This map of the City of Heidelberg was issued subsequent to the separation of Heidelberg's North Ward to become the Shire of Diamond ValleyBlack on waxed paper. Scale: 20 chs to 1 inchG M Hutchins. 50c.city of heidelberg, heidelberg

20th Eltham Community Festival and last under the auspices of the Shire of Eltham. The Grand Parade focussing on the theme "Echoes of Eltham - Celebrating the visions of Eltrham from the past and into the future" was headed by Jock Read on his horse Lofty who had been filmed in an Anzac Day Parade on an earlier horse which had featured in the television show Matlock. The parade travelled north along Main Street to just past the Post Office then back south to Panther Place. Parade participants included 1st Eltham Brownies, 1st Eltham Venturers, 2nd Eltham Sea Scouts, 2nd Eltham Venturers, 3rd Eltham Brownies, Australian Democrats, Briar Hill Primary School, Circus Chaos, Country Fire Authority, Diamond Valley People for Disarmament, Diamond Valley Railway, Eltham Community Health Centre, Eltham District Horse and Pony Club, Eltham East Primary School, Eltham Fire Brigade, Eltham Junior Football Club (Panthers), Eltham Little Theatre, Eltham North Primary School, Eltham Playhouse Co-op, Eltham Pre-school, Eltham Roller Skating Club, Eltham South Pre-School Centre, Eltham Steam and Stationary Engine Society, Greenhills Neighbourhood House, Heidelberg Municipal Band, Hurstbridge Learning Co-op, Jocklebeary Farm, Kangaroo Ground Primary School, Learning Co-op Primary School, Lower Plenty Primary School, Main Road, Montmorency Gardening Club, Montmorency South Primary School, North Warrandyte Fire Brigade, Plenty Valley 88.6 FM, Research Pre-school, Research Primary School, Ron Sampson, Salvation Army Band (Briar Hill), Sherbourne Primary School, Shire of Eltham, State Emergency Service (Eltham) and Woodridge Pre-school. The parade commentary was provided by Plenty Valley FM 88.6 with guest commentator, Shire President Cr. John Graves. Following the parade is video footage from a helicopter of Alistair Knox Park, displays along Main Road and activities in Alistair Knox Park and the Rugby oval along with stationary engines, helicopter joyrides, Eltham People's Choir, music entertainment. Scenes also from the Diamond Valley Railway at Eltham Lower Park and finishing with the fireworks display. At the end of the video is a promotional video for Dynavision Video Production, a local video production company that produced the video and Diamond Photos (Kodak Express). One of the highlights of the festival was a tree planting ceremony in Alistair Knox Park to celebrate 123 years of the Shire of Eltham led by Shire President Cr. John Graves and representatives of the Wurrundjeri, traditional land owners of the area.VHS Video cassette (poor quality) Converted to MP4 file format 45:01, 535MB1st eltham brownies, 1st eltham venturers, 2nd eltham sea scouts, 2nd eltham venturers, 3rd eltham brownies, 1994, aerial photographs, alistair knox park, arthur street, australian democrats, briar hill primary school, circus chaos, country fire authority, diamond valley people for disarmament, diamond valley railway, eltham community health centre, eltham district horse and pony club, eltham east primary school, eltham festival, eltham fire brigade, eltham junior football club (panthers), eltham little theatre, eltham lower park, eltham north primary school, eltham people's choir, eltham playhouse co-op, eltham pre-school, eltham roller skating club, eltham south pre-school centre, eltham steam and stationary engine society, grand parade, greenhills neighbourhood house, heidelberg municipal band, hurstbridge learning co-op, jock read, jocklebeary farm, john graves, kangaroo ground primary school, learning co-op primary school, lofty (horse), lower plenty primary school, main road, matlock police (tv show), montmorency gardening club, montmorency south primary school, nicholaus lauder estate, north warrandyte fire brigade, plenty valley 88.6 fm, research pre-school, research primary school, ron sampson, salvation army band (briar hill), sherbourne primary school, shire of eltham, state emergency service (eltham), video recording, woodridge pre-school

