Black and white photograph of flood remains Eltham early 1950s.floods, eltham, diamond creek, george w bell collection

Colour photograph of original showing Diamond Creek in flood at Eltham 1924floods, diamond creek, eltham

Black and white photograph of Diamond Creek in flood at Eltham early 1950sfloods, diamond creek, eltham, george w bell collection

To the left of picture is the Main Road Bridge over the Diamond Creek in Eltham South when the Diamond Creek was in flood. The Yarra also was in flood. In early December 1934 the "Greatest flood in the history of the Yarra" occured, according to The Argus newspaper. Bridges and houses were swept away with hundreds of people left homeless across the state. The historic 1934 flood of the Diamond Creek and Yarra River set the criteria for future planning with respect to flood water rise.This photo forms part of a collection of photographs gathered by the Shire of Eltham for their centenary project book, "Pioneers and Painters: 100 years of the Shire of Eltham" by Alan Marshall (1971). The collection of over 500 images is held in partnership between Eltham District Historical Society and Yarra Plenty Regional Library (Eltham Library) and is now formally known as 'The Shire of Eltham Pioneers Photograph Collection.' It is significant in being the first community sourced collection representing the places and people of the Shire's first one hundred years.Digital image 4 x 5 inch B&W Negsepp, shire of eltham pioneers photograph collection, eltham, diamond creek (river), 1934 flood, diamond creek, floods, main road bridge

Published in the Diamond Creek Basin Study, 1980 and identified at Diamond Creek, locality not identified, 1934. The location is actually looking south across the Diamond Creek towards Falkiner Street, beside the Main Road bridge at Eltham South from what is now part of Wingrove Park opposite Antoinette Boulevard. The bridge railing is just visible to the left of image. The large leaning Manna Gum beside the bridge still stands in 2021 alongside the Diamond Creek trail. In 1934 extensive flooding of the Yarra River and Diamond Creek set new records for flood plain level (Eltham Chronology, EDHS)Black and white photographCopied by Hugh Fisher, Photographer, 6 York Street Eltham A1678B Floods- Eltham - 1934floods, yarra river, eltham, flooding, diamond creek, flood

Colour photograph of original showing Diamond Creek in flood at north Eltham 1924floods, diamond creek, eltham, north eltham

Colour photograph of flooded house Railway Parade Eltham 1957floods, diamond creek, eltham, railway parade

Diamond Creek in flood at Eltham c.1960sBlack and white printfloods, eltham, diamond creek, george w bell collection

Contents: • Next meeting, guest speaker; Peter Dougherty: History in a Word • Annual General Meeting • Peter Dougherty • February Meeting and the Flood Connection • Art Streams • The 1934 Floods at Eltham by Harold Bird • Nillumbik Combined History Groups • What Else? The Shire of Eltham Historical Society was formed in October 1967. The first newsletter of the Society was issued May 1978 and has been published continuously ever since on a bi-monthly basis. With the cessation of the Shire of Eltham in late 1994, the Society's name was revised to Eltham District Historical Society and this name first appeared with issue No. 103, July 1995. The collection of the Society's newsletters provides a valuable resource on the history of the Society's activities, office bearers and committee members, guest speakers and subjects of historical interest pertinent to the former Shire of Eltham and the Eltham District.A4 photocopied newsletter distributed to membersnewsletter, eltham district historical society, shire of eltham historical society

Black and white photograph of the Diamond Creek in flood at Diamond Creek township in 1934. In 1934 extensive flooding of the Yarra River and Diamond Creek set new records for flood plain level (Eltham Chronology EDHS) Nillumbik Historical Society collectionflood, diamond creek, flooding, nillumbik historical society

Black and white photograph of the Diamond Creek in flood at Diamond Creek township in 1934. In 1934 extensive flooding of the Yarra River and Diamond Creek set new records for flood plain level (Eltham Chronology EDHS) Nillumbik Historical Society collectionflood, diamond creek, flooding, nillumbik historical society

