by Nillumbik Historical Society The Nillumbik Historical Society’s aim is to preserve and share the history of Nillumbik. We have a large archive of photographs, artefacts and historical documents relating to people who have lived in the area and places in the district where they lived, farmed and mined, with particular focus on the wider […]
Category: Nillumbik
Windmill House
The Windmill House in Diamond Creek was once a prominent landmark but is now surrounded by housing development. It was built in 1973 by a Dutch naturopath and his Australian born wife who raised their family here and ran the naturopath practice from adjoining rooms on the 2 acre block. It includes shingles, a circular […]
Plenty Church
After many long years, The former Plenty Uniting Church was moved mid August, from its site on the corner of Yan Yean Road, Plenty surrounded by trees – to the Heritage Park alongside the Plenty Hall. With the huge impact of the road realignment and loss of 2800 trees, the church has been saved for […]
Diamond Valley Library – 40 years
Diamond Valley Library celebrated 40 years on the 7 December 2013. The Library’s official date of opening was 6 December 1973. Open ceremony was performed by the Member for Greensborough R.M. “Monty” Vale M.P. The original building the library was housed in, is now the Shire of Nillumbik Council Offices. A new and separate building […]
Martha Wike – Local Historian
Martha Wike was a very proud “Australian by Choice”. Here her daughter Amanda pays tribute to this Shire of Nillumbik local historian and community volunteer who recently passed away. Martha was born in Cairo, Egypt with Greek nationality. In My Mother’s Words; “I arrived at Tullamarine airport, on a Saturday morning with my parents when […]
Dr. Wilfred Kent Hughes of Eltham
Dr. Wilfred Kent Hughes and his second wife Constance came to Eltham around the end of 1925, ostensibly for a six-month break, but stayed for over ten years. He enlisted at 50 years of age while in Bruce-street, Toorak, shown as a medical practitioner and with a brother, Rev Canon Ernest Selwyn Hughes, St Peter’s […]
The Rutter Family of Eltham
The name of “H. Rutter” (Hubert) appears as one of 74 on the St. Margaret’s Church of England non-denominational World War One Roll of Honour in Eltham. Hubert Rutter returned safely from the conflict, but research into two names – “D. Rutter” and “D. H. Rutter” – honoured at the Eltham Memorial Hall as casualties […]
Dr. Mary Ethel Thornton : Radiologist of Warrandyte
After earlier connections to Preston shortly after what appears to have been an unsuccessful first marriage, Dr. Mary Ethel Josephine Thornton, nee Cantwell established a further connection to the north and north-eastern suburbs when in 1937 she married Dr. Wilfred Kent Hughes, a prominent Eltham resident for over a decade before moving to Warrandyte circa […]
The Whittlesea, Humevale, Kinglake, Hazeldene bushfire – 7th February 2009
Saturday morning on the 7th February 2009 was forecast to be extremely hot and it was. In Whittlesea, the weekend was going to be devoted to the Country Music Festival. This was to be a three day event, starting at the Council “TajMahal” building with a reception and a bun fight for celebrities. Then on […]
7th February 2009
The hot sun blazed down on Church Street Whittlesea on the Country Music Show. Singers and musicians and dancers and a happy crowd sweltered in the sun’s fierce glow. While they enjoyed themselves, despite the heat, no one in that crowd’s imagination dreamed that many miles away, a spark would start this massive conflagration. It […]