Hi ---. Can you tell me where Main's quarry was? was there one? Where was Main's Bridge?

REPLY 1.
"Kerr's Almanac for 1841 lists Moonee Ponds* occupiers. They were ......., Patrick Main who built Main's bridge (later known as Flemington bridge) over Moonee Ponds Creek, ...... (P. 4, Andrew Lemon's THE STOPOVER THAT STAYED.)

*Moonee Ponds in early days meant anywhere near the creek but two historians have not understood this. In the same book, Lemon includes a lengthy passage about John Cochrane's Glenroy Farm (which was never in the City of Essendon area). In THE GOLD THE BLUE, a history of the Lowther Hall school, A.D.Pyke assumed that Peter McCracken's Stewarton was in the Moonee Ponds area but it was section 5, parish of Tullamarine, later renamed as Gladstone Park.

14-12-1849. Mains Bridge (Flemington) washed away. (Sam Merrifield notes.)
(From Bob Chalmers' THE ANNALS OF ESSENDON VOLUME 1, which Bob gave me in response to the donation of my EARLY LANDOWNERS: PARISH OF DOUTTA GALLA.)

The following comes from my EARLY LANDOWNERS. Section 12 Doutta Galla was bounded by Buckley Street west, then known as Braybrook road because it led to Solomon's Ford, from the Hoffmans Rd corner to the Rachelle Rd corner and a northern boundary indicated by an eastern extension of Clarks Rd, East Keilor including Farrell St in Melway 15 K11.

"SECTION 12 (East Keilor west of Rachelle Rd, Niddrie south of Farrell St.)
SECTION 12, MAIN’S ESTATE.
Bounded by Rachelle Rd., Buckley St., Hoffmans Rd. and the latitude of the north side of Farrell St., this was granted to James Patrick Main in 1846. He was probably Patrick who built the first bridge over the Moonee Ponds Creek at Flemington, still known as Main’s bridge after it had been swept away by floodwaters and rebuilt.
James P.Main, “ builder and settler, Moonee Ponds” in 1841 and 1847, may have been living on Main’s Estate. At the latter date, Thomas Anderson, dairyman, was on “Main’s Estate, Moonee Ponds”. I wonder if Thomas was related to James Anderson (a later occupant of Main’s Estate.)

SECTION 12 TITLE INFORMATION.
THE GRANT.
A COPY OF THE GRANT FOR SECTION 12 WAS FOUND IN SKETCH OF TITLE 15377, CONCERNING C.B. FISHER’S APPLICATION FOR TITLE OF McPHAIL’S “ROSE HILL”. IT STARTS:

PORT PHILLIP DISTRICT
L A N D P U R C H A S E
Suburban Lot
GRANTEE James Patrick Main VICTORIA, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,Defender of the Faith and so forth:
TO ALL to whom these presents shall come,
GREETING: -
WHEREAS in conformity with the laws now in force for the sale of Crown Lands in our Territory of New South Wales, and our Royal Instructions under Our Signet and Sign Manual issued in pursuance thereof JAMES PATRICK MAIN of Melbourne has become the purchaser of the Land hereinafter described for the Sum of Eight hundred and thirty two pounds Sterling….

DATE 30 October 1846
COUNTY Bourke
ACRES 640

The 832 pounds did not include the yearly quit rent of one peppercorn (if demanded) and Her Majesty reserved such parts and so much of the said land as may hereafter be required for making Public Ways, Canals, or Railroads… AND ALSO All Sand, Clay, Stone, Gravel and Indigenous Timber….

....... In an anti- clockwise direction from the north east corner, we can then account for most of Main’s Estate:
i.e. Springbank (J.Wilson), Blair’s purchase, Rosehill Rd, and Rose Hill east of the creek, then heading north, Sinclair’s Farm, Rosehill Rd, lot 6 (1848 Laverty, McPhail, 1868 Hoffman) and lot 8 (1848 Roberts, 1865 Beale). The only area yet to be detailed is that occupied by the Niddrie Quarry.