Bridge Street Bridge Flood level on Eltham pier 18th October 1956 Looking west across the Diamond Creek to Susan Street intersection Beware!.. our rivers are rising (1956, October 19). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), p. 1. Retrieved August 24, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article84392304Record of various Shire of Eltham infrastructure works undertaken during the period of 1952-1962 involving bridge and road reconstruction projects, sometimes with Eltham Shire Council Project Reference numbers quoted. It was during this period that a number of significant improvements were made to roads and new bridges constructed within the shire that remain in place as of present day (2022). In many situations, the photos provide a tangible visible record of infrastructure that existed throughout the early days of the Shire. The album was put together by or under the direction of the Shire Engineer, J.A. McDonald.infrastructure, road construction, shire of eltham, bridge construction, bridge street bridge, eltham, eltham-greensborough road, 1956-10-18, diamond creek (creek), floods, floodwater, silver street bridge

Information pertaining to the former Jarrold Cottage built in the early 1850s which has been in the Skipper family since 1944 Contents: 1 Journal Article: Jarrold Cottage; This quaint house survived fire and flood, Eltham Shire, newsletter c.2002, p10-11 2. Newspaper article: Cottage of 1800s, 100 Years of News Special Edition, (Leader Newspapers), August 27, 1997, p36 3. Jarrold Cottage (7), extract from tourist drive map publication (unknown) 4. Journal Article: Eltham . . . then and now, written by Judy Lewis, Eltham Town Community News, pp10-11, date unknown with hand written comments/corrections by Diana Bassett-Smith. Features Jarrold Cottage, Southernwood and Walter Withers and the former CBA Bank building. 5. Artice: Jarrold Cottage or White Cloud Cottage, compiled by Harry Gilham (2 pages)Folder of information on Jarrold Cottage consisting of 5 A4 photocopies and one A3 (colour) two page journalbootmakers cottage, cba bank, eltham, jarrold cottage, main road, southernwood, walter withers, white cloud cottage

Dr Donald Thomson's gate and entrance to his property 'Worlingworth' after flooding in March 1961 "Worlingworth", Eltham, was the home of noted anthropologist the late Professor Donald Thomson and his wife Dorita. The entrance gate on Banoon Road is located at the bottom of the hill opposite Haldane Road. The flooding issues were regularly reported to Council following heavy rain. Google Street View Feb 2014 https://goo.gl/maps/SGjsJAAEdjQXgo5V9Record of various Shire of Eltham infrastructure works undertaken during the period of 1952-1962 involving bridge and road reconstruction projects, sometimes with Eltham Shire Council Project Reference numbers quoted. It was during this period that a number of significant improvements were made to roads and new bridges constructed within the shire that remain in place as of present day (2022). In many situations, the photos provide a tangible visible record of infrastructure that existed throughout the early days of the Shire. The album was put together by or under the direction of the Shire Engineer, J.A. McDonald.infrastructure, shire of eltham, 1961-03, flood damage, haldane road, prof donald thomson, worlingworth

Significant flooding of the Diamond Creek occurred in Eltham and Glen Park on Tuesday, August 26, 1924 with several houses swamped and all bridges covered except the Greensborough Road Bridge. [Houses at Eltham Flooded. (1924, August 27). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), p. 19. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4156891] The Glen Park Bridge was originally built as a replacement for an older private bridge built by a man named Foley around 1880. In 1911 Heidelberg and Eltham agreed to share the costs to build a new bridge. Construction began in June 1915 and it was officially opened by Cr. Taylor on Cup Day, November 1915. The bridge was destroyed by floodwaters in the afternoon of 20 September 1959 during construction of the new Wattletree Road bridge. The new bridge west embankment joined the existing road at approximately where the bend in the road is situated in the photograph.Colour photograph of originalfloods, eltham, diamond creek (creek), egan's crossing, eltham-diamond creek road, glen park bridge, glen park road

