A BRIEF HISTORY OF ROSEBUD.
(Type WANNAEUE, COUNTY OF MORNINGTON into your search bar to see the parish map.
To see the map of the Rosebud/ Boneo area in 1855, copy Part of the Parish of Wannaeue near the Village Reserve of Dromana ... into your search bar.)

FOREWORD.
Apart from a brief bit about Rosebud's name, I've put the cart before the horse and dealt first with the area inland of the beach road now known as Rosebud (and a tad beyond) to get across the message that this area was either working farms (with a bit of lime quarrying from Boneo Rd to the west) or vacant land lost through mortgages that became wasteland suitable only for grazing whose occupancy can not be determined because properties were not described properly. By the time TERRY E.W. was elected to council in 1910, the Shire of Flinders and Kangerong was almost bankrupt and he tried to have properties described accurately so that changes of ownership (usually to financial institutions because of unpaid mortgages)could be tracked and rate notices sent out. His colleagues would not support him so he resigned in protest. It was not until about 1914 that rate collectors started trying to describe all properties. Much of the wasteland in Wannaeue and Fingal, south of Limestone Road, was bought for a song from the financial institutions by James Little Brown who soaked up some wonderful stories told by Robert Rowley, such as NO GOOD DAMPER

Some working farms' homesteads in today's Rosebud, that could indicate that the original Rosebud was the fishing village, have been demolished. REMAINING are John Cain's "Midway" just south of Bunnings. Wahgunyah, atop Menstry's Hill in Mitchell St, Eastbourne in William Crescent in Rosebud West, Woyna House in Terry St, and Eleanora* in the Rosebud Hospital grounds. (Apart from the Wong-Shing Market between Johnson St and Eastbourne Rd, the only agriculture recorded on David Cairn's property is Bob Parr's statement that the 3-4 acre Eleanora grounds had a big orchard at the back. P.168, STORIES OF ROSEBUD WEST.)

DEMOLISHED with the blessing of council are:
Hindhope Villa, 50 First Avenue. History is our story and boy there are some great stories about this house but they'd lose their flavour if told in front of the massive apartments for which this 110+ year old house was demolished in 2017.
Jack Raper's Wannaeue Estate homestead on the east side of the Driveway into Olympic Park from Eastbourne Rd which Bart Rogers occupied when he managed the pine plantation where we now see the freeway extension and the northern part of the Rosebud Country Club. This was about the same age as Hindhope Village and was demolished in about 2010.

I've decided to leave the fishing village to last because I need to refute the Wikipedia entry about THE ROSEBUD which claims that the Rosebud's life did not end near Rosebud (Mt Martha and Mt Eliza being mentioned as its location!) and supply details about some of the fishermen and use of Rosebud regarding location BEFORE the Rosebud Fishing Village was alienated. (1870 re wannaeue village, 1867 hurricane-jack and elizabeth jones, bucher,1869 boxing match tragedy, registration of bucher births, fred vine by 1866, william johnston, Miss Hazledine's 1897 letter about the picnic at Cape Schanck etc.)


THE NAME.
It has been said that Rosebud was originally known as Banksia Point but when the schooner, Rosebud, was stranded in 1855, the location of the wreck was given as “between the White Cliff and Arthur's Seat, near the Heads, in May last.”(P.6, Argus, 29-11-1855.)
The coast between these two POINTS is a gradual curve, there is no mention of Banksia Point as an official name and any early fishermen would have referred to the coastal banksias as Honeysuckles.
The Rosebud had been owned by Edward Hobson but had been purchased by James Purves in about March 1855 and insured with 12 brokers for a total of 700 pounds.

THE PARISH.
Rosebud is within the parish of Wannaeue which included parts of three squatting runs: Arthurs Seat, Tootgarook and Boniyong.
Edward William Hobson originally occupied land on the north side of Arthurs Seat in 1837, calling it Canjeerung but in 1838 sent the Desailley boys to build some huts on the other side of the mountain. In 1841, Jamieson’s Special Survey, four square miles of the parish of Kangerong, had been sold by the Crown and by 1843 the Arthurs Seat Run was made available and taken up by Andrew McCrae.

Hobson is believed to have moved to the Tootgarook run before the Survey was purchased but only remained until 1843 when he and Maurice Meyrick of Boniyong moved to Gippsland, being replaced as lessees by George Smith (partner of Hobson’s mother) and John Barker, respectively. Smith left for California in about 1849, taking a young Boon-wurrung lad, Johnnie, with him. Before leaving, Smith transferred the coastal part of Tootgarook near McCrae to the Arthurs Seat run and the rest to Hobson who then transferred the lease to James Purves whose brother Peter ran Tootgarook Station until his death in 1860. Smith obviously returned because Johnnie died in 1851 and was buried by George McCrae near the lighthouse site not long before the Arthurs Seat Run was transferred to the Burrells.

The parish of Wannaeue extended east to Mornington-Flinders Rd near the Red Hill Consolidated School, south to Limestone Rd and west to Weeroona St Rye but the following information pertains only to the part of the parish between Anthony’s Nose and Truemans Rd, south to Browns Rd.

ARTHURS SEAT PRE-EMPTIVE RIGHT.
The Arthurs Seat Run was poor grazing country and the Burrells were looking to sell it before long. They probably made as much money from timber as they did from cattle. The pre-emptive right was bought in two parts. The part of crown allotment 1, section B, Wannaeue between the Cape Schanck Road and the foreshore was retained by the Burrells and the related Coburn family of “Springbank” with the Bartels and Cornell families also being early residents of what became known as Dromana West until CONFUSION OF NAMES caused the area to be named McCrae.

Crown allotment 2 section B south of the junction of The Avenue and Cape Schanck Rd, was leased or sold to such as George Burston of Fitzroy who was the occupant of 368 acres of the P.R. by 1919.

