Blackburn Lake Sanctuary - history 
Thank you for inviting me to tell you the story of BLS. Cover slide of Blackburn 
Lake 
I'm Anne Payne Chair of the Advisory Committee and have been a member since 
the 70's. 
I'd like to acknowledge that the land we stand on has been cared for by the 
Wurundjeri people for thousands of years. 
I join with my fellow AIC members & many volunteers, in our endeavors to 
continue to learn and care for this land as our first peoples did. 
Blackburn lake Sanctuary. 
Turn back the clock to the 18405, when a different picture would have greeted 
us if we had visited the headwaters of Gardiners Creek, known at the time as 
Blackburn Creek. 
The Nunawading district was home to well-worn stock routes to Melbourne. 
Likely before that - travel routes used by the Wurundjeri people as they 
followed the landscape during the various seasons. 
Canterbury Road, Burwood Road via Toorak Road, and Whitehorse Road were 
rutted tracks used by the coaches of Cobb & Co to provide the first public 
transport to the area. A single fare from Melbourne to Box Hill was two shillings 
and sixpence. 
Insert first slide. 
The Nunawading area's rich history of settlement began WITh an imperative to 
house early Irish, English, Scottish and German immigrant-cum-prospectors 
fresh from Victoria's goldfields. 
Trees were felled for construction materials, and timber was carted to 
Melbourne for firewood or burned on site under banks of earth to produce 
charcoal. 
Early residents lived in dwellings of slats, palings, wattle and daub, and the 
typical abode would cost about ten pounds to build. Some modest houses were 
made of mud which proved to be more durable. Stone was the least commonly 
used building material. Carpets were improvised from skins, while resourceful 
homemakers turned flour bags into curtains. 

Insert slide of subdivision & station 
Between 1850 and 1865, speculators and land developers were hard at work in 
the area. 
A proposed village was soon advertised to lure prospective buyers. Elements of 
this model village, with its curved streets, planted trees and an ornamental lake, 
remain today. An example is Gordon Crescent. 
Farms, market gardens, orchards and clay quarries for potteries and brickworks 
were established. 
By 1865, 1,138 people lived in Nunawading which stretched from Warrigal Road 
to Ringwood. 
An example of an early settler is John MacClare and his wife, Mary, who left 
Ireland after the Great Famine in 1855 and purchased 50 acres of land. They 
planted an orchard in Delaney's Road (later to become Canterbury Road). His 
son worked on the construction of Blackburn Lake. 
Insert photo of how they would have dug the lake explain this was the dam at 
the site of the now Bellbird Hospital 
Formation of the lake 
Prior to European settlement the little Creeks around Blackburn would have 
sustained a rich & varied mixture of vegetation & wildlife. Valley heathy forest 
was the dominant vegetation. Evidence suggests that Blackburn Creek would 
have been dry most of the summer. 
Large Eucalypts & wattles would have dominated the upper storey, supported 
by dense thickets of Swamp paperbarks and Bursaria. The ground storey would 
have featured native grasses, creepers, ferns, wildflowers with reeds & rushes 
alongside the creeks and wetlands. 
Early Development 
In 1878, the Victorian Railways bought up many older private railway lines and 
extended the existing line from Hawthorn to Lilydale. The line from Box Hill to 
Ringwood was completed in 1882. This coincided with the opening of Blackburn 
Station and termination of the coach service to Lilydale. 
To city folk back then, Blackburn represented a day in the bush. The country was 
heavily timbered, with dusty tracks winding through the tall gums to Blackburn 
Station. Such was the untouched quality of the area that a piece of white rag 
hanging from a bough denoted the entrance to a homestead. 

Robin Da Costa, in her book Blackburn - A Picturesque History records that 'the 
Freehold and Investment Banking Co. is credited with having built the Lake by 
the damming of Gardiner's Creek in 1889. For the purpose of enhancing land 
values & to provide a reservoir for local orchardists. 
The once steep embankments were raised to blend with the surrounding 
undulating land. 
The company built a refreshment room and a small jetty at the water's edge, 
with four rowing boats available for hire'. 
Insert photos of boating on lake 2 slides 
The Roberts family managed the refreshment room and provided and manned 
boats to hire. 
With the co-operation of the railways, picnic excursions from Melbourne were 
organised. Passengers travelled in converted cattle trucks hauled by a steam 
train, with the journey taking up to two hours. 
"Melbourne Cup Day was particularly exciting. 
Local residents would arrive at the railway station to watch the special trains 
pull in, steam billowing and brakes hissing, the large picnic crowds colourfully 
dressed for their half-mile walk to the Lake. 
Insert flower photos. 
"The surrounding land was a riot of over sixty species of small native plants 
including tongue orchids, chocolate lilies, wild fuchsia, blue pincushions, billy 
buttons, milk maids, early Nancy, rice flower, nodding green hoods, sundews, 
dusty miller, yellow box, Stringybark, messmate. 
It was a haven for an estimated 165 species of birds, many of them water 
birds." 
Insert photo of the artist's camp 
During the 1880s, members of the Heidelberg School set up camp at Box Hill. 
Artists such as Frederick McCubbin, Tom Roberts, Louis Abrahams, and Arthur 
Streeton, often used the Lake area as their inspiration, painting well known 
pieces such as The Bush Burial, The Selector's Hut, Down on his Luck, The Letter, 
Bush Idyll and The Artist's Camp. 
Insert photo of map of subdivision 
By the 1890s the land boom burst. The Freehold Investment and Banking 
Company subdivided the area into large blocks, thereby creating Central and 
Lake Roads. Known as Blackburn Lake Paddock, the subdivision was offered for 
private sale on very easy terms over five years. 