Copy of 1937 booklet to commemorate the official opening of the City of Heidelberg Civic Centre - Town Hall and Municipal Offices.A snapshot of the Heidelberg area in 1937, includes photos of local homes and civic amenities. Original held (item 283) Copy of booklet. 36 pages plus cover. black and white illustrations. Cover has illustration of Heidelberg Town Hall in Ivanhoe. Original held (item 283) heidelberg municipal offices, heidelberg town hall, the centre ivanhoe

Copy of parts of 1937 booklet to commemorate the official opening of the City of Heidelberg Civic Centre - Town Hall and Municipal Offices.A snapshot of the Heidelberg area in 1937, includes photos of local homes and civic amenities12 pages, photocopied and folded to A5 size. Black and white photos, maps.This flyer is an extract of images from the City of Heidelberg Civic Centre Official Opening Booklet "Heidelberg 1937" [footnote on each page]heidelberg municipal offices, heidelberg town hall, the centre ivanhoe

This is an extremely significant document highlighting the operations of the Victorian Bands' League in only its third year. Here we have an Annual General Meeting notice and report which would have been sent to all bands and delegates. It outlines the business of the league up until this date and the financial details. It is evident that a number of bandsmen from all over Victoria took an interest in the league given the locations and bands of the office bearers.This AGM notice is extremely significant to the history of the Victorian Bands' League due to the information that's contained and the style of presentation. It is unclear whether other AGM notices still survive which makes this rare notice very valuable for research purposes.Printed on stiff papervictorian bands' league, brunswick city, warrnambool municipal, collingwood citizens', warracknabeal and district, mentone citizens', northcote citizens' and soldiers', heidelberg municipal, south melbourne city, williamstown city, yallourn and district, shepparton and district, geelong west city, terang brass, hamilton town, stawell brass, metropolitan fire brigade

Map of City of Heidelberg showing municipal and ward boundaries; North Ward is excluded from this map.Blue print map"Scale 20 chns to an inch. G.M.H. 27.5.59"city of heidelberg, heidelberg - maps

Gwen Barton McWilliam (nee: Nelson), OAM, BA (1933- ). Gwen McWilliam is well known as an authority on the history of Boroondara and the author of a large number of books and pamphlets about the City. She was awarded the medal of the Order of Australia in 2001 ‘for service to the community of Hawthorn and district, particularly through the research, documentation and publication of its history.’ Primary source annotated by a distinguished local historian.Plan of number of areas in the City of Heidelberg showing municipal and ward boundaries, subsequently annotated by the historian Gwen McWilliam, identifying significant landholdings, subdivisions and key dates.The base map was printed in 1970 and annotated c.1993. The plan was donated to the Kew Historical Society by Gwen McWilliam. Handwritten annotations by Gwen McWilliam, 1993city of heidelberg, maps -- heidelberg (vic.), gwen mcwilliam

City of Heidelberg showing Municipal and Ward boundaries, prepared by City Engineers Department. Made for Council use; copies available for sale to the public.Blueprint, 2 copies, one with some roads hand coloured, showing municipal and ward boundaries. Scale: 20 chains to 1 inchG. M. Hutchins. Authorised charge 50c.city of heidelberg, heidelberg

Launch of "Pioneers and Painters: One Hundred years of Eltham and its Shire" by Alan Marshall. The history was commissioned by the Shire of Eltham and published as part of the Shire of Eltham centenary celebrations. Mary Stansfield, wife of Peter Stansfield (ex Chief Librarian Heidelberg Regional Library and Miss Jean Truebridge, (Deputy Librarian, Heidelberg Regional Library). In November Miss Truebridge was appointed Chief Librarian at the City of Heidelberg municipal library. 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 imagesepp, shire of eltham pioneers photograph collection, shire of eltham, shire of eltham centenary, pioneers and painters, book launch, peter stansfield, heidelberg regional library, jean truebridge, mary stansfield

Gives the history of The Centre Ivanhoe from its beginnings as Heidelberg Town Hall and municipal offices in the 1930s. Text and photos by Robin Grow.The Centre is an example of Art Deco architecture and has retained these features. The Banyule Council is committed to maintaining this building in its present form.12 pages, illus. (some col.).heidelberg town hall, the centre ivanhoe, art deco architecture, robin grow

Gives the history of The Centre Ivanhoe from its beginnings as Heidelberg Town Hall and municipal offices in the 1930s. Text and photos by Robin Grow.The Centre is an example of Art Deco architecture and has retained these features. The Banyule Council is committed to maintaining this building in its present form.12 pages, illus. (some col.).

