invoices circa 1965 Bendigo businesses and sales. The McIvor Brick Company began building work in 1950 making this a fairly early invoice. D N Dean was Douglas Niven Dean (1917-2000)Miscellaneous invoices related to Mr. Douglas Dean, 26 Bolt Street, Long Gully: 10558a Contract for transfer of property (legal document Hyatt, Willis & Hyatt Solicitors, Bendigo) 10558b State of Victoria, Motor Car Act 1958 transfer of sale for a standard sedan Rego No HXP 668 from Mr. J. Wells to Mr. D. Dean on 8 Feb. 1965 10558c Miscellaneous invoices related to purchases by M. D. Dean, 26 Bolt Street, Long Gully (Eight from Bendigo Timber Co. Ltd., One from McIvor Brick Co. Ltd.)motor registration, property transfer, dean

a. Account rendered from Garnet B. Frost, for transfer of property from Mr. H.L. Vivian to his wife, Mrs. E.g. Vivian. Printed form, details typed, solicitor's signature in black pen. b. Covering letter, handwritten and signed by Mr. G. B. Frost to H.L. Vivian. Attached to account with small pin. c. Envelope containing a and b. Addressed to Mr. H.L. Vivian, handwritten in black ink, Stamped with ' If not claimed within 7 days please return to' in the left hand side bottom corner. Envelope is torn in left hand side corner, the back of the envelope is torn on the closing flap. Slight discolouration.

The story of 90 years of wool classing between father & son begins in 1936, when a young boy by the name of Stanley James Hucker walked through the doors of the Gordon Technical School in Geelong. Born in 1921, Stanley was 15 years of age when he began his 3-year course in Wool Classing. 30 years later, Stanley’s second son Denis completed the same 3-year wool classing course. Beginning in 1966, Denis attended the same Gordon Technical School and walked the same halls as his father before him. Stanley finished his course in 1938. He went back to the family farm in Lake Bolac for a brief period before enrolling in the Second World War. At the completion of the war, Stanley returned home and married before gaining a soldier settler allotment, north of Willaura. This enabled Stan to use his wool classing knowledge. He ran between 1,500 and 2,000 sheep for many years, while his wool classer stencil also allowed him to go out and class at various sheds around the area. He held his stencil from 1938 until he retired at the age of 60 in 1981. On retirement, his second son Denis was working in the district, managing a local property while also leasing land himself. Upon his father’s retirement, Denis had the opportunity to lease his father’s farm, an opportunity he could not refuse. Denis had finished his wool classing course at the Gordon Technical School in 1968, graduating dux of his class. He began working with a local contractor and started classing wool in his team. Denis gained a great deal of experience working as part of this team in big sheds of up to 8 stands servicing between 10 & 20,000 sheep. It was not all smooth sailing for Denis however, and he soon learnt an important lesson. Class wool the way you’re taught, don’t listen to the owner standing over your shoulder. At a clip of Corriedales near Casterton, Denis was pushing too many fleeces into the line of fine wool. This resulted in a notice from the Australian Wool Exchange (AWEX) “mixing counts too much, submit three clips for inspection”. Denis was able to submit 3 clips with no further complaints, however, this proved a valuable lesson he would never forget over his long career classing wool. In the early 1980s, when Denis was leasing two properties including his father’s, things were going well until drought struck. February 1983 was the date of the Ash Wednesday bushfires, and saw Melbourne have three days over 40 °C for only the second time on record. This period saw Denis give away farming, turning towards contracting work instead. After the difficult times of the early 1980s, the next two decades were a good time for the sheep industry. 15 micron wool was selling for prices between 4 to 5,000 cents per kilo, double what you’d expect for the same wool in 2022. In 1995 a single bale of wool sold for a million dollars. This was a good time for Denis too. His contracting work saw him employing local shearers and shed staff. His team was involved with the shearing and classing of more than 130,000 sheep. After 20 years of contracting, it was time for Denis to transition into the next phase of his life. He gave up independent contracting, preferring instead to return to being a member of someone else’s team. In 2018, having completed 50 years of wool classing, it was time to call it a day and retire completely. At the annual Gordon Wool School Old Students Association dinner held in 2018, Denis was presented with his 50 years as a registered wool classer stencil awarded by the Australian Wool Exchange (AWEX). This is a rare honour achieved by few. As of February 2020, a total of 430 wool classers had achieved this 50-year milestone. For Denis however, his proudest achievement is achieving 90 years of wool classing with his father. The National Wool Museum is proud to share the collection of objects gained from 90 years in the wool classing industry by Stanley and Denis. This ranges from Stanley’s first stencil and Wool Sample book, started when he first attended the Gordon in 1936. The collection concludes 90 years later with Denis’ 50 years of wool classing Stencil. The collection contains many more objects, all telling the story of these 90 years, and the hard work invested by this dedicated father and son duo. Thin sheet of metal with letters and numbers cut to produce a consistent pattern for the surface below through the application of ink. In small text on the top edge of the stencil two separate phrases are engraved.” A.W.C. PROPERTY NOT TRANSFERABLE” and “PROFESSIONAL“. This wool classing stencil belonged to Stanley Hucker. It was his last Wool Classing Stencil. Dated to 1983, it is 45 years older than his first stencil. The role of a Wool Classer is to sort, classify, and grade wool into various ‘lines’ so that it can be sold for best market price. Wool Classers are typically also tasked with the managing and supervising of wool-handling teams. The stencil is used in the final step of preparing a bale of wool for sale. It is branded across the front of a wool bale to indicate the quality of the wool, with the classers number used as a seal of guarantee.Engraved letters. “A.W.C. PROPERTY / NOT TRANSFERABLE” Engraved letters. “PROFESSIONAL“. Cut imagery. Sheep’s head Cut letters, numbers, and imagery. “83 (Image Australia) P I / 50922”wool classing, stencil, 90 years wool classing between father & son

Bendigo & District Servicemens Club was pre it becoming Bendigo District RSL..1) Badge, metal, RSL affiliate membership. Crown at top over wings, rising sun anchor, scrolls under with "Returned and Services League Affiliate". .2) Badge, metal "Bendigo and District Servicemens Club". Gold Top with place for name, bottom is blue with 3 figures in centre, pin clip at bottom with "95" for membership 1995..1) "V31733 not transferable property of the league. .2) "1822"membership, servicemens, affiliatte, rsl

Copy of article by Tony Dingle and Carolyn Rasmussen published in Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 17, 2007 (2 pages), and copy of Certificate of Title Vol 4197 Fol 839286, 1919 (3 pages).Ringwood connection - Property Title transfer history 1969 and 1973, part of Crown Section 20, Parish of Warrandyte, County of Evelyn, Bemboka Road, Warranwood.

Central Nell Gwynne G. M. Co. N. L. to Miss G. Alice Jones. Pink paper dated May 8, 9, May 9 to 22, May 11 to July 13, 1939, and 23 Aug 1939. Re Harrison, Harrison to You and re Heinze to Harrison. Account details sale of Mrs. Harrison Residence Area, purchase of Heinz property, transfers, inspecting title of Heinz. "R677 del 24/8/39" written in top left corner.miss g. alice jones collection - account, central nell gwynne g m co n l., mrs harrison, mr leeds, mr stanistreet, heinz, j w andrew & son's

RSL Affiliate Membership was introduced in 1969 in South Australia. Now SA, Victoria, WA and Tasmania offer Affiliate Membership.This is an original Affiliate Badge.A squarish badge, crown on top, cream colour, blue inscribed ribbons, air force wings, rising sub and anchor in the middle of the badge.Returned and Services League, Affiliate. Reverse - Aust Made, V14523, Not Transferable, Property of RSL, A J Parks1969, affiliate membership, south australia

Ernest Ferdinand Wieland was Carl's son and one of the earliest pupils at BayswaterSchool . The title of the property was transferred to him on his father's death in 1904..Cardboard cylinder with partial Paris address with" boutique de portrait " on it and partial hand written address with "Tasma" just visible.Inside a sepia portrait of possibly Ernest Ferdinand Wieland as a young man. Dated 1903.

