Community update on rehabilitation of the section of Plenty Gorge Park affected by a bushfire in December 20196 p. text and colour photographs and mapplenty gorge park, bushfires, blue lake, yellow gum park, plenty

This DVD gives some detail of the Plenty Gorge Park, its natural environment and impact of man.1 DVD. plenty gorge park, parks victoria, plenty river

A quarry was transformed into the Blue Lake. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p179 The dramatic steep-sided Plenty Gorge lies along the divide of two geological areas, and separates the Nillumbik Shire and the City of Whittlesea. On the Nillumbik side are undulating hills and sedimentary rock, and in Whittlesea, lies a basalt plain formed by volcanic action up to two million years ago. This provides the Plenty Gorge Park with diverse vegetation and habitats, making it one of Greater Melbourne’s most important refuges for threatened and significant species. The park, established in 1986, consists of around 1350 hectares, and extends 11 kilometres along the Plenty River, from Greensborough to Mernda. It provides a wildlife corridor for around 500 native plant and 280 animal species.1 The area’s plentiful food and water attracted the Wurundjeri Aboriginal people and then European settlers. By 1837 squatters had claimed large runs of land for their sheep and cattle. The Plenty Valley was among the first in the Port Phillip District to be settled - mainly in the less heavily timbered west - and was proclaimed a settled district in 1841.2 But by the late 1880s, the settlers’ extensive land clearing for animal grazing, then agriculture, depleted the Wurundjeri’s traditional food sources, which helped to drive them away. Many Wurundjeri artefacts remain (now government protected), and so far 57 sites have been identified in the park, including scarred trees, burial areas and stone artefacts. Pioneer life could be very hard because of isolation, flooding, bushfires and bushrangers. Following the Black Thursday bushfires of 1851, basalt was quarried to build more fire-resistant homes. Gold discoveries in the early 1850s swelled the population, particularly around Smugglers Gully; but food production made more of an impact. In the late 1850s wheat production supplanted grazing. In the 1860s the government made small holdings available to poorer settlers. These had the greatest effect on the district, particularly in Doreen and Yarrambat, where orchards were established from the 1880s to 1914. Links with a prominent early family are the remains of Stuchbery Farm, by the river’s edge bounded by Smugglers Gully to the north and La Trobe Road, Yarrambat, to the east. The Stuchberys moved to the valley in 1890, and the family still lives in the area. In 1890, Alfred and Ada first lived in a tent where four children were born, then Alfred built the house and outbuildings around 1896. They planted an orchard, then a market garden, and developed a dairy. The family belonged to the local Methodist and tennis communities. Their grandson Walter, opened the Flying Scotsman Model Railway Museum in Yarrambat, which his widow, Vi, continues to run. Wal was also the Yarrambat CFA Captain for 22 years until 1987. Walter sold 24 hectares in 1976 for development - now Vista Court - and in 1990, the remaining 22.6 hectares for the park. Remaining are an early stone dairy and remnants of a stone barn, a pig sty and a well.3 Until it was destroyed by fire in 2003, a slab hut stood on the Happy Hollow Farm site, at the southern end of the park. The hut is thought to have been built in the Depression around 1893. This was a rare and late example of a slab hut with a domestic orchard close to Melbourne. Emmet Watmough and his family first occupied the hut, followed by a succession of families, until the Bell family bought it around 1948. There they led a subsistence lifestyle for 50 years, despite encroaching Melbourne suburbia.4 The Yellow Gum Recreation Area includes the Blue Lake, coloured turquoise at certain times of the year. Following the 1957 bushfires, this area was quarried by Reid Quarries Pty Ltd for Melbourne’s first skyscrapers, then by Boral Australia. However in the early 1970s water began seeping into the quarry forming the Blue Lake and the quarry was closed. The State Government bought the site in 1997 and opened it as a park in 1999.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, blue lake, plenty gorge park

The Parks Division of the Board was responsible for the preparation of a Master Plan for the management of the Plenty Gorge Metropolitan Park, comprising privately owned land and land owned by the Board and councils.The creation of the park by the Victorian government, to be managed by the Board of Works, guaranteed public access to a large area of land adjacent to the Plenty River Gorge.2p. newsletter, black ink on blue paperNewsletter No. 6plenty gorge park, plenty river

The Shire of Whittlesea obtained a grant from the federal government to investigate the potential development of a park to the west of the Plenty River in 1976. A regional tip site and the Shire of Diamond Valley's Yarrambat Park were handed over to the MMBW to form the existing Metropolitan Park in 1986. A long term project to develop the park further is to commence in 1990.2 p. text, map and col. illus."With compliments of Sherryl Garbutt M.P. Member for Greensborough" (rubber stamp)plenty gorge park

Account of a dig carried out by Heritage Victoria at the site of the Thomas flour mill, a three-story building with a small cottage built in 1855, which ceased operation in 1863. Article written by GHS member John Gibson.5 p., black text and photographsmoses thomas, flour mill, plenty river

