THE MOUNTS NORTH OF BROADMEADOWS TOWNSHIP THAT BECAME HILLS.
Locations of Broadmeadows Township, and the three MOUNTS (with suggestions about how their names came about.)

BROADMEADOWS TOWNSHIP.
Proclaimed a township in 1850, this was the administrative centre of the Broadmeadows Road Board/ Shire for about 70 years before a new town hall was built near the Broadmeadows station, (the new centre of population due to subdivisions in the Strathmore/Glenroy area), in 1928.

Surrounded by Hackett St (never made, and renamed Mickleham Rd when the bridge over Moonee Ponds Creek was built c 1982); Kenny St; Lyons St; and to the south, the creek and Forman St, it is roUghly indicated by Melway 5 K 6,7 to 6 D7.

The railway station's location was first called Broadmeadows East to prevent confusion but later the old township was called West Broadmeadows and then Westmeadows and it is now part of the suburb of Attwood.
MOUNT GELLIBRAND.
Located at Melway H 12, its summit is 202 metres above sea level, and it was not the only Mount Gellibrand in Victoria in the early days of settlement. Both were named after the same person, Joseph Tice Gellibrand* who perished near Colac where the other one is located. (* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Gellibrand )

EXTRACT.
Port Phillip Association[edit source]
As early as January 1827, Gellibrand in partnership with John Batman applied for a grant of land in the as yet un-colonised region at Port Phillip. They stated that they were prepared to bring with them sheep and cattle to the value of £4000 to £5000. This application was refused, but the two colonists maintained their interest in the pursuit of obtaining land at Port Phillip.[4]
In 1835 Gellibrand became one of the leading members of the Port Phillip Association, a company of 17 colonists who devised a plan to obtain and divide amongst themselves thousands of acres of land on the northern shore of Port Phillip through a treaty with the local Wurundjeri people. Gellibrand, having a strong foundation in law, drew up this Batman Treaty which stipulated that the Aboriginal people would hand over all of the land within 10 miles of the northern shore in exchange for a yearly hand-out of basic provisions. Gellibrand was assigned a block of land that is now the region that extends from Laverton to Spotswood.[5]

Given their long association, It is possible that Batman had noticed Mount Gellibrand, as he travelled east to the site of the treaty, and named it in honour of his old friend. The one near Colac was so-named by 1843. It was possibly named by one of those searching for Joseph Tice Gelliband and Hesse when they disappeared, such as Frederick Armytage and Thomas Roadknight.

Even though the Mount in Mickleham Rd. was reduced in status to a hill, at least it retained the surname of a very early and brave pioneer.
MOUNT YUROKE.
This would seem to be located on crown allotment C of section 20, parish of Yuroke. It is almost certain that John Crowe first used the name - for his farm.

In the 1940's John had been leasing crown land in the parish of Kelbundoora and was described as living on the Merri and Darebin Creek in Electoral rolls. He often served on juries and in 1848 was elected as a committee member of the Port Phillip Farmers' Society.
Committee of Management for 1849 (which may have turned his focus to the west.) Note the known residence of some of his colleagues which I have supplied in brackets.
William Thomson (co-grantee of section 14, Tullamarine)
Coiler Robertson (of La Rose, heitage-listed as Wentworth House, Le Cateau St, Pascoe Vale House)
Archibald McDougall (Perhaps this should be Robert McDougall of "Cona", Glenroy.)
M. McNamara (possibly of the parish of Doutta Galla)
Joseph King
M. Loeman (Managing or leasing the Moreland Estate; bridge in Moreland Rd named after him; established Glenloeman on Tullamarine Island in 1854.)
John Crowe
David Duncan, Treasurer. (Co-grantee of section 14 Tullamarine.)
(P.3, Argus, 10-10-1848.)

On pages 227-8 of BROADMEADOWS: A FORGOTTEN HISTORY, Andrew Lemon has listed original purchasers of crown land in the various parishes in the Broadmeadows District. No year of purchase is given for John Crowe's purchases in section 20 Yuroke is given.

They were bought on 8-5-1851.
175. Bourke, 191a 0r 38p, parish of Yuroke, allotment C, part of section 20. A M'Lachlan, 22 3s.
176. Bourke, 160a, parish of Yuroke, allotment D, part of section 20. John Crowe 52 2s.
(P.4, Argus, 9-5-1851.)