This letter book contains the correspondence from the legal firm of William Ardlie in Warrnambool to other legal firms in Melbourne and other parts of Victoria (1951-1957). The correspondence deals mainly with legal matters concerning property transfers, wills, probates and court cases. William Ardlie (1943-1933) was the son of John and Mary Ardlie, pioneer settlers in Warrnambool. In 1865 William Ardlie established his legal practice in Warrnambool, initially in partnership with George Barber. William Ardlie, prominent in community affairs in Warrnambool, practised as a lawyer until the early 1930s and the firm continued on after his death with members of the Ardlie family involved in legal firms in the Warrnambool district until the early 21st century. This letter book is of historical interest because of the letters dealing with the property, wills etc of many residents of Warrnambool and district during the 1950s. It will be a useful research tool. This letter book of 393 pages has a buff-coloured cover which is somewhat stained. 227 pages contain copies of letters written over a period of seven years and the rest of the pages are blank. The pages are of a lightweight strength. At the front of the book is an alphabetical index with black printed letters on tabs cut out of the outer edges of the pages.Agents 1951ardlie family, history of warrnambool

Private papers relating to the Holmes Family at Ascot. It includes Wills, property settlements, land transfers, wool prices and asset distribution to the family.edith holmes, registration of a firm, live stock prices, lamb numbers, affidavit and statement, memorandum of agreement, land purchase agreement, contractor's account and receipt, solicitor - cuthberts, transfer and conveyance paperstax return, will of violet holmes, distribution of estate of violet holmes, administration account, wool results from dennys,lascelles

Letter from Dudley A Tregent, Solicitor showing an outline of the final payment required for purchase of the Holmbush property, including stamp duty, transfer of Title fees and Council Rates. A record of the costs of acquiring property as well as being an important record of the first property to be purchased by Melbourne Legacy as a residence for children.Quarto copy paper, black and white, two hole punched for filing.holmbush initial negotiations, holmbush, properties

Legal document, heavy parchment, handwritten in black ink. On front ' dated the 4th day of December 1907, Miss Margaret Tuck to Mrs Sarah McEvoy, Conveyance. Document deals with the transfer of property allotment number 7 of section 12 township of Heathcote, on the death of Margaret Tuck, spinster, formerly of Heathcote. Accession number 454/17business, legal, horwood hincott

Wool bale stencil owned and used by donor. Donor was a wool classer in New South Wales working from the 1960s to c2000. This stencil was used by the donor as they traveled from station to station and was used to stencil their registration number on the bales of wool that they had classed. The stencil was created by the Australian Wool Corporation who mailed the stencil to the donor. We also have the original envelope.Metal rectangular wool bale stencil. Stencil has cutouts of a sheep head symbol on left side and the number '83' and 'PI' on either side of an Australia shape on the top right. There are three horizontal rectangles below this, and below them is the number 54719. Faintly engraved at the top is the text AWC PROPERTY / NOT TRANSFERABLE. Rear of stencil is a shiny light metallic colour. Front side is scratched and stained, particularly around the text areas. This would be due to use. Associated envelope is worn and becoming frail. It is a cream colour with heavy staining and opened on the right side. Top left has a printed return address, top right has a stamp area. Affixed postal address is for the donor and that is above a blue stamped text reading IMPORTANT / DO NOT BEND. Back of envelope has a stamped print of the stencil and another bright red stamp. Possibly put there by the donor.

115 Jasper Road, Bentleigh East was a market garden owned by James Allan. In 1880 the property was transferred to David Grewar (Gruar) who had married James' niece Mary Allan. In 1926 part of the land was subdivided and sold as residential blocks. The block with the house pictured remained in the family until 1969. The land now forms part of Our Lady of Sacred Heart College. The description of the land owned by David Kidd Grewer (also spelt Gruar) in 1885: Fourteen acres or thereabouts at the corner of Jasper Road and Patterson’s Road East Brighton being part of Crown Block of 5720 acres Parish of Moorabbin County of Bourke being land comprised in Certificate of Title Volume 1344 Folio 268692 on which is erected a 4 roomed brick house with 2 rooms of wood at the rear and stable and a 2 roomed weatherboard cottage valued as under: 14 acres of land less crops £629.0.0 4 roomed brick house £250.0.0 Other buildings £50.0.0 2 roomed weatherboard cottage £35.0.0 Early pioneer family of the City of Moorabbin.Black and White photo in picture framegrewar, market garden, moorabbin, bentleigh, jasper road, housing, pioneer, james allan, orchard

In July 1840, Glenfine, consisting of 31,440 acres, was acquired by Thomas Downie. In March 1842 the 'Right of Run' was taken up by Thomas Chirnside who with an imported stallion 'Delapre' ran a horse stud. He apparently lived here for ten years and employed a gardener with a wife and five children from Hobart, Tasmania. Only some blocks of stone and a few trees remain of their homestead. In 1853 the property was transferred to Dr. John Chirnside, an elder brother of Thomas Chirnside. In 1857, William Rowe of Naringal purchased Glenfiine where he and his family lived until 1904 when it was bought by Richard Howell's estate. It was then 39,000 acres. The present house was built by the Rowes in 1872 of bluestone quarried on the property with a cement render overall. The architect was H.R. Casselli. Gold was found on the property and by 1898 the township of Hollybush was first reported, situated at either side of the front entrance, on the Cressy Road. The land for the township was given by William Rowe. In 1911 R.C. Howell, son of Richard Howell, became the owner, followed by his son in 1960. By 1990 Hollybush had a population of 426 persons. All of the early history of Glenfine, documents etc., were destroyed when Naringal homestead was burnt down in 1944. Glenfine was classified by the National Trust in 1974 and is on the Heritage Commission Register. Mounted black and white image of a large group of men and boys in front of a weatherboard shearing shed. The men are each holding a pair of hand shears. One young man is kneeling on top of a wool bale. A small blue biro 'x' identifies W. Todd. Glenfine was a pastoral station, and the original homestead still stands.shearing sheds, shearers, rural activity, william todd, glenfine pastoral station, thomas chirnside, thomas downie, richard howell, william thomas rowe

Correspondence over a four year period (probably an incomplete file) on the behalf of Henry Cairns of Moonee Ponds and property owner at Christmas Hills / Watsons Creek including copy of a survey of his land title in relation to complaint regarding the Shire of Eltham encroaching on his land to make a road and subsequent purchase of land. The road provided acccess to the property of Mr W. Clinton of Heidelberg and other properties at Christmas Hills. Note by H.G. indicates that the property discussed in file is Clintons Road (not stated in file), possibly named after 1938. In December 1937 Eltham Shire Council agreed to purchase a block of land at the intersection of the Christmas Hills -- Smiths Gully roads from Mr Cairns to provide an outlet for the road which ran through the Cairns property. In March 1928 Mr Clinton had previously offered to contribute a sum of money towards the cost of purchasing the Cairns block to permit the road to go into his property was intending to transfer the property to himself. A Councilor was reported as being astounded in The Advertiser, 11 March 1938, as the land was needed for a road. Cr Baird: "The road was only to help his sports" Mr W. E. Clinton (Bill) was one of the founders of the Rob Roy Hill climb which took place at his property at Christmas Hills. He owned a garage in Heidleberg (See: https://cv.vic.gov.au/stories/sporting-life/speed-style-spirit-the-rob-roy-hillclimb/the-rob-roy-hillclimb/)16 pieces of paperraynes dickson kiddle & briggs solicitors, henry cairns, shire of eltham, roadworks, christmas hills, watsons creek, w. e. clinton, clintons road, rob roy climb

Glynn’s farm Originally Section 7, Parish of Nillumbik marked Aborigine Reserve in 1866 Crown Allotment 8, Section 7, Parish of Nillumbik, County of Evelyn, Certificate of Title Volume 4095, Folio 818.835, approx. 93 acres purchased by Joseph Panton in 1881 for £1/acre and known as Panton’s Point. By 1924 owned by S.S. Sergeant and called Riverswood. Sergeant commissioned Edna Walling to design the garden. In September 1929 the property was sold at auction by Mortgagee’s sale. Described as well built, brick, tile roof, Attic Villa containing downstairs 7 good rooms, bath, scullery, inside lavatory, etc. Upstairs 2 bedrooms and sleep out. Outbuildings compromising of brick and weatherboard wash house, stables, workshop, feed room, cow bails, large G.I. Hay shed, etc In January 1931 Riverswood property was proclaimed a sanctuary for native game for the entire year. A private swing bridge crossed the river at Pound Bend was known as Pearson’s bridge after C.W.K. Pearson who bought Riverswood in the early 1930s. The bridge was swept away in the December 1934 floods. Riverswood was sold by C.W.K. Pearson at auction on 25 November 1936. Described as a beautiful farm home of 93 acres and over one mile of River Yarra frontage, modern brick residence, lovely garden, rich river flat pastures, model poultry farm. The fine brick home was destroyed on Black Friday (13 Jan.) 1939. It was still a ruin when the Evelyn Evans purchased Waikowhane above Riverswood in 1940. The Glynn family purchased the Riverswood property in 1941 from Robert and Emily Hannon. Their son Kenneth Patrick Glynn inherited the property and he set about clearing the land during WW2 selling wood. Prior to marriage, Kenneth was living alone on the farm in a house he had built from whatever was available. He used the bluestone foundations from the original fine brick home. He met and married Honora Elizabeth Drew in early 1945 and their daughter Anna grew up on the farm. It was compulsorily acquired by the Board of Works in 1976 who then rented the house out in the 1980s. The property was transferred to Melbourne Parks and Waterways in 1996. Waikowhane was a pretty timber house built on top of the hill on 50 acres above Riverswood by retired nurse Jessie MacBeth. (This would be at the intersection of Glynns Road and Overbank Road where the big water tank is now situated on what was once James Orford’s property.) It was also destroyed Black Friday and she rebuilt it from the plans living in a caravan on site supervising the build. It was almost complete when she died May 1939. The property was bought by Evelyn Evans (a city girl) and her estranged husband in 1940. She had two sons, one only 9 months old at the time. It was a timber house with no power or water connected. The Ewen Cameron family bought Waikowhane in 1957. They had to evacuate when the 1961 bushfires swept through. The house was saved by Matcham Skipper. It was demolished by Melbourne Water in the 1990s when they acquired it.fay bridge collection, 2018-08-31, glynn's, glynn's dairy farm, glynns road, north warrandyte, parks victoria, ruins, riverswood, kenneth patrick glynn

This book contains certificates of title and Crown grants which record local changes of ownership.many are in the township of Warrnambool while others relate to areas such as Nullawarre, Purnim and Framlingham.These documents come under the Transfer of lands act of 1890.This book has many local names and properties and is an historic link for the district.Brown heavy card cover with red fabric binding. It has an alphabetical index at the front followed by 200 pages of certificates of title.Descriptions of the land is written at the top of the pages with drawn and coloured diagrams below. The dates range from C 1878 to to C 1966. Some are certificate of title and others are Crown Grant. warrnambool, certificate of titles warrnambool 1900

Augustus Bostock was the 9th child of Robert & Rachael Bostock of Vaucluse Epping Forest, Van Diemen’s Land. He was only 4 years old when his mother died. He was inspired by his father to seek his fortune in the Western District of Victoria. He arrived around 1850. He married Margaret Aitkin in July 1865. Augustus owned several properties in the district and leased others. He sat on the court of Warrnambool, Mortlake or Hexham as required. He resided at Marramook in Hawkesdale and later moved to Vaucluse in Hopetoun Road Warrnambool, where he died in 1920 at the age of 87. He was involved in many aspects of life in the Western District, racing, cricket, and social activities to name a few. This document relates to transfer of land at Talawanta, lots 10, 11 and 12 in Northern NSW as well as Morell, and Rippledon. This is one of a number of documents which relate to the Bostock family who were one of the most important pioneering families of the Western District. They owned and leased various properties around Warrnambool and were involved in many aspects of social and business life. The document itself is indicative of its time and provides an insight into the details and terms of such documents at the time.000850.1 Handwritten letter on lined paper with The business details printed at the top and purple stamp near signature at the end of letter. Back is blank. 000850.2 Blue foolscap size paper document with outline printed with details handwritten in black ink. 000850.1 signed R Newtown. The Queensland Mercantile & agency Co in red with Wilson Bro & Co in top RH corner. 000850.2 Department of Public Lands, Pastoral Occupation Branch. warrnambool, bostock, james bostock, augustus bostock, peter manifold, 1883,morell,rippledon, talawanta, anthony mackenzie, archibald campbell eddington, albert edwin whiting, grace beveridge mackenzie,

Augustus Bostock was the 9th child of Robert & Rachael Bostock of Vaucluse Epping Forest, Van Diemen’s Land. He was only 4 years old when his mother died. He was inspired by his father to seek his fortune in the Western District of Victoria. He arrived around 1850. He married Margaret Aitkin in July 1865. Augustus owned several properties in the district and leased others. He sat on the court of Warrnambool, Mortlake or Hexham as required. He resided at Marramook in Hawkesdale and later moved to Vaucluse in Hopetoun Road Warrnambool, where he died in 1920 at the age of 87. He was involved in many aspects of life in the Western District, racing, cricket, and social activities to name a few. The Yambuk Cheese and Butter factory operated until around 1917 when it failed financially and was wound up by liquidators. It was operated for a short period by Murrays of NZ but they too succumbed to the poor financial situation. This is one of a number of documents which relate to the Bostock family who were one of the most important pioneering families of the Western District. They owned and leased various properties around Warrnambool and were involved in many aspects of social and business life. The document itself is indicative of its time and provides an insight into the details and terms of such documents at the time.Small white sheet with purple printing. Items filled in with black pen. Serrated edge on one side. Transfer form printed on the reverse in purple. Stamped seal in bottom right hand corner.Signed by Augustus Bostock, G Ritchie. Stamped no 27 in top left corner.warrnambool, augustus bostock, yambuk cheese and butter factory, shareholders yambuk cheese factory 1893,

Edmondson's Hut is a cattleman's hut on the Bogong High Plains. Jim Edmondson obtained Run 33 (near Mt Nelse) in the early 1930s. He pre cut the timber at his property in Tawonga and along with iron for the walls, chimney and roof took it up to the Bogong High Plains on pack horse. The hut's wall and ceiling were lined and the hut had a 'fairly good floor and bunks'. In 1971 the hut was donated to the Education Department and was approved for transfer by the Lands Department in 1974. Bogong Outdoor School camp has been using the hut for students to camp in as well as National Fitness parties when walking in the area. The upper Kiewa Valley was settled from the mid 1860s and from its earliest days cattle were taken on to the Bogong High Plains to graze during summer. Jim Edmondson took his cattle from the Kiewa Valley to Mt Fainter and later to Run 33, near Mt Nelse. His hut is significant in the history of Cattlemen's huts on the Bogong High Plains.Four A4 typed sheets on white paper - 1. Acknowledgement of transfer of Edmondson's Hut. 2. History of Visitors (to the hut) Prior to 1971. 3. Two poems. 4. One poem 1. Emblem of Education Dept. Centre top of page. Addressed to James Edmondson, Tawonga, Victoria. 2. Page headed History and Visitors prior 1971. 3. My Old black Poley Cow (and) Roper's Track. 4. So Long, Mates!education department. edmondson's hut. bogong high plains. cattlemen. poetry. cattleman hut. bush walking.

