Richard Broome's BETWEEN TWO CREEKS is an excellent history of the City of Coburg. I no longer have my notes but remaining memories of his information will guide my trove searches. I will not include family notices but pioneers will be mentioned in articles about events. This history was found when I was researching the new Young Queen Inn in Coburg, which I think Richard said was built by George Somerville (it was about 23 years ago that I read the book.) When Richard wrote his book, there was no TROVE, and he obviously didn't see this article. (P.S. When I was correcting the digitisation, I typed the headline and the author's name and discovered 6 or so installments which you can find by doing the same. B.Cooke was an auctioneer.)

Early History of Coburg
BY B. COOKE.
The trees which to-day form quite an avenue along the Sydney road from Bell street to the northern wall(i.e. of the jail), were planted about 1857 by the prisoners under supervision of a warder (who was paid by the Road Board), and taken from 'Thorp's (Thorpe's?)paddock, Newlands, by my father. who at the time was clearing part of the estate. In 1859 Colonel Champ was commissioned by the Government to start the volunteer movement, which was called the Pentridge Rifles. This he faithfully carried out, and with the aid of the warders and others connected with the (Penal)Department made the movement a great success.

The colonel was a man of fine soldierly appearance, who among his officers and men was greatly loved and respected. He stood for Parliament, being returned by a large majority for East Bourke. On the declaration of the poll the people took his horses from the carriage and pulled him all the way along the road from Pentridge to Brunswick.

Leaving the stone walls of Pentridge, going north, you cross a small lane that leads to the creek, and connected Newlands with our village. There was a rough stone ford, fairly passable when the creek was in normal state, but in winter was difficult and at times dangerous to use as a crossing. On the north of this lane was Morgan's* farm to the creek. One of the most picturesque places in the district is found here. In it you have the miniature landscape, with the ever-flowing brook, while the outlook to the east is a charmingly beautiful view right away to the Dividing Ranges. To-day strangers visiting the district stop and stare, delighted with the scene.

*Several Morgans appear in the area's history. Morgans and Knights who were related to each other, and through this to (John?) English who bought Belle Vue from Fawkner's widow in 1879, leased Belle Vue and (Fred?) Morgan's (The Pines?)was probably part of it. A Morgan owned Camp Hill at Tullamarine between the Gilligans and Scott (who called it Gowanbrae) and R.K.Morgan relocated his factory from Pascoe Vale Rd, Glenroy to Gowanbrae near the creek where Hannah Pascoe Drive** (named by me) now stands. His old factory,near the iron-sided bridge he built, was used for the genesis of the Broadmeadows Basketball Association in the 1980's.
**Named after the mother of John Fawkner who adopted Pascoe as a given name as a tribute to his mother following her death before he co-founded Melbourne. (The life and Times of John Pascoe Fawkner, (J.P.?)Billot.)


On the south-eastern portion of this farm the Council have decided to construct an embankment across the creek, forming a sheet of water that may be used for boating and other pleasures. Nature has given them this splendid opportunity to make this site one of the most attractive beauty spots around the City of Melbourne. I am pleased to know the Council and public have taken up the matter so earnestly, and I hope in the near future to see the work completed.

Then north of Morgan's farm stood the Young Queen, a well-built hotel, owned and managed by Mr. Baker, at the time quite a noted place of resort. The gardens were well laid out and beautifully kept and also had a large collection of birds and animals. Mr Baker being a splendid host and jovial landlord, the place was much frequented by pleasure seekers who drove out from the City to spend their holidays there. At one time the Brunswick coach stopped there, but later ran on to the Wheat Sheaf Hotel*, conducted by Mr Harry Marsh, where they changed horses. It is now the site of the Deanery, part of the old building being retained in the new.