Shows two bridge crossings over the Diamond Creek in Diamond Street, Eltham. The upper pedestrian crossing provided continual access for foot traffic during times of flood. The railway came to Eltham in 1901, the Eltham Railway Station is visible in the distance as well as a wooden bodied Tait (Red Rattler) First Class train carriage. The Tait train was first introduced in 1910 as a steam locomotive hauled carriage and in 1919 electric motor carriages were introduced however the line to Heidelberg was not electrified till 1921 and to Eltham in April 1923. The Railway General Store on Main Road is visible beyond the station and was built by Luther Haley in 1902. It was the first shop in the present day shopping centre. It was later known as lloyd's stopre (1917-1920) followed by a succession of six other owners until purchased by Eric Staff in 1939. This glass plate negative was used to manufacture postcards (1:1 printing) for commercial sale by the Rose Sterograph Company and its subsidiaries. George Rose founded the Rose Stereograph Company in 1880 and was joined by Herbert (Bert) Cutts in the early 20th Century. The pair formed a lifetime working partnership and strong personal friendship. Assisted by George’s two sons, Herbert George and Walter, and later by Neil Cutts, the Rose Stereograph Company continued its operations for more than 140 years. The company was initially built on stereographs, but as cinema took over and stereographs fell out of fashion, the Rose Stereograph Company developed Australia’s first commercially viable photographic postcard business. Specialising in postcards of iconic historical moments and significant landmarks, The Rose Stereograph Company became a staple of the Australian travel industry.This remarkable collection of glass plate negatives, transparencies, and postcards – arguably Australia’s most significant photography collection outside of public hands – has been passed down through the generations, surviving war, relocation, and the harsh Victorian climate. The historic Rose Stereograph collection is the culmination of George Rose’s dream of capturing and preserving precious moments in time and remains the legacy of the Rose and Cutts families. It is with great sadness that the Cutts family says goodbye to a collection that spans five generations and 140 years. The Cutts family understands that for these historically important pieces to rest with one family is to deny others the pleasure of their custodianship.Glass Plate Negative Size: 9 x 13.9 cmDiamond Creek, Eltham, Vic., The Rose Series P. 4314, Copyrighteltham, postcard, travel, rose stereograph company, glass plate negative, rose series postcard, tait train, eltham railway station, railway store, staffs general store, diamond creek, diamond street bridge, lloyd's general store, railway station, peter and elizabeth pidgeon collection

Copy of Rose Series Postcard P. 4314. (The Rose Stereograph Company) Shows two bridge crossings over the Diamond Creek in Diamond Street, Eltham. The upper pedestrian crossing provided continual access for foot traffic during times of flood. The railway came to Eltham in 1901, the Eltham Railway Station is visible in the distance as well as a wooden bodied Tait (Red Rattler) First Class train carriage. The Tait train was first introduced in 1910 as a steam locomotive hauled carriage and in 1919 electric motor carriages were introduced however the line to Heidelberg was not electrified till 1921 and to Eltham in April 1923. The Railway General Store on Main Road is visible beyond the station and was built by Luther Haley in 1902. It was the first shop in the present day shopping centre. It was later known as lloyd's stopre (1917-1920) followed by a succession of six other owners until purchased by Eric Staff in 1939. George Rose founded the Rose Stereograph Company in 1880 and was joined by Herbert (Bert) Cutts in the early 20th Century. The pair formed a lifetime working partnership and strong personal friendship. Assisted by George’s two sons, Herbert George and Walter, and later by Neil Cutts, the Rose Stereograph Company continued its operations for more than 140 years. The company was initially built on stereographs, but as cinema took over and stereographs fell out of fashion, the Rose Stereograph Company developed Australia’s first commercially viable photographic postcard business. Specialising in postcards of iconic historical moments and significant landmarks, The Rose Stereograph Company became a staple of the Australian travel industry.This photo forms part of a collection of photographs gathered by the Shire of Eltham for their centenary project book,"Pioneers and Painters: 100 years of the Shire of Eltham" by Alan Marshall (1971). The collection of over 500 images is held in partnership between Eltham District Historical Society and Yarra Plenty Regional Library (Eltham Library) and is now formally known as 'The Shire of Eltham Pioneers Photograph Collection.' It is significant in being the first community sourced collection representing the places and people of the Shire's first one hundred years.Digital image 4 x 5 inch B&W Negdiamond creek, diamond street bridge, eltham, eltham railway station, glass plate negative, lloyd's general store, postcard, railway station, railway store, rose series postcard, rose stereograph company, shire of eltham pioneers photograph collection, staffs general store, tait train, travel