The Burrell wing of the McCrae Homestead has much information about the Burrells and their relatives, including John Twycross, grantee of c/a 12, Rosebud Fishing Village, whose beautiful watercolour paintings and pioneering photography can be inspected. It is because of an environmentally conscious member of the Burrell family that the McCrae section of the foreshore remains so beautiful today.

Section 20, WANNAEUE VILLAGE.
Apart from its poor grazing capacity, Georgiana’s McCrae’s fear that her homestead block would be swallowed by the proposed Dromana Township with a two mile frontage to the Bay was responsible for Andrew’s decision to sell the lease to the Burrells. The 185 chain (3.7 km) frontage between McCulloch St, Dromana and The Avenue, McCrae, did not interfere with the homestead block and included the P.R. between Dromana Township and the Wannaeue Village Reserve.

As the Government wanted to ensure demand for township blocks exceeded supply, in order to get the best price possible for them, they decided to reserve the Wannaeue Village site where the water was too shallow for a pier, until the demand became apparent, and so that it earned money for the Government coffers until such time, they apparently leased the village site to Captain Henry Everest Adams.

In much the same way that the story about Rosebud being originally called Banksia Point originated, Captain Adams’ lease became a 750 acre grant in the family folklore (as well as his being the illegitimate son of Lord Vivian and marrying Miss May in England!)

Wannaeue Village, between The Avenue and the line of Parkmore Rd, was not alienated until the 1870’s, with the Adams family snapping up all the land on the west side of Wattle Rd (now Wattle Place),being the grounds of Hopetoun House, and all the land between South Rd and the Cape Schanck Road.

CROWN ALLOTMENT 19, NO SECTION.
This 191 acre allotment was withdrawn after it had been included in an advertisement of crown land available for selection.(P. 6,The Age, 22-9-1855.) Nothing has been discovered about the grantee, Isaac White, except for an indenture between Captain Adams and Isaac concerning a property in the parish of South Melbourne in which Isaac expressed his affection for the Captain's wife. I believe that because he was already leasing the Wannaeue Village reserve, he would not have been allowed to select c/a 19 and Isaac did so acting as a dummy for him. By the first assessment in 1864, Henry Everest Adams was rated on the property, extending his occupancy east to the line of Adams Avenue. it was used for the Vivyan Vinyard and orchards. The Captain was retiring in 1877 after 20 years residency in the area and was selling properties near the Arthurs Seat summit as well as c/a 19 Wannaeue. The comfortable house was near Wattle Rd on c/a 20; the frontage of c/a 19 was only 32 chains or 640 metres so the stated frontage of nearly half a mile included the frontage east of Parkmore Rd to Wattle Rd.

"That valuable farm, containing 191 acres, subdivided into seven paddocks, partly laid down in English grasses, substantially fenced with post, rail, and wire, and having a bay frontage of nearly half a mile ; orchard*, garden, and vine-yard containing 2000 vines all in full bearing, with a comfortable weatherboard house containing 10 rooms, outhouses, &c..; brick tank holding 4000 gallons. Crops to be removed or taken
at a valuation." (P.3, Argus, 10-3-1877.)
* 600 fruit trees as specified by Henry's widow, Eliza, in 1881.(P.4, The Age, 15-12-1881.)

Such farming requires good drainage and the 191 acre property was flooded during the HOBSON FLAT DRAINAGE dispute of 1904, causing much animosity between Back Road Bob Cairns and Robert Henry Adams.
(P.5, Mornington Standard, 6-8-1904.)

CROWN ALLOTMENT 18.
Granted to G.H.Warren, this land of 152.6 acres was between the line of Adams Avenue and Jetty Rd, backing onto the government (Eastbourne) road east to its junction with the Cape Schanck road. Warren still owned the land in 1865 and had apparently leased the 152 acres to a Mr Parr in 1864. It was later sold to Charles Blakey, poundkeeper of Somerton, some time before 1871 when Blakey had sold lot 86, 2 acres on its north west corner to Jack Jones who was obviously a local fisherman and bought crown allotment 6 of the Rosebud Fishing Village on 16-8-1872.

Blakey had died by 1874 when his executors advertised the sale of land at Broadford and Wannaeue, noting that lot 86 (as revealed in a memorial in Harvey Marshall's scrapbook recording a loan that Captain Henry Everest Adams had given to William Edwards) had been sold. Blakey had made no improvements to the land and obviously the grantee hadn't either.

"Lot 2.-Portion l8, parish of Wannaeue, county of Mornington, containing 152a. 2r. 16p. No improvements.
Both these properties are moderately timbered. The Broadford land is on Sunday-creek, near the township and railway station. The Wannaeue land fronts the bay, and is sold subject to a piece 60 x 330, fronting the beach-road, being taken out of it, having been previously sold." (P.3, Argus, 18-2-1874.)

In 1875, Robert White (1804-1881), grantee of c/a 11 Rosebud Fishing Village in 1873, was assessed on the land. The only child of Henry White and Margaret, nee Cairns, he was the father of Henry Bucher's wife Ann. It has been noted that Ann was from Clackmannan, Scotland as were the Cairns brothers of Boneo. Robert came out on the John Linn in 1859, nearly a decade after the death of his wife, with his three surviving children, Janet b.1839, Ann B. 1842 and Robert b.1849. They may have gone straight to Little Scotland at Boneo where he was recorded as renting a hut from the Cairns brothers in the first assessment, of 1864. On 26-7-1877, Robert Junior married Margaret Hillis and in the same year he took over the ownership of the 150 acre farm. On 25-4-1881, his father died, his place of death in Rosebud given as Menstry Hill after the small Scottish village (near Clackmannan) where he was born. (All details from PIONEERS OF THE PENINSULA by Stephen Lynch.)

On 4-7-1888 Robert Jnr's wife Margaret, suffering from melancholia, was committed to the Kew Asylum where she died before the end of the year and Robert sold the property in September, moving to the 27 acre "Glenferrie" on the north corner of White Hill and McIlroys Rds at Red Hill where Robert acquired the nickname of Blooming Bob White to distinguish him from his sister Janet's son Robert. Here his children could be cared for by Hadassah Hillis who married Blooming Bob in 1899. Robert had forgotten to mention lot 86 when he sold the 150 acre farm to the Lake Brothers in September and in 1889, the buyers tried unsuccessfully to evict Jack Jones (who had built a store on the FJ's site in about 1884-5.)
LAKE V JONES.
LAW REPORT. SUPREME COURT. EQUITY COURT. FRIDAY, SEPT. 13. (Before His Honour Mr. Justice A'Beckett.) LAKE V. JONES.
The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957) Wednesday 18 September 1889 p 11 Article

The sale fell through and the 150 acre farm was owned by woolclasser Thomas Bamford and then the Pottons. The rest of the story of this farm can be read in the HENRY POTTON'S FARM chapter of Peter Wilson's ON THE ROAD TO ROSEBUD. De Garis, who bought the farm to subdivide it as the Heart of Rosebud Estate, lived at 19 Mitchell St (located on a sudden rise which probably made Robert White senior think of Menstry Hill for a name) which he called Wahgunyah. De Garis committed suicide twice!

CROWN ALLOTMENT 17.
This was a working farm in early days.
"129 acres superior agricultural land, having a large frontage to Hobson's Bay, and described in the Government plan as having water at a short distance from the surface , together with a neat cottage containing four rooms and a garden, fruit trees, fenced in. (P.2, Argus, 4-3-1857.)

By the second Kangerong Road Board assessment of 5-9-1865, "Woolcott" was assessed on 129 acres, Wannaeue. In 1879, Woolcote was assessed on squiggle acres! Despite such helpful detailed rate records, subsequent research indicates that the following was the man from whom George and Susan Peatey bought the 2 acre lot 76 of Woolcott's subdivision on the south corner of Jetty Rd and McDowell St in 1878, occupying it in 1888 when they had repaid Nelson Rudduck's loan. (PINE TREES AND BOX THORNS, Rosalind Peatey.)

EventDeath Event registration number2040 Registration year1904
Personal information
Family nameWOOLCOTT Given namesRichd Robt SexUnknown Father's nameWoolcott Wm Mother's nameElizth Ann Way (Spark) Place of birth Place of deathMvern Age68

At the height of the land boom when Jack Jones' store across Jetty Rd was probably still the only store on the inland side of the beach road west of Peatey's Creek, Woolcott made a determined effort to dispose of the many unsold blocks on his estate. Louis Anderson may have bought lot 41 at that time on which he ran Rosebud's first proper post office 1891-7.

"ROSEBUD BAY
That picturesque neighbourhood a little to the south of Dromana on the main road to Sorrento. The remaining unsold lots in the estate of R.R. Woolcott Esq, being part of portion 17 parish of Wannaeue each lot having an
area of 1 1/4 acre and upwards. A new Jetty, state school, and other Improvements have recently been added to the attractions of this place, which must ultimately become one of the most popular of our suburban watering
places." (P.2, Argus, 27-1-1888.)

He may have had more success if he'd promoted a Gumbuyah Park type of water-play park where children could row boats on the Rosebud Lagoon without them getting out of their depth or being swept out through the heads!

In 1910, "Vale", agent, Melbourne was assessed on 84+ 84 acres 17 Wannaeue. Something wrong there as c/a 17 only consisted of 129 acres. The other 84 acres may have been in the Clacton on Sea estate. In 34 years or so, Woolcott had only sold about 45 acres! W.F.Vale had divided the 84 acres remaining into 300 lots.

Extracts from the huge advertisement on P.21, Argus, 9-1-1909.
"ROSEBUD,NEAR DROMANA. 300 SEASIDE LOTS AT TWO POUNDS EACH.
IN SAME ESTATE AS THE ROSEBUD POST-OFFICE AND SCHOOL.
ONLY 10/ DEPOSIT EACH LOT.
BALANCE 5/ MONTHLY, WITHOUT INTEREST.
No reservation as to taking adjoining blocks. Adjoining part of Clacton-on-Sea, but being portion of the block closer to Dromana. 50ft. frontages.----- NOTE the nearness of our Lots to Post Office,Jetty, Beach, Mechanics' Institute, and the homes of the residents of the Township. Take a walk along Foreshore, and notice the particularly safe sandy Beach, beautiful clear water, perfect bathing, and play-ground for children.---- CALL AT ONCE FOR PLAN AT W. F. VALE & CO.,"

CROWN ALLOTMENTS 16 AND 15.
By 1864, Hugh Glass owned 231 acres without encumbrance according to the Kangerong Road District’s first assessment. This land could only have consisted of his grant, c/a 14, and c/a 16 of 115 acres granted to H. Stratford and J. Ridgway in mid 1856. The beach road frontage of c/a 16 was 2040 links which confirms my conclusion made in 2010 based only on its acreage. Most likely the grantees were speculators and had become insolvent. It was probably at this auction in 1859 that Hugh Glass had bought c/a 16 from the mortgagees.
“All that piece or parcel of land, in the colony of Victoria, containing by admeasurement 115 Acres, be the same more or less, situated in the County of Mornington, Parish of Wannaeue, Portion 16,” The northern boundary was 20 chains 40 links (405 metres), 2040 links as stated on the parish map and the southern boundary (on today’s Eastbourne Rd) was 18 chains 90 links or 1890 links as on the parish map. (P.2, Argus, 24-10-1859, column 5, item 6.)
By 1871, Glass had become insolvent because of scab in his numerous flocks and the huge expense of building the palatial Flemington House west of Kent St Ascot Vale. His grant, c/a 14, was split up into lots of 29, 29, 20, 20 and 16 acres and because properties were never described properly in rate records until about 1914, c/a’s 16 and 15 as well as one 29 acre lot that became part of Hindhope would have been owned by financial institutions who occasionally managed to find a tenant, such as Ned Williams who in one year was assessed on 1500 acres, Wannaeue.
No doubt the promoters of the Clacton-on-Sea Estate in 1909 had picked up c/a’s 15 and 16 dirt cheap and despite their prizes for jingles on the radio and lucky steamer tickets the subdivision was not a raging success; in fact there was much criticism. Many buyers forfeited their blocks due to unpaid rates and the southern part of the estate was virtually a ti tree tangle until the Shire acted in the 1980’s as described in PETER Wilson’s ON THE ROAD TO ROSEBUD.

