3. Early Collingwood Memories

First Settlement Yarra River was of particular Yarra. The Aboriginals were soon to importance to the Aboriginals and lose their camp sites as European The first European settlement of both rivers still bear their Aboriginal settlement expanded and land was Melbourne commenced in 1835 with names. fenced and cleared. the arrival of John Pascoe Fawkner's One pioneer, Garryowen, wrote: In its earliest days Melbourne ship 'Enterprise' from Van Diemen's 'Studley Park and the Yarra Bend . .. consisted of a haphazard scattering of Land (Tasmania). The site of with two or three nooks in the Merri houses and tents concentrated in the Melbourne had long been the home Creek, were the favourite haunts of area bordering the Yarra near the of Aboriginals who numbered about the Aborigines.' western end of Flinders Street. The eight hundred when the early settlers One of the larger camps, where about population grew steadily as settlers arrived. The general locality at the 90 of the Wurundjerri tribe lived, was arrived from Van Diemen's Land, junction of the Merri Creek and the on Dight's land near the falls on the Sydney and overseas. In February 1838, 5 Pioneers of the 1840s: with barley, which yielded a fair crop Georgiana Mccrae - and in the following year, with oats, which yielded well. One of the early families who chose to The road from Melbourne to live in what was to become the City of 'Mayfield' Georgiana described as 'an Collingwood was that of Andrew and everlasting chain of bog-holes, with Georgiana McCrae. figures of eight and many deviations Georgiana, with her children, arrived on account of fallen trees and other in Melbourne in March 1841 to join obstacles; only the first mile from town her husband, a solicitor, and recorded is in repair'. much of her life in the new colony in her journal. This has been published as Georgiana's journal: Melbourne 1841- JOHN PASCOE FAWKNER 1865. The McCraes built their house in Sydney, a Government land sale was 'Mayfield' on the river-fronted site held for town, suburban and country they were purchasing in Abbotsford. lots in distant Melbourne. The suburbs Georgiana described the area: now known as Fitzroy and The 'Mayfield' site, 'Carran Collingwood, but then as a parish of Carranulk', so called by the natives the Jika Jika or Newtown, were divided after the Carran, or prickly myrtle, into 25 acre lots and sold for an consists of nine and a half acres of average of £7 per acre. These lots were land badly encumbered with in turn subdivided by their owners and boulders, requiring much labour to re-sold. raise them out of the soil. The Settlement increased in the region allotment is bounded on the north by which is the present suburb of Fitzroy, the Y arra, on the west by Nicholson's and in 1842 was officially named Paddock, on the east by a fence 'Collingwood' after a British Admiral. enclosing the space reserved for a As settlement expanded further the road to a future bridge across the area east of Smith Street became river, and on the south by a track known as East Collingwood. leading to the bend of the stream, Until 1851 East Collingwood remained eastwards ... Of February 1843 she wrote: almost rural with only a handful cf In the 'reserve' the boys kept a At this time, our contract with cottages and inns, a factory or two, and kitchen-garden where they grew Mortimer, the butcher, for beef and a few homes of pastoral pioneers along quantities of pumpkins, etc. Here, mutton was at the rate of three the Yarra. It was not until 1873 that the too, the women servants carried on ha'pence the pound; veal, pork etc. at 'East' was dropped from the name, their laundry arrangements ... fourpence. The cart used to bring us a long after the western area had been From the dormer-windows of side of mutton twice a week with a re-named Fitzroy. 'Mayfield', looking south, nothing shin of beef for soup. The driver was to be seen but the tops of invariably added a sheep's head and gum-trees all the way to Richmond pluck for the dogs, but Ellen prepared Hill ... these Scots fashion for the master In 1842, about seven acres were sown and allowed the dogs the leavings. The mutton was so fat, Ellen used to make candles for her own use and for the nursery of it. On Friday afternoons, troops of blackfellows and their gins used to assemble at the slaughter-houses to collect sheep's heads and plucks which they roasted at their fires by the Merri Creek. Georgiana's journal mentions the road-making project of their neighbour Mr James Simpson and she describes the path beside it: There was also a raised footpath, about four feet wide, with sloping sides and a ditch to carry off rainwater. The sides of this path in springtime, were gay with orchids and other strange flowers, while