Station. As space is short I will close Best Love from ?Original Barratt Photo, of four men standing on the McBride St bridge over the Cockatoo CreekRear of the postcard includes handwritten correspondence in ink, to someone called Florriea. t barratt, postcard, cockatoo creek, cockatoo, views of cockatoo,

"Desmond", on the Cockatoo Creek, on land which now forms part of Alma Treloar Reserve, was the home of the O'Hara family ca. 1910. The poet John Bernard O'Hara, used to visit his mother there, and remembered many wonderful holidays with the "city folk" who travelled to Cockatoo on "Puffing Billy" and camped along the creek. The family in the foreground is most likely the O'Hara family.The photograph is significant because it shows a Cockatoo home of around 1910.Black and white photograph of "Desmond", home of the O'Hara family, with a family group in foreground. Situated on Cockatoo Creek, on land now known as Alma Treloar Reserve. Circa 1910.cockatoo homes, "desmond", o'hara family, cockatoo creek, john bernard o'hara.

Henry Beater Christian (1886-1962) , was a descendant of one of the earliest settler families in Kew. Employed at the Kew Asylum as a 'public servant', he was a skilled amateur photographer, photographing numerous scenes in Kew and on his travels around Victoria. The majority of his photographs date from 1916 to 1929. His finest photographs are housed in two photograph albums. Digital copy of a photograph from page 28 of the 47-page photograph album containing 261 gelatinous silver images, loaned by Diane Washfold with permission given to digitise and hold a copy in our collection. John Chapman has written in 'Bushwalking Clubs - A Brief History', about the establishment in Victoria of the first bushwalking club in 1888, and the popularisation of bushwalking during the interwar period. Henry Christian's 'walks' appear to have been undertaken solely or with a companion/s. This black and white photo of a creek was taken on a walking trip between Cockatoo and Gembrook in Victoria."Cockatoo & Gembrook [illegible]henry beater christian (1886-1962), landscape photography, christian-washfold collection, photograph albums, bushwalking, cockatoo, gembrook

HISTORY OF MYRTLE CREEK, CENTRAL VICTORIA - 192 pages with photos, illustrations and maps. Letter inside from Ken James, 18 Lofty Avenue, Camberwell, 3124. 17/10/05. Inscribed on front fly page ' Donated to the Bendigo Historical Society Inc. by Ken James Oct. 2005.'Ken Jameshistory, myrtle creek, myrtle creek, cockatoo creek, state schools, ken james, gold mining, quartz mining

Cockatoo's Tourist Track featured in many postcards that were produced. It was an important attraction for the many holiday makers that came to Cockatoo in the early part of last century.The Tourist Track extended along the Cockatoo Creek, crossing the creek in various parts. It seemingly followed the creek until it ended in the vicinity of Mountain Rd and started near the swimming pool.Original Postcard - The Rose Series P 1619 cockatoo creek, tourist track, rose series postcard, cockatoo victoria

In October 2000, Council invited three artists from the region (Deborah Halpern, Matcham Skipper, Tony Trembath) to submit designs for a sculpture / public art work for the Eltham Town Square. The commission was paid for by supermarket giant Safeway (Woolies) as part of its supermarket permit, which required them to contribute to beautification work in the Town Square.This is the first of three parts. The 'Spirit of Nillumbik' is a celebration of the artistic spirit of Eltham and surrounding communities. Each area is identified through the flora and fauna represented in the panels. The work honours the many creative artists and architects, past and present, who have built homes and shaped lives and livelihoods with their unique creative spirit. Halpern describes her work as a public expression of their individual and collective visions. Halpern acknowledges these contributions to our hand-made history and the influence they have on the character and identity of Eltham and Nillumbik. Five picture and six woven balustrades each made out of welded steel / organic wrought iron and coated with wax. Imagery (flora - plants, landscapes and fauna - animals, birds, reptiles, insects) are all based on the local environment. There is also a relevant aboriginal presence amongst each of the panels. Each panel represents the different areas that make up the Shire. 'Water' for Warrandyte, 'Kangaroos' for Christmas Hills, 'Cockatoos and 'Valley Creek Flats' for Hurstbridge, 'Wombats', 'Bluetongues' and 'Possums' for St. Andrews/Kinglake, 'Orchids' for Panton Hill, 'Cows' and 'Grapevines' for the Kangaroo Gound Hill landmark. N/Apublic art, nillumbik, fauna, flora, wrought iron, balustrade, halpern, laurence, kangaroo, eltham town square, spirit, warrandyte, christmas hills, kangaroo ground, hurstbridge, kinglake, panton hill, water, valley creek flats, cockatoos

"Who would have thought that a boy born in 1889 from the Victorian Mallee would become a successful artist on New York’s Staten Island? This finely illustrated, exhaustively researched and beautifully written biography on Leason features the artist’s entire career as a painter and cartoonist renowned for his depictions of Australian society in the 1920s and 1930s. Leason’s story is a poignant one tracing his beginnings as a cartoonist, to the bohemian Melbourne art scene in the early 20th century, to his involvement in the artists’ camps of Eltham, to his important series of portraits of Lake Tyers Indigenous Australians, and his eventual move to the US where he has been acknowledged as making an enormous contribution to the New York arts scene. This story, as yet untold, fills a gap in the history of art in Australia and offers a new perspective on Australian art in the first half of the 20th century." - Thames and Hudson website A NEW HOME IN ELTHAM Once they had settled back into Melbourne, Perry and Belle began to look for a place to make a permanent home. Having enjoyed the bush setting of Mosman, they decided to explore the rural fringes of Melbourne. Each weekend they packed a picnic and travelled to the towns in the nearby hills - such as Ferntree Gully, Sassafras, Lilydale and, of course, Cockatoo Creek. Eventually deciding these places might be a little too far from The Herald office, they searched closer to the city. The Heidelberg and Box Hill regions that had inspired his old teacher McCubbin, had become busy, urban areas but further east, towards Warrandyte and Templestowe, there were still large tracts of bush. Finally they settled on Eltham, an area Percy knew very well, having often painted there with Jock Frater. Perry's old friend Dick McCann and his wife Margery had also settled in Eltham. The township was fifteen miles from Melbourne and serviced by an electric train that went to the central Melbourne station of Flinders Street, near where The Herald offices were located. Eltham was a small village in 1925, separated from Melbourne by the Yarra River, and surrounded by orchards and large tracts of bush. Small farms dotted the landscape and the main businesses revolved around ironmongers, blacksmiths, and farming supplies. Of particular appeal to artists was Eltham Park, a large expanse of bushland bounded by the Yarra River on the south side and the Diamond Creek on the east. The park included a playing field that was busy on weekends with cricket or football matches, but for the rest of the week it was mostly empty and an ideal place to paint. The scenery there provided the inspiration for many paintings by Leason, Meldrum and other artists such as Colin Colahan and Peter (A.E.) Newburv. The Leasons found a rundown old farmhouse on four-and-a-half acres of land in New Street, now known as Lavender Park Road. The site was splendid, at the top of a gentle slope which gave panoramic views east to the Dandenong hills, south over the Templestowe orchards and north to Kinglake. The front lawn was taken over by onion grass (or wiregrass as Leason called it) and scattered about the property were many wattles and gum trees. Aloe cacti covered much to the front of the house, while old quince and lucerne hedges separated the house and out-buildings from a rundown apple orchard. Here they would build a new home. ·with financial assistance from The Herald, Leason bought the property and immediately commissioned an architectural firm to design a new house in the popular bungalow style of the time. The old farm house was demolished but Percy saved the siding boards, bricks and corrugated iron for the outbuildings of his new home. The new house was a two storey, triple brick with a large, gabled, terracotta tiled roof. It was situated at the very top of the slope. The paint and varnish were barely dry when the family moved in during the summer of 1925-26 and the fumes were overpowering in the heat. Despite the house being wired for electricity, power poles had not yet reached the area and initially the family had to rely on kerosene lamps and candles. When electricity did arrive, Leason reflected on the community's reception of electricity at the expense of the old growth gum tree corridors in his cartoon, Electricity comes to Wiregrass. The family had now grown to seven. Jack was nearly nine, Jean was seven, Marjory was four, Nancy was two and the baby Patricia was seven months old. Jack and Jean were enrolled in the local primary school down the hill. A retired farmer, Jock McMillan, came to live on the property and help out with the general maintenance. Jock built himself a shack and Belle provided him with meals. He was kept occupied building structures around the property·, such as the garage, the outside toilet, garden beds, trellis arbours and a number of ponds. The elderly, bearded Scotsman with his old hat and baggy pants also provided the inspiration for one of the characters Leason regularly included in his cartoons. Like Leason, Jock smoked a straight stemmed pipe. A neighbour was employed to help Belle with domestic chores, and so the family settled down to live comfortably in their new Eltham house. Two dogs, Maginary and Wodger, completed the large and vibrant household. “Percy Leason; an artist’s life” by Margot Tasca, Thames & Hudson Australia Pty Ltd, Port Melbourne 2016, pp 63-64 Hardback Bookpercy leason, margot tasca, biography, artist, landscape

