PART 1 – NILLUMBIK (00:00-07:17) Opening features various scenes around Nillumbik Shire. For 40,000 years Nillumbik was the home of the Wurundjeri people. Robert Hoddle gave the district its name. Jock Ryan, then president of Nillumbik Historical Society discusses the names Nillumbik and Diamond Creek. In the late 1830s white occupation began with gold found in Warrandyte in 1851 and 12 years later at Diamond Creek -the Diamond Reef which led to the Caledonian gold rush. Jock Ryan discusses the Diamond Creek mine, which was thriving until it burnt out in 1915. Large numbers of workmen moved into area in late 1870s to construct the Maroondah Aqueduct. With growing population of Melbourne, the nearby Yan Yean system had severely disrupted the flow of the Plenty River, forcing the closure of three flour mills there. The aqueduct came to the rescue carrying water 66km from Healesville to Preston. When the Diamond Creek gold mine burnt down the local economy suffered but fruit growing industry had already been established and Diamond Creek became a thriving fruit growing centre. Interview with Jack Powell, a long-time fruiterer at St Andrews market, his family had lived in the area for a hundred years, 3 to 4 generations, “a lot of hard work”. By the time the railway arrived fruit growing was no longer competitive. The railway brought the city closer and day trippers. The Green Wedge separates the shire from the more densely developed neighbours such as Whittlesea, Doncaster, Templestowe, Bulleen and Greensborough. Population at the time (1996) was 19,000 but links to the past remain strong. Mudbrick houses along the Heritage Trail The saving of Shillinglaw Cottage from demolition in 1963 and relocation brick by brick. PART 2 – ENVIRONMENT (07:18-14:44) Peter Brock (with Bev Brock in background) at St Andrews market discusses his childhood growing up in the district and the environment and the values it instilled upon him and his own family. The Brocks have been in the district since the 1860s. Nillumbik Shire responsible for managing three catchment areas; Diamond Creek, Arthurs Creek and Watsons Creek. Follows the course of the Diamond Creek commencing in Kinglake through the district to its confluence with the Yarra River at Eltham at Eltham Lower Park. Highlights Eltham Lower Park community revegetation program and the newly constructed (1996) viewing platform built of new and recycled timbers at the confluence of the Diamond Creek and Yarra River. Also featured are outdoor recreation on the river and at Eltham Lower Park including the Diamond Valley miniature railway. Sugarloaf reservoir and recreational activities and fishing. Aerial view of Memorial Park and Shire of Eltham War Memorial tower at Garden Hill, Kangaroo Ground. Significant tourism opportunities for the shire with 3 million potential day-trippers in metropolitan Melbourne. Council and community working together to find a way to promote the shires natural and artistic assets. At Arthurs Creek, the Brock family and neighbours working together to take care of their waterway. Peter Brock’s uncle, Sandy Brock talks about environmental management and the Arthurs Creek Landcare group and actions to eradicate blackberry problem. Having previously planted Cypress rows they are replacing them with indigenous species to improve the water supply, keeping cattle out of the creek bed to improve the quality downstream flowing into the Yarra. Eltham East Primary School Band playing “All things bright and beautiful” merges into scenes of the bushland sanctuary set aside by the school in 1980 with unidentified teacher discusses the sanctuary and their education program and school children’s comments. Plight of a family of Wedgetail eagles nesting in the path of a developer’s bulldozer at North Warrandyte and actions to save their nesting areas. PART 3 – ARTS (14:45-22:00) Arts and Jazz festival at Montsalvat featuring interviews with Sigmund Jorgensen discussing Montsalvat and its principles. Also Matcham Skipper. Clifton Pugh’s funeral at Montsalvat and his legacy at Dunmoochin near Cottlesbridge with artists in residence, at the time, Chicago artist Charles Reddington who discusses the benefits of the experience. An unidentified female artist also talks about the program and why people are drawn to the area. Unidentified man on street talking about the amount of talent in the area, artists, poets, musicians, authors. Artist Ming Mackay (1918-2009) interviewed talking about the people she mixes with on “the Hill”. Works of local artists are displayed Eltham Library Community Gallery and Wiregrass gallery with a new coffee shop at the Wiregrass making it an even more popular destination. Music at St Andrews Hotel (may be a little bit country) and the Saturday market where likely