The City of Heidelberg's Council first preference is "no change" [to municipal restructure] but if this option is unacceptable, the Council would prefer to form larger municipality/municapilites involving the exisitng City of Heidelberg and the Shires of Diamond Valley and Eltham. This report includes an exective summary, Introduction, A Brief History, Heidelberg and its [municiapl] neighbours now, opportunities for restructure, detailed analysis and preferred structure. Includes fold out maps.This report by the City of Heidleberg is a significant local contribution in the consultation leading to a significant change to local government in Victorian when, in 1994 the Kennett State government restructed local government. The reforms dissolved 201 Councils and created 78 new councils through amalgamations. In suburban Melbourne 53 municipalities were reduced to 26. The City of Heidelberg was amalgamated with parts of the Shire of Eltham and Diamond Valley to become the City of Banyule.annexation, council amalgamation, local government

Feature articles include: . Municipal Restructure . The End of An Era: The Shire of Eltham 1871-1994 by Russell Yeoman, Eltham Historical Society . Eltham Festival 11-12-13 Nov 1994The last newsletter of the Shire of Eltham prior to its cessation as a municipal local government authority and restructure with parts of the City of Heidelberg and Shire of Diamond Valley to form the Shire of Nillumbik and City of Banyule effective from 15 December 1994.8 page newsletter; 2 x A3 pages copy folded and stapled1994, council amalgamation, eltham echo, eltham festival, municipal restructuring, russell yeoman, shire of eltham, shire of eltham historical society

Appendix to Shire Secretary’s Report, 28 November 1966 SHIRE PRESIDENTS Local Government in this part of the State could be said to have commenced with election in 1846 of three trustees for "The Parish Road, leading from the Suburban Allotments in the Parish of Jika Jika, near Melbourne, to the Village Reserve in the Parish of Nillumbik". The Upper Heidelberg and Old Eltham Road follow approximately the original line of road proclaimed in 1840. The Eltham Road District was proclaimed on 24.9.1856. A meeting of landowners and householders of the Eltham Road District was held on 14.10.1856 at the Fountain of Friendship Hotel, Little Eltham, for the purpose of forming a District Road Board. To date I have been unable to locate any record of the names of the members elected, or of the first Chairman. Further research may yield the desired information. The Shire of Eltham was constituted on 28.3.1871. The proposed Roll of Shire Presidents should, I believe, also include the Road Board Chairmen. It may also be considered fitting to recognise the Heidelberg or Nillumbik (or Warringal) Road Trust in the same way. The first Minute Book of the Board, covering the period 1856 to 1863, has apparently been missing for many years. The Shire Minute Book for the period 1878 to 1885 is also missing. The absence of these vital records makes difficult the compilation of a complete and accurate list of Chairmen and Presidents. Although an early letter book yielded the names of the Shire Presidents in 1878, 1879 and 1800. The names prior to 1863 were derived from Rate Books and Government Gazettes. The information contained in the Municipal Directories 1875 to 1885 is at variance to some extent with such Council records as are available for that period, and consequently cannot be relied upon for the years where the Presidents names have not been shown. shire of eltham archives, series listing, a. armstrong, a. beale, a. brinkkotter, a. donaldson, a.h. price, a.j. braid, c.h. bath, c.m.a. pelling (mrs.), c.t. bell, d.c. o'beirne, e.d. butler, e.h. cameron, e.j. andrew, e.p. harmer, f.e. griffith, f.v. squire, f.w. nankervis, g. love, g. robertson, h. dendy, h. hewitt, h. stooke, l.t. wilmot, j. cox, j. murray, j. barr, j. bell, j. fitch, j. herbert, j. lawrey, j. mealy, j. pape, j. ryan, j. smedley, j.b. shallard, j.l. beale, l. c. docksey, r. mcadam, r.a. bell, r.c. white, r.r. woolcott, rutter, s.s. addison, s.w. scott, t. armstrong, t. irvine, w. horris, w. hubbard, w. lorimer, w. morris, w. taylor, w.c. farrell, w.f. ford, w.g. gray, w.h. bradbury, w.j. taylor, w.v. houghton

1937 booklet to commemorate the official opening of the City of Heidelberg Civic Centre - Town Hall and Municipal Offices.A snapshot of the Heidelberg area in 1937, includes photos of local homes and civic amenities. 36 pages plus cover, black and white illustrations. Cover has illustration of Heidelberg Town Hall in Ivanhoe. Original item.