CROWN ALLOTMENT 14.
Consisting of 116 acres 3 roods 38 perches (116.9875 acres)and bounded by the Beach road, First Avenue, Eastbourne Rd and Boneo Rd, this was granted to Hugh Glass who became insolvent as discussed under c/a 16. Crown allotment 14 was divided into northern portions of 29 acres,one of which became Randall's HINDHOPE, the other having been forfeited to an investment company, being added to Hindhope by Eleanor Rigg on 4-9-1909; the southern half was divided into portion of 20, 20 and 16 acres which were eventually consolidated by Ramsey and Nora Couper, to form a farm called The Thicket. Their daughter married a son of William Jamieson, grantee of crown allotment 14 Rosebud fishing village not long before the Coupers moved to Box Hill and were replaced by Alf Rawlings. Alf, who died in 1922 aged 81, was the last owner of The Thicket which Keith McGregor leased for a year or two while he established a motor passenger service in about 1920 before Keith and his brother moved to the Stawell area to take up wheat growing. Keith sold the licence for his passenger service to his brother in law Billy Adams, a descendant of Captain Adams.

Hindhope was bought on 23-10-1914 by developer Arthur Alfred Thomas who had instructed his surveyor to name the northern boundary of section A after John McComb a Carrum/Seaford farmer who was the last man to farm Hindhope but he labelled it McCombe St. At least he got the spelling of Thomas St right! A huge portion of Hindhope, 14 acres including the Rosebud Plaza site was purchased by Alexander Mackie Younger's first wife, an expert riflewoman who managed to shoot herself just after doing so, according to the only witness, her husband!

The subdivision of The Thicket commenced in 1927, the Rosebud Park Estate being praised for its innovative curved streets such as Warranilla Avenue. Both farms were certainly working farms.

CROWN ALLOTMENT 13.
This 128 acres included a 5 acre block at what became known as Martin's Corner and was bounded by Eastbourne, Boneo and Point Nepean roads, extending west almost to the Chinaman's Creek drain. Edward Hobson established a kiln there when he moved from Kangerong and it might have been the one on the corner of Braidwood Rd and Whitehead Grove mentioned by the late Bob Parr. Limeburning seems to have continued on the property until David and William Cairns sons of Alex Cairns and Janet , nee DALGLEISH, bought the property from the MARKS estate in 1906. Mal Cairns discovered a buried limeburner's crowbar when he and other shire workers were making Mirriam Avenue. David Cairns built and later donated, Eleanora, the heritage-listed house within the hospital grounds.The Wong market garden, which gave Chinamans Creek its name, eventually extended the length of Johnson St, named after the man who subdivided it as the BEACH GARDEN ESTATE.
See much more detail in Bettyanne Foster's STORIES OF ROSEBUD WEST.

CROWN ALLOTMENT 53, THE WOODTHORPE ESTATE.
This was granted to William Allison Blair but little detail of its use has been found. Mrs Alice Fielding, who subdivided the Woodthorpe estate, part of c/a 53, is believed to have been a descendant of Blair. As lime was being quarried on c/a 13 east across Chinaman's Creek, there may have been deposits here too.
See much detail in Bettyanne Foster's STORIES OF ROSEBUD WEST.

CROWN ALLOTMENTS 51, 49, 45 between Elizabeth Avenue and Truemans Rd. THE WOYNA ESTATE.
This 419 acre property was granted to lime merchant, William Allison Blair, who presumably had the intention of extracting lime. John Lovie's grants south across Hiscock Rd were used for agriculture, with 89 acres ploughed when his mortgagee put that property up for sale but it was said to have inexhaustible supplies of lime, and I have seen no reference to lime quarrying on Eastbourne (although the lime for the Eastbourne homestead might have been quarried on site.) Blair also received the grant for c/a 7 between Boneo Rd and the southern half of Eastbourne which might have had lime deposits. The lime merchant also bought land on the southern slopes of Arthurs Seat*, an area noted for its GREEN HILLS, this descriptive term being used as a farm name by Professor Hearn of Heronswood and James Purves, son of Peter. This land was definitely bought for speculative purposes.

* Saturday, 9th November,
At Two o'clock.
At the Hotel, DROMANA,
DROMANA.
SUBDIVISIONAL SALE Of 611 ACRES at DROMANA.
T. R. B. MORTON and SON (throughJ. L. Parkes, one of their auctioneers) will SELL as above,
All those portions of Land being Crown Allotments 12 a and b and 11 a and b, parish of Wannaeue,county of Mornington, containing 611 acres I rood 8 perches, situated about 4 miles from Dromana, 4 1/2 miles from Rosebud, and 12 miles from Bittern and the new Naval Base. This property, which is known locally as "Blair's," has extensive frontages to go the Splitter's Creek and Purves roads.etc. (P.2, Mornington Standard, 2-11-1912.)