View looking east across the Glen Park Bridge and the railway crossing towards Main Road circa 1920. The bridge was originally built as a replacement for an older private bridge built by a man named Foley around 1880. In 1911 Heidelberg and Eltham agreed to share the costs to build a new bridge (the Diamond Creek was the border between the two). Construction began in June 1915 and it was officially opened by Cr. Taylor on Cup Day, November 1915. This photo, dated around 1920, is of the Glen Park Bridge crossing over the Diamond Creek about 50 metres north of the present-day Wattletree tree Road Bridge. Glen Park Road intersected Main Rain Road along an alignment following present day Coleman Cresent. In this this picture we see the narrow wooden bridge over a high flowing Diamond Creek at Glen Park, now Eltham North. In the background is a railway crossing sign. There is a self-contained carbide streetlamp situated in front of the bridge. In the early 1900s, carbide (acetylene gas) streetlamps emerged as a lighting technology for regional towns across Victoria, Australia, before municipal electricity grids were widely established. During the late Victorian and early Edwardian eras, major hubs like Melbourne relied on centralized coal-gas infrastructure. However, small regional Victorian shires lacked the funds or population density to build large gasworks. When the commercial production of calcium carbide became viable around 1900, it offered a quantum leap in brightness over traditional kerosene streetlamps. Acetylene gas burned with an intense, crisp white flame—significantly brighter than oil or candles. Many rural towns used self-contained lampposts. A lamplighter had to climb each post daily to manually place calcium carbide pellets in a lower chamber and fill an upper chamber with water. The water dripped onto the carbide, producing acetylene gas to feed the burner. Lamplighters carefully measured the fuel amounts so the chemical reaction would naturally exhaust itself and "turn off" around midnight. While carbide streetlights provided unparalleled visibility for early motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians, they were incredibly labour-intensive and inherently volatile. The gas was highly explosive, prone to leaks, and left behind a pungent, sulphur-like odour. By the end of World War I, local Victorian councils rapidly phased out acetylene infrastructure in favour of safer, independent electric powerhouse generators. In the context of Eltham's local history, the Eltham Shire and surrounding Yarra Valley region actively relied on carbide streetlamps and kerosene lighting during the early 20th century before the expansion of the Melbourne electric grid. Eltham was an outer-rural, heavily timbered farming and orchard district at the turn of the century, it faced unique civic infrastructure challenges. In rural Eltham, early streetlamps were exceptionally sparse. The community relied heavily on "innkeeper laws" which dictated local hotels—such as the historic Eltham Hotel—were legally required to keep external oil, kerosene, or acetylene lamps burning through the night to illuminate the main roads for travellers and coaches. The volatile carbide and kerosene lamps on Eltham's main thoroughfares were progressively phased out during the 1920s. The district steadily transitioned to electricity, which allowed for developments like the installation of modern electrical wiring at the local fire station on Arthur Street by 1928. The Glen Park Bridge was a low structure and subject to flooding readily. In 1959 Eltham Council erected a new crossing over the Diamond Creek and realigned the road to the present-day Wattletree Road Bridge. Construction was not fully complete when on Sunday, 20 September 1959, heavy flooding occurred in the stream and at 3:53 pm the old bridge was washed away forever. - Research by Peter Pidgeon, EDHS, June 2026Photograph copy eltham north, wattletree road, coleman crescent, bridges, diamond creek (creek), bridge, carbide streetlamp, floodwater, glen park bridge, street lamp, glen park road, glen park estate