LOT 10, COX’S FARM.
On 12-11-1850, Thomas Cox bought lot 10 from the Bears for 96 pounds. Consisting of 50 acres 1 rood 22 perches, this land started about 40 metres north of Noga Ave and included the southern 1/3 of the quarry site (K 876). It is likely that this was the 50 acre farm accessed from North Pole Rd, which James Anderson was leasing in 1900-1 and had occupied before moving onto Springbank, but it is also possible that Anderson’s “North Pole Road” farm was lot 8.
Other memorials concerning this land are:
1st series index- none.
2nd series.
307 359. 29-1-1883. Lease to John Beale for 10 years at a rent of 25 pounds p.a.
350 207. 8-5-1888. Contract and conditions of sale to speculator, G.W.Taylor, who also contracted to buy 18 C and D at about this time. (See the reasons why and the outcome in the section 18 entry.) Taylor agreed to pay L5542/12/6, which would have been equivalent to nearly 222 years rent under the terms of John Beale’s lease. C.B.Fisher’s purchase price of 3000 pounds for the 112 5/8 acre Rose Hill in January 1882 showed that the land boom was starting but Taylor showed, by paying almost twice as much for less than half as much land, that the Boom was flying along in top gear! Obviously Taylor forfeited part payments and the land, as he did with so many other farms.
385 168. Mortgage of the share and interest of Elizabeth Julia Whelan in 50 acres, Doutta Galla to John Butler Besley and Henry Besley of Bruthen for L 154/16/8. Elizabeth was the daughter of Thomas Cox and had inherited the land in the will of Thomas Cock (known as Cox), of which Ellen and William James Cock (known as Cox) were the exectrix and executor.
This memorial is the only entry in the E.J.Whelan index and no memorial concerning lot 10 is in the J.B. and H.Besley index so it is impossible to tell whether lot 10 was regained or forfeited.
LOT 12? COLLIER’S FARM.
James Collier bought the remaining 45* acres 2 roods 3 perches from the Bears on 14-2-1849 for 87 pounds cash. (*Called 55 acres in the Bear index but the memorial, which must have been written with poor quality ink, does say forty five.) I’d be willing to bet my last dollar that this was lot 12. It was north of Cox’s land and covered the rest of the quarry site (to a latitude indicated by the northern boundary of the Peter Kirchner Reserve east of the creek). Collier’s index reveals that he also had land on 6C (bisected by Puckle St/Holmes Rd). Another memorial concerns 39 acres in Doutta Galla (perhaps the land on 6C). Other memorials are:
K 750. 14-10-1850. Equitable Mortgage of 45 acres 2 roods 3 perches commencing 67 chains from the s/w corner of section 12 and extending 1406 links to the northern boundary of section 12. Charles Payne paid 35 pounds to James Collier.
236 954. 27-8-1860. Equitable Mortgage of the same land to secure to Margaret Harriss the repayment of 160 pounds she had lent to James Collier. I have been unable to determine whether Collier was able to repay the money or forfeited the land. However, this mortgage has helped to locate a farm mentioned by Angela Evans in “Keilor Pioneers: Dead Men Do Tell Tales”. Lawrence Kelly seems to have settled in Keilor by 1861. (Keilor’s ratebook of 1868 shows that he was leasing 18C of 163 acres from J.P.Bear.) By 1875, according to the above book, he was also renting 48 acres at Spring Gully from Margaret Harris. This would seem to indicate that Collier did lose his block if Margaret Harris still had ownership 15 years later.
The acreage of Collier’s Farm does seem to have been 45 83/160 acres. It is likely that Patrick Joseph Corcoran was leasing it in 1900-1 (part lot 0 section 12, 46 acres). Collier’s Farm was described as 46 acres when the late Alexander Smith’s land west of Spring Gully was advertised for sale on 13-3-1916.
N.B. The entry for Collier’s Farm in “Sam Merrifield’s House Names Index” edited by Lenore Frost, is wrong. The farm described is actually Smith’s Norwood. (See section 9.)
376 185. James Collier’s will of 26-1-1866 left all his (unspecified) estate to his daughter Mary, subject to an annual payment to James Collier’s wife Margaret. James died on 15-12-1868. These details were recorded much later on 13-8-1892 (376 185) and Mary was Mrs Amiss. The arrangements resulted from a marriage settlement between Mary and John Haines Amiss (soon to marry Mary) and the executors, James Jenning and John Cunningham, on 28-7-1879."

As J.P.Main was a resident NEAR the Moonee Ponds Creek in 1841, he may have had a depasturing licence south of the Foster brothers' Leslie Park" (Tullamarine/Keilor Park area) for which they obtained the lease in 1840 according to Sam Merrrifield's Annals. In this case, Mains quarry might have been the forerunner of the Niddrie Quarry on Main's Estate or on land a chain north east from Collier's Farm, i.e.

"ALLOTMENT C OF SECTION 18.
Bounded by Milleara Rd., Clarks Rd. and Spring St. and consisting of 162 ¾ acres, 18C was granted to D.T.Kilburn. He had also received the grant for lot 13 of section 4. Lawrence Kelly was leasing this property by 1868 and by 1875 was also leasing Collier’s Farm (at the n/w corner of section 12), which adjoined the s/e corner of 18C.
The Geological Survey map of 1860 shows a quarry used for road metal on 18C near Keilor Rd. This quarry and the ones near the s/w corner of the Essendon Aerodrome site may have been operating since, or before 1842, when Denis Larry was listed in the directory as a quarryman of Doutta Galla. The one on Kelly’s farm may, however, have been opened by Samuel Charles Brees*, who stated, on 20-1-1853, “Quarries are likewise opened at several parts of the line for the bottoming and levelling of the road.”
(*Brees was in charge of the construction of Mt Alexander Rd to the diggings and built the first substantial bridge at Keilor in 1854. A street in East Keilor was named after him by Garnet Price.)"