These mine detectors were made in the U.S.A. roughly 1967-1973. They were designated as portable transistorized metallic mine detectors.1. Case Aluminum, 2 piece drab olive, 8 strong retaining clips. 2. Detector Assy, and accessories. - Coil head, - Electronics box, - Ear phones and ear plugs, - Spare electronic modules, red, white, black, - Handle - extendable with controls, - cables. Electronics box has metallic label = model P.158. Serial 8407 etc - US Army. Case has transfer type labels: - “Detecting set mine, Portable metallic FSN 6665-966-7071 PO No. 3295” “Polar Industries Inc. Model P-158” Handle base has “8407” in Texta colour and metallic label, case carrying. “MFR name zero MFG 6” Part No. DZ136 - The lid has U.S. Property stamped on it. The NR 8407 is written on it in Texta.vietnam war, mine warfare, engineer mine clearance

Images of Legal Documents and Map relative to action between M & D Morgan and R Woodward property adjacent to Belgrave-Genbrook Rd., Emerald 19844 images depicting legal instruments and maps relative to M & D Morgan and R Woodward 1984 for properties adjacent to Belgrave-Gembrook Rd., Emerald (3 further difficult to read small maps attached to main file

William (Billie) Blackmore was born at or near Richmond, Victoria.At age 26 he joined the A.I.F. in WW1 while he was employed at Orbost as a labourer. He served in Egypt and France until following his discharge on December 20th 1916, he transferred to 15th Machine Coy in January 1917. He was severely wounded, repatriated to England until after an operation and further hospitalisation returned home to Orbost .In Orbost he did farm work for George and Elizabeth Trewin, eventually building a small shack on what was Rupert Leatham's property at Brodribb. He fossicked for gold in a nearby creek and the story goes that he buried his coins around the property. He donated these scales to the Orbost & Districet Historical Society. (more details and ref. John Phillips July 2016 Newsletter)This item is typical of those used by gold fossickers in the early 20th century. This object was likely to have been imported into Australia (possibly German) for use in Victoria,Small round hanging scales. At the top is a loop for hanging. There is a brass plate in the centre with measuring scale, in lbs, and needle pointer.scales instruments-weighing

Prepared for Nillumbik Shire Council by Samantha Westbrooke Pty Ltd in association with Peter Mills PhD, Architectural Historian and Roark Muhlen-Schilte, Archaeologist. Covers history of early market gardening in Eltham with the commencement of European settlement in the late 1830s. The site for the village of Eltham was surveyed in 1851 and the Township Plan shows that the property is made up of Lots 7 and 8 which were sold at auction in June 1852 to M. O'Shea. The history of the Bell Street property is closely tied to the West family from the 1860s to 1930s; the earliest rate books for Eltham show William West farming in El;tham in 1864. In the aerly 1930s ownership of the creek side was transferred from the west family to the Fabbro family who shortly afterwards were impaced by the 1934 Diamond Creek flooding. Guido Fabbro relocated the original West home further up the hill and built a new Italianate style modern home in situ. The Fabbro family farmed the property. In 1993/4 Eltham Council acquired the creek-side market garden blocks to the south of 2 Bell Street which was recconceived in 1998 as the Barak Bushland Reserve. The Fabbro house was demolished shortly after and the lots were sold to a developer in 1994. The large steel shed now present on the 2 Bell Street property dates from soon after this sale.26 A4 pages color printcultural heritage significance assessment, peter mills, samantha westbrooke pty ltd, shire of nillumbik, 2 bell street, eltham, market gardening, west family, fabbro family, land use, barak bushland reserve, heritage assessment