Wannaeue pioneers had long memories and although they'd probably only seen William Allison Blair a couple of times, they remembered this had been his land before he became insolvent before his death at Maidstone,the site of the Medway Golf Course Netherlea in Buckley St,Essendon probably having been sequestered. Although most of Blair's involvement was in the parish of Nepean, WANNAEUE, A MYSTERY TO MOST PEOPLE, had special significance to William Allison Blair's son, William Allison Blair. That's why almost every result on trove for "BLAIR, WANNAEUE concerns a house in Pascoe Vale. It stood on the site of the Red Rooster in Melway 16 G9 until it was illegally demolished without a permit. Heritage studies wrongly claim that John Murray Peck built this house before he owned the Lebanon Estate. I believe it was built in about 1887 as a wedding present for Peck's daughter, Minnie Waters Peck.

BLAIR— PECK.— On the 12th inst., at St John's Church, Essendon, by the Rev. Alexander Stewart,M. A., William Allison, elder son of W. A. Blair, of NETHERLEA, Essendon, to Minnie Waters, younger daughter of. J.M. Peck, of Lebanon, Pascoevale. (P.2, The Herald, 26-4-1888.)

MY HISTORY RAT RUN.
As I have no evidence regarding land use west of Chinamans Creek drain, I'll tell you why I need my Rat Run. As c/a's 13, and 53 on the beach side of Eastbourne Rd and c/a's 12 and 52 do not provide any other through road, I have to ride my bike west on Eastbourne Rd, which banks up at Elizabeth Avenue. However, a left turn into Terry St takes me away from the traffic so I can appreciate Woyna House and recall the workman who died there, it having the only telephone in Rosebud for quite some time, and how it was used as a boarding house for G.W.Hiscock's Cicada Fertiliser workers in the 1920. A left and right into Woyna Avenue takes me to the now demolished Caravan Park, which with the motel site were probably the grounds of the fertiliser factory to which a tramway (shown in old editions of Broadbent's directory) carried peat along the east side of Truemans Rd from the swamp. Hiscock also had plans to erect a tramway along the foreshore to the Rosebud jetty.. I don't think the pioneers who decided to call the area west of Rosebud EASTBOURNE in 1926* would have supported that proposal!

*EASTBOURNE
At a public meeting held at Eastbourne a committee of management, consisting of Messrs D Cairns, W. Chatfield, F Luscombe, and W.Truman, was formed to take over control of portion of the foreshore between Rye and Rosebud. It was decided to name the locality Eastbourne.(P.15, Argus, 23-6-1926.)
These pioneers had a sense of history (and geography!)and would have laughed at any suggestion of calling that area of LAND after a deep hole in Port Phillip, and may have had in mind the ailing 90 year old Ned Williams of Eastbourne, a colonist of over 70 years who died less than five months later on November 12th. He married Mary Campbell, who'd come out in 1852 with Robert Cairns and was working as a servant for the Burrells at Arthurs Seat.
EventMarriage Event registration number1263 Registration year1855
Personal information
Family nameWILLIAMS Given namesEdward SexMale Spouse's family nameCAMPBELL Spouse's given namesMary

With a left into Truemans Rd and a left into Wilkinson, I recall that Vale, who'd taken over most of Woolcott's subdivision on c/a 17, had auctioned Stenniken's c/a 48 in about 1920. As in every other subdivision, blocks opposite the foreshore would have sold first and one of the early buildings was Birkdale House which almost resulted in today's Tootgarook being named Birkdale. This was one of the stops for Whitaker's tourist buses from the city.
The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957) Friday 4 November 1938 p 16 Advertising
... DROMANA Rosebud, Birkdale, Rye leave Whlght's, 110 Flinders st.

Ron Doig's father bought the eastern half of James Trueman's grants just south of c/a 48 and having married a Rowley girl could not avoid immersion in the area's history. He was responsible in having the historic name, Tootgarook used as the suburb name.

I knew that Burdett St was named after Godfrey Burdett Wilson (or his mother Thamer, nee Burdett) but hadn't given a thought to the origin of the name of my rat run through c/a 48 until I stumbled on this. I'll probably think of it as Annie Wilkinson St, next time I ride along it. Her husband* had probably snapped up the land behind the seaside blocks for a song.

TRANSFER OF LAND ACT 1928
Sec 79 - The Commissioner of Titles having so directed it is intended after fourteen clear days from this publication in The Argus to ISSUE to THE PERPETUAL EXECUTORS AND TRUSTEES ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED (executor of the will of ANNIE WILKINSON deceased) a NEW CERTIFICATE of TITLE to all that piece of land being the part of Crown Allot 48, Sec. A Parish of Wannaeue,County of Mornington described in Certificate of Title Vol 5778 Fol.1115414 in lieu of that certificate the duplicate of such having, as is alleged, been lost.
(P.13, Argus, 31-10-1952.)

Annie died in 1952, and her husband, named as William in the obituary of the former nurse*,died in 1954.
PASSED AWAY
MR. WILIAM WILKINSON
Residents of Sale learned with deep regret on Monday that Mr. William A. Wilkinson had passed away suddenly at his residence, 13 Macarthur street. The deceased, who was aged 63 years, had been employed for many years
by the Victorian Railway Department and he gradulated from a fireman to an engine driver. His pleasant manner
and his interest in affairs in Sale made him many friends. His wife predeceased him not long ago, and there is one son, Billy, to whom deep sympathy is extended. He was a member of the 1st A.I.F. and at his funeral the Returned Soldiers conducted a service after Dean Alexander had performed the burial service.
(P.1, The Gippsland Times, 25-11-1954.)
* EventDeath Event registration number23890 Registration year1952
Personal information
Family nameWILKINSON Given namesAnnie Mabel SexFemale Father's nameJEFFRIES Robert Mother's nameUnknown (Unknown) Place of birthBAIRNSDALE Place of deathSALE Age51



SEE MY JOURNAL re the Woyna name:
WOYNA AVENUE (ROSEBUD WEST, VIC., AUST.), A NOBLE NAME ...
www.familytreecircles.com/woyna-avenue-rosebud-west-vic-aust-a-noble-name-5991.


CROWN ALLOTMENTS 8-11, WANNAEUE STATION/ WANNAEUE ESTATE.
In 1859, James Sandle Ford of Portsea and Peter Purves organised a dodgy petition opposing the building of a fence from White Cliff to the Back Beach. The fence was proposed to stop bullocks grazing on the police paddock, the offending owners being these two gentlemen. James Ford looked to Boneo Rd and beyond to extend his grazing opportunities. Peter Purves wealthy (brother?) James also bought land between Wannaeue Station and Little Scotland as well as c/a's 12 and 4 on the west side of Boneo Rd but whether this was for grazing or lime is uncertain.

Henry Reynold's bought c/a 11, the northernmost 166 a 3 r. 10 p. of Wannaeue Station, in June 1856 This fronted today's Eastbourne Rd from Boneo Rd to Jetty Rd, and extended south 2025 links to a line indicated precisely by the Besgrove St corner. James Ford received the grants for c/a's 10 (166 a 2 r. 34 p), 9 (166 a 2 r 18 p) and 8 (161a 1r 0p.) The southern boundary was a never-made eastern extension (to the Tudor Caravan Park Site) of a government road called Hiscock Rd near Truemans Rd. This road, the southern boundary of the original part of the Rosebud Country Club, was just south of the Drum Drum Alloc Creek. In the first assessment of 1864, James Ford Junior was assessed on 720 acres and house in the Wannaeue Division. In 1879, William Ford was assessed on 780 acres. It will never be determined whether the rate collectors were bad adders (no not snakes!)or some other parcel of land was bundled with the 661 acres 1 rood 22 perches of the Wannaeue Estate. In 1900 this farm of more than a square mile had apparently disappeared from the face of the earth. In 1910-11 John L.Fulton, farmer, Rosebud was assessed on 650 acres and building, 8 & 11, Wannaeue.

In 1919-20, John R. Raper was assessed on 660 acres and buildings, c/a's 8,9,10, 11, section A. Wannaeue.

In about 1900 the eastern end of Eastbourne Rd was still known as Ford's Lane. In the 1940's it was officially called Government Road but to locals such as Bill Dryden, it was Roper's Lane.

William Ford's death was not caused by a disease and according to the death notice, he was 38, not 48.

DEATH.
FORD.— On the 20th August, at his residence, William B., second son of James Ford, of Portsea, aged 38 years.
(P.2, The Herald, 27-8-1884.)


SUICIDE OF MR. FORD AT PORTSEA,
By Electric Telegraph,
FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.
SORRENTO, Thursday.
Inquiries made respecting the death on Wednesday evening of Mr. William B. Ford,landlord of the Nepean Hotel, Portsea, and councillor of the shire of Flinders, have elicited the fact that the deceased committed
suicide by cutting his throat. He was missed from his room by his wife, and, upon search being made, she found him lying face downwards on the floor, with his throat cut, and quite dead. The police immediately took charge, and a magisterial inquiry will be held tomorrow. The sad event has cast quite a gloom over the district. Troubles of a pecuniary nature are supposed to have been the cause of the rash act.(P.5, The Age, 22-8-1884.)

Extracts from my Shire of Flinders journal.
FORD William B. 1875-83.
William was born in 1846, the eldest son of James Sandle Ford and Hannah, the daughter of Dennis Sullivan.
William was the first chairman of the Kangerong Road Board so his involvement in municipal affairs was much longer than it seemed, if Charles Hollinshed has not made a mistake*. As he died at about 48, he might have had a disease that caused retirement as a councillor.(NO!) He was buried at Quarantine where his mother's family had its lime kiln and house until 1852.(LLL 121.)

*There is little information about the members of the first Kangerong Road board. Charles Hollinshed could only presume that the board was elected at the first meeting to form it at Peter Nowlan's house. No member of the Ford family was among the six who stood for the three seats at the election. As I try to make sense of what I write, I had doubts about William Ford not only being elected at the age of about 17, but being elected chairman of the road board. It seems that the board took a while to get into action, as happened earlier with the Mt Eliza and later with Flinders. So a notice was inserted by Robert Anderson of Barragunda in December, 1864.
KANGERONG ROAD BOARD.-Notice Is hereby given, that an ELECTION for two MEMBERS of tho Kangerong Road Board will take place on Saturday,-December 3, at tho office of tho Board, Dromana, and that the following gentlemen have been duly nominated in accordance with tho provisions of tho Local Government Act:-Robert Caldwell, John Creighton, (sic, Crichton) and James Ford, Jun. ,Esqrs. Poll to open at 8 a.m., and close at 4 p.m.
ROBERT ANDERSON, Returning Officer. Road Board Office, Dromana, Nov. 26,1864. (P.8, Argus, 1-12-1864.)

The Ford genealogy in LIME LAND LEISURE does not mention James Sandle Ford having a son named James, only William and Alfred. Is this wrong or did Anderson make a blue? The 1864 rates list Edward Ford, leasing a house and 6 acres,and a shop (at Boneo) from John Barker,James Ford a 5 roomed house and 720 acres (the Wannaeue Estate), James Ford Jnr 260 acres at Eaton Hill**, and Joseph Ford a hut and 272 acres, all in the Wannaeue Division(east of Government Rd, Rye.) It looks as if the memory of Charles Hollinshed's informants slipped a gear!