In 1907, at the same time as the Board of Works was losing interest in the area, 
the Nunawading Shire Council refused an offer to purchase 140 acres including 
the lake. 
Flower Farm Insert photos of the superintendent's house and farm photos.2 
slides 
In 1908, the Adult Deaf and Dumb Society paid 21 pounds per acre for a 7S-acre 
(20 perches) block including the lake. The Society records {they would proceed 
to build a place for the aged, infirm & feeble-minded deaf mutes to live & work, 
in growing flowers & vegetables for selling at Victoria market'. 
In his book No Longer by Gasliqht, the First 100 Years of the Adult Deaf Society 
of Victoria, John W. Flynn provides an interesting account of the early days of 
the Adult Deaf Society in Blackburn. The property, called {Lake Park,' was initially 
built to consist of a superintendent's quarters, a general dining room, and 
dormitories capable of accommodating seventeen men and the necessary 
servant staff." 
Insert photos of the opening 
On December 3rd, 1909, an enormous grand opening of Lake Park was overseen 
by the Treasurer of Victoria, Hon. WA Watt MLA. 
The Box Hill Reporter noted {Attendance totalled 8,000 and for upwards of two 
hours there was a continuous stream of people on foot and in conveyances 
filling the road from the station to the park.' 
I 
With an enterprising Carnival held on the day to raise funds to complete a 
Women's Wing, the programme commenced with entertainment by the 1st 
Hawthorn Scout troop. 
On the actual lake an Aquatic Gala by the Victorian Amateur Swimming 
Association included a Grand Water Polo Match and an exhibition of {various 
modes of entering the water.' 
Patrons and onlookers also enjoyed an exhibition swim by {Frank Beaurepaire, 
World Champion Swimmer.' 
The Railway Department struggled to deal with the increased traffic. It was 
noted in the press {the visitors took the delay in a most good, humoured 
manner.' 
Insert photos picnickers. 
{Lake Park' was promoted as a picnic resort with food available, flowers for sale 
and boats for hire. 

During the period from 1910 - 1920, wounded soldiers were transported to the 
Lake for picnics." 
Insert photos of planted flower bed rows. 
By 1916, fourteen acres on the hillside to the north of the Lake were under 
cultivation, the remainder uncleared with an abundance of wildflowers. Long 
rows of Radius Pine, Cootamundra Wattle and Golden Wattle were planted to 
divide the garden into sections and provide not only shelter from wind, but also 
a source of revenue from the sale of blossom on (Wattle Days'. 
The flower farm had beds of carnations, dahlias, roses, gladioli, chrysanthemum, 
watsonias, gaillardias, marguerites, calliopsis, violets, jonquils, and daffodils. 
Remnants of the original ornamental plants can still be seen blooming in the 
Sanctuary. 
Residents became skilled in growing flowers which were irrigated by water 
pumped from the Lake. 
Insert photo of horse & cart being loaded with trays of flowers for market. 
Cut flowers were transported by horse and cart and rail to the Melbourne 
Flower Market, their sale helping to pay the costs of running the farm. 
The site was self-sufficient, with many fruit trees and vegetables grown on the 
farm, and an abundance of chickens. 
The Age described the buildings as {fa Residence of 2 storeys containing large 
Offices, Drawing Room and five bedrooms connected to the Men's Quarters by 
a corridor. 
To the rear there is a paved scullery and kitchen, which adjoins the Inmates 
Dining Room of 30' by 20'. In the men's quarter, which will accommodate 20 
inmates the main Dormitory and the Sitting Room are 30' long by 16' and a wing 
approached under cover contains 4 single bedrooms and also 3 bathrooms 
supplied from the roof tanks. 
The Stables, Bulk House and Store lie detached, and the scheme is to set up an 
Engine and Plant for raising water from the Lake for irrigation purpose (sic). 
The Women's Quarters will be built after the same design as the Men's". 
Almost three years after the initial buildings were opened, the first part of the 
Women's Wing of six rooms was opened by His Excellency the Governor- 
General, Lord Denman, on 23rd November 1912. In 1916 further bedroom 

