City of Darebin Heritage Study Volume 1 Draft Thematic Environmental History Stage 2 Report August 2008 Prepared for City of Darebin DAREBIN HERITAGE STUDY STAGE 1 © Context Pty Ltd Project Team: Dr Sandy Blair, Project Manager and Senior Consultant David Helms, Senior Consultant Fae Ingledew, Consultant Lesley Alves, Historian Tony Faithfull, Natural Environment Matthew Chamberlain, CHM Archaeologists Sarah Meyers, CHM Archaeologists Report Register This report register documents the development and issue of the report entitled City of Darebin Heritage Study, Volume 1: Thematic Environmental History and City of Darebin Heritage Study, Volume 2: Historical Archaeology Report undertaken by Context Pty Ltd in accordance with our internal quality management system. Project Issue Notes/description Issue date Issued to No. No. 1182 1 Draft Thematic History August Michael Ballock updated as part of Stage 2 2008 Context Pty Ltd 22 Merri Street, Brunswick 3056 Phone 03 9380 6933 Facsimile 03 9380 4066 Email [email protected] Web www.context-pl.com.au ii VOLUME 1: THEMATIC ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 1 INTRODUCTION 2 Purpose 2 Background 4 Study outcomes 4 PREFACE 5 The City of Darebin today 5 Historical overview 5 Terminology 8 1 CREATING DAREBIN 10 Introduction 10 Natural History 10 1.1 Geomorphology 10 1.2 Waterways 11 1.3 Flora and natural resources 12 1.4 Fauna 13 1.5 Woi wurrung creation stories 15 Heritage 16 2 PEOPLING DAREBIN 17 Introduction 17 History 17 2.1 Living as Australia’s earliest inhabitants 17 Making contact 19 Maintaining traditional life after European settlement 20 2.2 Migrating to seek opportunity 20 John Batman and the Port Phillip Association 20 Early European settlers 21 Chinese market gardeners 22 Twentieth century Aboriginal community 23 Post Second World War immigrants 24 2.3 Promoting settlement 26 Crown land sales 1838-40 26 Speculators and land boomers 26 Closer settlement 29 2.4 Housing assistance schemes in the twentieth century 29 Housing Commission of Victoria estates 29 War Service Homes 31 State Bank houses 31 iii DAREBIN HERITAGE STUDY STAGE 1 Heritage 32 Living as Australia’s earliest inhabitants, Making contact and Maintaining traditional life after European settlement 32 Migrating to seek opportunity 32 Promoting settlement 32 Housing assistance schemes in the twentieth century 32 3 TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATIONS 33 Introduction 33 History 33 3.1 Establishing road routes 33 Developing main roads 33 Accommodating travellers 34 3.2 Travelling by train 35 Establishing the railway network 35 Twentieth century improvements 36 3.3 Travelling by tram and bus 36 Horse drawn trams 36 Cable trams 36 Electric trams 37 Buses 38 3.4 Developing bridge technology 39 3.5 Providing postal and telecommunication services 40 Heritage 41 Establishing road routes 41 Travelling by train 41 Travelling by tram and bus 41 Developing bridge technology 41 Providing postal and telecommunication services 41 4 DEVELOPING DAREBIN’S ECONOMIES 42 Introduction 42 History 42 4.1 Utilising natural resources 42 Farming and grazing 42 Dairying 44 Market and flower gardens 45 Aboriginal associations with rural industry 46 Brickmaking 46 Potteries 47 Quarrying 48 4.2 Noxious industries 49 Bacon curing 49 Tanning 50 4.3 Other manufacturing industries 51 iv VOLUME 1: THEMATIC ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY 4.4 Melbourne’s water supply 52 4.5 Altering the environment 53 Grazing 53 Timber clearing/harvesting 54 Quarrying 54 Pollution of waterways 54 Hunting and eradication 55 4.6 Retailing 55 High Street 55 Preston 57 Northland 57 Providing local shopping and services 58 4.7 Hospitality and entertainment 58 Hotels 58 Cinemas 60 Café’s and restaurants 61 Heritage 61 Utilising natural resources 61 Noxious industries 62 Other manufacturing industries 62 Melbourne’s water supply 62 Altering the environment 62 Retailing 62 Hospitality and entertainment 62 5 BUILDING SUBURBAN DAREBIN 64 Introduction 64 History 64 5.1 Patterns of settlement 64 Northcote 64 Preston 65 5.2 Creating early village settlements 66 Alphington 66 Lower Northcote (Westgarth) 67 Upper Northcote (Northcote) 68 Irishtown/Preston 68 5.3 Developing the suburban ideal 69 Nineteenth century ‘boom time’ 69 Twentieth century recovery 71 Suburban expansion in the post-war era 75 Rediscovery, new beginnings and gentrification 78 5.4 Supplying urban services 78 Local water supplies 78 Gas and electricity 79 v DAREBIN HERITAGE STUDY STAGE 1 5.5 Creating public landscapes 79 Providing for public recreation 79 Transforming quarries and swamps into parks 81 Rescuing creeks 82 Street plantings 82 Heritage 83 Developing the suburban ideal 83 Supplying urban services 84 Creating public landscapes 84 6 GOVERNING 85 Introduction 85 History 85 6.1 Government