HISTORIC HOMES VIII - Two Stations on the Yarra: Bushrangers and Gold. (The Age 1933)

MELBOURNE'S HISTORIC HOMES . .
VIII. — Two Stations on the Yarra: Bushrangers and Gold.

BY C.E.S.

THROUGH the village of Heidelberg the road crosses the Yarra— narrow at this point— and then goes past rich river flats to the small settlement of Temple-stowe. It sweeps wide here, a little away from the winding Yarra, and makes a long climb up a pleasant slope. At its top, the road forks. That to the right, macadanised, leads down on its winding way to Warrandyte. That, to the left is Newman's road. It is earth formed, and trickles through orchard and dairy coun-try - orchards mostly - until suddenly it loses itself in rutted, grassy track, and eventually gives itself up at the wired entrance to an old orchard. Facing this remnant of a track is an old white washed house, all under a slate pyramid roof. The fruit trees go up almost to the front door; an old, bland-looking door, with two dim-eyed windows, one each side, and a verandah covering it rakishly, for all the world like an old,, devil-may-care cap that is a little down in the peak from age and much wear. In an old buggy, in an old barn, the household fowls roost; the gasping remains of an aged vine trails over a trellis at the back. There are apples ripening on tho window sills; the handle of a pump sticks out from a well which is under the house. It is on a knoll, this old house; East from it, separated by a pleasant valley, through which a creek trickles; and on another knoll— they are twins, these two grassy knolls — is another old house. Longer fronted, this one, with a spacious front porch, windows each side of it. The slates have long since gone from the roof, and galvanised iron taken their place. Two grey cement chimneys rear tall, stout heads from the roof top. Comfortable looking chimneys, homely like the white-washed house. We stroll down through the fruit trees, and slip-ping through a wire fence, come through a belt of light timber on to pleasant, well-grassed flats, grazing twenty or so fine cattle. A sharp, turn to the left, and we cross the creek by a low, log bridge, and, toiling up n sharp pinch, are at the front door of the house on the second knoll. The brick work shows where the white cement has peeled off. Age is written on everv inch of the sub-stantial house. A family of dairy farmers is here now. They point out pridefully the rich flats, that go down to the river, a bend of which we glimpse through the thick timber. East, at the boundary of the property, is another belt of thicker timber. There is a great, beautiful, quiet over everything; yet less than half a mile away traffic whirls over the busy Warrandyte road.


Pontville



Monckton

We have been left no record of the inner thoughts of the creator of these homes, so we know not whether he was a lover of beauty. What we do know, though ls that for most of his life in Australia, he was almost blind, so that if the beauty of the spot were not readily visible to him, it must have been communicated through other senses. Of sound perhaps - sound of rippling creek and singing river; of birds, of tree song. Of scent - scent of sweet damp earth, of eucalypt, of horse and cattle; for we do know, he was a lover of horses and cattle. Indeed, little authentic record has been left of Major Charles Newman. His name, and that of his sons, appears occasionally in the records of our history.

His most substantial memorials are the two homes sketched above - Monckton, on the first knoll, and Pontville, on the second knoll. He played no great-part in our development and his-tory, yet indirectly no mean part. It were something surely, that he pioneered this rather wild part of the State; it were something, too, that so far from the settlement of Melbourne, he could hold his ground against loneliness, against the blacks, against bushrangers, against fire and flood in that remote period of our young history that goes back, nearly a hundred years. It were something, too, that it should be on land leased by him that the first gold rush in Victoria oc-curred. Charles Newman was a major in the 51st Regiment (Bengal Native Infantry). In the early thirties retired on a pension of a guinea a day, he came to Australia with his wife and son, Charles; bringing with him several native servants. He visited Melbourne in 1835, and then settled in Tasmania. Three years later, he returned to Port Phillip, and took up the proper-ties in the Templestowe district, now known, as Monckton and Pontville. He was then about 52. The district in those davs must have been wild, practically isolated from the settlement on the Yarra, then only three years old. Something of its state can be gauged from, a description penned of it by Westgarth concerning a trip to the district in 1855. With the members of the select committee inquiring into the gold fields Westgarth in that year visited the Anderson's Creek field. After leaving Melbourne, the party passed "smoothly along for about four miles," crossing first the Merri Creek by "its pretty new bridge." and then the Darebin Creek by "an older and much less, pretentious structure." At Warringall (the early name of Heidelberg) the road was not made, but it was "cut at the sides, and with occasionally a slight attempt at levelling." They passed then through "the pretty village of Heidelberg, show-ing the gap between the high-timbered ranges that permits the winding Yarra to flow westward to Melbourne. The scene appeared one dense forest, excepting in our vicinity, where we saw some natural glades, less thinly wooded, or farms, or green paddocks cleared of timber." The Yarra was crossed on a punt. Templestowe was a "public house, a blacksmith, a few houses and gardens, with fields in the neighborhood." As they approached "the gold regions" the soil became less favorable, "as indicated by the stringy bark forests it had sent up. Many trees were severely charred by recent fires." Beyond Templestowe, they descended a "well turned up valley" and saw the Yarra "pleasantly, sparkling in the sunbeams as the waters wound their devious course through high, wooded banks." In pioneering the Warrandyte district Major Newman had to journey through conditions more primitive even than those experienced by Westgarth or by the diggers on the Anderson's Creek field. Yet he survived these conditions, and firmly established himself on his holdings. As the years passed, he accumulated up wards of 4000 acres in the district, but all but a square mile was only on licence. The 640 acres of freehold was divided equally between Monckton and Pontville. Here he grew cattle, and bred horses, principally hardy Welsh ponies, but also
a few thoroughbreds which lie raced in matches on the flats along the river below his properties, and at meetings that were held in the district. It is said that Major Newman would go any number of miles to match his thoroughbreds against other racehorses, and many matches in which his horses figured were held in the Heidelberg and Plenty districts. Two events stand out in the Victorian career of Major Charles Newman. The first was an attack by bushrangers - the first of these gentry in the colony - and the second the discovery of gold on part of the property he leased. The first event concerns, in part, the short, hectic bush-ranging career of four young men, John Williams, Charles Ellis, