The story of the Hurstbridge railway, with its strange and disjointed origins linked to the “railwaymania” of the 1880s, has much of interest to social, local and railway historians Oddly, the first section of it to open to traffic was completely isolated from the rest of the rail network. When the railway to Heidelberg was opened, at […]
Category: Banyule
Peck’s dam Montmorency
This man-made dam, located between Napier Crescent and Pedersen Way, was built in the early 1900’s to service the surrounding farmland. It came to be named after the Peck family who lived in an adobe house next to the dam from the 1950’s until the 1970’s. The dam is about three quarters the size of […]
Greensborough 1912
From Para Road corner at Greensborough, looking north over the Railway Bridge towards Apollo Parkways. The lamp in the foreground is a carbine lamp. Carbide granules were placed in a sealed container and water was dipped into the carbide to generate gas. The lamp lighter placed his ladder against the step on the side of […]
Briar Hill
Briar Hill, situated in the City of Banyule was established in the early 1920s and named because it was a hill of briars. The area then mainly consisted of weekend shanties owned by people from inner suburbs such as Northcote and Collingwood. A local progress association was established in the early 1920s and a result […]
St Katherine’s Church, St Helena
The story of St. Katherine’s Church begins on the Island of St Helena in the Atlantic ocean, where Anthony Beale was born on 3 November 1790. Anthony became Paymaster for the East India Company which then controlled the island on behalf of the British Crown. On 15 June 1814 he married Katherine Rose Young, niece […]
Whatmough Park
This land in Greensborough was owned by Jonah Britnell and then William Poulter however the orchardists Robert and Emmett Whatmough leased the land for many years and lived on the property for a while hence the name. The Partington family took possession of the property in about 1946 and replaced an existing building with a […]
Bundoora Park
The 450 acre park in Plenty Road when first established was a joint project with the adjoining (former) Councils of Preston, Diamond Valley and Whittlesea. It includes a golf course, scenic drive and picnic sites amidst beautiful mature gum trees, including an Aboriginal Canoe tree. The picnic sites are used to capacity in the warmer […]
Greensborough Swimming Pool
The following article is reproduced by permission of Noel Withers and extracted from “Banyule City Council Spring Outdoors Programme 2008: Greensborough & the Plenty River Pioneer Trail with Dennis Ward & Noel Withers. A ramble from the lower part of town and along the river bank learning about historic sites and the pioneering families that […]
Greensborough Outdoor Swimming Pool
The following article was contributed by Rachel Lowe, Community developer and ethical photographer who made a short film on DVD “Wet Feet Walking” – The People’s History of Greensborough Outdoor Swimming Pool. The pool was opened in 1964 and closed on about 2010. Rachel can be contacted at: thebigbrassyvoice@hotmail.com I was one of the thousands […]
Rosanna Golf Club
The Rosanna Golf Club is situated in a picturesque valley where the Plenty and Yarra rivers meet and is a popular destination for golfers. Its’s website provides a good history of golfing in the area. The following are summarised news articles from “The Heidelberger” July 1966 The East Rosanna Progress Association is seeking the views […]