----------- ---- ---- 
accommodation for both men and women, a hot water service, a septic tank 
system and electric lights were installed. 
The First World War caused building delays such that it wasn't until 1924 that 
'an additional Lavatory and Bathroom convenience, a separate Dining Room, 
covered ways from one building to another and a small cottage to be used as a 
Hospital' were finally completed. 
Subsequent years saw expansion of the reticulation scheme, the purchasing of 
bulbs from Holland, and use of the Lake and Central Road corner by the Deaf 
Athletic Club and Lacrosse Team, members of which devoted considerable time 
on working bees to construct the playing field and maintain the area. 
Relations between the Deaf Society and the Nunawading Shire were not good in 
the early days. 
Issues arose over the Society's liability to pay rates. The question was not 
'whether the purposes of the Society were exclusively charitable, but whether 
the land was used for exclusively charitable purposes.' 
When the Shire claimed that the land and the lake within it were let for 
picnicking and recreation purposes, thereby precluding the Society from an 
exemption claim, the Society appealed, but lost, becoming liable to pay rates in 
1921. 
The result of this case had huge implications for the Society's Blackburn Scheme, 
the decision causing the Society's operating costs to rise to a point where, to 
avoid rates, Flower Farm sales had to be discontinued, depriving residents of the 
daily occupations and recreational activities so valuable to their wellbeing. 
In 1927, the Herald "Learn to Swim Drive" was held at the Lake. The diving 
boards and grappling irons were supervised by the Blackburn Swimming Club, 
which was forced to disband in 1931 due to the ravages of vandals. 
As time passed, the Society had great difficulty in obtaining suitable staff, and 
the buildings were proving unsatisfactory for the type of care required by 
residents. 
On 20th April 1965, the Society sold 33.1 acres of Blackburn lake and 
surrounding area to the City of Nunawading and sold a further 16.3 acres to the 

East, to Camberwell Grammar School for the sum of 85,000 pounds." The sale of 
these two sections of the Lake left the Adult Deaf Society with approximately 21 
acres on the Central Road and Lake Road side of the lake. 
Insert photo of the overhead image of the picnic area and foundations evident. 
A more compact modern facility, known as 'Lakeside Lodge', was officially 
opened by the Adult Deaf Society in 1972, and the original home and additional 
outbuildings were demolished. 
Today the only reminders of their existence are the stand of palm trees, the 
magnificent Angophora, and the visible outline of the building foundations in 
dry weather. 
Saving the Sanctuary 
While one could never say the world conservation movement began in 
Blackburn, it certainly is true that Blackburn produced some of the first and 
fiercest conservationists. 
Insert photo of fighting to save BLS. 
Once the Adult deaf Society land became available for sale, the likelihood of a 
housing estate represented an immediate threat to the survival of the Lake area. 
The local community protested against the sale, this time both vocally and 
through a large amount of community monetary clout. 
Many of you who have lived in the area, may remember the Melbourne 
newspaper articles and the huge influx of visitors who arrived each weekend, to 
discover BLS. The petitioning worked a treat. 
Eventually all the land was purchased with the final piece bought in 1998 at a 
cost of $850,000 through contributions from the National Estate, the 
Nunawading Council, and the State Government. 
In 1965, a united plan was created to preserve a natural area in the heart of this 
rapidly growing suburb. 
When the MMBW, who owned the Lake water, put forward a plan to deepen 
the lake to form a ponding basin to control flash flooding on the lake's lower 
reaches, the local community rose as one. Arguing that the plan would 
completely destroy the environment of the lake. 
Insert photo of old bridge 

This old bridge was built in 1889 to allow pedestrian access over the creek that 
flowed from the lake and was finally demolished in 1965 to make way for lake 
Road to be built. 
The Nunawading Council, in conjunction with well-known landscape architects 
Edna Walling and Ellis Stones, devised an alternative plan involving removal of 
the bridge, replace this with a road and construction of the present wall across 
the southern edge of the lake. With the wall allowing occasional controlled 
flooding, it was now possible to preserve the fine stand of Swamp Paperbark 
which had grown up along the southern bank of the lake. 
Motorboats and water-skiers were banned, and swimming had become 
impossible due to increased water pollution from stormwater entering the lake. 
The whole area was declared a Sanctuary. 