TROVE.
Unfortunately the two references from the 1840's give no indication of where the quarry might have been. Alexander Kennedy, in the second article, who not long afterwards built the Inverness Hotel at Melway 177 H11, could have been returning to Melbourne from his station near Guildford via Keilor, given that there was no great road to the diggings through Tullamarine in early 1847. I have referred previously to the vagueness of Moonee Ponds as a description of location in early days.

"SERIOUS ACCIDENT.—On Wednesday evening, as Mr. Alexander Kennedy, a settler
upon the Loddon, was proceeding with his son,servants, and drays into town, he found it necessary to encamp in the vicinity of the Moonee Ponds. This was about sundown, and Mr.Kennedy having business in town of a pressing
nature, departed on horseback, leaving his son in charge of the encampment. (He wasn't in Melbourne when his son arrived next day.)

However, about 11 o'clock yesterday morning,as Mr. Hogbin, brother-in-law of Mr. Evans, of the Duke of Kent, Lonsdale-street, was passing Maine's Quarries, on his way to town, he saw a party lying in the bush upon his back,...."

DOMESTIC INTELLIGENCE.
Port Philip Gazette and Settler's Journal (Vic. : 1845 - 1850) Saturday 16 May 1846 p 2 Article
... that the prisoner and another man were dodging him, and on passing Main's quarry, on his road home, be ...
Domestic Intelligence.

The Melbourne Argus (Vic. : 1846 - 1848) Friday 22 January 1847 p 2 Article
... Kent, Lonsdale-street, was passing Maine's Quarries, on his way to town, he saw a party lying in the ... which he was riding stumbled, in the vicinity of Maine's Quarries, and the Rev. gentleman was thrown ... 4332 words

As there were no results for Main's quarry in the 1850's and the results in the 1860's weren't relevant, I tried quarry keilor and found:

WANTED, strong HORSES with drays to cart stone. Apply at Dick's Quarry, Keilor road. John Finlay.(P.8, Argus, 25-2-1860.)

Early quarries were almost always on the banks of creeks where there was plenty of freestone, so Dick's quarry was probably near Spring Creek which gives the name to Spring St, the northern end of the government road, followed largely by Rachelle Rd,which separated John Pascoe Fawkner's 11B Doutta Galla from Mains Estate. It is possible that 17CD which separated Mains Estate from Keilor Rd contained another quarry utilised by Samuel Brees in 1854. JOHN DICK was much involved with these two crown allotments.

Back to my EARLY LANDOWNERS. Had Main's quarry become Dick's quarry?

"17 C and D.
W.Nicholson was granted lots D and C, a total of 188 ¾ acres. A grocer who became premier, he was obviously a speculator. He received the grants for Ardmillan/Trinifour, Fairview and Springfield, all handily located on the route to Mount Alexander, which in a bit over a year would carry throngs of diggers. Land Plan 10509 shows that the western boundary of this land was about 140 feet west of Spring St and L.P. 10508 shows that the southern boundary was about 144 feet south of Grandview Rd.
The land was owned in 1868 by Joseph Nicholson, who had 195 acres; the extra 6 or 7 acres possibly being on lot B of section 11, south of Clarks Rd. Joseph does not seem to have been related to William Nicholson and did not inherit the property; he purchased the “Fairview Farm of 200 acres” in 1863. Joseph died in about 1879 but his widow, Sarah, aged over 60,was still using the farm for grazing purposes in 1888.
17C and 17D TITLE INFORMATION.
On 15-3-1854, W.Nicholson sold his grant to John Dick for 10000 pounds (Y 217). On the next day, Dick mortgaged 17 C and D to John Nicholson for 5000 pounds (9 140).
Confusingly, three transactions, concerning 17 C and D, were memorialised between John Dick and John Nicholson on 23-5-1859. They were:
79 402. Reconveyance of 17 C and D to John Dick.
79 404. John Dick mortgages 17 C and D for 3000 pounds.
134 296. Reconveyance by Endorsement to John Dick.
On 22-7-1861, John Dick conveyed an Equity of Redemption of 17 C and D to William Nicholson for 100 pounds (108 666). The index for John Dick has no further mention of 17 C and D. Neither is the land further mentioned in William Nicholson’s index. His will of 20-12-1864 (158 687) and the following memorial, dated 24-3-1866, mention a city hotel and county of Evelyn land but not the 188 ¾ acres of 17 C and D. When Dick bought 17 C and D, he was described as a farmer of The Merri Creek.
Sketch of Title 25560, resulting from Sarah Nicholson’s application for title in 1889, shows that William Nicholson regained ownership on 22-7-1861 (registered on 23-7-1861) and that on 29-10-1863, he sold 17 C and D to Joseph Nicholson for 1500 pounds. Joseph Nicholson died intestate on 24-7-1878.

