Considered the best of the early mud-brick houses built by Alistair Knox. Covered under Heritage Overlay, Nillumbik Planning Scheme. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p143 The Busst house hidden by trees at the corner of Silver Street and Kerrie Crescent is considered the best of the early mud-brick houses built by Eltham architect, Alistair Knox. Knox himself said, that the Busst house was the most mature mud-brick house designed at that period. ‘It related with true understanding to its steep site and expressed the flexibility of earth building ………to develop a new sense of flowing form and shape’. Built in 1948 for artist Phyl Busst, a former art student at Montsalvat, the house helped usher in Eltham Shire’s distinctive mud-brick residential character. Knox was the pivotal figure of the style developed from the 1950s to the 1970s. Scarcity of building materials after World War Two encouraged mud-brick building because earth was a cheap and plentiful building medium. But when Knox began building in mud-brick in 1947, no council in Victoria knew anything of this ancient art and he needed a permit. Fortunately the Commonwealth Experimental Building Station at Ryde in NSW, had been experimenting with earth construction to help overcome the shortages of that time. They published a pamphlet that became available in Melbourne on the same day the Eltham Council was to consider whether the earth building should be allowed. Knox caught one of the three morning trains to the city in those days and bought several copies of the pamphlet to give to each councillor. On his return he found the councillors standing on the steps of the shire offices after lunch at the local hotel. He heard that earth building had been discussed before lunch and that they were not in favor of it. Knox gave each councillor a pamphlet. They passed that plan and by doing so, opened the door for all future earth building in Victoria and by default, in Australia. Mud-brick houses attracted artists to Eltham, for their aesthetic appeal and because they were cheap. Those who built their own houses, included film maker Tim Burstall, artists Peter Glass, Clifton Pugh, Matcham Skipper, Sonia Skipper and husband Jo Hannan. For Knox, mud-brick building was more than just a cheap building medium. He saw it as harmonising with the surrounding bush and as a way of counteracting the growing materialism of the age. He wrote of its impact on ‘ 20th century man. It should counteract the confusion that the perpetual flow of high technology products have upon him ..’ Building the Busst house on a steep site was difficult because most earth-moving equipment was then in its infancy. For instance drilling for explosives was done by hand, which was a slow and painful process. Knox, assisted by his foreman Horrie Judd and Gordon Ford (who was to become a famous landscape designer), built two large main rooms - a living room/ kitchen downstairs - and upstairs, a studio/bedroom. The studio/bedroom opens onto the balcony, which covers the living area. The bath made of solid concrete by stonemason Jack Fabro, is particularly deep. Sunshine pours through the three French windows of the north-east facing kitchen/living area, which is lined with timber. The large hearth can fit a family around the fire while the timber floors and solomite (compressed straw) ceilings add to the cosy atmosphere. The garden is thick with trees, and in the late 1990s, Ford put in a pool near the original dry wall he had built as a young man.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, alistair knox, alistair knox design, busst house, kerrie crescent, mudbrick construction, mudbrick houses, silver street

October 2000 articles include: Safer roads for the Shire Eltham Festival program announced Commercial Place design released 2000-2003 Council Plan Released National Reconciliation Framework Living and Learning Centres More Playgrounds Susan St Pavilion completed Study to plan for BMX/skate track Wattle Glen Township Strategy Community Weed Control Program Count Koala Day Environment Centre proposed for Edendale Farm Open Space Strategy findings Neighbourhood Character Study and Residential Design Guidelines Friends groups Clean Drains – Living Creeks, National Water Week Nillumbik Shire Council Cultural Plan 2000-2005 adopted 2001 Alan Marshall Short Story Award Artists’ Open Studios program Kangaroo Ground Tower Advisory Committee Environment leaders at Eltham North primary Dollars saved by regular road maintenance Regional Road upgrades Rural roads grading program Stormwater Management Plan Locality boundary update council newsletters, nillumbik news, nillumbik shire council

This photograph captures a historically significant streetscape in Westmeadows, formerly known as Broadmeadows Township, looking north from Fawkner Street. The image features a dirt road with a vintage automobile parked along its path, flanked by trees and modest residential buildings in the background. A tall utility or signpost stands prominently, indicative of early infrastructure in the area. The scene reflects the semi-rural character of Westmeadows prior to its suburban expansion in the post-war period. The presence of unsealed roads and early 20th-century vehicles suggests a time when the township served as a quiet residential and agricultural community, before the development of the Broadmeadows Housing Commission estate in the late 1940s. Historically, Westmeadows was a key waypoint along the Old Sydney Road, and its built environment—including bluestone bridges and early civic buildings—offers insight into Melbourne’s colonial and interwar development. This photograph contributes to the visual documentation of the City of Hume’s transformation from rural township to suburban district.This photograph holds historical and cultural significance as a visual record of Westmeadows, a township in Melbourne’s north-west, during the early 20th century. Captured from Fawkner Street looking north, the image depicts a dirt road flanked by modest residential buildings and mature trees, with a vintage automobile parked in the foreground. The presence of a tall utility or signpost adds to the authenticity of the streetscape. The image is emblematic of Westmeadows’ semi-rural character prior to its suburban transformation in the post-war era. It reflects the township’s role as a quiet residential and agricultural community, shaped by its proximity to the Old Sydney Road and its historical function as a waypoint for travelers. The architectural style and infrastructure visible in the photograph provide insight into the urban morphology and transport conditions of the time. As a primary source, the photograph contributes to the documentation of Melbourne’s suburban expansion, offering valuable context for researchers, historians, and urban planners studying the evolution of the City of Hume. It is significant for its ability to convey the lived experience, landscape, and development patterns of a community in transition.Sepia tone photo. Two cars on road. Trees, some buildings behind. Open land. Street view.'Looking north Fawkner Street Westmeadows'/'PH-0018' (old catalogue number)westmeadows, fawkner street, north, car