Map of the City of Heidelberg from the Yarra River in the South to North of Watsonia Military Camp. Shire of Diamond Valley is shown to the north.Map showing municipal and ward boundaries, black text on light brown paper."Scale: 20 CHS = to 1 IN"city of heidelberg

Diamond Valley Council opened its new library at Greensborough, a branch of Heidelberg Regional Library, in December 1973.1 page copy of journal article, text and photograph.diamond valley library, yarra plenty regional library

Review in Heidelberg Historian (Newsletter of Heidelberg Historical Society) No 80 October 1980 "This substantial and significant history is one of the really essential books which all members interested in the history of Heidelberg and district should have, for, as indicated in this work, the Diamond Valley and Heidelberg were linked together in a municipal, economic and geographical sense throughout their history and still have strong links. This work of 191 pages, with numerous illustrations, covers the entire period of the history of the Shire area, from Greensborough to Hurstbridge (to 1979). Starting with a geographical setting, Miss Edwards traces the early development of the historic district from Hume & Hovell to the first explorers and settlers with some discussion on the meeting of John Batman with the aborigines here. Details of the early residents follow with numerous portraits, including the Beales of St Helena and the Ryries of Yering. In part 2, the account continues of the later settlers and squatters like Henry Foley and C. S. Haley. The gold discoveries on the Plenty and at the Diamond Creek and Queenstown area then follow with the development of the townships of Hurstbridge and Diamond Creek, with details of the mines and miners of the last century until its decline in the 1870's." "During the writing of the book, 40 tapes were made by the authoress Dianne Edwards of local residents reminiscences".. Diamond Valley News February 6, 1979This book was published by the former Shire of Diamond Valley in 1979. It remains one of the key local history titles particularly for the Diamond Creek and Greensborough areas.Paperback; xiv, 194 p. : ill., ports. ; 29 cm.ISBN 0959542205diamond valley, greensborough, hurstbridge, john batman, st helena, henry foley, queenstown, diamond creek, gold mining

Historic Buildings and Areas Assessment by Graeme Butler. Part 1 of award winning study carried out in 1982 in collaboration with a community advisory committee to Heidelberg City Council. Pioneering identification of a broad range of heritage assets varying from buildings, gravestones, farm structures, landscape areas, mileposts, divided street construction, in a time when buildings only were assessed in municipal studies.2 v. : ill., maps ; 29 cm.significant buildings heidelberg victoria, history development of heidelberg victoria, man-made landscape heidelberg victoria, significant precincts heidelberg victoria, conservation study, graeme butler