It is strange that A. McLachlan was recorded as the purchaser of 20C and M.Ainslie was not mentioned a a co-purchaser of 20 D.
Perhaps the reporter's notes were wrong or he'd made a blue in transcribing them. Or 20c was purchased by McLachlan on John's behalf.


MT AITKEN.
This was first used in 1847 to roughly indicate the location of the mysterious Mount Jophet (to which no other reference was found in Trove or Google searches) where the Mercer's Vale Hunt was to meet.

Mercer's Vale was the original name for Beveridge where Ned Kelly grew up. It was on the direct route to Sydney.

Unfortunately two hour's work trying to ascertain whether this Mt Aitken was the one between the Dunhelen homestead and Craigieburn at Melway 386 C11 or the one west of Sunbury (see Melway key map 8 E3) has been lost due to a poor internet signal.
Many of the meets were places on the direct route to Sydney which became the Hume Highway, so it is likely that the Mt Aitken mentioned was at Melway 386 C11 between the Dunhelen homestead and Craigieburn.
It is my belief that only once did they met anywhere near Mt Aitken west of Sunbury.

THE Mercers Vale Hounds will meet at Mr. Beattie's Station, Salt Water River , on Wednesday the 4th; on Monday the 9th at Mount Jophet, near Mount Aitken ; and on Saturday the 14th at Kinlochewe, each day at eight o'clock.
(P.2, Port Phillip Patriot and Morning Advertiser, 4-7-1847.)

Research into the marriages of two Collyer brothers to John Batman's daughters led me west to the Toolern Vale area and I found many Beatie grants were next to those of John Aitken west of what became the Calder Highway. This is the reason that I believe that the said station was near the other Mt Aitken. Henry Beattie managed and then bought John Aitken's Mt Aitken estate.
https://www.melton.vic.gov.au/files/assets/public/services/building-planning-amp-transport/strategic-planning/studies-strategies-guidelines/heritage-study/volume-4-ho/051-068-heritage-overlays/ho_60_mt_aitken.pdf

The above states that John Aitken was admired and liked by his fellow squatters so it is possible that the Brodies or some other squatter near Craigieburn had named the hill on the Dunhelen Estate after him but he had certainly never lived in that area as stated in the otherwise excellent Mt Aitken College's history.



Mt Yuroke did not become Aitken's Hill as claimed in websites about volcanoes.
http://www.victorianvolcanoes.com/.../aitken-hill-mt-yuroke

A post in Fading Victoria* draws the same wrong conclusion and presumed that a word had been accidentally left out but Yuroke was a reference to Mt Yuroke being in the parish of Yuroke**- in its north western corner.

* [Craigieburn / Mickleham / Greenvale] Aitken Hill
24 JULY 2007, 9:55AM
A bit of trivia today, according to the Registrar of Geographic
Names, the recognised names for Aitken Hill are:

Aitken Hill (official)
Aitkens Hill (historical)
Mount Aitken (historical)
Yuroke (historical)

I've also seen it referred to as Mount Yuroke (perhaps they missed a word)

** YUROKE PARISH MAP. https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-232497405
Mount Yuroke/Crow's Hill is probably in crown allotment C of section 20, parish of Yuroke but it can be seen why the farm was sometimes described as being at Mickleham (as it adjoined that parish) and Craigieburn (as it was near Craigieburn Rd.)

Mt Yuroke became Crow's Hill, presumably to honour John Crowe.
CROWE.
John Crowe died fairly early in the district's history and although Mt Yuroke (like Mt Gellibrand) was downgraded from a mountain to a mere hill, the locals probably honoured his memory by calling it Crowe's Hill and this became the name of a farm on the hill with the e at the end of Crowe missing.

The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957) Monday 19 January 1857 p 8 Family Notices
... Funeral Notices. THE Friends of the late JOHN CROWE, Esq., are respectfully invited to follow his remains to the place of interment, this day, Monday, the 19th instant. The Funeral procession to move from his late residence, Mount Yuroke, at ten, passing Broadmeadows etc.

M M'CAW & ANOTHER have received instructions from Messrs Glover & Edwards, of Mount Euroke (Crow's Hill), to sell by auction, at above farm, on Wednesday, 1st March, at eleven o'clock sharp, etc. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/155025447
(P.2, The Age, 27-2-1865, item 3 in column 3 of scan.)