15 September 2008
Warburton in The Age
Posted by Mick under: Misc .
Journalist Kristin Lee contacted me a few weeks ago to get some information on the history of Warburton for an article she was putting together for The Age newspaper.
The article came out in last Saturdays paper and you can read it online here.
I sent her quite a bit of information on the history (and historic events of the area) but as the article was a travel article and not purely devoted to the history of the region, only a few of the points got included.
So…if you are interested, here is all of the information that i initially sent her:
>> Early History
- Robert Hoddle, the first Surveyor-General of the Port Phillip District of New South Wales, explored the upper reaches of the Yarra Valley in 1845.
- Between the 1850’s and the 1880’s the population of the Upper Yarra region exploded with gold miners but very quickly dropped down as gold was discovered further afield.
- The name “Warburton” has been shared between two townships over the years. The mining town of “Yankee Jims Creek” was located on the gold-bearing slopes of Mount Little Joe, and was renamed “Warburton” after the mining warden of the district, Charles Warburton Carr. Gold depletion caused a declining population in the 1880’s, so the town was renamed “Old Warburton” and the town of “Upper Warburton” on the banks on the Yarra River was renamed “Warburton”.
- The official discovery of gold in the region is recognised as being at Britannia Creek in November of 1858, but gold finds were also being reported in 1856. Yankee Jims Creek goldfield was opened in 1859 and was operational under that name till 1863.
- The pristine forests of the water catchment areas of the O’Shannassy River, Armstrong Creek and the upper stretches of the Yarra River were protected by the Victorian Government in 1888. The first water to reach Melbourne from the O’Shannassy scheme was in 1914 and it continued providing water until the 1990’s. Due to the recent drought conditions, water from O’Shannassy is once again being incorporated into Melbourne’s water supply.
- The original Shire of Upper Yarra which was constituted on 19 October 1888 with a population of 160 people had grown to 1,700 people by 1901. At that time Yarra Junction was called “Ward Homestead Settlement” and Wesburn was known as “Warburton Village Settlement”. Before being called Wesburn it was also called “West Warburton”.
- With the introduction of the railway in 1901, timber milling became the prime industry of the region. It is claimed that more timber passed through Yarra Junction than any other place in the world except Seattle on the Pacific Coast of the United States.
- 1920 was the year that the first houses in Warburton, from the local Adventist community which was established in 1905, were supplied with electricity from a water powered pelton wheel.
- The Warburton Highway was finally completely sealed in 1941.
>> Lilydale-Warburton Railway
- The Lilydale to Warburton railway line ran between 1901 and 1965. The only remaining train station of the original nine is located at Yarra Junction and was officially opened as the Upper Yarra Museum on December the 10th 1972.
>> Warburton Tennis Club
- Located next to the white Swing Bridge which crosses over the Yarra River, the Warburton Tennis Club was opened in 1912 with only one court. The second court and the club rooms, which were a popular location for dances to be held, were opened in 1928.
>> Mechanic’s Hall, Warburton
- The original Mechanic’s Hall library was opened in the 1880’s, and until the opening of the current hall on October the 3rd 1913 it was used by the local Progress League, the Upper Yarra Shire Council, and a medicine dispenser and as a Methodist church.
- It was also a favourite location for dances and concerts, and in 1916, two years before she became a Dame, Nellie Melba sang in the Mechanic’s Hall to a packed crowd of local residents.
>> Warburton Band Rotunda and Rural Fire Brigade
- The old band rotunda, formerly situated in the park next to the war memorial, served as the headquarters of the Warburton Rural Fire Brigade which was formerly registered in 1915.
>> Reefton Hotel, McMahon’s Creek
- During the 1870’s the original hotel was located closed to the Reefton gold diggings which housed a thriving community of around 3,000 gold-miners and their families.
- The current hotel, located on the banks of McMahon’s Creek and whose car park is on part of the original Warburton-Woods Point Road, has held a hotel licence since 1886.
>> The Sanitarium Health Food Company
- Established in 1925 and closed in 1998, the Sanitarium Health Food Company moved into its new building in 1939/1940. The building was, and still is, the tallest building in Warburton.
- The building was designed by Edward Fielder Billson, the first recipient of Melbourne University’s diploma in architecttecure and a protégé of Walter Burley Griffin.
- The building won the Royal Victorian Institute of Architects “Street Architecture Medal” in 1940. It was the first building in regional Victoria to win the prestigious award.
- The gardens were also designed by one of Australia’s most influential landscape designers, Edna Walling, who was also responsible for designing the lily pond at Coombe Cottage for Dame Nellie Melba and Cruden Farm garden for Dame Elisabeth Murdoch.
- The factory was also famous for the smell of WEET-BIX that was made every morning.
>> Mt Donna Buang
- In the 1860’s, “Mt Acland” was the name given to the 1,250 meter high mountain by a Police Magistrate called Joseph Panton. The name it has today, “Mt Donna Buang”, came from the Wurundjeri Aboriginals.
- A walking track to the summit of Mount Donna Buang was cut during the 1890’s and the much wider Donna Buang Bridle Track, which the current road from Warburton to the top of Mount Donna Buang follows, was opened in 1912.
- In 1924, the Ski Club of Victoria built an eight-foot wide track for skiers on the top of Mount Donna Buang. Being the nearest location to Melbourne where you could ski, the mountain was well patronised and both the Ski Club of Victoria and the Melbourne University Ski Club built huts on the mountain to cater for their members. During the 1930’s the Warburton Ski Club was officially formed as well. The first observation tower was erected shortly after the bridle track was opened.
>> Mayer Chalet (aka Warburton Chalet)
- Established in 1927, Mayer Chalet was eventually able to cater for up to 280 guests and was considered the largest and most modern guesthouse in Victoria for a number of years. It was destroyed by fire in 1973. More photos are available here.
>> The Queen Visits
- On the 6th of March 1954, the Royal Train pulled in Warburton carrying Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. Other than attending the small Presbyterian Church for service on the Sunday, the Royal couple spent a few days resting at the O’Shannassy quarters of the M.M.B.W. (Melbourne Metropolitan Board of Works), which is located in a closed of water catchment area between East Warburton and McMahons Creek.
- The Argus newspaper reported that around 20,000 people from all over the Yarra Valley region invaded Warburton to celebrate the Queens visit.
>> Country and Western Star
- The famous singer, Diana Trask, was living in Warburton when she was discovered on the Talent Quest on Channel 9. Winning a trip to the U.S.A. she quickly rose to stardom after joining Mitch Miller’s popular television show.
- She returned to Warburton in 1962 to be married at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church and then again in 1985 after singing at the opening of the AFL Grand Final between North Melbourne and Essendon.
- Returning once more in 1988 to take part in the Shire of Upper Yarra’s centenary celebrations, she was voted the Upper Yarra “Citizen of the Century”.