The steam train is pulling into the former Rupertswood Station. Guests who were invited to the Clarke family's mansion, 'Rupertswood Mansion' used Rupertswood Station after the servants had departed the train at Sunbury Station. This ensured that the servants arrived at the mansion and were able to arrange the luggage in the allotted rooms before the guests arrived. In later years students from Salesian College who needed to travel up the line from Sunbury used the siding, which was finally closed as buses transported the students.When William Clarke built Rupertswood Mansion in 1874, he also included his own railway station and a lodge at the main gates of the estate. He copied this practice from large estates in England.A black and white non-digital photograph of a passenger steam train arriving at a station with passengers waiting to board the train.rupertswood station, steam locomotives, rupertswood mansion, sunbury

Two viaduct bridges were constructed across the Jacksons Creek valley at Rupertswood on the Bendigo rail line to bring the trains down the steep incline into Sunbury station.A photograph of the railway viaduct bridge showing one end of the span and 4 of the pylons. This bridge crosses the Jackson's Creek near one of the waterfalls which have been constructed in the creek. A large tree trunk is in the foreground of the photograph.rupertswood, clarke, william (sir), rupert (sir), michael (sir), victorian railways, salesian college, railways, bridges, jacksons creek, sunbury railway station, sunbury, george evans collection

in 1887 six Ashford Litters were purchased by St John Ambulance Association after Lady Janet Clarke (of Rupertswood) and her friends raised enough money to allow these items to be ordered. These were Victoria's first official ambulances. The litter consisted of a two wheeled undercarriage with elliptical springs which supported a stretcher. It has four legs which support the carriage when stationary but fold up to form handles so that one person could push the machine while another pushed. Four Ashford Litter ambulances were located at the Russell Street, Little Bourke Street, King Street and West Melbourne police stations. Another was located at the Melbourne Town Hall on Swanston Street and from 1896 the sixth was located at the Eastern Hill Metropolitan Fire Brigade station. Initially is was expected that police and fire fighters would take patients to hospitals if required.Two wheeled ambulance cart with sprung wheels.ashford, ashford litter, st john

The stone bridge is one of the many bridges built along the Bendigo Rail Line. This one along with four others ar in Sunbury which were built in the late 1850s. his bridge spans the Ruoertswood Viaduct which is north of the Sunbury Station. The building in the LH corner was a pump house where water was pumped and taken to the water tower on Sunbury Station where the steam trains stopped to replenish the water tanks. The Bendigo Rail Line was the first Government owned and operated to be constructed in Victoria. Along the railway a number of famous bridges and tunnels were built and are of historical significance. The bridge spanning the Rupertswood Viaduct is one of them. A black and white photograph with a cream border of a high bridge spanning a deep valley. The roof of a small building is visible in the bottom LHS corner of the photograph.bridges, railways, rupertswood viaduct

The post card is one of a set that were produced by Chris Christainsen, who had a pharmacy in Sunbury and was also a photographer. The four photos featured on the card are the Rupertswood Mansion, St Mary's Church of England, Jacksons Creek in floods ands Sunbury Railway station.The buildings and places featured on the card are of historical significance in the Sunbury town precinct. A post card with four sepia photographs of interesting sites which can be seen in the Sunbury township. IN AND AROUND SUNBURY WITH GREETING. christainsen, chris., rupertswood mansion, st. mary's church of england., jacksons creek, sunbury railway station

The people in the photograph were enjoying a day out at a Sunbury race meeting some time in the early 1900s. Races at Sunbury began in 1886 with the establishment of the Sunbury Racecourse that was located along Racecourse Road on a section of the Rupertswood Estate on land consisting of six furlongs and two straights. The site included a patron’s stand, saddling paddock, bookmakers’ enclosure, two bars, a committee room, judges box, stables, toilets, six entrance gates and ticket boxes. Special trains from Melbourne brought patrons and horses to the Sunbury race meetings. A report in the Melbourne Argus newspaper in 1922, stated that city taxi drivers came out to Sunbury to drive patrons to the racecourse, which was located about 3 kms from the Sunbury station. Some time however, between 1886 and 1901, there was a period when the racing club had been inactive. A meeting was called in 1901 to restore the club’s activities. With a substantial loan from Mr. Clarke the committee was able to organise the installation of a turnstile, perimeter fencing and irrigation of the course by a windmill that pumped water from a recently constructed dam that was on the estate. The club continued to function until 1942, during World War 2, and did not resume activities after the end of the war. The land was eventually sold for housing development. The Sunbury Race meetings were popular with the racing fraternity not only in the district but further afield and were deemed sufficiently important to run special trains from Melbourne to Sunbury on Race days.A non-digital sepia photograph with a strong cardboard backing of a crowd of people dressed smartly for a day out at the races. Most of the spectators are seated in a long marquee. Three men on the RHS are looking at a horse that is lying on the ground.On the back of the card there are scribbled notes and numbers which seem to indicate the photograph has been used for a publication at some time.sunbury race meetings, sunbury race course, racecourse road

The two storey building is the Royal Hotel which is sited on the corner of Brook and Evans Streets in Sunbury's main shopping strip.The photograph was taken sometime in 1939 after it was totally rebuilt. A fire had damaged the old single storey structure, which was built on the same site c1860 shortly after Sunbury had a rail service. The building still operates today on the same site.The Royal Hotel is one of four hotels that were built in Evans Street Sunbury between Brook and Station Streets ion the 1860s shortly after the rail service arrived in the town. They were They were the Railway Hotel (Olive Tree), White Horse Hotel, Royal Hotel and the Rupertswood Hotel, opposite the Royal Hotel. A non-digital black and white photograph with a cream border of a two storey brick hotel building with light concrete trimming around the windows and entrances sited on a corner. A large black sedan car is parked near the corner. royal hotel, hotels

The four sites featured on the postcard are: Top row L-R Emu Bottom Homestead and Rupertswood Mansion. Bottom row L-R Goonawarra Vineyard and Aitkens Gap Gaol. George Evans built Emu Bottom and William Clarke was the first owner of Rupertswood. Goonwarra was one of Sunbury's early vineyards and the gaol was relocated on the police station from its original site at The Gap village on the Calder Highway.The four sites featured are important historic places in SunburyA coloured postcard featuring four historic sites in Sunbury. The word 'SUNBURY' is printed in orange across the centre of the card. Details of the four sites, the photographer and the postcard company are on the back.emu bottom, rupertswood mansion, goonawarra winery, aitkens gap gaol, george evans, william j.t. clarke