Hello XXX,
Can you help, do you have any idea where the Shoreham creamery was, I believe it worked in conjunction with the Mornington butter factory?

Best Wishes
Val XXXXXX.

AROUND SHOREHAM. SOME PROPERTIES DESCRIBED.
(By Our Special Reporter.)
On the road from Flinders to the Bittern railway station, which is so much travelled by holiday makers in the summer season, the peaceful little valley on the banks of Stony Creek always attract considerable attention. For natural advantages this spot would be hard to beat, and the owners of the trim homesteads and rich well grassed farms in the vicinity have every reason to congratulate themselves. Here, in the vicinity of creeks which have never failed to provide a plentiful water supply throughout the longest drought on record, it is difficult to imagine the desolation and havoc which has existed in many parts of the State during the past season.

On the southern bank of the creek, and on the opposite side of the main road to the Shoreham creamery,
MR MICHAEL BYRNE
has about 151 acres of land. The thick sward of good grass which, on this and the adjoining properties, was little effected by the late spell of dry weather, would certainly be a feast to the eyes of a farmer from the northern parts of the State. Dairying occupies Mr Byrne's attention, and beyond growing the usual fodder crops he does not engage extensively in cultivation. A small paddock of rich deep chocolate soil some distance from the homestead yielded (on the estimate of several local farmers) nearly 3 tons of hay to the acre, which considering that the past season was counted one of the worst ever known in the district, can certainly be said to be a good crop.
Mr Byrne has also 136 acres detached from the homestead block.
MRS JAMES BYRNES.
On the other side of Stony Creek, Mrs James Byrne has about 310 acres (etc.) (P.4, Mornington Standard, 23-5-1903.)

Stony Creek is the boundary between the parishes of Balnarring (east) and Flinders (west.) The Merricks Station was at Melway 192 F9, so the road between Flinders and the station was that known as the Frankston-Flinders Rd which crosses Stony Creek at Melway 256 E8.

The Byrnes were granted much land east of Stony Creek but no grants consisted of, or totalled, nearly 151 acres, or could have been over the road from anything south of the creek.

The Flinders parish map shows that James Byrne was granted crown allotment 22 of section A, consisting of 151 acres 2 roods and 18 perches. Having a 581 metre frontage to Tucks Rd and extending east to Stony Creek it was at Melway 256 B-D, 6, and the top half of 7. The northern boundary went from the Tucks Rd bend in 256 B6 to the south west corner of the Guides' "Iluka" Camp.

Between this grant and Higgins Lane (the northern boundary of Martin Higgins' c/a 24) was Edmond Riley's c/a 23 with the "road to the station" in Melway 256 C 9 (part) and 8 (to the creek) being the southern two thirds of its eastern boundary and Stony Creek the northern third (to where the creek intersects the left side of E7.)

The correspondent was slightly out in his description because James Byrne's grant fell about 100 metres short of fronting the road to the station; he probably thought the fence divided paddocks rather than properties.

Bounded by the road to the station on the west (and thus across the road "to the station" from what the correspondent took to be Michael Byrne's land), Stony Creek on the north east (enabling the creamery to be correctly described as being south of the creek) and Higgins Lane east of the main road were crown allotments 8 and 9 (of the township of Balnarring.)

Crown allotment 8 of 2 acres 3 roods and 7 perches fronting the creek crossing was granted to E.Riley and c/a 9 of 4.3.30 fronting the north side of Higgins Lane was granted to M.Higgins,both grants being issued on 9-7-1869.

Thank goodness I used a magnifying glass to read the dates! The southern boundary of c/a 9 was not Higgins Lane but a line bearing e/n/e from the corner with c/a 9A between this and the lane, consisting of 1.3.10 and granted to J.Bayne on 19-9-1871. The Baynes had much land near Joseph Simpson's Seaview and when Shoreham Rd was realigned the old course was named after the family (Melway 191 A 6-8.)

The creamery operated from about 1898.
Mornington Standard (Vic. : 1889 - 1908) Saturday 14 May 1904 Edition: MORNING. p 2 Article
... the genial manager of the Shoreham creamery, afforded his friends in the district an opportunity of ... happy pair,- Mr M. Higgins, on behalf the suppliers of the creamery and other friends of M'r ... presentation, Mr Higgins remarked that about six -years ago, when the creamery was opened, the company could ... 421 words

The manager of the creamery, Joseph Turner, was the son of James Turner, a councillor of the Frankston and Hastings Shire, who is mentioned in my SARAH WILSON or GEORGE YOUNG journals (information from Petronella Wilson's GIVING DESTINY A HAND.) James was granted c/a 51 and 48 of the parish of Bittern (MELWAY 153 E-H 9-10) and his father c/a 29, 28AB and 27B on the part of Loders Rd now covered by the Devil Bend Reservoir.

In accordance with the description, it can be stated with fair certainty that the Shoreham Creamery was at the intersection of Melway 256, E8, E9, F8 and F9, on all or part of the land bounded by the Frankston -Flinders Rd, Stony Creek and Higgins Lane. This location is:
(a) (almost) across the road from Michael Byrne's grant of 151 acres;
(b) on the south bank of Stony Creek;
(c) across (west of) the creek from Mrs James Byrne's " about" 310 acres. Her land probably consisted of c/a 62, Balnarring granted to James Byrne, c/a 60 granted to Martin Byrne and 61A granted to J.Byrne, which, consisting of 134.3.8, 129.2.33 and 50.2.38, total 313 acres 0 roods 39 perches (about 310.)

P.S.1. There are no 136 acre crown allotments nearby in the parishes of Flinders and Balnarring so it is possible that Edmund Riley had subdivided c/a 23 and Edmund had bought part of it near the Stony Creek crossing which would explain the reporter's apparent error. It is also possible that he had bought some of Henry Tuck's Manton's Creek pre-emptive right.

2. It is possible that the reporter was not saying that the creamery was on the south bank of the creek but in this case he should have said that Michael Byrne's 151 acres were on the other side of the roadand the creek from the creamery.If that was what he meant,the creamery would have been on c/a 1-3 and 5-7 of the Balnarring Township granted to the Baynes and c/a 4 granted to William Allison Blair, a lime merchant who owned much land in the parishes of Wannaeue and Nepean. This part of the township was bounded by Byrne Rd on the north west, Prout Webb Rd and the creek.