The laneway past Skipper's house, an extension of Dalton Street on the western side of Main Road, has long been a regular route for Eltham High School students heading to and from school. Its present day name is Wingrove Park Trail. The footbridge over the creek was regularly subjected to damage or washed away during floods. A more substantive and flood resistant footbridge has since been erected. david taylor collection, eltham, wingrove park trail, dalton street lane, dalton street footbridge

The laneway past Skipper's house, an extension of Dalton Street on the western side of Main Road, has long been a regular route for Eltham High School students heading to and from school. Its present day name is Wingrove Park Trail. The footbridge over the creek was regularly subjected to damage or washed away during floods. A more substantive and flood resistant footbridge has since been erected. david taylor collection, eltham, wingrove park trail, dalton street lane, dalton street footbridge

The laneway past Skipper's house, an extension of Dalton Street on the western side of Main Road, has long been a regular route for Eltham High School students heading to and from school. Its present day name is Wingrove Park Trail. The footbridge over the creek was regularly subjected to damage or washed away during floods. A more substantive and flood resistant footbridge has since been erected. david taylor collection, eltham, wingrove park trail, dalton street lane, dalton street footbridge

The laneway past Skipper's house, an extension of Dalton Street on the western side of Main Road, has long been a regular route for Eltham High School students heading to and from school. Its present day name is Wingrove Park Trail. The footbridge over the creek was regularly subjected to damage or washed away during floods. A more substantive and flood resistant footbridge has since been erected. david taylor collection, eltham, wingrove park trail, dalton street lane, dalton street footbridge