to hear anything. Sellers and patrons at the market asked about what attracts them to the market and where they came from. Scenes of poets/authors giving readings. CREDITS Music by John Greenfield from the CD Sweet Rain “The Snow Tree”, Uncle Music UNC 2001 Cameras - David Mirabella and Peter Farragher Editor – Olwyn Jones Written and Produced by Jason Cameron A Jason Cameron Proction for Nillumbik ShireProvides a record of the relatively newly created Shire of Nillumbik at the time and the features and attactions of the shire in its people arts, culture and environmentVHS Cassette (five copies) DVD (one copy) Converted to MP4 file format 0:22:00, 1.60GBvideo recording, arthurs creek, arthurs creek landcare group, artists, artists in residence, arts, arts festival, authors, blackberry, brock family, bulldozer, bulleen, bushland sanctuary, caledonian gold rush, charles reddington, clifton pugh, cottlesbridge, cypress rows, developer, diamond creek, diamond creek mine, diamond reef, diamond valley miniature railway, doncaster, dunmoochin, education program, eeps, eltham, eltham east primary school, eltham east primary school band, eltham library community gallery, eltham lower park, environment, fishing, flour mill, fruit growing, fruiterer, garden hill, gold mining, green wedge, greensborough, heritage trail, hurstbridge railway line, jazz festival, jock ryan, kangaroo ground, kangaroo ground tower, kinglake, maroondah aqueduct, matcham skipper, memorial park, ming mackay (1918-2009), montsalvat, mudbrick houses, music, musicians, nesting area, nillumbik historical society, nillumbik shire, north warrandyte, old timer, orchards, peter brock, plenty river, poets, population, recreation, recreational activities, revegetation, robert hoddle, sandy brock, shillinglaw cottage, shire of eltham war memorial, sigmund jorgensen, st andrews hotel, st andrews market, sugarloaf reservoir, templestowe, the hill, tourism, viewing platform, warrandyte, water catchment area, watsons creek, wedgetail eagle, whittlesea, wiregrass gallery, wurundjeri, yarra river, jack powell

Yarra River Conference History Segment [Noted on VHS tape jackets "Due to unavoidable circumstances, the quality of these tapes in some setions is less than desired."] The Yarra River Conference, organised by the Board of Works as part of the Centenary Celebrations, was held in the Board's Head Office Theatrette from 13-16 April, 1991. A segment of the Conference focussed on the role that the Yarra River has played in relation to the historical development of Melbourne. Conceived and presented by a group of prominent historians as a chronological 'trip down the river in time', and profusely illustrated with slides, this segment traced the various impacts that urban and rural growth, development of marine commerce, recreational uses, and environmental problems have had on the Yarra during a century and a half of European occupation. As no formal written paper of this combined presentation is available, these two video-tapes provide a record for anyone who has an interest in tis fascinating aspect of the Yarra's history. The speakers who combined to present this segment are identified on the cover of Tape 2. Tape 1 (2 hours) 1838-1863 Deputy ?? to Utility Early navigators of the Yarra River; developing the port of Melbourne; the gold rush and its effect on the new colony; punts and bridges; water supply; pollution of the Yarra; the discovery of gold and early settlement of the Yarra valley; floods of 1839 and 1863. 1863-1891 Formation of the Harbour Trust; Coode Canal; pollution of the Yarra by industry; aborigines, gold miners, timber getters in the Upper Yarra areas; bridges; the flood of 1891. Tape 2 ( 1 1/2 hours) 1892-1934: People Begin to See Beauty and Romance to the River Henley-on-Yarra; realignment of the Yarra; MMBW is responsible for a sewerage system; new docks to cope with increased overseas trade; development of recreational parks; new reservoirs; timber production and timber tramways; bushfire; flood of 1934. 1935-1970: The River is Neglected Still, Except When it Proves Useful Bushfirs of 1939; the end of many sawmills; birth of tourism; increased interest in conservation and preservation of land for open space; further augmentation of water supply system; birth of containerisation changes the port; environmental concerns gain momentum. Speakers Dr Tony Dingle *, Department of Economic History, Monash University Dr Carolyn Rasmussen *, History Consultant Prof. Graeme Davison, History Department, Monash University Mr. Tom Griffiths, Lecturer in Public History, Monash Uiversity Mr. Patrick Miller, History Consultant Mr. Colin Jones, Author and Historian * Co-authors of the Board's history, 'Vital Connections'.video recording, yarra river, conference proceedings