Station Sign - Puffing Billy Direction Trains At Menzies Creek, a Puffing Billy train has had to pass another train since 1966, due to a single line in operation from Belgrave or Emerald / Lakeside / Cockatoo / Gembrook to enable more trains to operate. When two trains passed at Menzies Creek, to assist passengers to travel on the correct train, this sign was erected. The arrows pointed towards the direction of travel as well as the locomotive that was hauling the train. This sign dates from 1975 when the line was re-opened to Lakeside. Historic - Puffing Billy Railway - Station Sign used at Menzies Creek to show next station directionStation Sign - Puffing Billy Direction Trains to Belgrave - Emerald & Lakeside Large rectangle wooden sign Puffing Billy Trains to BELGRAVE Trains to EMERALD & LAKESIDEpuffing billy, menzies creek, station sign

Van 13 NUU - Louvred Truck (11) Untrafficable - Menzies Creek Station Yard VR Service History 15/ 7/1911 NWS Built new Vehicle Length 25 feet 2 inches ( 7671 mm) Coupled Length 27 feet 4 inches (8330 mm) Width 6 feet 3 inches (1905 mm) Weight 7 tons Capacity 10 tons Built 1898 - 1911 Number Built 14 In use 5 To be restored None *NUU 13.VA - 15/ 7/1911 NWS Built new - / /1926 - To NU 13.VA - NU 13.VA - / 6/1926 - Modified AC Malco /10/1954 CKT Sold (to) by Stores Branch to P.B.P.S. Purchased by Puffing Billy Preservation Society from Cockatoo for 20 pounds ($40.00). First complete railway truck owned by the Puffing Billy Preservation Society. Puffing Billy Service History or Notes Historic - Victorian Railways Narrow Gauge - Rolling Stock - Louvered VanWooden Louvered Van - Made of Timber on a Wrought iron frame - current condition Untrafficable13 NUpuffing billy railway, pbr, rolling stock , 13 nuu, puffing billy, louvered van, 13 nuu - louvered van, victorian railways, 2'6" gauge, narrow gauge rolling stock

Image of Cocks Pioneer Gold & Tin Mines NL directors with Mrs Molly Moline and children, Dorothy and Geoff. Taken at Sherwood - the mine manager's residence. (1914) Cocks Pioneer Electric Gold & Tin Mine Company was formed in 1899. The company's first power station, located at the eastern end of the valley began operating with its 340 Kilowatt steam-powered generator. By 1909, from 2,500,000 cubic yards worked, reported recovery was 17,284 ounces of gold and 224 tons of tin ore. By 1909, Cocks Pioneer’s power plant had become inadequate and uneconomical. The barge was floated downstream about a mile, but lost time caused the operations to cease. Following testing, a new mine was established by diverting Reid's Creek at a cost of £25 000. Settling dams were built, one of which held 1,935,900 cubic feet. Sold earth banks, built against a wall of stringy bark saplings constructed and laced with vertical props, were built. In 1914, the company was reformed as Cock’s Pioneer Gold and Tin Mines NL, another power station was constructed at the western end of the township, near the junction of Clear and Reid's Creeks. From 6,800,000 cubic yards of material processed, the returns were 64,397 ounces of gold and 855 ton of tin. Cocks Pioneer mine then moved the barge downs stream and continued sluicing. In 1929 Cocks Pioneer Electric Gold and Tin Mining Company ceased operations due to a drop in values. Cock’s Pioneer Gold and Tin Mines NL carried on large-scale hydraulic sluicing operations until 1941. "COX PIONEER MINE DIRECTORS" top "GEOFF DOR (unclear) TED SHACKLE" bottommine, gold, tin, gold mining, tin mining, cockatoos, sluicing, men, women, children, cocks pioneer, el dorado, eldorado