Murray's Bridge over the Diamond Creek on the Diamond Creek Trail just prior to demolition and replacement with a new steel bridge. Heritage advice obtained by Nillumbik Shire Council, following a suggestion by the Eltham District Historical Society (EDHS), is that the original bridge appears to have been a simplified version of the Country Roads Board’s (CRB) standard timber bridge design of the early-to-mid 1920s. In c1990 Murray’s bridge was renovated with three recycled steel girders as part of a bike/pedestrian path in the reserve. During these alterations many parts of the bridge were removed, and some were replaced. Heritage advice indicates the condition of Murray’s bridge is poor. The remaining original parts are all in poor condition, with severe weathering, splitting and rot, especially to the stringers retained on the bridge. Heritage advice is that Murray’s Bridge does not have sufficient significance in the cultural history of the Nillumbik area to warrant inclusion in the Nillumbik Shire Heritage Overlay and also does not have sufficient significance as a rare survivor to warrant inclusion in the Nillumbik Shire Heritage Overlay. There are no indications in the historical record that this site was individually important to the cultural history of this area. EDHS is comfortable with the heritage advice provided to Council and has worked closely on this project with Council. EDHS has suggested some of the removed timbers be used in the vicinity of the bridge for landscaping and possibly seating, so as to retain these remnants close to the site of the original bridge, which is the last old timber bridge along the lower reaches of the Diamond Creek. Mary (Sweeney) Murray and John Wright Murray selected 80 acres, Lot C Section 16 and Lot 5 Section 17 Parish of Nillumbik, under an occupation license in 1866. John died in 1867 and freehold was granted to his son John in 1873. The farm was known as ‘Laurel Hill’. John Junior was an Eltham Shire councillor and sometime president from 1887 up until 1897. He added Lot A Section 16 to the farm in ca1888. John and his younger brother James arranged to rent/purchase Lot B Section 17, across Diamond Creek to the west, in ca1900. It appears that John and James farmed separately for a few years, with a new homestead built for James ad family on the high point of Lot B Section 17 in ca1910. John sold off Lot 5 Section 17 in 1912. When John died in 1912 James took over the land on both sides of the Diamond Creek. The old homestead on the west side of the Creek disappeared. A farm bridge over Diamond Creek from this period may have been located close to the northern boundary of the farm. John Langlands, owner of the farm known as ‘Ihurst’ on the west side of Diamond Creek to the south of the Murray’s land, died in 1907. In 1909 his land was then subdivided into 100 lots to become the ‘Glen Park Estate’. Other similar subdivisions of nineteenth century farms around Eltham in this period included the ‘Franktonia (or Beard’s) Estate’ to the northeast and ‘Bonsack’s Estate’ between Eltham and Greensborough. Soon after the opening of the railway extension line from Eltham to Hurstbridge in 1912, Glen Park and nearby residents including James Murray agitated for a railway station or siding to be located half-way between Eltham and Hurstbridge, so that the Glen Park residents who used the railway daily did not have to walk into the Eltham or Hurstbridge stations. Some believed Coleman’s Corner (opposite Edendale Farm) was an appropriate spot for the platform. James Murray was among those who thought the railway should be located on his land, closer to half-way between Eltham and Hurstbridge stations. The Railways Commissioners warned that the locals would have to fund these works themselves. The Glen Park Estate residents initially had difficulty accessing Eltham by road, with only an old low-level bridge over Diamond Creek at the south end of their estate. A new timber trestle bridge across the creek, now on Wattletree Road, was opened in 1915. Road access to the north was gained in 1927 when the new Murray’s Road, which crossed the Murray’s land, was built. Residents continued to agitate for a Glen Park station. By 1926 the Railways Commissioners’ preferred site was on the Murray’s land. They arranged an estimate of cost of a full-length platform. The estimate was too much for the locals, who in 1928 argued unsuccessfully for a shorter and hence cheaper platform. By 1929 Murray had agreed to donate the land, but the locals would still have to fund the works. Murray decided, unilaterally it would appear, to commence work on a timber trestle road bridge over Diamond Creek to link the new Murray Road to the proposed station. Late in 1929 he stopped work on the bridge, for reasons unknown, but started work again and completed the bridge in 1931. There is no further newspaper evidence of the campaign for the Glen Park station until 1939, when Murray and another local, Mr Maxwell, met the Railways Commissioner. The Glen Park locale now included 45 homes on the west side of the creek and 20 on the Eltham side. Most of the residents used the train every day. The Commissioner remained adamant that only a full-length platform could be built for safety reasons. It appears the campaign dissolved at this point. The increasing move to cars may have had an impact. There is no evidence of Murray’s bridge ever being connected to Murray’s Road, or of it having wide use for any purpose by locals. James Murray died in 1947 and the farm was taken over by his son James (Jim). Jim started to sell off parts of the farm in the 1980s, retaining a few acres around the ca1910 homestead and building a new house there. Recreation reserves were established along the creek. In ca1990 Murray’s bridge was renovated with steel girders as part of a bike/pedestrian path in the reserve. The old farmhouse was demolished in ca2014. * * * A theory posted on local community Facebook groups was that the bridge was built in the 1860s and was built to be more robust than was necessary for the movement of cows from one side of the creek to the other. It was suggested the robustness was necessary to support the weight of gold ore being transferred from a mine on Murray’s land to a railway siding near Murrays Bridge (presumably for transfer and processing at Diamond Creek). Perhaps this may have been one of the motivators for Murray, who really knows? Knowing when mining operations ceased on his land and how that fits the overall timeline would be useful but at the time the bridge was built, local gold production was minimal at best. The known facts are: • The railway line came to Eltham in 1902. • The extension of the railway from Eltham to Hurstbridge was constructed in 1912 so no railway line even existed through Murray's property until 1912 and the Victorian Railways maps at the time show no such siding on Murray’s property. • In 1923 a new company was formed in anticipation of the old Diamond Creek Gold Mine being re-opened. The mine had been previously closed and flooded. It was noted in the press at the time that the mine was within a mile of the railway. Nothing really came of this. • Construction of Murrays Bridge was commenced by James Murray in early 1929 in anticipation of a proposed flag station being nominated on his land, but work ceased shortly afterwards. The proposed flag station was commonly referred to as Glen Park as the residents of the Glen Park Estate wanted Option 1, located near them with the platform adjacent to Colemans corner. This was probably never going to fly as it was virtually in eyesight of Eltham station. Allandale Road was the third option, but the Commissioners' preferred option was No. 2 - on Murray's property. • The Railway Commissioners were not going to finance any such station and the works had to be funded by private landowners and residents, hence Murray investing in this himself. • Murray recommenced work two years later and finished his bridge in 1931 but unfortunately for him, the proposed flag station never eventuated. The bluestone siding you reference may well have been built by Murray as part of the proposed station platform. • Up until then, apart from the Main Road bridge, which was washed away in 1924, virtually all local crossings over the Diamond Creek were low lying bridges – Kaylocks Bridge at Brougham Street, Diamond Street bridge, Glen Park Road bridge. It is expected that Murray also had a low-lying bridge to connect his land either side of the creek. These were all washed away or severely damaged multiple times in the 1920s. Lessons were learnt, and Murrays Bridge appears to have been built in accordance with Country Road Board standards of the time. Flood damage was ongoing, and even more recently constructed raised bridges kept getting washed away, e.g., the new Wattle Tree Road bridge in 1958 just months after completion. Murray’s bridge was reinforced with steel some 30 years ago presumably to provide additional floodwater resistance, given the history of bridges disappearing in floodwaters. • In March 1932 it was reported in the Advertiser that there were still some prospectors operating around Eltham North who apart from further scarring the face of the earth over the previous two years had gained significant experience but little gold - hardly a driving factor for constructing a dedicated railway siding and bridge to transfer gold ore. It is far more probable that James Murray was hoping to have the railway station located on his property and invested his money by building the bridge to lead to it as well as a station platform. Had the station eventuated, it may well have driven up the value of his land for subdivision and new housing estates like the Glen Park Estate. That did not eventuate. Whilst the bridge was indeed old (90 years), the core structure being completed in 1931, it had been modified substantially from original and hence had no significant historic value – i.e., it was not a representative example of its type, construction, and age. Given that the bridge was not worthy of saving, the Eltham District Historical Society with Council’s support, and the Eltham Woodworkers group endeavoured to see what suitable sized timbers were salvageable to fabricate a commemorative seat. Unfortunately, the experts at the Woodworkers group were unable to salvage any suitable length/width timbers to fabricate the seat due to the presence of rot. Last remaining wooden trestle bridge on the Diamond Creek Trail just prior to demolition and replacementBorn digital image (27)diamond creek (creek), diamond creek trail, murrays bridge, ‘laurel hill’, john wright murray, mary (sweeney) murra, john murray jnr, james murray, john langlands, ‘ihurst’, ‘glen park estate’, beard's estate, franktonia, bonsack's estate, glen park estate, glen park railway station