Crossing Edgar's creek over a log bridge and ford, was Mr Treloar's farm, his house being built close
to the road of bluestone is still standing. Then Richards Bros., carriers, also Spry Brothers, one of whom was
shot at and wounded by one of the Gilbert gang of bushrangers, who bailed him up on the Sydney road near
Pretty Sally's Hill. Spry gave his horses the whip and -the team got into a gallop. The bushrangers fired at and wounded him, but the horses kept going and he got safely away with his money. In those days teamsters on
their return trips often had large sums of money in their possession, banking being a convenience quite out of the question and occasioning great risks.

Then the camping ground and general store of Mr. Bartlett, a wooden building still standing. It was no
uncommon thing to see six or eight teams there in company, it being desirable for safety and mutual help along the road to the diggings. Then there were paddocks to the boundary of Campbellfield.
(P.4, Brunswick and Coburg Leader, 31-7-1914.)

* From Andrew Lemon's BROADMEADOWS A FORGOTTEN HISTORY.
(* =Lemon; #= itellya, re text in brackets.)

P.30.* "Anywhere from the Wheatsheaf Hotel (site of today's First and Last at Fawkner) north for three or four miles tended to be called Campbellfield..."
P.43. Lemon mentions that Campbellfield had three hotels in the mid 1860's including the Wheatsheaf and the Plough Inn.
P.49. #"Even grander (than the races near Broadmeadows Township i.e. Westmeadows)were the Pentridge and Campbellfield Steeplechases held in July 1861,promoted in part by Harry Marsh,owner of the Wheat Sheaf Hotel, and staged on adjoining properties."
P.85.*"The Coburg Reserve Estate Co.---could promise two railway stations close by: the North Coburg (today's Merlynston)on Wheatsheaf Lane (Boundary Road) and ----."

N.B. Boundary Rd was the boundary between the parishes of Will Will Rook (north) and Jika Jika (south). Today, between two creeks from west to east,it is Victoria St,Glenroy; a line just north of Barina Rd and Rhodes Pde; Pascoe St; Boundary Rd; and a line just south of Queens Pde to Merri Creek.

The Wheat Sheaf was just within Pentridge Shire but a quick trove search revealedthat it wasdescribedasbeing at Pentridge AND at Campbellfield.


While doing a trove search for YOUNG QUEEN INN, PENTRIDGE,to find when the direct route (today's Sydney
Road )had been built, I found some more memories of early Coburg. As the print in the article was terribly hard to read and the digitisation would have looked like a foreign language- but is actually almost perfect- I can only think that somebody is writing a history of the City of Moreland. Therefore I will not paste the article here but I will list the names in it.

GREATER MELBOURNE. COBURG. FARTHEST NORTH.
The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957) Wednesday 23 March 1910 p 6 Article
Surnames in the article- PRICE, HAIN (AUTHOR), O'HEA, FAWKNER, SPRINGHALL, DUNCAN, SANDFORD,WARWICK, BARDIN, MURRAY, LILBURNE, MAILER, O'SHANNASSY, PATTERSON, CUTTS.

Richard Broome wrote quite some detail about the Mailers (and their home if my memory is correct), (William?) Murray, Price,the Young Queen and Father O'Hea,Price, and Fawkner, but I don't remember mentions of the other names, especially O'Shannassy.

Mr Hain mentions Fawkner's two lots of land. They were in part of Jika Jika shire, between two creeks,as the name of Broome's book suggests. You can see this land for yourself by googling JIKA JIKA,COUNTY OF BOURKE.

Crown allotment 151,of 709 acres, was bounded on the north by Victoria St- Rhodes Pde (boundary with Will Will Rook parish and the Cameron's Glenroy run,which they named), Northumberland Rd., Gaffney St and the Moonee Ponds Creek. It is shown divided into several farms: Fawkner's Belle Vue Park of 253 acres(later owned by Glenroy flour miller Hutchinson, who renamed it Oak Park because of the English trees Fawkner had planted.)The part sold in 1842 to Henry George Ashurst (after whom part of Pascoe Vale Rd-north or south of Glass St, can't remember which- was once named), which became in 1856 John Kernan's "Merai Farm" of 147 acres and 11 perches,and smaller farms near/ north of Devon Rd. A map on P.78 of Andrew Lemon's BROADMEADOWS A FORGOTTEN HISTORY shows the owners in 1874 of the three properties fronting Rhodes Pde: Mr Bowring* (96a 2r 38p), Mr Murray (77 0 28)and Mr Peachy** (sic, lot 3-probably 26 acres.) The 15 acres would include Sefton St houses but I know nothing of owners.