Centred on present day Diosma Rd, Stokes Pl, Nyora Rd and Eucalyptus Rd Historic Aerial Imagery Source: Landata.vic.gov.au Aerial Photo Details: Project No :5 Project : MELBOURNE AND METROPOLITAN AREA PROJECT Run : 36 Frame : 60546 Date : 12/1945 Film Type : B/W Camera : EAG4 Flying Height : 10200 Scale : 6000 Film Number : 195 GDA2020 : 37°42'47"S, 145°09'56"E MGA2020 : 338306, 5824438 (55) Melways : 22 C4 (ed. 42) A History of the Development of Crown Allotment 15, Section 5, Parish of Nillumbik – Stokes Orchard Crown Allotment 15, Section 5, Parish of Nillumbik (CA15) is a square allotment of 158 acres or approximately a quarter of a square mile. It lies just beyond the eastern end of Pitt Street, south of Nyora Road to the northern end of Eucalyptus Road and extends east from Eucalyptus Road to Reynolds Road. The topography of CA15 is generally steep, sloping up to a hill near the centre of the land, the ridgeline passing through the properties along the southern side of Diosma Road. Eucalyptus Road is a straight north-south road with its northern end at the north west corner of CA15. Until the end of the 1970s this road was an un-named Government Road and was largely not open to traffic. With residential development in the 1970s the road was constructed, and the council allocated the name obviously in recognition of the predominant species of the local bushland. CA15 was purchased from the Crown by George D’Arley Boursiquot, a prominent Melbourne printer, on 28th October 1852. On November 23, 1922, former Member for Gippsland and Melbourne Real Estate Agent, Hubert Patrick Keogh purchased the allotment then sold it March 13, 1925, to local farmer, Robert David Taylor, a former Shire of Eltham Councillor (1911-1920) and Shire President (1919). Taylor had extensive land holdings stretching west towards Bible Street and Main Road. The Taylor home was situated at the top of the hill in Bible Street at present day 82 Bible Street. At the time of Taylor’s purchase in 1925, CA15 was subdivided into 48 lots that could be described as small rural properties or large residential lots. A typical lot size was one hectare or 2.5 acres. The subdivision created two roads, Nyora Road, and Diosma Road, each following an irregular alignment between Eucalyptus and Reynolds Roads. However, the lots were not sold off separately nor were the roads constructed. The land effectively remained as one parcel for many further years. Robert David Taylor died November 30, 1934, and probate was granted to his son of the same name, Robert David Taylor of Bible Street, Salesman and William McLelland Vance Taylor of 73 Emmeline Street, Northcote, Clerk, with the transfer of the land into their names on July 8, 1935. Frank Stokes worked as a qualified accountant at Kennons leather factory in Burnley, while living at 1 Thomas Street, Mitcham. He suffered from migraines and wanted to return to working the land (he had previously worked on farms and orchards since coming to Australia from England in 1926, both in WA and Vic.). He first travelled to the district by train in July 1942 to find land with the intention to establish an orchard. By chance he met Arthur Bird of Bird Orchard (bounded by Pitt Street, Eucalyptus Road, and Wattle Grove) and they got talking over their common interest. Arthur put Frank up for the night and pointed out the land, 158 acres- part of the Taylor Estate- £900, Crown Allotment 15, Section 5, Parish of Nillumbik (CA15) somewhat diagonally opposite Bird Orchard. Stokes applied through the Riverina Agency to purchase the land who in turn applied for permission from Canberra to sell as there was a new government regulation introduced during the Second World War banning land sales except for immediate production. Stokes obtained a loan on his Mitcham house of £600 @ 5% and paid £450 deposit with quarterly payments of £15 spread over 5 years. Stokes was assisted and advised by Arthur Bird who farmed the neighbouring orchard. In early 1943 Stokes took possession and would catch the train out to Eltham on Fridays after work and began building a hut on the corner of Nyora Road and the Government Road (Eucalyptus Road) for shelter and to lock up tools. He established an orchard on the central western part of the land through the centre of which ran a natural waterway (part of the present-day linear park) and was able to pay a neighbour (Hawkins) to help with clearing and fencing 25 acres, and with a horse and single furrowed plough, planted approximately 2,500 fruit trees - cherries, peaches, plums, almonds, pears, apricots and lemons as well as a few apples and oranges; a massive task. Aerial photographs from the 1940s through to the 1990s clearly show the orchard with most of the larger CA15 site remaining as natural bushland. A huge problem was hares and rabbits eating all the new buds off the tiny trees. As well as laying poison he painted the trees with a mixture of cow manure and lime, often working by moonlight. Procurement of wire and wire netting was difficult because of the war but after much effort he obtained a permit from the Agricultural Department for supplies in March 1944. In February 1945 Stokes applied for a permit to build a “packing shed” as no house building was allowed. It was to be 33 feet x 21 feet and cost £312. It was constructed mostly from second-hand materials, which were hard to obtain, especially iron for roofing. Stokes finished work at Kennons on October 31, 1945, and in March 1946 he sold the family home at Mitcham for £1,230 plus £170 for furniture. On May 15, 1946, title to the CA15 property was issued to Frank Howard Alfred Stokes, Orchardist and Gladys Ethel Stokes, Married Woman, both of Pitt Street, Eltham. The family of five then moved into the very unfinished “packing shed” at Eltham, which was a struggle to weatherproof. Eventually rooms were divided off and lined with hessian bags and whitewashed. Their income was firewood (cut and sold), selling rockery stones and cut Sweet Bursaria. (It was discovered during the 1940s that Sweet Bursaria contained the sunscreen compound Aesculin. The RAAF utilised this compound from Sweet Bursaria during WW2 for pilots and gunners.) The orchard’s first fruit sale was a half-case of Le Vanq peaches in December 1947 for the price of 8 shillings. In 1956 plans for house were drawn and Glen Iris bricks purchased (1956 Olympic Rings variant). The building of the house commenced in 1957 - 12 feet of original packing shed was removed – and was completed in 1959. Water was connected from newly built pressure storage on the property at the end of 1959 and the electricity connection for the first time at 3pm on April 29, 1960. The house remains to present day (somewhat modified) at 1 Nyora Road, home to Nyora Studio Gallery. On occasions, spare remnants of the 1956 bricks have been known to be unearthed in gardens on the estate as they were utilised by Frank Stokes to fill in rabbit holes. On May 26, 1950, a parcel of land was compulsorily acquired by the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works on the hilltop to establish an easement for a high-level service reservoir to augment Eltham’s water supply. The project also included pipe tracks for the necessary water mains. The reservoir has now been superseded by higher level water tanks east of Reynolds Road and its former site is now a public reserve. On November 27, 1964, the State Electricity Commission served notice to compulsorily acquire a further parcel through the eastern part of the land for a major electricity transmission line that augmented supply from the La Trobe Valley to Melbourne. The easement was registered February 11, 1966. The easement was widened July 18, 1969 for a second transmission line to be constructed. In 1971 Melbourne Metropolitan Planning Scheme amendments adopted Nyora Road as the boundary between a residential zone to the north and a rural zone to the south. This determined the future development of the land. In the mid-1970s the Shire of Eltham divided the orchard into numerous rate-able parcel lots, the 48 lots having been established in 1925 and the subsequent rates assessment proved unsustainable for Stokes. He commenced selling lots outside the boundary of the orchard, north of Diosma and South of Nyora. However shortly later the land between Nyora and Diosma Roads and west of the electricity easement was sold and subdivided into residential lots, a housing development by Macquarie Builders and marketed as the Stokes Orchard Estate. New streets were created, and most were named after trees, although one, Stokes Place, commemorates the former owners. The development was undertaken in two stages; Stage 1 (1975) encompassing Scarlet Ash Court, Ironbark Close and Peppermint Grove bounded by Nyora and Eucalyptus roads and Stage 2 (1978) encompassing Stokes Place, Orchard Way, The Crest and The Lookout bound by Nyora and Diosma roads. The developer, Macquarie Builders went bankrupt shortly after the release of Stage 2 leaving many purchasers to fend for themselves and arrange for their own independent builders. There were also difficulties with sewerage for the land immediately south of Diosma Road and so the conventional residential lots were abandoned in favour of larger lots. The development of Orchard Way, The Crest and The Lookout did not proceed as planned and the proposed lots were incorporated into five-acre parcels instead. These included a low-density group housing development by the Graves family and the award winning Choong House (1983) with Gordon Ford developed garden immediately next door situated on the ridge of the hill nestled amongst the original bush, Eucalypt trees and Sweet Bursaria. In 1994, Nillumbik Shire Council applied Significant Environment and Significant Landscape overlays upon the properties on the south side of Diosma Road to ensure protection of this natural bush garden environment. With the arrival of the sewer along Diosma Road in the 1990s, most of these five-acre parcels have since been subdivided multiple times. The Choong house presently sits on a 2.7-acre property, which in 2022 Nillumbik Council nominated for Cultural Significance Heritage protection and is considered potentially significant at State level. The Stokes family were also associated with the Eltham Christian Church. In the 1970s this church had met in temporary premises in Eltham. Lots of the original 1925 subdivision remained south of Nyora Road and a number of these lots were utilized for the Eltham Christian School, which was established by the Eltham Christian Church in 1981. The school operated on this site until 2000. The premises are now used by The Vine Baptist Church. By the mid-1980s the whole of CA15 had been developed for residential and school purposes, except for the sections north of Diosma Road and between the transmission lines and Reynolds Road. Sewerage issues had been resolved for the section north of Diosma Road and in 1987 it was in the process of being subdivided into residential lots. The development coincided with the discovery of colonies of the rare and endangered Eltham Copper Butterfly on the site. This resulted in a community and political campaign to save the butterfly habitat. With the co-operation of the land developer the subdivision was altered to create two bushland reserves in the critical butterfly habitat areas. In the late 1980s the State Government was investigating options for establishing a metropolitan ring road link between Diamond Creek and Ringwood. The chosen route was adjacent to Reynolds Road and so this created a freeze on development of CA15 between Reynolds Road and the electricity easement. The ring road proposal was eventually abandoned, and this part of the land was subdivided into low density residential lots. Diosma Road has been discontinued at the electricity easement and the eastern part incorporated into View Mount Court with access from Reynolds Road. The whole of CA15 has now been developed for residential or associated purposes, ranging from conventional density to quite low density south of Nyora Road. Some remnants of the orchard remain, a few cherry trees on the Graves property and a lone apple tree in Stokes Place. The butterfly reserves comprise significant areas of remnant bushland. Linear reserves through the estate link with central Eltham via the Woodridge linear reserve and with Research along the electricity easement. CA15 as it exists today has a complicated history of rural use, Government acquisition, urban development, and community action. References: • “Stokes Orchard, an incomplete history”; Russell Yeoman with Doug Orford • Correspondence, Beryl Bradbury (nee Stokes) • Aerial Photographs, 1931-1991, Landata (landata.vic.gov.au) • Certificate of Title, Vol. 4930 Fol. 985900 • Plan Number LP 10859 aerial photo, diosma road, eltham copper butterfly, eucalyptus road, ironbark close, nyora road, peppermint grove, peter & elizabeth pidgeon collection, power transmission lines, reynolds road, scarlet ash court, stokes orchard estate, stokes place, woodridge estate, frank stokes