Joseph Nicholson's extra 6 or 7 acres in 1868 may have been Dick's quarry and part of Collier's Farm.Was it earlier called MAIN'S QUARRY?

REPLY 2.
IN ADDITION TO MY PREVIOUS REPLY.
It seems that James Patrick Main (1802-1876) had been transported to Van Dieman's Land for life. Family researchers have not yet found records of his conditional pardon. His wife's name is possibly wrongly given as Isabella in one source; it appears to have been Mary.Her name might have been Mary Isabella. (I've forgotten her maiden surname.)Isabella was one of their daughters. It seems most of their children were born in Tassie, the last born in Melbourne in 1840 which indicates that the convict was indeed our James Patrick Main. In most convict records he is named as Patrick Main and he may have been still using this name (as recorded by Andrew Lemon) when he built Main's bridge at Flemington in 1839.

I speculated that Main might have had a depasturing licence covering a bigger area, including section 12 Doutta Galla, and his quarry might have been on the parts of sections 18 or 17 adjoining Main's Estate.

The following strongly suggests that section 12 Doutta Galla was the pre-emptive right of Main's Station for which the lease was cancelled in about 1847. Main's quarry must have been well-known by 1843 and was probably established by the time he built the bridge at Flemington. He built (or supplied the material for-forget which)the original Princes Bridge, probably using the stone from his Estate/station. All I have to establish now is five miles from Melbourne.

TO STAND THIS SEASON,
AT Mr Main's station, Stone Quarries, the Entire Horse, SAMPSON,
Five years old, sired by the Van Diemen's Land Company, from the imported horse, Duncan Gray,out of a Suffolk mare, is a dark chestnut horse of great power and fine action, stands sixteen hands high, rising six years old, has an excellent temper, and is well known as one of the best draught horses
in this part of the colony.
Sampson may be seen at the Horse Bazaar regularly on each Monday and Friday, where any information relative to him can be obtained.
Good Paddocks, within five miles of Melbourne,and every care taken, but without responsibility, and an allowance of one mare in five to bona fide owners. Terms — etc. (P.4, Melbourne Times, 8-8-1843.)

To save a lot of time and measurement I looked at Melway key map 5. The 10 km (6.21371 miles)radius from Melbourne passes through the midpoint of the Buckley St frontage of Main's Estate. Therefore the south east corner of the estate (Buckley St-Hoffmans Rd corner) would have been one sixth of 5km less, about 5.4 miles from Melbourne. There is no way that the parts of sections 17 and 18 south of Keilor Rd could be described as being five miles from Melbourne so Main's quarry must have been on MAIN'S ESTATE, the nearest part of which was 5.4 miles from Melbourne as the crow flies.Collier's Farm may indeed have been the site on which it was established. In 1843, Main's homestead was probably near the south east corner* of the estate and it might have later become Dugald McPhail's Rose Hill homestead. (*Nobody in their right mind would build a homestead near a quarry.)

I referred in my last message to Spring St (the northern end of the government road between c/a 11b and Mains Estate getting its name from the nearby creek. It is officially named Steeles Creek but one of its tributaries was Spring Creek in Tullamarine which gave the name to the Fosters' "Springs" and several farms to the south such as Spring Park, Springfield, James Wilson's Spring Farm on Main's Estate and James Robertson's Spring Hill (later renamed Aberfeldie after his mansion.) The areas near the creek in Tullamarine (e.g. David O'Niall's Lady of the Lake Hotel) and Mains Estate were both called Springs or The Springs circa 1850 but this caused confusion so the latter area was then referred to as Springfield. South of Buckley St, the creek was/is referred to as Rose Creek, hence the name of Dugald McPhail's "Rosehill" farm and the name of the eastern continuation of Dinah Pde.

The creek bisects Main's Estate and as stated earlier, most early quarrying was done on the banks of creeks. (I really should have written streams. George Spottiswoode, after whom Spotswood is named, took stone quarried near the Saltwater River along that river to Melbourne. I wouldn't mind betting that John Dick had earlier been quarrying on the Merri (Rocky) Creek before he established or took over the quarry on (near) Keilor road.)