** The 260 acres at Eaton Hill(13A and B, Wannaeue) was at Melway 171 B-F 9 and the top half of B-F 10, with Davos St indicating the north east corner and Gardens Rd the western boundary.The name of Eaton Hill came about because of Watson Eaton's 150 acre selection at 190 D1; the untrained doctor would have made many trips up and down the hill to attend patients living to the south before his death resulting from a fall in 1877.

James Ford Jnr lost the above election but gained a seat anyhow. It seems certain that the teenaged William Ford was not the first Chairman of the Kangerong Road Board but it seems that an older brother was a member.

KANGERONG DISTRICT ROAD BOARD.
I horeby declare Messrs. R. WATKIN and G. M'LEAR elected members of this board without opposition; and I further declare Mr.JAMES FORD, Jun.*, ELECTED a member of this board without opposition, to fill the extraordinary vacancy caused by the forfeiture of Mr. Caldwell's seat from non-attendance.
JAMES PURVES, Returning Officer. Road Board Office, Dromana, August 9,1866.
(P.8, Argus, 11-8-1866.)

* This would be the birth record of James Ford Junior.
EventBirth Event registration number36370 Registration year1842
Personal information
Family nameFORD Given namesJames SexMale Father's nameFORD James Mother's nameHonora (Sullivan) Place of birthMERRI CREEK

William Ford was 38, not 48, when he died.
EventBirth Event registration number39423 Registration year1846
Personal information
Family nameFORD Given namesWilliam SexMale Father's nameFORD James Mother's nameHannah (Sullivan) Place of birthPOINT NEPEAN

At this time (circa 1880) William owned and resided on the Wannaeue Estate between Rosebud and Boneo, consisting of 661 acres 1 rood and 22 perches, being crown allotments 8-11, section A, Wannaeue. As a returning officer for the West Riding he was to be contacted there (advertisements.) The estate was bounded by Eastbourne Rd, Jetty Rd (and 400 metres of Old Cape Schanck Rd), an unmade government road which ran between the south end of the Rosebud Country Club's frontages to Boneo and Old Cape Schanck Rds(jokingly called Hiscock Rd west of Boneo Rd), and Boneo Rd on the west. The 167 acres (nearly) between Eastbourne Rd and Besgrove St was granted to Henry Reynolds and the rest to James Ford. (See Melway map 171.) See RAPER for more details of the Wannaeue Estate.

While a councillor and living on Wannaeue Station, William Ford had a famous cook! I was reminded of this while watching "High Tide", a history of the British navy.
It is not generally known says the Argus, Melbourne, of the 19th, that one of those who took part in the celebrated naval duel in 1813 between the English frigate Shannon, 36 guns, and the American frigate Chesapeake, 50 guns, is living in the colony in hale and heartv health. His name is Thomas Salmon, and he will be 8O years of age next month. He is employed as cook on the station of Mr. Ford, at Wannaeue, between Rye and Dromana. He appears to be likely to do a good day's work for several years to come, and is only too willing to relate the particulars of the naval confliction in which he was concerned. He narrates with great gusto the fact that it only took them in the Shannon 30 minutes to polish off the Chesapeake ; and speaks with some pride of the circumstance that Captain Broke, of the Shannon, and his first lieutenant, were the first to cut their way through the boarding nettings on to the Chesapeake's deck, when the boatswain piped "boarders away." The old man has a most thorough contempt for the present style of ironclad men-of-war, which he refers to as
"iron pots." The old salt is a "character," and is always ready to spin a yarn relative to his adventures afloat or in the bush. (P.11, The Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser,24-2-1877.)

RAPER John. 1933-38. John Raper owned the Wannaeue Estate, whose location is described in detail in the entry for William Ford. Eastbourne Rd (which would have been Federanium Rd if S.S.Crispo's plans for the Federal capital had been accepted)was known to oldtimers as Raper's Lane. The strange thing is that the late Ray Cairns pronounced the surname as Roper; perhaps this was an attempt, like Purves being pronounced as Purvis, to deflect corny jokes about the name.

The history of the Rosebud Country Club, Birdies and Bogies, available in the local history room of the Rosebud library, seems to indicate why John R.Raper (as he is called in the 1919-20 rate records) finished his term in 1938. At a committee meeting on 9-0-1961, T.W.Maw (i.e. Maw Civil)and C.R.Coleman (after whom a street and park near Boneo Rd were named)were appointed to (make a decision on which of the three sites to choose.) They recommended the present site. The site selected was part of a property bounded by (as in the Ford entry.) "It was formerly owned by a Mr Jack Rapir (sic) and purchased by Forestry, Pulp and Paper in 1938 for development as a pine plantation.Shortly after Christmas 1958, a fire swept through 300 acres of the pine forest etc. The land was zoned as "Rural" with the residential zoning ending at Eastbourne Rd.
There were plans to develop a residential area on 30 acres if the land could be rezoned with the 120-150 blocks selling at about 500 pounds each. Try buying them for $1000 today!

DROMANA-A deputation of women to the Flinders Shire Council resulted in a decision to establish a Baby Health Centre for the shire. The work will be proceeded with as soon as permission is granted by the health authorities-Councillor Raper has tendered his resignation from the Flinders Shire Council.
(P.12,Argus, 10-8-1938.)

CROWN ALLOTMENTS 52 AND 44, NAXOS FARM/ EASTBOURNE/ FEDERANIUM.
Sidney Smith Crispo was granted this 282 acre property in 1871 and until I discovered the following amazing article, I had assumed that he had always called it Eastbourne.
Supposed Earthquake at Dromana.
Mr. S. S. Crispe, of Nasce's farm, Mount Rosebud, West Dromana, writes under date 19th November : — "On Saturday night last, about half-past 11 o'clock. I felt what I believe to have been an earthquake ; the motion was from N.E. to S.W., and it was accompanied by a low, rumbling sound. I fancy the motion was along the hills known as Mount Eliza, Martha, and Arthur's Seat,
which are all of a volcanic nature." (P.7, Weekly Times, 24-11-1883.)

