Physical description

Various explanatory sheets maps acknowledgments used in the Family Focus display which was collected and researched by Olwen Ford for the Brimbank City Festival in March 1998

Inscriptions & markings

Thousands of families have lived in the Brimbank area over thousands of years Aboriginal families were here for over 40000 years The first migrant families came from England Ireland and Scotland in the 1830s to 1840s Many came in the gold rushes of the 1850s when the main tracks to the gold fields went through the Brimbank area New families arrived when the first industries developed in the 1870s to 1890s After World Ware Two there was a huge influx of new families to the Brimbank area especially St Albans and Sunshine Like the earlier migrants they often built their own homes and contributed to new schools churches local business and industry

Why is the City of Brimbank called Brimbank? The name comes from Brimbank Park, the largest park in the area Opened in 1973 Before that the central part was Brimbank Farm owned by the Goudie Family in the 1870s to 1890s and later John Dodd and his family