The Kew Civic Centre (A K Lines, MacFarlane & Marshall, 1972) was built next to the Kew Civic Hall (A C Leith & Bartlett, 1960) on the site of the former mansion Ordsall (later renamed South Esk). Whereas the entrance to the Civic Hall was positioned off Civic Drive, the main entrance to the Civic Centre faced Cotham Road, as shown in the undated perspective drawing of the proposed building. The Civic Hall was used for public functions and performances, while the Civic Centre was used for civic offices. It also contained the Council Chamber. The building opened in 1972, following the relocation of the councillors and council officers from the former Town Hall in Walpole Street (now a Woolworth's supermarket). Following the amalgamation of the former City of Kew into the City of Boroondara in 1994, the Civic Centre was sold to Trinity Grammar School. The exterior of the Centre has been modified by Trinity Grammar.A report for Heritage Victoria (date) describes how two architectural firms dominated the designs for new civic buildings in Victoria during the post war period. The report claims that: "An interesting sub-theme in the erection of post-war municipal offices in Victoria is that a considerable proportion were designed by the same three or four Melbourne-based architectural firms, who established themselves as the leading specialists in this type of work. The two most prolific firms in this regard were A K Lines, MacFarlane & Marshall, and A C Leith & Bartlett; both, in fact, had made names for themselves as designers of local government offices prior to the Second World War. Lines' office, for example had designed the Eltham Shire Offices in 1941, while Leith's firm had been responsible for the celebrated Heidelberg Town Hall in 1937). Both practices parleyed this early experience into a lucrative post-war career, designing numerous municipals offices well into the 1970s." (Survey of Post-War Built Heritage in Victoria, Built Heritage Pty Ltd, 2010.) The perspective drawing importantly captures the original design and function of the exterior of the building and its public entrance.Hand-coloured perspective sketch of the new Kew Civic Centre, completed in 1972 to designs by A K Lines, MacFarlane & Marshall; and located on the corner of Charles Street and Cotham Road, Kew. The sketch represents the front elevation of the building and its relation to the preexisting Kew Civic Hall at right. The three storey building features strong vertical concrete buttresses that extend across the three levels. KEW CIVIC CENTRE / A K LINES, MACFARLANE & MARSHALLkew civic centre, a.k. lines, macfarlane & marshall, architectural drawings, civic buildings -- kew (vic.), town hall -- kew (vic)

The Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works (MMBW) was established by an act of the Victorian Parliament in 1890 to prepare for and to implement a sewerage and water reticulation system across what was then inner Melbourne, its surrounding and middle distance suburbs, including Kew. The MMBW was disbanded in 1991.The map collection of the Kew Historical Society has at its core the historic maps assembled and originally stored in the City Engineer's Department of the City of Kew. These include maps in a number of scales. The vast majority of maps were produced by the MMBW in the first two decades of the twentieth century, and are solid working maps, backed by linen for durability. These maps are historically significant to Kew, the City of Boroondara and to the history of the development of state utilities in Victoria. A number of the Kew maps have additional details added by former municipal officers, including the levels reached by various floods. As these were working documents, information was added to them long after the period of their initial production and distribution.Early map of part of the Borough of Kew, created in the first decade of the twentieth century, at a scale 160 ft to 1 inch. The map covers what was then the north western section of Kew, bordered on its north by Wills Street and the Kew Lunatic Asylum, in the west by the River Yarra [and the later added Yarra Boulevard] , by Princess Street in the East and Holroyd Street in the south. The map shows the extent of urban development by that time, prominent institutions and the outlines of built structures in the municipality. Contour lines were added in ink to the map at a later stage.MELBOURNE AND METROPOLITAN BOARD OF WORKS / PLAN NO. 39 / KEW & HEIDELBERGmelbourne & metropolitan board of works, mmbw maps, mmbw plans, borough of kew, cartography

The Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works (MMBW) was established by an act of the Victorian Parliament in 1890 to prepare for and to implement a sewerage and water reticulation system across what was then inner Melbourne, its surrounding and middle distance suburbs, including Kew. The MMBW was disbanded in 1991.The map collection of the Kew Historical Society has at its core the historic maps assembled and originally stored in the City Engineer's Department of the City of Kew. These include maps in a number of scales. The vast majority of maps were produced by the MMBW in the first two decades of the twentieth century, and are solid working maps, backed by linen for durability. These maps are historically significant to Kew, the City of Boroondara and to the history of the development of state utilities in Victoria. A number of the Kew maps have additional details added by former municipal officers, including the levels reached by various floods. As these were working documents, information was added to them long after the period of their initial production and distribution.Early map of part of the Borough of Kew, created in the first decade of the twentieth century, at a scale 160 ft to 1 inch. The map covers what was then the northern most part of Kew, bordered on its north and west by the Yarra River, in the East by Connor's Creek and by the Asylum in the south. The map shows the extent of urban development by that time, prominent institutions and the outlines of built structures in the municipality. Contour lines and historic flood levels were added in ink to the map at a later stage.MELBOURNE AND METROPOLITAN BOARD OF WORKS / PLAN NO. 64 / KEW & HEIDELBERGmelbourne & metropolitan board of works, mmbw maps, mmbw plans, borough of kew, cartography

The Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works (MMBW) was established by an act of the Victorian Parliament in 1890 to prepare for and to implement a sewerage and water reticulation system across what was then inner Melbourne, its surrounding and middle distance suburbs, including Kew. The MMBW was disbanded in 1991.The map collection of the Kew Historical Society has at its core the historic maps assembled and originally stored in the City Engineer's Department of the City of Kew. These include maps in a number of scales. The vast majority of maps were produced by the MMBW in the first two decades of the twentieth century, and are solid working maps, backed by linen for durability. These maps are historically significant to Kew, the City of Boroondara and to the history of the development of state utilities in Victoria. A number of the Kew maps have additional details added by former municipal officers, including the levels reached by various floods. As these were working documents, information was added to them long after the period of their initial production and distribution.Early map of part of the Borough of Kew, created in the first decade of the twentieth century, at a scale 160 ft to 1 inch. The map covers what was then the south central part of Kew, bordered on its north by Malmsbury Street, in the west by Florence Avenue, in the south by Barkers Road, and in the east by Princess Street. The map shows the extent of urban development by that time, prominent institutions and the outlines of built structures in the municipality. Contour lines were added in ink to the map at a later stage.MELBOURNE AND METROPOLITAN BOARD OF WORKS / PLAN NO. 65 / KEW & HEIDELBERGmelbourne & metropolitan board of works, mmbw maps, mmbw plans, borough of kew, cartography

The Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works (MMBW) was established by an act of the Victorian Parliament in 1890 to prepare for and to implement a sewerage and water reticulation system across what was then inner Melbourne, its surrounding and middle distance suburbs, including Kew. The MMBW was disbanded in 1991.The map collection of the Kew Historical Society has at its core the historic maps assembled and originally stored in the City Engineer's Department of the City of Kew. These include maps in a number of scales. The vast majority of maps were produced by the MMBW in the first two decades of the twentieth century, and are solid working maps, backed by linen for durability. These maps are historically significant to Kew, the City of Boroondara and to the history of the development of state utilities in Victoria. A number of the Kew maps have additional details added by former municipal officers, including the levels reached by various floods. As these were working documents, information was added to them long after the period of their initial production and distribution.Early map of part of the Borough of Kew, created in the early twentieth century, at a scale 160 ft to 1 inch. The map covers what was then the north eastern part of Kew showing the natural landscape and limited development on the south side of the Yarra River. In the Kew section, south of the river, the land is occupied currently by the Greenacres and Kew Golf Clubs. The map shows the extent of urban development by that time and the outlines of the few built structures in the municipality. The height above sea level of all parts of the landscape are indicated numerically in feet. Contour lines and the levels of historic floods were added in ink to the map at a later stage. MELBOURNE AND METROPOLITAN BOARD OF WORKS / PLAN NO. 117 / HEIDELBERG & KEW melbourne & metropolitan board of works, mmbw maps, borough of kew, cartography, mmbw plan no. 117, kew (vic.) -- maps, heidelberg (vic.) -- maps

113 pagesnon-fictionFinal report folllowing a review on the most appropriate local government structure for the middle and outer Melbourne metropolitan area covered by various municipal districts including Diamond Valley, Eltham, Heidelberg and Whittlesea in Melbourne's north. Contents include Structural issues, Boundary issues (for each location), Financial issues, The Proposals for each municipality and Final recommendations, produced by the Local Government Board council amalgamation, annexation, local government

