Guest houses in the Dandenongs flourished after the opening of the narrow-gauge railway line from Ferntree Gully to Gembrook in 1900.. Brookdale was a well-known guest house in Emerald operating 1901 - 1920. These photographs show how the guests spent their time there.This album is indicative of the era of guesthouses in the Emerald area which reached their peak in the early 20th century.A small photograph album containing six black and white photographs of a holiday at Brookvale guest house. This was given to Mrs Charman (proprietor) in 1904. Also, five loose photos at the back of the album unrelated to the actual album but related to Brookdale and/or the Charman family.On front cover of Album: 'Photographs' Handwritten inside front cover: 'To / Mrs Charman / From W. L. & F. D. Lawson / 1904 / A Memento of Days Spent in Emerald' Inside blank page before photos handwritten: 'Brookdale'charman, brookdale guest house, 1904, emerald, victoria, australia, picnic, rose charman, lily charman, rose edebolls