One of a collection of over 400 photographs in an album commenced in 1960 and presented to the Phillip Island & Westernport Historical Society by the Shire of Phillip IslandPhotograph of the Punt and its towing Launch at the Jetty at Newhaven.local history, photography, photographs, maritime technology, boats, launch and punt at newhaven, shipping, the punt, newhaven, john jenner, bryant west

One of a collection of over 400 photographs in an album commenced in 1960 and presented to the Phillip Island & Westernport Historical Society by the Shire of Phillip IslandPhotograph of the Punt being towed by launch across the Eastern Passage. San Remo in the background.local history, photography, photographs, maritime technology, boats, punt crossing the eastern passage, black & white photograph, shipping, punts, launches, john jenner, bryant west

One of a collection of over 400 photographs in an album commenced in 1960 and presented to the Phillip Island & Westernport Historical Society by the Shire of Phillip IslandPhotograph of Newhaven Punt with three motorcars aboard with Launch attached and preparing to cross Eastern Passage.local history, photography, photographs, boats, newhaven punt, shipping, punts, motorcars, eastern passage, john jenner, bryant west

One of a collection of over 400 photographs in an album commenced in 1960 and presented to the Phillip Island & Westernport Historical Society by the Shire of Phillip IslandPhotograph of Launch and Punt with two cars aboard and one driving up the Newhaven Beach. San Remo in the background across The Narrows.local history, photography, photographs, maritime technology, boats, launch towed punt - newhaven, black & white photograph, punt and launch, motorcars, newhaven, john jenner, bryant west

Maidstone began as an 1858 speculative township on Ballarat Road, grew slowly due to isolation from rail transport, then expanded rapidly in the 20th century through tram extensions, defence industries, migrant hostels, and Housing Commission estates.Today it is a diverse, residential‑industrial suburb shaped by waves of working‑class settlement, post‑war migration, and late‑20th‑century redevelopment. Early Foundations (1840s–1860s- The broader district saw activity from the 1840s, including Joseph Raleigh’s meat‑preserving works on the Maribyrnong River, which sat on the boundary of what became Maidstone. - Land speculator J.W. Thompson launched the township with great fanfare, including a German band and a banner proclaiming “Every man his own landlord.” - Despite the marketing, by 1860 only about ten homes existed. - - Maidstone grew slowly because it was isolated from the railway, relying instead on punts across the Maribyrnong River. - A National School opened in 1858, but the area remained sparsely settled. - The district’s early industrial landscape included: - Raleigh’s meat works (1843) - Victorian Powder Magazine, later expanded for military use These sites later became part of Pipemakers Park and the Living Museum of the West. - The arrival of trams from Footscray in 1921 finally unlocked residential growth. - A Progress Association formed, and the suburb gained amenities including its own cinema in the 1940s. - Housing stock from this era included weatherboard, Art Deco, and Californian Bungalow homes. Town of Maidstone North Footscray Within 15 Minutes of Melbourne To be sold by Auction on Saturday 5th June 1886 at 3 O'Clock on the ground J. M. Barr Nicholson Street Footscraymaidstone

[article by Bettina Woodburn in EDHS Newsletter No. 105, November 1995:] EXPLORING THE UPPER YARRA - We enjoyed the Spring Excursion, this year "Exploring the Upper Yarra" - in spite of the constant rain and the countryside under the cloud cover, especially in the valleys, being mainly shiny shades of green. The occasional fields of buttercups, clumps of arum lilies and splendid rhododendron and other flowering bushes became very special. The Cobb and Co coach was warm and a cosy retreat as we zig-zagged on the highways and byways to glimpse the Yarra River, upstream and down, its secret places, and particularly the many bridges. Russell excelled as 'Poet Laureate', reading from Dacre Smyth's book. This 1979 publication includes paintings of all the bridges along the river with poems and brief descriptions of each one. Some of the bridges are in out-of-the-way places and are not very well known. We looked forward to hearing the poetry as much as seeing the 'constructions'… Big Pat (was he short or tall, lean or fat? - he did win the £200 reward for discovering gold and had the creek named after him), about the 'Eddies'?, and the disliked 'meccano' bridge in Warburton, etc. etc. The hot roast lunch in the old Reefton Hotel was also most welcome. It was easy to imagine it peopled by miners and early settlers. Starting by crossing the new (1974) concrete bridge at Warrandyte we headed through Wonga Park with views to the Christmas Hills and to the escarpment of the Yering Gorge, which causes flood waters to back up through the Yarra Glen plain, so avoiding disasters downstream. At the end of a long driveway we found the wooden, privately owned Henley Bridge (1935 after the 1934 floods). This facilitates access to different parts of Henley Farm and to Lilydale. Everard Park, named after Blanche Shallard's father, a State Member for 17 years, below the Highway Yarra crossing was in need of care. It is 10 miles from Yarra Glen by road but, as "Yarra Marra” canoeists well know, 32 winding miles down by water. After more delightful countryside scenes we joined the Warburton Highway at Woori Yallock. From the old Railway Station at Launching Place the Centennial Trail for walkers, cyclists and horse riders has replaced the rails. The line from Lilydale was opened in 1901, and the last diesel freight train ran to Warburton in 1965. It continued to rain as we had morning tea in Warburton in a shelter between footbridges. From here we continued upstream past the Bridge to O'Shannassy Lodge and Reservoir, Starvation Creek, and the Peninsular tunnel (miners dug it as at Pound Bend) which we visited (scrambling down those steps!) on our return after lunch. Our furthermost point was the Upper Yarra Dam Reserve (and vast catchment area). Finished in 1957 after ten years' work and 100 years after Yan Yean, it supplies much of Melbourne's water. After crossing the 30m Launching Place Bridge to the Eltham side of the Yarra and Healesville, we saw in the distance the Yarra Glen Timber Trestle Bridge over the river flats "the longest for years in the land it was said!" Harry's dream of "better weather over the Divide" unfortunately didn't come true, but I'm sure we 36 members will retain happy memories of a day that was wet and green and filled with Bridges. Situated on the Yarra River, 5.5 kms south of Christmas Hills on private property. This timber trestle bridge is said to have been built some time after 1907 by Melbourne master-builder, David Mitchell (the father of Dame Nellie Melba), to connect his two "Henley Farm" properties with Lilydale. In earlier days, when the McPhersons owned the property, their children used a punt to cross the river to attend Yering Primary School. This private bridge is best viewed from the end of Wendy Way. - Source: Christmas Hills Past and Present, Yarra Glen & District Historical Society, 2004.Two colour photographsactivities, henley bridge, upper yarra