Historical information

The quarry was part of John Butler Maling's property. He was one of the original settlers of the area and farmed the area between Weybridge Street and Whitehorse Road. Clay was quarried from part of this area and used to make the bricks used in the construction of his home, known as 'Ancyra'. This is still extant at the corner of Weybridge and James Streets. Maling grazed cows and used the quarry as a water source. He was the uncle of John Butler Maling, Mayor of Camberwell. He was married to Kate Conlon in 1882. They had 3 children: Silas Young, Alick and Zillah. Maling was born in c1829 in Shepreth, Cambridgeshire; he died in Surrey Hills on 9 October 1912 and is buried in Box Hill Cemetery - CE-*-0586.
Mrs Kate Maling (born c1859 in Co Meath, Ireland) died at the property on 8 March 1921. She is buried in Brighton General Cemetery. Probate was valued at over 10,000 pounds and included other properties in Sandringham, Hawthorn and Macedon. At the time of her death the Surrey Hills property was described as being 23 acres with 2 brick houses, 1 cow, 2 heifers and 40 fowls or chickens. The property was subdivided after her death.
The property was subdivided into 110 house blocks in c1923 - see Maling's Estate subdivision flyer on the State Library of Victoria's website. This shows that the Grovedale Park site had been acquired by Camberwell Council by this time. An attached newspaper clipping documents prices realised for a cross-section of blocks.
The MMBW map of 1925, also on the SLV website, shows the outline of the clayhole / quarry.
The quarry was filled in after several drownings or near drownings and the land is now occupied by a park and playground, known as Grovedale Road Park, maintained by the City of Boroondara. Beckett Park is sited on horizon to the left beyond the trees.

Significance

This documents the landscape prior to close settlement and is material to early building and farming in the Surrey Hills area.

Physical description

Black and white photo of the quarry between Grovedale Road and James Street taken in the 1920s and looking south. In the foreground is an area of water with reeds in the LH corner. Beyond on the high banks there are single storey houses in the background and (?) some light poles. An object that looks like a tank on posts is in a cutting on the far bank.