Nillumbik Shire Council transferred to the former Diamond Valley Shire Offices in Greensborough after municipal restructuing. The offices became the official Nillumbik Shire Council Offices on 16 October 1995. The former Shire of Diamond Valley Civic Centre or Shire Office building was officially opened on 26th February 1972. Archtiects were A.K. Lines, McFarlane & Marshall and it was built by L.U. Simon Pty Ltd, The Diamond Valley Shire had been created in 1964 from part of the City of Heidelberg. On December 15, 1994 the Shire of Nillumbik was established. Under the Council amalgamations imposed by the Kennett government, the Shire of Eltham, Shire of Diamond Valley and City of Heidelberg ceased to exist with the establishment of Nillumbik Shire Council and the City of Banyule.The new Nillumbik shire surrended the west riding from Eltham to Banyule but in place gained parts of the former Diamond Valley Shire which itself had been created in 1964 from parts of the City of Heidelberg. Three unelected and non-local Commissioners were put in place by the government bringing democracy into question by many members of the local community. The Commissioners determined to abandon the former Shire of Eltham offices located in Main Road, Eltham and in turn occupy the former Shire of Diamond Valley offices located at the boundary of the new shire with Banyule, in Civic Drive, Greensborough. In July 1996 the Commissioners sold the former Eltham Shire Offices and had them bulldozed leading to many years of communiity protest over the process and future development applications. The site has remained vacant ever since. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p43 It was the need for roads that led to this district’s first council. In 1853 a committee was formed to improve the rough roads, some in Kangaroo Ground being almost impassable in winter.1 The committee fundraised by voluntary levies and grants to improve in particular, the main road between Kangaroo Ground and the Plenty River. From this committee arose the Eltham District Road Board, in 1856, which was the precursor to the Eltham Shire Council. The Board’s first chairman was Kangaroo Ground farmer, John Barr. Secretary was the former committee’s secretary, Andrew Ross, Kangaroo Ground’s first school teacher, and founder of the district newspaper, The Evelyn Observer.2 Most of the board’s income came from a toll-house north of the Lower Plenty Bridge, which funded such projects as a road from Kangaroo Ground to the Caledonia Diggings. In 1871 the Shire of Eltham was proclaimed, with its boundaries the same as those of the Road Board, and Councillor A Donaldson of Kangaroo Ground was the first president. Eltham was at the southern tip of the shire, which extended north to Kinglake and east beyond Yarra Glen. In 1878, part of Kinglake was added to the shire, while the area east of Watts River, near Healesville was removed. In 1912, then again in 1958, the shire was further reduced. Yarra Glen, Steels Creek, Tarrawarra, parts of Healesville and Christmas Hills, were transferred to the Shire of Healesville. In 1972 a smaller area, at Kinglake, was transferred to the Shire of Yea, leaving 277 square kilometres in the Eltham Shire. Perhaps no other Victorian municipality has had so many meeting places. Although from 1858 to 1904, the council convened at the office in the home of Secretary Charles Wingrove, the board, and later the council, also met at other more central locations.3 The board moved from the Fountain of Friendship Hotel to the Eltham Courthouse, to the Kangaroo Ground schoolhouse. It then met at the Kangaroo Ground Hotel, which some considered put it in danger of interruptions by people ‘the worse for liquor’.4 In 1885 the council met at the hall on Mr J Donaldson’s land at Kangaroo Ground. After Wingrove’s retirement, the council rented space at the Kangaroo Ground General Store and Post Office. Then, in 1917, the council bought the former office of The Evelyn Observer, after its printing works transferred to Hurstbridge. In 1934, fire destroyed the shire office, which was temporarily relocated to the Kangaroo Ground home of Shire Secretary, Mr P J McMahon. In 1941, the shire office moved to a new building (which included a public hall) in Eltham, at the corner of Arthur Street and Main Road, where the Eltham Village Shopping Centre was eventually built. Growth required new offices, which opened in 1965, on the former Shillinglaw property in Main Road.5 In 1994, as part of municipal restructuring under the Jeff Kennett Liberal Government, most of the Eltham Shire formed part of the new Shire of Nillumbik. It joined with the north section of the Diamond Valley Shire and parts of the Healesville and Whittlesea municipalities. The Diamond Valley Shire had been created in 1964, from part of the City of Heidelberg. Turbulence followed Nillumbik Shire’s formation. Under the Commissioners the council transferred to the former Diamond Valley Shire offices in Greensborough, and the Eltham council offices were demolished. In March 1997 the first five-member Nillumbik Council was elected. But, in October 1998, the government suspended the council and appointed an administrator . Early in 1999, shire residents voted to increase councillors to nine: comprising five ward councillors and four shire-wide councillors. Elections were held in March 1999. Then, before the March 2002 elections, nine new wards were created.6 In 2008 these were reduced to seven. Today [2008] the council governs a varied population of more than 60,000 people living in townships and on bush properties in the green wedge.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, greensborough, nillumbik shire council offices, civic drive