Centred over present day Reynolds Road and Mount Pleasant Road, Eltham (including Diosma Rd, Stokes Pl, Nyora Rd and Eucalyptus Rd) Historic Aerial Imagery Source: Landata.vic.gov.au Aerial Photo Details: Project No :1931 Project : MALDON PRISON Run : 21 Frame : 3160 Date : 11/1931 Film Type : B/W Camera : F8 Flying Height : 11000 Scale : 18860 Film Number : 60 GDA2020 : 37°43'31"S, 145°10'20"E MGA2020 : 338912, 5823086 (55) Melways : 22 E8 (ed. 42) A History of the Development of Crown Allotment 15, Section 5, Parish of Nillumbik – Stokes Orchard Crown Allotment 15, Section 5, Parish of Nillumbik (CA15) is a square allotment of 158 acres or approximately a quarter of a square mile. It lies just beyond the eastern end of Pitt Street, south of Nyora Road to the northern end of Eucalyptus Road and extends east from Eucalyptus Road to Reynolds Road. The topography of CA15 is generally steep, sloping up to a hill near the centre of the land, the ridgeline passing through the properties along the southern side of Diosma Road. Eucalyptus Road is a straight north-south road with its northern end at the north west corner of CA15. Until the end of the 1970s this road was an un-named Government Road and was largely not open to traffic. With residential development in the 1970s the road was constructed, and the council allocated the name obviously in recognition of the predominant species of the local bushland. CA15 was purchased from the Crown by George D’Arley Boursiquot, a prominent Melbourne printer, on 28th October 1852. On November 23, 1922, former Member for Gippsland and Melbourne Real Estate Agent, Hubert Patrick Keogh purchased the allotment then sold it March 13, 1925, to local farmer, Robert David Taylor, a former Shire of Eltham Councillor (1911-1920) and Shire President (1919). Taylor had extensive land holdings stretching west towards Bible Street and Main Road. The Taylor home was situated at the top of the hill in Bible Street at present day 82 Bible Street. At the time of Taylor’s purchase in 1925, CA15 was subdivided into 48 lots that could be described as small rural properties or large residential lots. A typical lot size was one hectare or 2.5 acres. The subdivision created two roads, Nyora Road, and Diosma Road, each following an irregular alignment between Eucalyptus and Reynolds Roads. However, the lots were not sold off separately nor were the roads constructed. The land effectively remained as one parcel for many further years. Robert David Taylor died November 30, 1934, and probate was granted to his son of the same name, Robert David Taylor of Bible Street, Salesman and William McLelland Vance Taylor of 73 Emmeline Street, Northcote, Clerk, with the transfer of the land into their names on July 8, 1935. Frank Stokes worked as a qualified accountant at Kennons leather factory in Burnley, while living at 1 Thomas Street, Mitcham. He suffered from migraines and wanted to return to working the land (he had previously worked on farms and orchards since coming to Australia from England in 1926, both in WA and Vic.). He first travelled to the district by train in July 1942 to find land with the intention to establish an orchard. By chance he met Arthur Bird of Bird Orchard (bounded by Pitt Street, Eucalyptus Road, and Wattle Grove) and they got talking over their common interest. Arthur put Frank up for the night and pointed out the land, 158 acres- part of the Taylor Estate- £900, Crown Allotment 15, Section 5, Parish of Nillumbik (CA15) somewhat diagonally opposite Bird Orchard. Stokes applied through the Riverina Agency to purchase the land who in turn applied for permission from Canberra to sell as there was a new government regulation introduced during the Second World War banning land sales except for immediate production. Stokes obtained a loan on his Mitcham house of £600 @ 5% and paid £450 deposit with quarterly payments of £15 spread over 5 years. Stokes was assisted and advised by Arthur Bird who farmed the neighbouring orchard. In early 1943 Stokes took possession and would catch the train out to Eltham on Fridays after work and began building a hut on the corner of Nyora Road and the Government Road (Eucalyptus Road) for shelter and to lock up tools. He established an orchard on the central western part of the land through the centre of which ran a natural waterway (part of the present-day linear park) and was able to pay a neighbour (Hawkins) to help with clearing and fencing 25 acres, and with a horse and single furrowed plough, planted approximately 2,500 fruit trees - cherries, peaches, plums, almonds, pears, apricots and lemons as well as a few apples and oranges; a massive task. Aerial photographs from the 1940s through to the 1990s clearly show the orchard with most of the larger CA15 site remaining as natural bushland. A huge problem was hares and rabbits eating all the new buds off the tiny trees. As well as laying poison he painted the trees with a mixture of cow manure and lime, often working by moonlight. Procurement of wire and wire netting was difficult because of the war but after much effort he obtained a permit from the Agricultural Department for supplies in March 1944. In February 1945 Stokes applied for a permit to build a “packing shed” as no house building was allowed. It was to be 33 feet x 21 feet and cost £312. It was constructed mostly from second-hand materials, which were hard to obtain, especially iron for roofing. Stokes finished work at Kennons on October 31, 1945, and in March 1946 he sold the family home at Mitcham for £1,230 plus £170 for furniture. On May 15, 1946, title to the CA15 property was issued to Frank Howard Alfred Stokes, Orchardist and Gladys Ethel Stokes, Married Woman, both of Pitt Street, Eltham. The family of five then moved into the very unfinished “packing shed” at Eltham, which was a struggle to weatherproof. Eventually rooms were divided off and lined with hessian bags and whitewashed. Their income was firewood (cut and sold), selling rockery stones and cut Sweet Bursaria. (It was discovered during the 1940s that Sweet Bursaria contained the sunscreen compound Aesculin. The RAAF utilised this compound from Sweet Bursaria during WW2 for pilots and gunners.) The orchard’s first fruit sale was a half-case of Le Vanq peaches in December 1947 for the price of 8 shillings. In 1956 plans for house were drawn and Glen Iris bricks purchased (1956 Olympic Rings variant). The building of the house commenced in 1957 - 12 feet of original packing shed was removed – and was completed in 1959. Water was connected