FRIDAY HISTORY POST: Hurstbridge..

30 kilometres north-east of Melbourne you will find the quaint town on Hurstbridge. Regular readers will recall my family outing to this lovely town aboard the steam train a few weeks ago for the Wattle Festival.

Railway in Hurstbridge.

The extension of the railway to Hurstbridge in 1912 was primarily to service the local fruit growing area, but it was also responsible for the early growth of the Hurstbridge Township.
Most of the early growth was centred along the Main Street, on land subdivided by Frances and Bill Gray and occurred between 1912 and the mid 1920s.
Several of the older buildings, shops and houses along the main road are good examples of the architectural styles of that time.

The majority of the Hurstbridge township area was not subdivided into residential blocks until after the Second World War (1945-46). Electricity came on in 1957.
The coming of the railway changed many things and gradually produced a change in the population and the work patterns and opportunities for the residents.
It was then possible to reside in the pleasant bushland setting of Hurstbridge and work in the city, much as the people do today. Getting there by train takes 50 minutes on the Melbourne-Hurstbridge line.

Settlement of the area.

The Wurundjeri people were the traditional owners of the country that extended from where Melbourne now stands to Mt Macedon and Healesville. The Wurundjeri spoke the Woiworung language and, with other tribal groups, was part of the Kulin nation.
The Wurundjeri Willam clan lived around this local area for at least 40,000 years in small family groups.
Their descendants still live in the Melbourne area, with a strong community centred around Healesville, in the Yarra Valley.
In 1841 Cornelius Sharp Haley took up, from the Government, the 'Allwood' run. Haley ran cattle and horses and built a slab hut close to where the present Allwood House stands.
Henry Hurst, a surveyor, came to Victoria, from England in 1852.
In 1859 he moved to 'Allwood to manage 160 acres for Cornelius Haley. In about 1865 Henry's parents Frances and Robert Hurst and some of their seven children joined Henry at the Allwood run.
It was about this time that Henry built the first log bridge across the Diamond Creek. This was soon known as 'Hurst's Bridge'.
On the 4th of October 1866 Henry was fatally wounded by a bushranger, Robert Bourke. Bourke was captured and was tied to a wheel of a wagon under a tree (now known as Bourke's Tree) until Sergeant Fawcett and Trooper Hall from Queenstown arrived. Bourke was tried, found guilty of the murder of Henry Hurst and was later hanged.
Come on, visit this lovely area.

Browse the local antique shops, including the Old Tin Shed
Follow the Hurstbridge Heritage trail around the town and learn about its early pioneer beginnings. Collect a brochure from a local Visitor Information Centre
View kangaroos in the wild on the town outskirts
Stop at a local café for good coffee or enjoy vegetarian and organic fare at Chocolate Lily.
You may care to visit the Yarra Valley wineries (five of which are within 10 minutes drive of the town centre). Interstate and international visitors, quite often make Hurstbridge their base and go into the city by train on the Hurstbridge Line, or take day trips to the Yarra Valley or the Dandenong Ranges.

Oh, and every weekend there is live music played out in the main street during the month of October too :)

FRIDAY'S HISTORY LESSON:The City of Geelong.

Geelong is the second largest city in the state of Victoria, Australia and is the largest regional centre in the state. It is a port city with an urban population of approximately 161,000 people. Also it is one of the largest provincial cities in Australia. Geelong is located on Corio Bay, 75 kilometres south-west of the state's capital, Melbourne.
The city is a gateway to many renowned tourist attractions, namely the scenic Great Ocean Road, the Shipwreck Coast and the Bellarine Peninsula.
The explorers Hamilton Hume and William Hovell. They reached Corio Bay - the area of Port Phillip Bay that Geelong now fronts - on 16 December 1824, and it was at this time they reported that the Aborigines called the area Corayo, the bay being called Jillong (Hence the places now known as Cario and Geelong). Hume and Hovell had been contracted to travel overland from Sydney to Port Phillip, and having achieved this they stayed the night and begun their return journey the following day. William Buckley, an escaped convict from the Sullivan Bay settlement, lived among the Wautharong people for 32 years in the Bellarine Peninsula. Sighting of an old ship on Cario Bay.

1840 saw the first issue of The Geelong Advertisor Newspaper which still runs print today. 1850's saw the Goldrush increase population in Geelong from 8,000 to approximately 22,000. The port access a clear advantage.

The town of Geelong officially became a city on 8 December 1910. Electric trams began operation in 1912, travelling along Pakington St, Geelong West and the city centre until their demise in 1956.

Electric Car TRam Geelong 1912.

Between 1922 and 1925 Geelong's industrial growth began: three woollen mills, fertilizer plants and the Ford Motor Company's vehicle plant at Norlane. The Corio whiskey distillery (1928) and the Geelong Advertiser's radio station 3GL (now K-Rock) (1930) were opened.

Now Geelong is a popular Summer vacation spot and has everything you would wish for as a couple or as a family. Theme parks, the waters edge, carnivals, restaurants, museums and, if you don't fancy driving to Geelong there is a V-Line train service that can get you there from Melbourne. Remember our family train trip to Geelong recently?

Fond memories of wading in the water at Eastern Beach and eating ice cream and riding the old carousel ( manufactured in 1892) are mine to keep and yours to make!

FRIDAY'S HISTORY LESSON: Queenscliff.

Map of Port Phillip

Image across the Heads.

Woooahhh people from Victoria......who know the pretty seaside town of Queenscliff....spelt without an "E" on the end when pertaining to the town, and with an "E" (Queenscliffe) when pertaining to the name of the borough including the area of Point Lonsdale. Would I lead you on the wrong side of the garden path in spelling a word wrong? Nah, neverrrr!

From the image above you can see that there are two adjacent cliffs, on one side it is Queenscliff, the other side it is Point Napean...7 km boat ride across and you are there or an around the Bay car drive of over 3.5 hours. In between these heads, it is known as "The Rip". In order to navigate large shipping vessels wanting to come in and dock to off load or load up containers to go to Cario Bay or to Port of Melbourne, Pilot Boats are sent out to assist through the heads. These waters are notoriously treacherous and the Pilot Boats can be viewed from the cliff tops. Especially exciting is to see a marvellous lady like the QE2 come on through. My father in law witnessed this first hand.

The town started off as a fishing village, but in the late 1800s Queenscliff became the fashionable holiday mecca for Melbourne's elite who travelled down the bay by paddlesteamer. Remarkably, the town has remained intact as a superb showpiece of Victorian heritage
All this interest precipitated a building boom in the 1880s. Today, Queenscliff continues to attract visitors from all points of the globe. They come to enjoy the beach, a picnic under the giant foreshore pines, the village charm or even a game of golf. A Music Festival also occurs on an annual basis and there is a market to go to during certain months of the year on the forshore.

The Maritime Museum is a place that is wonderful for kids and adults alike to explore. And for the railway enthusists, the Bellarine Peninsula Railway boats its very own steam train too. Fr those who love old Forts, there is also a Fortress at Queenscliff too. If you just like to browse and window shop or buy a treasured gift for someone, the town also boasts many quaint shops.

Queenscliffe Pier

Inside the shed on the pier

Outside Fortress Queenscliff

Bellarine Peninsula Station, Queenscliff Hotel Queenscliff

Main Shopping Centre Queesncliff.

Print this out as a town to visit when you want to go on a weekend drive or come over from abroad. Queenscliff will not dissapoint you, it is a town of living history :)