History of Boroondara

Although Mr. Fawkner did not arrive in Port Phillip till October, 1835, others of his company located themselves on both sides of the Yarra some six weeks before. The sheep and cattle station of Messrs. Batman, Swanston, &c., were chiefly along the Bay from the Yarra round to Geelong. The first person who settled upon our side of the river with stock was Mr. John Gardiner, after whom the creek is called. His run extended over the places now known as Brighton, St. Kilda, Prahran, Boroondara, and Bulleen «17».

At first his homestead was near the junction of the Yarra and Gardiner’s Creek. Here occurred a stirring incident, illustrative of the very early days of Boroondara. The story we had from the squatter himself. One Sunday afternoon, while engaged reading a chapter to his men, the stockkeeper rushed into the hut in great excitement, and breathlessly cried out, "The Blacks! the Blacks!" In two minutes the whole darted down the hill, armed with muskets, iu«sic» full cry after the offenders. On the way the following particulars were picked up:— The stockman caught sight of some Aborigines engaged in the civilized process of extracting potatoes from a small garden in the bend of the river. Attempting to rescue the apples, he encountered such looks and threats of fury, that he was induced to wheel round in double quick time, dreaming of flying spears.

Arrived at the river, there, sure enough, was the garden trodden by an industrious mob of Blackfellows, all eager in pursuit of the roots. Some were on bended knees, plunging their fingers into the soil in search of the treasure. Others were filling a sack with the spoil. With a hue and cry down came the avenging whites. The bandits at first threw themselves into an attitude of defence, but quickly exchanged that for one of flight as they glanced at the guns. The dense scrub favoured their escape, excepting two, who were captured. Another plunged into the Yarra, and discreetly ducked his head in time to avoid a shot sent after him.

Others soon got ten pound depasturing licenses. Mr Connell, en ex-British warrior, had sheep grazing over Hawthorne. Messrs Walpole and Gogs occupied the country thence to W creek. Mr Allen went beyond that boundary. Mr. Balfour resided near where Mr. Oswin now is, and, while running 600 head of cattle, managed to break up and cultivate 100 acres of land, and all for his £10 a year license. Mr Power, though early fixing a home in Boroondara, «18» was a Melbourne merchant in the primitive times. Sir James Frederick Palmer was also engaged in mercantile pursuits about the same period, subsequently turning his attention to pastoral engagements.

John Hodgson, Esq., M.L.C., the first elected peer of Victoria, became a merchant on his first arrival in Melbourne in 1838. In about 1842 he turned a Boroondara squatter, and erected substantial country quarters on the banks of the Yarra, near what has since been known as Hodgson’s Punt, at the end of Johnstone «sic» street, Collingwood. Though thus situated but two and a half miles from town, he was obliged sometimes to make a circuit of nearly a dozen miles. When in a great hurry he has made his horse swim the Yarra. In the summer, even drays could find a crossing below the Falls, by Dight’s Mills, through the shallow, pebbly bed. A punt was subsequently established by Mr. Hodgson. It is somewhat singular that the two Boroondara Punts should have been established by two such important legislators as the Speaker and the Chairman of Committees of the Council. Hodgson’s Punt was bought up in 1852 by the Government, together with the settler’s house, for £2500. It was intended for the site of a Police Barracks. Governor Latrobe took a great fancy to the locality, and had some intention of having a Government House erected there; he had a gardener employed for a long time in laying out grounds by the Yarra.

It was in 1841 that the selection of Surveys took place. The Home Government had declared that any man, by paying down £5,000 in London should have the right of selecting 5,000 acres where he pleased in Port Phillip. The Melbourne Press were highly indignant at this order, especially when one gentleman was deliberating about taking his 5,000 acres somewhere about Emerald Hill. Ultimately Mr. Dendy fixed upon what is now known as Brighton. But two «19» Surveys were marked out on the Boroondara side of the Yarra. One is known as Unwins’ Survey, in Bullen; the other is that of Elgar’s North-East Boroondara.

ELGAR’S SURVEY was originally more southerly, but permission was afterwards given to have it extended to the Yarra for water frontage. Capt. Kane was the first agent of the property. Mr. Arundel Wright succeeded him in the appointment, and was permitted to take out his percentage in running sheep free over unoccupied portions. Land was let for pastoral purposes at from 1s. to 2s. an acre per annum. Agricultural farms were leased as high as 4s. Mr. Elgar had been an old west India merchant. Becoming involved in some commercial crisis, and being considerably indebted to Mr. Brooks, the great shipowner, he conveyed his Port Phillip property to that gentleman. It was in 1853 that Mr. Octavius Brown, as agent for Mr. Brooks, sold the Survey (less some 1,700 acres of it, belonging to Mrs. Dyce, widow of one of the original partners of Mr. Elgar) to. Mr. Power, and two others, for the sum of fifteen guineas an acre, payable over a period of several years. A large portion of this is now let in farms at 20s. to 40s. per acre. Most of Mrs. Dyce’s portion has been recently sold by auction.

The CARLTON ESTATE, extending from the Bulleen road to the Heidelberg Punt, was once the property of Mr. Atkinson, the lord of Belfast Survey. He leased it to parties who were unable to comply with the terms of their agreement, and it was then sold to Tertius Campbell, Esq., of Sydney. The farms were rented at a cheap rate; one, of 340 acres, paid but £30 a year. The lessee subsequently, in 1854, purchased 120 acres of it for £5,000. The difference of times made a great difference in the value of the property. In primitive days great difficulty was experienced in getting purchasers at the following prices «20» for produce:— Hay, £2 a ton; potatoes, £1; wheat, 2s. 8d. a bushel; oats, 1s. 6d. Butter was 5d. a pound, and eggs were 6d. a dozen. No wonder men’s heads were turned at finding ready sale for hay at £40 and £50 a ton, wheat at 25s. a bushel, and butter at 4s. a pound.

One Boroondara resident told us of having been a whole week with his team of bullocks, cutting, drawing., and conveying to Melbourne a log of timber, for which he received the magnificent sum of thirty shillings. For a ton of Wattle bark, got with some trouble, another only obtained one pound. A load of wood brought four shillings. Messrs. Maloney and Logan used to supply town from Boroondara by way of boats upon the Yarra, their friend Mr. Delaney being salesman. The wood was nicely prepared. A ton of loose stuff measured 48 cubic feet, and one of solid timber measured 40. The cost was 3s. 6d. into the boat, and the sale on the wharf was 5s. a ton.

Though much slower in growth, than any other of the Melbourne suburbs, from being off any of the great routes, Boroondara has been less subject to vicissitudes. The progress has been steadier, but firmer. But it is only within the last two years that it may be said to have got under weigh«sic». Future historians will have ampler materials than the writer of the present sketch to compile the Chronicles of Boroondara.

The Land Sales will afford the intelligent reader a good criterion of the progress of the district.