from newly built pressure storage on the property at the end of 1959 and the electricity connection for the first time at 3pm on April 29, 1960. The house remains to present day (somewhat modified) at 1 Nyora Road, home to Nyora Studio Gallery. On occasions, spare remnants of the 1956 bricks have been known to be unearthed in gardens on the estate as they were utilised by Frank Stokes to fill in rabbit holes. On May 26, 1950, a parcel of land was compulsorily acquired by the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works on the hilltop to establish an easement for a high-level service reservoir to augment Eltham’s water supply. The project also included pipe tracks for the necessary water mains. The reservoir has now been superseded by higher level water tanks east of Reynolds Road and its former site is now a public reserve. On November 27, 1964, the State Electricity Commission served notice to compulsorily acquire a further parcel through the eastern part of the land for a major electricity transmission line that augmented supply from the La Trobe Valley to Melbourne. The easement was registered February 11, 1966. The easement was widened July 18, 1969 for a second transmission line to be constructed. In 1971 Melbourne Metropolitan Planning Scheme amendments adopted Nyora Road as the boundary between a residential zone to the north and a rural zone to the south. This determined the future development of the land. In the mid-1970s the Shire of Eltham divided the orchard into numerous rate-able parcel lots, the 48 lots having been established in 1925 and the subsequent rates assessment proved unsustainable for Stokes. He commenced selling lots outside the boundary of the orchard, north of Diosma and South of Nyora. However shortly later the land between Nyora and Diosma Roads and west of the electricity easement was sold and subdivided into residential lots, a housing development by Macquarie Builders and marketed as the Stokes Orchard Estate. New streets were created, and most were named after trees, although one, Stokes Place, commemorates the former owners. The development was undertaken in two stages; Stage 1 (1975) encompassing Scarlet Ash Court, Ironbark Close and Peppermint Grove bounded by Nyora and Eucalyptus roads and Stage 2 (1978) encompassing Stokes Place, Orchard Way, The Crest and The Lookout bound by Nyora and Diosma roads. The developer, Macquarie Builders went bankrupt shortly after the release of Stage 2 leaving many purchasers to fend for themselves and arrange for their own independent builders. There were also difficulties with sewerage for the land immediately south of Diosma Road and so the conventional residential lots were abandoned in favour of larger lots. The development of Orchard Way, The Crest and The Lookout did not proceed as planned and the proposed lots were incorporated into five-acre parcels instead. These included a low-density group housing development by the Graves family and the award winning Choong House (1983) with Gordon Ford developed garden immediately next door situated on the ridge of the hill nestled amongst the original bush, Eucalypt trees and Sweet Bursaria. In 1994, Nillumbik Shire Council applied Significant Environment and Significant Landscape overlays upon the properties on the south side of Diosma Road to ensure protection of this natural bush garden environment. With the arrival of the sewer along Diosma Road in the 1990s, most of these five-acre parcels have since been subdivided multiple times. The Choong house presently sits on a 2.7-acre property, which in 2022 Nillumbik Council nominated for Cultural Significance Heritage protection and is considered potentially significant at State level. The Stokes family were also associated with the Eltham Christian Church. In the 1970s this church had met in temporary premises in Eltham. Lots of the original 1925 subdivision remained south of Nyora Road and a number of these lots were utilized for the Eltham Christian School, which was established by the Eltham Christian Church in 1981. The school operated on this site until 2000. The premises are now used by The Vine Baptist Church. By the mid-1980s the whole of CA15 had been developed for residential and school purposes, except for the sections north of Diosma Road and between the transmission lines and Reynolds Road. Sewerage issues had been resolved for the section north of Diosma Road and in 1987 it was in the process of being subdivided into residential lots. The development coincided with the discovery of colonies of the rare and endangered Eltham Copper Butterfly on the site. This resulted in a community and political campaign to save the butterfly habitat. With the co-operation of the land developer the subdivision was altered to create two bushland reserves in the critical butterfly habitat areas. In the late 1980s the State Government was investigating options for establishing a metropolitan ring road link between Diamond Creek and Ringwood. The chosen route was adjacent to Reynolds Road and so this created a freeze on development of CA15 between Reynolds Road and the electricity easement. The ring road proposal was eventually abandoned, and this part of the land was subdivided into low density residential lots. Diosma Road has been discontinued at the electricity easement and the eastern part incorporated into View Mount Court with access from Reynolds Road. The whole of CA15 has now been developed for residential or associated purposes, ranging from conventional density to quite low density south of Nyora Road. Some remnants of the orchard remain, a few cherry trees on the Graves property and a lone apple tree in Stokes Place. The butterfly reserves comprise significant areas of remnant bushland. Linear reserves through the estate link with central Eltham via the Woodridge linear reserve and with Research along the electricity easement. CA15 as it exists today has a complicated history of rural use, Government acquisition, urban development, and community action. References: • “Stokes Orchard, an incomplete history”; Russell Yeoman with Doug Orford • Correspondence, Beryl Bradbury (nee Stokes) • Aerial Photographs, 1931-1991, Landata (landata.vic.gov.au) • Certificate of Title, Vol. 4930 Fol. 985900 • Plan Number LP 10859 aerial photo, diosma road, eltham copper butterfly, eucalyptus road, ironbark close, nyora road, peppermint grove, peter & elizabeth pidgeon collection, power transmission lines, reynolds road, scarlet ash court, stokes orchard estate, stokes place, woodridge estate, frank stokes