* This was almost certainly a relative of Ed.Bowring of Red Hill near Dromana who cycled from Essendon to his new home there on the village settlement in record time. Bowring Rd -off McIlroys Rd,Red Hill- was near a later Bowring farm.
** Hadfield is another J.P,Fawkner grant.In the parish of Will Will Rook, east of the golf course,it was called Box Forest, but was known circa 1940 as Peachey-Kelly Town***,those two families consolidating many of Fawkner's Land Co-op.blocks. Stephen Peachey moved to a 6 acre farm at Tullamarine to run a dairy after swine fever broke out in the area (which never took on the school name coined by the district inspector: Westbreen.) Its present name honours Cr Rupert Hadfield of Broadmeadows Shire. Derby St, Tullamarine became known as Peachey's Lane.(Broadmeadows rates, Winnie Lewis, Olive Nash, Harry Heaps.)
*** Jim McKenzie's oral history in my KILTS AND COW DUNG FLATS.

Fawkner's crown allotment 140 of 569 acres was east of "La Rose" and bounded by Rose St, Bell St, Merri Creek and Reynard Rd. It is bisected by Munro and Harding Streets. The Hardings were prominent Coburg pioneers and I think their home was discussed by Richard Broome.

As the surname list has probably reached capacity,here endeth the lesson.


Question marks were used above when I wasn't 100% sure. Let's check.
The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957) Saturday 30 April 1927 p 34 Article
.... WILLS AND ESTATES Frederick John Morgan, of The Pines Pascoevale.

OOPS, it wasn't J.P.-The life and times of John Pascoe Fawkner / C.P. Billot
Billot, C. P. (Cecil Philip)[Book : 1985 ]

The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957) Saturday 1 February 1873 p 4 Family Notices
MURRAY.-On the 31st ult., at Balloan, Coburg, William Sutherland Fraser Murray (of the firm of Greig and Murray), in his fiftieth year. ... 218 words

It was Joseph English who bought Belle Vue in 1879,not John,who bought John Murray Peck's Lebanon at Strathmore and then had to claim title to Sir John Franklin's 12 acres that Peck had occupied for years.I couldn't find a notice about the purchase but this is interesting.

Students of the early history of Melbourne will be interested to know that the original house erected by the late Mr. John Pascoe Fawkner at Pascoevale, together with the modern mansion and 152 acres of Oak Park Estate nearest to the city, have been purchased by Dr. John Murphy, of Collins street;. The old house, which is built of wood, is in fairly good order, and will be preserved by Dr. Murphy. In the living-room, in which there are six doors, is an imported grate, probably one of the first brought to Victoria.
(ITEMS OF INTEREST. The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957) Friday 12 November 1920 p 4 Article.)

When I spoke to the owner in the early 1990's, he thought the English manor might have incorporated the original house. I wonder what the heritage study says. Fawkner's stables remain, converted into a house,next door.

The large estate of Belle Vue Park was sold following Fawkner's death. In 1880, the part of the Estate containing the homestead and stables was acquired by Joseph English who constructed a new two storey residence that replaced (or possibly modified) Fawkner's homestead. The estate has since been subdivided and the house still exists at 7 Oak Park Court.

Despite extensive research, it has not been possible to prove who built the stables at 9 Oak Park Court (Fawkner, English or someone else). However, it is possibly the only surviving remnant of Fawkner's original Belle Vue complex. It was converted to a residence in the post war period.