Racing The first race meeting in the City of Whittlesea appears to have been ‘The Plenty Races’, which took place on 26 December 1845 on ‘Mr Payne’s Station’, somewhere near the Bridge Inn at Mernda. The next recorded races were the ‘River Plenty Races’ on 26 December 1848 at ‘Mill Park, near the Plough Inn, […]
Wallace – Champion Thoroughbred Sire
“Wallace”, one of the Australia’s greatest thoroughbred sires of the first twenty years of the twentieth century commenced his stud career at “Bundoora Park” in 1896. By the champion Australian racehorse and sire “Carbine” from “Melodious” (by the imported “Goldsborough”), Wallace was a good but not exceptional two-year old, being placed in several leading juvenile […]
Darebin – Sydney Cup winner and Thoroughbred Sire
Darebin (thoroughbred sire) “Darebin” (by “The Peer” (imported) from the colonial mare “Lurline”) was bred at Bundoora Park just north of Melbourne by Samuel Gardiner in 1878 and numbered amongst his victories went on to win the Victoria Derby, Sydney Cup and Adelaide St. Leger. His Sydney Cup victory in 1883 was a bitter-sweet weekend […]
REDLEAP Champion Jumps Horse
In Commemoration of the 103rd anniversary of the Redleap’s death, a famous jumps horse that trained in Mill Park, the City of Whittlesea will be exhibiting a small display of his remains from Museum Victoria’s collection at the Council Offices in late 2011. This will be an opportunity for the community to learn about the […]
Diamond Valley Sports and Fitness centre
Planned in 1974 to cost $600,000 and built in 1976 in Civic Drive, adjoining the Civic Centre, Greensborough at a cost of one million dollars, the complex provides two courts for basketball, four badminton courts, six squash courts and eight table tennis tables. Soon after, more courts and a mezzanine floor were added. In 2008 […]
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 […]
Cricket In Preston – the Early Days
“… the Preston players went in first and during their first innings repeated and not uncalled for complaints were made about the decisions of the Preston umpire as being in favour of the club he represented …” … the Phillipstown players had the good sense to go when they were given out and many and […]
Bridge over the Plenty at Morang/Mernda
Today, passing over the Plenty River on Bridge Inn Road Mernda is done without any thought as to just how this crossing was once negotiated. Opening up communication with the interior of the County of Evelyn, and the goldfields of St Andrews The 1850’s and 60’s saw great prosperity in the Region – fuelled by […]
1848 The Mill Park Races
Outside of the central Melbourne area and William’s Town, one of the first areas to attract settlers in the Port Phillip District was the flats of the Plenty River, not too many miles to the north of Preston and a district that was to see Plenty Road later become a main road. The Plenty district […]