Blackburn lake was to be preserved and protected for everyone. 
The lake became a popular excursion site for natural history enthusiasts and 
school students. 
But the fragile environment in the 60s saw high intensity use of the lake - speed 
boating, water skiing, illegal rubbish dumping, canoeing, fishing & open fire 
BBQs began to threaten and destroy the sensitive vegetation along the lake 
fringe which provided a vitally important habitat for wildlife. 
Insert photos of the bird surveys & Geoff & 2 more bird slides 
In 1974, Geoff Deason began recording his sightings of birds and continues to do 
so still. The Advisory IC members also conduct Autumn and Spring surveys 
providing a valuable record of bird species found either nesting or visiting the 
Sanctuary for 50 years. 
Insert photos of working bees. 
In 1977, Early working bees were conducted by volunteers increasingly 
concerned that the Sanctuary was becoming badly degraded. 
Rubbish was removed. Weeds pulled & at one working bee, fifty local volunteers 
attended, planting 650 trees and plants. 
The first Master Plan recommended that the special area of Blackburn lake 
Sanctuary come under organised management. 

A committee of management was formed, consisting of five members: a 
Councillor, the Superintendent of Parks and Gardens, and a member of each of 
the Native Plants Preservation Society, the Blackburn and District Preservation 
Society and the National Trust of Australia (Victoria 
insert photo at aid centre? 
In 1981 a small building was built to provide shelter and storage for Council staff 
working in the Sanctuary and surrounding parklands and was home to the first 
small group of education program volunteers. 
Insert photos of ed progra m 
In 1984, under the influence of the late Dorothy Meagher and local volunteers, 
an Education program was introduced to try to provide a more meaningful and 
informative experience for the many school groups visiting the Sanctuary. 
Improved planning and execution of educational activities within the Sanctuary 
also helped reduce degradation caused by overuse in the more fragile areas. 
Programs were conducted in a small room of the original Visitor Centre facility 
and throughout the Sanctuary. 
Over 50 years later and the program today is now managed by the City of 
Whitehorse who employ 2 part time Environmental Education officers who 
oversee a small group of volunteers who deliver well respected programs to 
kinder, primary, and secondary school students at BLS, Yarran Dheran and other 
bushland areas of Whitehorse. 
Insert photos of new VC 3 slides 
In 1990 it became evident a real need for a larger facility to deliver the 
Education Program was recognised by the local Rotary Club of Nunawading, 
with the Visitor Centre extension funded by generous contributions from local 
businesspeople and the Nunawading Council (now City of Whitehorse). 
Local water colourist Keith Dow & the late George Browning painted the 5 
beautiful background panels depicting various environmental displays. These 
panels are now part of the Whitehorse Art Collection. 
Another more recent upgrade by Whitehorse Council now provides the City with 
a magnificent venue with a large digital microscope, fabulous flora and fauna 
displays and valuable information about the environment and the care of the 
land by our first nations people. 
The centre is manned by volunteers, on a Sunday afternoon from 2- 4.30 to 
enable visitors to come and see the wonderful displays and activities . 
. insert Clean Up Australia Day photos. 

1993: The first Clean Up Australia Day was held, with volunteers collecting forty 
bags of rubbish. Clean Up Australia Day is now held in the Sanctuary annually on 
the first Sunday in March. 
Insert photos of the wetland development 2 slides 
2001: In a joint working plan with the City of Whitehorse, Melbourne Water and 
the Advisory Committee, the Wetlands were created to help filter large amounts 
of stormwater entering the Lake from a wide catchment. 
Blackburn Lake is part of the headwaters of Gardiners Creek or Kooyong Koot 
and eventually becomes part of the water entering Port Philip Bay. 
Improving the health of the water leaving the Lake is vital to its flow 
downstream & of course eventually Port Philip Bay. 
Insert photos of water monitoring 
2003: Monthly water monitoring was initiated by members of the Friends of 
Blackburn Lake Sanctuary and the Blackburn Lake Sanctuary Advisory 
Committee. Water testing and macroinvertebrate identification results provide 
valuable information to Melbourne Water to enable it to manage the health of 
its waterways. 
The newly formed Kooyong Koot Alliance involving 19 Friends Groups and 4 
municipal councils have plans to improve and restore the Kooyong Koot to a 
healthy waterway. An exciting endeavour. 
Insert photos of the working bee 
We are so lucky to have a regular group of passionate working bee participants. 
The Advisory Committee work closely with Whitehorse council's Parks and 
Natural Environment staff to plan work and planting that enhance the 
maintenance at the Lake. 
Insert 2 slides of activities to do at the lake. 
The Present 
The aim of the City of Whitehorse and the Blackburn Lake Sanctuary Advisory 
Committee is to ensure the preservation of this rare urban bushland area for 
future generations. Blackburn Lake Sanctuary as we know it today is a tribute to 
the many people who continue to care for it.