Historical information

The Shire of Braybrook (1871–1951) was a vast, semi‑rural municipality stretching from Melton to West Melbourne, centred on the old Braybrook village at Solomon’s Ford. It transformed dramatically with the arrival of railways, the rise of Braybrook Junction/Sunshine, and the industrial boom driven by H.V. McKay’s Harvester Works.

The area was first organised as the Braybrook Road District on 28th May 1860, after a public meeting at the Shamrock Hotel in Albion. The district was enormous, extending from Melton to Dynon Road on the West Melbourne swamp.

Early settlement clustered around Solomon’s Ford on the Maribyrnong River, a key crossing for travelers heading to Geelong, Williamstown, and the goldfields.

On 23rd January 1871, the Road District became the Shire of Braybrook. Council meetings were initially held in Maidstone, reflecting the early population centres.

The Braybrook Shire Hall in Deer Park was built in 1885. That 1885 building was the first official hall and council offices for the Shire of Braybrook, long before the municipality shifted its centre of gravity toward Sunshine. It stood near the Deer Park Hotel and served as the administrative heart of the shire during the late 19th century.

The Braybrook Shire Hall at Deer Park effectively closed as a council headquarters in 1930, when the Shire of Braybrook shifted its administrative centre to Sunshine.

In 1951, the Shire of Braybrook was renamed the City of Sunshine, reflecting the shift of population and industry eastward. In 1994 - 1995 the Kennett Government reduced Victoria’s councils from 210 to 78, the largest restructuring of local government in the state’s history and this part of the City of Sunshine became the City of Brimbank.

It is believed this extension table came from the Shire of Braybrook Shire Office located in Ballarat Road, Deer Park, opposite the Deer Park Hotel.

Over the years this extension table was used in the Shire of Braybrook Shire Office Ballarat Road Deer Park, the Shire of Braybrook and City of Sunshine Memorial Hall Hampshire Road Sunshine and in the City of Sunshine Municipal Offices Alexandra Avenue Sunshine.

When the City of Sunshine Municipal Offices in Alexandra Avenue, Sunshine closed down, this table was were presented to the Sunshine & District Historical Society by the City of Brimbank.

The table is still in use by the staff at The Hunt Club Community Arts Centre, Ballarat Road, Deer Park.

Significance

This table is one of the few remaining items that still connects us to the early days of the Shire of Braybrook.

Physical description

Wood extension table with two extension leaves and carved legs.