Article from Nunawading Gazette, 20 November 1985 on sighting of yellow tailed black cockatoo in Blackburn South, Mitcham and Nunawading.Article from Nunawading Gazette, 20 November 1985. yellow tailed black cockatoos, birds

Wooden cockatoo on wire with weight on bottom. When attached to shelf bird will swing on weight.toys, general

Walter Jack was the only child of Emil Jack & Mary Schwerkolt and grandson of August Schwerkolt. He lived in the USA.Black & white photograph of a man with a cockatoo on his left shoulder.jack walter, jack emil, jack mary (nee schwerkolt)

Henry Christian (c.1809-91), the grandfather of the photographer, was one of the first settlers in Kew. He arrived in Victoria with his wife Agnes and son Orlando in 1855 on the Gypsy Queen. He established a rope-making business in Bulleen Road by 1858 but was declared insolvent two years later. In his final years, he was celebrated as one of the oldest living settlers of the district. His son, Orlando Henry Beater Christian (c.1853-1930) became a member of the Hawthorn Band and a foundation member of the Willsmere Swimming Club. Orlando and his wife Elizabeth had four children of which Henry Beater Christian (1886-1962) was the oldest.An album of photographs, compiled by Henry Beater Christian (1886-1962) of Pakington Street, Kew, depicting individuals, natural and settled environments and the interactions between these worlds. Henry Christian, was a keen explorer, not just of his immediate environment but also of the Victorian wilderness. His major opus is contained in two albums in which he records, sometimes in majestic detail and on other occasions the intimate features of the natural world. His photographic travels during the 1920s, often in solitary ramblings but on other occasions with companions, recall the heroic landscape photography of an earlier era, pioneered by Nicholas Caire. In addition to their aesthetic value, the albums are historically significant records within the State of Victoria, of what is now a distant point in time, and of places that have become radically altered through human intervention.Digital copy of a 47-page photograph album containing 255 gelatinous silver images, loaned by Diane Washfold with permission given to digitise and hold a copy in our collection. The album contains a groups of photographic positives taken by Henry B Christian (a resident of Pakington Street), of places in Kew and throughout regional Victoria during the 1920s. The mainly sepia photographs, while small, are of a high resolution. Photographs are typically lightly glued onto pages. Locations are frequently identified by white or black ink, which in a number of cases is illegible due to wear.henry beater christian (1886-1962), landscape photography, photograph albums, kew (vic.) — yarra river, kew (vic.) — zig-zag bridge, kew (vic.) — macauley’s boathouse, studley park (vic.) — yarra river, wonderland — grampians (vic.), black spur (vic.), marysville (vic.), maroondah dam (vic.) — construction, warburton (vic.), cockatoo (vic.), bruthen (vic.), swan reach road (vic.), glen hills (vic.), lightning creek (vic.), omeo (vic.), glen wills (vic.), mt wills (vic.), sunnyside (vic), granite flat (vic.), toolangi (vic.), yea (vic, )., flowerdale (vic.), mt white law (vic.), baw baw (vic.), christian-washfold collection