Aerial survey of Plenty Gorge Park area, including Greensborough by-pass construction and Metropolitan Ring Road reservation.An historical view of developing GreensboroughColour aerial photograph QAS 2504c run 5 3/11/86 1:15,500 by Qascophotoplenty gorge park, greensborough bypass, metropolitan ring road

Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works. Yarra 2500 [base map] 13-23. Plenty / Middle Gorge. Parish of Morang 3183. Municipalities of Diamond Valley 257 and Whittlesea 239. Prominent streets include: Gorge Road, Kurrak Road and Browns Lane. Features include the Plenty River and Plenty Gorge Park.MMBW Map in 1:2500 [scale] series. Cream parchment with green tape reinforcing on edges and punched holes on left edge.mmbw, melbourne and metropolitan board of works, shire of diamond valley, plenty - maps, plenty gorge park

Photograph shows an anti- Plenty Gorge Park sign in Gorge Road South MorangPart of the John Ramsdale collection of slides and audio visual material.Colour photograph scanned from slide.No maker's marks. No caption on slide.plenty gorge, plenty gorge metropolitan park, melbourne and metropolitan board of works

Photograph shows a sign accusing MMBW of taking land for mega park - Plenty Gorge ParkPart of the John Ramsdale collection of slides and audio visual material.Colour photograph scanned from slide.No maker's marks. No caption on slide.plenty gorge metropolitan park, plenty gorge, melbourne and metropolitan board of works

Photograph shows house with anti-Plenty Gorge Park sign, Gorge Road South MorangPart of the John Ramsdale collection of slides and audio visual material.Colour photograph scanned from slide.No maker's marks. No caption on slide.plenty gorge, plenty gorge metropolitan park, melbourne and metropolitan board of works

Undated photographs of young men swimming at Blue Lake. Blue Lake is located in Yellow Gum Park, a section of the Plenty Gorge Metropolitan Park.3 digital photographsblue lake, yellow gum park, plenty gorge park, plenty river

This archaeological survey of the Plenty Valley was conducted by Isabel Ellender in 1991 for the Board of Works (Melbourne Water), in particular the Plenty Gorge Metropolitan Park. The area studied is north of Greensborough to Whittlesea. A number of Aboriginal sites were identified and recommendations made for the future.67 p., illus., maps. Plastic spiral binding.plenty river, aboriginal heritage sites, plenty gorge metropolitan park

Stuchbery Farm was situated on the Plenty River bounded by Smugglers Gully to the north and La trobe Road, Yarrambat, to the east. Alan and Ada Stutchbery moved to the valley in 1890, first living in a tent where four children were born. Alfred built a home and outbuildings around 1896. They planted an orchard, then a market garden and developed a dairy. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p179 The dramatic steep-sided Plenty Gorge lies along the divide of two geological areas, and separates the Nillumbik Shire and the City of Whittlesea. On the Nillumbik side are undulating hills and sedimentary rock, and in Whittlesea, lies a basalt plain formed by volcanic action up to two million years ago. This provides the Plenty Gorge Park with diverse vegetation and habitats, making it one of Greater Melbourne’s most important refuges for threatened and significant species. The park, established in 1986, consists of around 1350 hectares, and extends 11 kilometres along the Plenty River, from Greensborough to Mernda. It provides a wildlife corridor for around 500 native plant and 280 animal species.1 The area’s plentiful food and water attracted the Wurundjeri Aboriginal people and then European settlers. By 1837 squatters had claimed large runs of land for their sheep and cattle. The Plenty Valley was among the first in the Port Phillip District to be settled - mainly in the less heavily timbered west - and was proclaimed a settled district in 1841.2 But by the late 1880s, the settlers’ extensive land clearing for animal grazing, then agriculture, depleted the Wurundjeri’s traditional food sources, which helped to drive them away. Many Wurundjeri artefacts remain (now government protected), and so far 57 sites have been identified in the park, including scarred trees, burial areas and stone artefacts. Pioneer life could be very hard because of isolation, flooding, bushfires and bushrangers. Following the Black Thursday bushfires of 1851, basalt was quarried to build more fire-resistant homes. Gold discoveries in the early 1850s swelled the population, particularly around Smugglers Gully; but food production made more of an impact. In the late 1850s wheat production supplanted grazing. In the 1860s the government made small holdings available to poorer settlers. These had the greatest effect on the district, particularly in Doreen and Yarrambat, where orchards were established from the 1880s to 1914. Links with a prominent early family are the remains of Stuchbery Farm, by the river’s edge bounded by Smugglers Gully to the north and La Trobe Road, Yarrambat, to the east. The Stuchberys moved to the valley in 1890, and the family still lives in the area. In 1890, Alfred and Ada first lived in a tent where four children were born, then Alfred built the house and outbuildings around 1896. They planted an orchard, then a market garden, and developed a dairy. The family belonged to the local Methodist and tennis communities. Their grandson Walter, opened the Flying Scotsman Model Railway Museum in Yarrambat, which his widow, Vi, continues to run. Wal was also the Yarrambat CFA Captain for 22 years until 1987. Walter sold 24 hectares in 1976 for development - now Vista Court - and in 1990, the remaining 22.6 hectares for the park. Remaining are an early stone dairy and remnants of a stone barn, a pig sty and a well.3 Until it was destroyed by fire in 2003, a slab hut stood on the Happy Hollow Farm site, at the southern end of the park. The hut is thought to have been built in the Depression around 1893. This was a rare and late example of a slab hut with a domestic orchard close to Melbourne. Emmet Watmough and his family first occupied the hut, followed by a succession of families, until the Bell family bought it around 1948. There they led a subsistence lifestyle for 50 years, despite encroaching Melbourne suburbia.4 The Yellow Gum Recreation Area includes the Blue Lake, coloured turquoise at certain times of the year. Following the 1957 bushfires, this area was quarried by Reid Quarries Pty Ltd for Melbourne’s first skyscrapers, then by Boral Australia. However in the early 1970s water began seeping into the quarry forming the Blue Lake and the quarry was closed. The State Government bought the site in 1997 and opened it as a park in 1999.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, ada stuchbery, alan stuchbery, dairy, stuchbery farm, farm buildings, yarrambat, plenty gorge park