Centred on present day Diosma Rd, Stokes Pl, Nyora Rd and Eucalyptus Rd Historic Aerial Imagery Source: Landata.vic.gov.au Aerial Photo Details: Project No :65 Project : MELBOURNE AND METROPOLITAN PROJECT NO. 2 Run : 8 Frame : 71 Date : 01/1951 Film Type : B/W Camera : EAG9 Flying Height : 12200 Scale : 12000 Film Number : 1419 GDA2020 : 37°43'14"S, 145°09'46"E MGA2020 : 338081, 5823608 (55) Melways : 22 C6 (ed. 42) A History of the Development of Crown Allotment 15, Section 5, Parish of Nillumbik – Stokes Orchard Crown Allotment 15, Section 5, Parish of Nillumbik (CA15) is a square allotment of 158 acres or approximately a quarter of a square mile. It lies just beyond the eastern end of Pitt Street, south of Nyora Road to the northern end of Eucalyptus Road and extends east from Eucalyptus Road to Reynolds Road. The topography of CA15 is generally steep, sloping up to a hill near the centre of the land, the ridgeline passing through the properties along the southern side of Diosma Road. Eucalyptus Road is a straight north-south road with its northern end at the north west corner of CA15. Until the end of the 1970s this road was an un-named Government Road and was largely not open to traffic. With residential development in the 1970s the road was constructed, and the council allocated the name obviously in recognition of the predominant species of the local bushland. CA15 was purchased from the Crown by George D’Arley Boursiquot, a prominent Melbourne printer, on 28th October 1852. On November 23, 1922, former Member for Gippsland and Melbourne Real Estate Agent, Hubert Patrick Keogh purchased the allotment then sold it March 13, 1925, to local farmer, Robert David Taylor, a former Shire of Eltham Councillor (1911-1920) and Shire President (1919). Taylor had extensive land holdings stretching west towards Bible Street and Main Road. The Taylor home was situated at the top of the hill in Bible Street at present day 82 Bible Street. At the time of Taylor’s purchase in 1925, CA15 was subdivided into 48 lots that could be described as small rural properties or large residential lots. A typical lot size was one hectare or 2.5 acres. The subdivision created two roads, Nyora Road, and Diosma Road, each following an irregular alignment between Eucalyptus and Reynolds Roads. However, the lots were not sold off separately nor were the roads constructed. The land effectively remained as one parcel for many further years. Robert David Taylor died November 30, 1934, and probate was granted to his son of the same name, Robert David Taylor of Bible Street, Salesman and William McLelland Vance Taylor of 73 Emmeline Street, Northcote, Clerk, with the transfer of the land into their names on July 8, 1935. Frank Stokes worked as a qualified accountant at Kennons leather factory in Burnley, while living at 1 Thomas Street, Mitcham. He suffered from migraines and wanted to return to working the land (he had previously worked on farms and orchards since coming to Australia from England in 1926, both in WA and Vic.). He first travelled to the district by train in July 1942 to find land with the intention to establish an orchard. By chance he met Arthur Bird of Bird Orchard (bounded by Pitt Street, Eucalyptus Road, and Wattle Grove) and they got talking over their common interest. Arthur put Frank up for the night and pointed out the land, 158 acres- part of the Taylor Estate- £900, Crown Allotment 15, Section 5, Parish of Nillumbik (CA15) somewhat diagonally opposite Bird Orchard. Stokes applied through the Riverina Agency to purchase the land who in turn applied for permission from Canberra to sell as there was a new government regulation introduced during the Second World War banning land sales except for immediate production. Stokes obtained a loan on his Mitcham house of £600 @ 5% and paid £450 deposit with quarterly payments of £15 spread over 5 years. Stokes was assisted and advised by Arthur Bird who farmed the neighbouring orchard. In early 1943 Stokes took possession and would catch the train out to Eltham on Fridays after work and began building a hut on the corner of Nyora Road and the Government Road (Eucalyptus Road) for shelter and to lock up tools. He established an orchard on the central western part of the land through the centre of which ran a natural waterway (part of the present-day linear park) and was able to pay a neighbour (Hawkins) to help with clearing and fencing 25 acres, and with a horse and single furrowed plough, planted approximately 2,500 fruit trees - cherries, peaches, plums, almonds, pears, apricots and lemons as well as a few apples and oranges; a massive task. Aerial photographs from the 1940s through to the 1990s clearly show the orchard with most of the larger CA15 site remaining as natural bushland. A huge problem was hares and rabbits eating all the new buds off the tiny trees. As well as laying poison he painted the trees with a mixture of cow manure and lime, often working by moonlight. Procurement of wire and wire netting was difficult because of the war but after much effort he obtained a permit from the Agricultural Department for supplies in March 1944. In February 1945 Stokes applied for a permit to build a “packing shed” as no house building was allowed. It was to be 33 feet x 21 feet and cost £312. It was constructed mostly from second-hand materials, which were hard to obtain, especially iron for roofing. Stokes finished work at Kennons on October 31, 1945, and in March 1946 he sold the family home at Mitcham for £1,230 plus £170 for furniture. On May 15, 1946, title to the CA15 property was issued to Frank Howard Alfred Stokes, Orchardist and Gladys Ethel Stokes, Married Woman, both of Pitt Street, Eltham. The family of five then moved into the very unfinished “packing shed” at Eltham, which was a struggle to weatherproof. Eventually rooms were divided off and lined with hessian bags and whitewashed. Their income was firewood (cut and sold), selling rockery stones and cut Sweet Bursaria. (It was discovered during the 1940s that Sweet Bursaria contained the sunscreen compound Aesculin. The RAAF utilised this compound from Sweet Bursaria during WW2 for pilots and gunners.) The orchard’s first fruit sale was a half-case of Le Vanq peaches in December 1947 for the price of 8 shillings. In 1956 plans for house were drawn and Glen Iris bricks purchased (1956 Olympic Rings variant). The building of the house commenced in 1957 - 12 feet of original packing shed was removed – and was completed in 1959. Water was connected from newly built pressure storage on the property at the end of 1959 and the electricity connection for the first time at 3pm on April 29, 1960. The house remains to present day (somewhat modified) at 1 Nyora Road, home to Nyora Studio Gallery. On occasions, spare remnants of the 1956 bricks have been known to be unearthed in gardens on the estate as they were utilised by Frank Stokes to fill in rabbit holes. On May 26, 1950, a parcel of land was compulsorily acquired by the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works on the hilltop to establish an easement for a high-level service reservoir to augment Eltham’s water supply. The project also included pipe tracks for the necessary water mains. The reservoir has now been superseded by higher level water tanks east of Reynolds Road and its former site is now a public reserve. On November 27, 1964, the State Electricity Commission served notice to compulsorily acquire a further parcel through the eastern part of the land for a major electricity transmission line that augmented supply from the La Trobe Valley to Melbourne. The easement was registered February 11, 1966. The easement was widened July 18, 1969 for a second transmission line to be constructed. In 1971 Melbourne Metropolitan Planning Scheme amendments adopted Nyora Road as the boundary between a residential zone to the north and a rural zone to the south. This determined the future development of the land. In the mid-1970s the Shire of Eltham divided the orchard into numerous rate-able parcel lots, the 48 lots having been established in 1925 and the subsequent rates assessment proved unsustainable for Stokes. He commenced selling lots outside the boundary of the orchard, north of Diosma and South of Nyora. However shortly later the land between Nyora and Diosma Roads and west of the electricity easement was sold and subdivided into residential lots, a housing development by Macquarie Builders and marketed as the Stokes Orchard Estate. New streets were created, and most were named after trees, although one, Stokes Place, commemorates the former owners. The development was undertaken in two stages; Stage 1 (1975) encompassing Scarlet Ash Court, Ironbark Close and Peppermint Grove bounded by Nyora and Eucalyptus roads and Stage 2 (1978) encompassing Stokes Place, Orchard Way, The Crest and The Lookout bound by Nyora and Diosma roads. The developer, Macquarie Builders went bankrupt shortly after the release of Stage 2 leaving many purchasers to fend for themselves and arrange for their own independent builders. There were also difficulties with sewerage for the land immediately south of Diosma Road and so the conventional residential lots were abandoned in favour of larger lots. The development of Orchard Way, The Crest and The Lookout did not proceed as planned and the proposed lots were incorporated into five-acre parcels instead. These included a low-density group housing development by the Graves family and the award winning Choong House (1983) with Gordon Ford developed garden immediately next door situated on the ridge of the hill nestled amongst the original bush, Eucalypt trees and Sweet Bursaria. In 1994, Nillumbik Shire Council applied Significant Environment and Significant Landscape overlays upon the properties on the south side of Diosma Road to ensure protection of this natural bush garden environment. With the arrival of the sewer along Diosma Road in the 1990s, most of these five-acre parcels have since been subdivided multiple times. The Choong house presently sits on a 2.7-acre property, which in 2022 Nillumbik Council nominated for Cultural Significance Heritage protection and is considered potentially significant at State level. The Stokes family were also associated with the Eltham Christian Church. In the 1970s this church had met in temporary premises in Eltham. Lots of the original 1925 subdivision remained south of Nyora Road and a number of these lots were utilized for the Eltham Christian School, which was established by the Eltham Christian Church in 1981. The school operated on this site until 2000. The premises are now used by The Vine Baptist Church. By the mid-1980s the whole of CA15 had been developed for residential and school purposes, except for the sections north of Diosma Road and between the transmission lines and Reynolds Road. Sewerage issues had been resolved for the section north of Diosma Road and in 1987 it was in the process of being subdivided into residential lots. The development coincided with the discovery of colonies of the rare and endangered Eltham Copper Butterfly on the site. This resulted in a community and political campaign to save the butterfly habitat. With the co-operation of the land developer the subdivision was altered to create two bushland reserves in the critical butterfly habitat areas. In the late 1980s the State Government was investigating options for establishing a metropolitan ring road link between Diamond Creek and Ringwood. The chosen route was adjacent to Reynolds Road and so this created a freeze on development of CA15 between Reynolds Road and the electricity easement. The ring road proposal was eventually abandoned, and this part of the land was subdivided into low density residential lots. Diosma Road has been discontinued at the electricity easement and the eastern part incorporated into View Mount Court with access from Reynolds Road. The whole of CA15 has now been developed for residential or associated purposes, ranging from conventional density to quite low density south of Nyora Road. Some remnants of the orchard remain, a few cherry trees on the Graves property and a lone apple tree in Stokes Place. The butterfly reserves comprise significant areas of remnant bushland. Linear reserves through the estate link with central Eltham via the Woodridge linear reserve and with Research along the electricity easement. CA15 as it exists today has a complicated history of rural use, Government acquisition, urban development, and community action. References: • “Stokes Orchard, an incomplete history”; Russell Yeoman with Doug Orford • Correspondence, Beryl Bradbury (nee Stokes) • Aerial Photographs, 1931-1991, Landata (landata.vic.gov.au) • Certificate of Title, Vol. 4930 Fol. 985900 • Plan Number LP 10859 aerial photo, diosma road, eltham copper butterfly, eucalyptus road, ironbark close, nyora road, peppermint grove, peter & elizabeth pidgeon collection, power transmission lines, reynolds road, scarlet ash court, stokes orchard estate, stokes place, woodridge estate, frank stokes