William Brian (Badger) BATES (1947- ) Born Wilcannia Barkantji Badger Bates is a Barkantji Elder, political activist and contemporary artist. Known primarily for printmaking, wood and stone carving, his work is intrinsically linked to his lifelong fight for the safety and health of the Barka (the Darling River).'Gitji Woman' is carved from a very old piece of log found at Wittabrinna Creek near Tibooburra, Western New South Wales. The tree was dead for 60-80 years, and was hollow inside. "I could see a figure in the wood so I folowed the shapes already three. The woman has a drawn out figure with long fingers and is coming out of the log, she is an ancestral spirit. I put the pink cockatoo and emu feathers in the leg in the way people used to decorate themselves for corroborees."badger bates, paakantyi, wilcannia, timber, aboriginal, barkantji

This map shows geological features, suggests the last basalt flow, and includes alotments and names of Mining Companies. Although this map has no date on it the Ballarat Industrial School is used for dating purposed. The Ballarat Industrial School ran from 1869-1879, but the term Ballarat Industrial School Reserve was still in use in 1898 and possibly beyond.Geological Map of Ballarat with 3 holes in the left hand side. The map indicates the position of Lake Wendouree, Township of Warrenheip, Ballarat East, Industrial School Reserve, Winters Swamp, Police Paddock, Wyndholm Premptive Right (Salton and Waldie), Black Hill, Vale Park Reserve, Pennyweight Hill, Little Bendigo, Black Swamp Lead, monte Christo Reef, Chinaman's Gully, Miners Rest, Pincotts Dam, Northumberland Gully. It also show the following goldmining companies: City of Ballarat, Kohinor, Hand and Band, Great North West, Northern Junction, Kneeshaw, Rossers Freehold, Silurial.ballarat, warrenheip, lake wendouree, ballarat east, winters swamp, winter swamp, wyndholm premptive right, cemetery, vale park reserve, little bendigo, kneeshaw co., industrial school reserve, kirks dam, pincotts dam, black hill, wombat hill, dead horse gully, miners rest, mt rowan, salton and waldie, rose hill co, great north west no 1, rose's freehold co, hand and band co, police reserve, police paddock, mount rowan, ballarat industrial school reserve, market reserve, winter's swamp, kneeshar co, monte cristo line of reef, chinaman's gully or black snake, milkmaid's gully, ballarat gold field, bakery hil lead, old gravel pits lead, golden point lead, eureka lead, miner's rest, yarrowee creek, leigh creek, black swamp lead, yorkshire reef, nil desperandum reef, cockatoo lead, hit or miss gully, herbert werner frederick de nully, pennyweight hill, esmond's lead, ash's lead, nightingale lead, john bull gully, gladstone reef, whitehorse reef, petticoat creek, pincott's dam, frenchman's gully, tim's crushing plant, jenkin's gully, california gully, drake's creek, sulton and waldie, ballarat undustrial school, ballarat & mariborough railway

Set of five newspaper cuttings (or group of cuttings) regarding trams sold by the MMTB and their relocation. .1 - Community Valley News "Huge tram sure to stop traffic; well that's the idea!", 16/4/2002 - W6 968 being relocated to the Essendon Traffic School - see image i9. .2 - Cover and pages 6 & 7 of Metro News24/1/2001 - about the sale of W class trams. Cover photo has a tram at Dales Creek, story by Ingrid Svendsen about the storage of trams at Newport, reuse. Quotes Dr Mees, Roberto D' Andrea, Peter Batchelor and Geoff Leigh. .3 - Free Press - 22/2/1984 - "Last Stop Cockatoo" - W2 611 to Cockatoo Primary School. .4 - Diamond Valley News, 13/3/1984 about the sale of W2 640 to Mrs Fabian Broekan to the Eltham area and the objection of the Eltham council. .5 - The Sun - 24/8/1987 - "Aboard the tram home" about the former trams at Ferny Creek. Two centre pages. See also Reg Items about these tramcars. .6 - The Phillip Motorway - 19/8/1993 - about W2 284, owned by Evan Bekiaris which was built by Holdens in SA.trams, tramways, sale of trams, mmtb, newport workshops, preserved trams, ferny creek, tramcars, pmtt, melbourne, houses, essendon, holden, tram 968, tram 611, tram 640, tram 284