A severe storm with damaging hail, rain and flooding impacted Melbourne on 25 December 2011 with particular damage to Eltham and Hurstbridge areas. The storm caused destablisation of parts of the Hurstbridge railway line. Wild day's trail of destruction, by Reid sexton, The Age, Tuesday, December 21, 2011, p4 Storm toll sparks rail safety fear, Reid Saxton, The Age, Tuesday, December 21, 2011, p52 newspaper articlesstorm, floods, flooding, christmas day, hurstbridge railway line

Colour photograph of bank erosion on Diamond Creek just upstream of the railway culvert east of Challenger Street in Diamond Creek township. The banks are eroded by both flood flows and surface runoffeltham, drain, diamond creek, erosion, challenger street

"The house (centre) at North Eltham in which Mr. and Mrs. William Frizell, an elderly couple, were marooned by flood waters. When this photograph was taken late yesterday afternoon the couple were still inside the house, and through a ventilator they had stuck a red flag which they waved from time to time. The house on the left belongs to Mr. Leads, who also was marooned." - The Argus 1 December 1934. John William Frizell, painter and his wife Sarah Jane are registered at Glen Park, Eltham in the 1924 Electorial Roll This was most probably the Diamond Creek in flood. In 1934 extensive flooding of the Yarra River and Diamond Creek sets new records for flood plain level (via Chronology of Eltham, EDHS) flood, frizell, leads, argus, glen park, eltham north, flooding, marooned, diamond creek

Colour photograph. Looking downstream from Susan Street, Eltham , 8 April 1977. Note water line on shed flood, diamond creek, flooding, susan street