Nillumbik Council has conducted another round of sweeping inspections on more than 200 properties rated at high risk of fire. This follows a grass fire in Greensborough and a bushfire at Plenty Gorge Parklands.News article 1 page, black text.nillumbik council, high fire risk, symon crescent greensborough, plenty gorge park

An eerie, blackened landscape remains after a bushfire ripped through more than 40 ha of the Plenty Gorge parklands.News article 2 pages, black text and colour images.plenty gorge park, bushfire

Blue Lake is in Yellow Gum Park in the Plenty Gorge, north of Greensborough.Digital copy of colour photographsyellow gum park, blue lake, plenty gorge park

Blue Lake is in Yellow Gum Park in the Plenty Gorge, north of Greensborough.Digital copy of colour photographsyellow gum park, blue lake, plenty gorge park

Blue Lake is in Yellow Gum Park in the Plenty Gorge, north of Greensborough.Digital copy of colour photographsyellow gum park, blue lake, plenty gorge park

Blue Lake is in Yellow Gum Park in the Plenty Gorge, north of Greensborough. These photos show the variety of vegetation in the park.Digital copy of colour photographsyellow gum park, blue lake, plenty gorge park

Blue Lake is in Yellow Gum Park in the Plenty Gorge, north of Greensborough. These photos show views of the lake.Digital copy of colour photographsyellow gum park, blue lake, plenty gorge park

Blue Lake is in Yellow Gum Park in the Plenty Gorge, north of Greensborough. These photos show views of the lake.Digital copy of colour photographsyellow gum park, blue lake, plenty gorge park

Blue Lake is in Yellow Gum Park in the Plenty Gorge, north of Greensborough. These photos show a makeshift camp site in the park.Digital copy of colour photographsyellow gum park, blue lake, plenty gorge park

Blue Lake is in Yellow Gum Park in the Plenty Gorge, north of Greensborough. This photo was taken from Yellow Gum Park and shows Greensborough in the distance.Digital copy of colour photographsyellow gum park, blue lake, plenty gorge park

Blue Lake is in Yellow Gum Park in the Plenty Gorge, north of Greensborough. These photos show kangaroos in the Park.Digital copy of colour photographsyellow gum park, blue lake, plenty gorge park

Photograph shows bushland near Plenty GorgePart of the John Ramsdale collection of slides and audio visual material.Colour photograph scanned from slide.No maker's marks. No caption on slide.plenty gorge, plenty gorge metropolitan park

Photograph shows a bridge with van, road is on steep hill. This is the carpark at Middle Gorge Park on Kurrak Road Yarrambat.Part of the John Ramsdale collection of slides and audio visual material.Colour photograph scanned from slide.No caption. Printed maker's mark on slide "Kodak Kodachrome Slide"middle gorge park, kurrak road yarrambat, plenty gorge metropolitan park

Photograph shows a river through bushland; this is the Plenty Gorge.Part of the John Ramsdale collection of slides and audio visual material.Colour photograph scanned from slide.No maker's marks. No caption on slide.plenty river, plenty gorge metropolitan park

Photograph shows a view of the bushland at Plenty Gorge.Part of the John Ramsdale collection of slides and audio visual material.Colour photograph scanned from slide.No maker's marks. No caption on slide.plenty gorge metropolitan park, plenty gorge, bushland

Photograph shows a river through bushland. This is in Plenty Gorge.Part of the John Ramsdale collection of slides and audio visual material.Colour photograph scanned from slide.No maker's marks. No caption on slide.plenty gorge, plenty gorge metropolitan park