administration of Aboriginal people 85 Protectorate 85 6.2 Policing 86 Aboriginal policing in Victoria 86 Maintaining law and order in Darebin 87 6.3 Developing institutions of self-government and democracy 88 Developing local government authorities 88 Forming political associations 91 Aboriginal Self Determination 92 6.4 Defending Australia 94 Local war effort 94 Military incursions 96 Heritage 97 Policing 97 Developing institutions of self-government and democracy 97 Aboriginal Self –Determination 98 Defending Australia 98 7 COMMUNITY AND CULTURE 99 Introduction 99 History 99 7.1 Worshipping 99 Founding churches 99 Twentieth century revival 103 Places of worship that reflect post-war immigration 104 Indigenous Christianity 106 7.2 Educating 106 Church, National and Common schools 107 Private schools 107 Developing a State school system 108 Developing Catholic school systems 111 Educating Aboriginal children 111 vi VOLUME 1: THEMATIC ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY Developing higher education 113 Providing library services 113 7.3 Establishing institutions of mutual support 114 7.4 Providing Health and Welfare Services 115 Providing institutional care 115 Developing Psychiatric Institutions 117 Providing local hospital services 119 7.5 Pursuing common leisure interests 120 Playing Sport 120 Making music 126 Preston Symphony Orchestra 126 7.6 Appreciating and defending the environment 126 Enjoying the natural environment 126 Preserving the natural environment 126 Re-creating the natural environment 127 Studying the natural environment 127 7.7 Commemorating 128 Memorials 128 Cemeteries 129 Heritage 130 Worshipping 130 Educating 130 Establishing institutions of mutual support 131 Providing health and welfare services 131 Pursuing common leisure interests 131 Appreciating and defending the environment 131 Commemorating 131 8 DAREBIN’S NATURAL HERITAGE 132 Introduction 132 8.1 Ecosystem values 132 Landscape structure and connectivity 132 Waterways 133 Grassy woodlands 133 Grasslands 134 Other Ecological Vegetation Classes 134 3.2 Biodiversity values 135 Flora 136 Fauna 136 8.3 Geo-diversity values 137 Heritage 138 Sites with ecosystem and biodiversity values 138 Geodiversity places 139 vii DAREBIN HERITAGE STUDY STAGE 1 9 WHY IS DAREBIN SIGNIFICANT? 141 9.1 Introduction 141 Creating Darebin (pre 1835) 142 First contact and pastoralists (c.1835-c.1870s) 142 Boom, bust and recovery (c1870s – c1910s) 143 Becoming cities – the interwar suburban boom (c.1910s – c1950s) 143 Becoming a multicultural and environmentally aware city (c.1950s onwards) 144 Darebin’s natural heritage 144 9.3 Why is it Significant? 145 Creating Darebin (pre 1835) 145 First contact and pastoral era (c.1860s-1870s) 145 Boom, bust and recovery (1870s-1910s) 145 Becoming cities – the interwar suburban boom (c.1910s-1950s) 146 Becoming a multicultural and environmentally aware city (c.1950s onwards) 146 Darebin’s natural heritage (c.1860 – c.1980s) 147 BIBLIOGRAPHY 149 Cultural History 149 Secondary sources 149 Websites 152 Natural Environment 152 Secondary sources 152 Websites 153 Aboriginal History 153 Secondary sources 153 Websites 155 GLOSSARY 156 APPENDIX 1 157 AUSTRALIAN HISTORIC THEMES 157 AAV THEMATIC LIST OF POST-CONTACT ABORIGINAL PLACES/SITES 163 APPENDIX 2 166 RNE CRITERIA 166 APPENDIX 3 169 List of Biodiversity Sites in the City of Darebin with Site Number and Significance Rank from O'Malley & Kern 2005 169 viii VOLUME 2: THEMATIC ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The contributions of the following people and organisations to the City of Darebin Heritage Study are gratefully acknowledged: • The project manager for the Study: Meredith Kermode • The members of the project Steering Committee, Cr Chris Kelly, Kevin Breen, General Manager Strategy and Governance, Michael Ballock, Manager Urban Development, Katerina Staikos, Coordinator Strategic Planning, Peter Rollis, Coordinator Statutory Planning, Dale Kelly, Darebin Heritage Advisor and Cathy Philo, Heritage Victoria. • The Reference Group: Merv Lia, Preston Historical Society, Lexie Luly, Blair Gardner, Darebin Environmental Reference Group, Katrina Rock, Darebin Parkland Association, Luisa Mc Millan, Merri Creek Manangement Committee, Megan Goulding, Wurundjeri Tribe Land Compensation and Cultural Heritage Council Inc, Eve Manarin, Paul Michell, Dr Jacqueline Healy, Director, Bundoora Homestead Art centre and Chris Scott. • Members of local historical societies and other interested individuals and groups who participated in the community workshops held during the study. • Members of the Darebin Ethnic Community Council (DECC) In addition, Merv Lia who generously gave his time to act as guide during field work, Dr Jacqueline Healy, Director, Bundoora Homestead Art centre, Paul Michell of the Northcote