Sidney Smith Crispo called his farm, crown allotments 52 and 44 Wannaeue, "Naxos" between 1879 and 1884 and the first time he referred to it as "Eastbourne" was in 1888. The original name might have been used after 1884 but reported with incorrect spelling such as when it was described as being on Mt Rosebud in regard to an earthquake which Sidney had experienced.

As the surname would suggest, Crispo had Italian ancestry- way back. The island of Naxos, Greece was conquered by the Venetians and the Crispo dynasty lasted for 12 generations, so Sidney's choice of name would have been connected to that chain of islands rather than the colony of Naxos in Sicily.
The family later had three generations of tradition in the British Navy, with Sidney growing up in Canada where his father took a job as an administrator when reduced to half pay because peace had been declared. Sidney's campaign to have the Canadian model, (of amalgamating instead of federating), followed to form our nation led to his poem AMALGAMATE THE COLONIES.

Crispo’s frequent letters to the editor left no doubt that Eastbourne was a working farm and it continued so after his death in 1899 despite his desire to see it become the Federal capital.

FEDERATION.
WHAT OUGHT TO BE.
Mr S.S. Crispo, Eastbourne Rosebud writes to the President of the Shire of Flinders and Kangerong as follows:
Sir, I have the honor to request that the council will give bonuses for the destruction of foxes, and also request that the council will hand me a cheque for £1 5s 0d to repay me for the foxes among my fowls. Should the council decline to get the foxes destroyed I must appeal to the premier on the matter. I would call to the quantity of rubbish and sand left under the bridge near Eastbourne or Federanium as I have named the future federal city. I would congratulate the council on the excellent work done with the bridge, it is better than it was when first made.

I would mention that I wrote to the president of the convention advocating only one Parliament for all the Australian colonies, as besides many other advantages about half the combined incomes of the colonies could
be saved to make railways. I also suggested that as the jealousy was so great between the colonies as to the seat of Government a small place should be chosen as it was in Canada. They could not agree and the Queen was asked to decide. She chose the village of Bytown I believe then smaller than Dromana, it was renamed Ottowa and it answered admirably.

Finding my letter was not read aloud at the convention I wrote to Sir George Turner to ask Mr Kingston to do so. I received a letter to say Sir George Turner had asked Mr Kingston, but that he did not see his way to having it read aloud at the convention, perhaps my remark that I went in for one large iron pot to boil the potatoes and not a lot of tin pot parliaments. Had my letter been read aloud they may have feared the local parliaments would go by the name of Tin pot parliaments. On the 19th inst. I wrote to Sir George Turner and sent him a plan of a city for the federal Government and Parliament houses two miles long by one mile wide with low lands all round and gardens on every side. Streets 4 chains wide, to have trees and flower gardens in every street and tramways in every second street.

I chose this place (Eastbourne) as it has so much Water and much more could be obtained. It is also much cooler than Melbourne or Ballarat and is near to the summer resorts of Dromana, Rosebud, Rye, Sorrento, Portsea and Queenscliff, good fresh air and nice sea water etc. It also has plenty of room between Rye and Rosebud and towards Cape Schank. I have named the future capital of Australia 'Federanium.' The streets a mile and two miles long.
S. S. CRISPO (P.2, Mornington Standard, 5-5-1898.)

ROSEBUD FISHERMEN BEFORE 1872 WHEN THE ROSEBUD FISHING VILLAGE BLOCKS WERE FIRST SOLD.
Fred Vine was first mentioned in the area in 1866* as I remember, he having discovered a body on the beach. I've recorded the article somewhere very recently but can't find where and it will be difficult to rediscover the article because yet another spelling of his surname is used.

My mistake, it was 1867.
INQUESTS.
The Fatal Boat accident off Dromana — Mr. Candler held an inquest on Monday, at Dromana, on the body of Henry
Williams, one of the passengers in the steamtug Sophia. Frederick Varen , a fisherman, living at Rosebud,deposed to finding the body of deceased on Thursday, the 11th inst., between 8 and 2 a.m.?? The body was about a mile and a half below Rosebud, in the water, and partly covered with seaweed. He drew the body above high water mark, and gave information to Senior-constable O'Shannassy, who conveyed it to Dromana.(P.4, The Herald, 17-7-1867.)

Fred's death record.
EventDeath Event registration number9201 Registration year1925
Personal information
Family nameVEAN Given namesFrederick SexMale Father's nameUNKNOWN Mother's nameUnknown (Unknown) Place of birth Place of deathDromana Age100

Death notice of Fred's wife.
VINE.—On the 23rd April, 1920 (suddenly, in Mornington train. Mrs. Julia Josephine Vine, of Rosebud, beloved mother of Mary B. Stone(Rosebud) and George Robert Stone (Templemore, Ireland), faithful wife of Fred Vine (Rosebud), relict of late Timothy Robert Cormic Stone, of Loughmore, Tipperary; youngest daughter of Patrick and Mary Concannon. Mylelough Galway, aged 84 years. A colonist of 57 years. American, Irish, Indian, and Scotch papers please copy. Buried Dromana Cemetery, 25th April.(P.1, Argus, 29-4-1920.)

Fred's stepdaughter.
EventDeath Event registration number9200 Registration year1925
Personal information
Family nameSTONE Given namesMary Bridget SexFemale Father's nameSTONE Robert Mother's nameJulia (Concannon) Place of birth Place of deathDROMANA Age64




THE ROSEBUD LAGOON ON WOOLCOTT'S SUBDIVISION, DRAINED TO ALLOW THE CONSTRUCTION OF SPRAY ST.