in KIDNEY BROTHERS OUTFITTERS AND BOOT AND SHOE SHOP, SMITH STREET, 1860s the ditch next to the roadway, slender 6 frogs disported themselves, silent by is called 'St Helier's'. Then there The Orr residence' Abbotsford' gave day, but at sunset deafening us with were the Orrs at 'Abbotsford' and the its name to the locality and John their vespers. Hodgsons at 'Studley'. Hodgson's 'Studley' gave its to Studley (Simpson's Road was in time re-named Park. Victoria Street.) Edward Curr was one of the leading The McCraes left 'Mayfield' because of Our opposite neighbours, though on men of the day and became known as financial difficulties and moved to the the same side of the Y arra, were the the Father of Separation, the area near Rosebud now known as Edward Curr' s, from Circular Head, separation in 1851 of the Colony of McCrae. 'Mayfield' was demolished in Van Diemen's Land. Their property Victoria from that of New South Wales. 1962. rH~HBIJRYBARN--- HOTEL - 1ll ~ u Cl 0 0s: z<.:1 :::; 0 u.... .. :s<J> t;;' ~ 0 Cl 0 I 7 Collingwood in the 1850s and the 'forties'. women folk as well as by men in the 60s: The Gold Rushes brought thousands of winter months. A lantern on dark immigrants to Victoria and many nights was a most desirable Edward Petherick eventually settled in Collingwood: companion. Edward A. Petherick recalled When the land was cut up into Being outside the City of Melbourne Collingwood of the 1850s and 1860s in allotments to suit immigrants, the the area had no local government and a paper he read to the Victorian owners or auctioneers, laid out the general lack of facilities made life Historical Society in 1909. narrow streets, certainly at right far from enjoyable. A local committee Edward A. Petherick assisted his father, angles, north and south, east and was formed to secure proper roads, Peter John Petherick, in the office of west, but not on any comprehensive pure water, sewerage and lighting and the rate collector of East Collingwood or relative plan. Some of these streets petitioned Governor La Trobe that an from 1856to1860. He was employed as remained unformed for years ... The independent local government be a clerk working with the Town Clerk tenements, mostly of shingle or instituted. In April 1855 the and Surveyor from 1860to1862. weatherboard, generally of two Municipality of East Collingwood was Much of Collingwood was a swampy rooms, were quickly run up, being proclaimed and became the first plain known as the Collingwood Flat. built on piles or stumps rising from suburban municipality. The blocks of land east of Smith one to three feet, to escape the flood The Municipality included Street which had been sold in those waters. Collingwood and Abbotsford; Clifton first government land sales of 1838 The flat ground of Collingwood was Hill was annexed by East Collingwood were mostly held by the original notorious for its flooding: in September 1855, but a petition for owners till 1849 and 1850; those on the Within an hour, I have seen the the inclusion of Studley Park was not 'Flat', sparsely timbered, were, results of a thunderstorm covering granted. however, early 'cleared' of fallen two square miles of the Flat. Some In those days - the late fifties and timber, and trees were felled for have suggested mermaids swimming early sixties - Collingwood had a firewood and posts and rails - the about. I never saw one. They would very considerable political reputation axe rang early, all around have floundered around in the mud. and a large number of platform Melbourne. Three blocks were fenced Slippery, miry, and puddle all the politicians ... Municipal elections, .in and preserved for another forty winter, and caked with rough clay in 'East Collingwood Races', were years - Dight's Paddock, the the summer, the difficulties of important enough and exciting Victoria Park site of today, remained peregrination around Melbourne locally. Women had no votes but they covered with gumtrees and sheoaks after the influx of population in the handled the money for the rates and until a comparatively recent period. early fifties were at their worst on insisted on their husbands voting for The open spaces and that 'park' were Collingwood Flat ... Half· the men who would make their paths frequented by the aborigines late in Wellington boots were much worn by and streets passable. ~~10~ :..~..Jiiliii;::ll,.; .:O.. _fl~- - dozen wooden Churches and Chapels. 1851 The beginning of the rush to Victoria's goldflelds. A Free Public Library was Collingwood boomed in both population and buildings as the gold established in 1859, the Council immigrants who had flooded into the colony started to return to allowing the use of three rooms in Melbourne from the diggings.

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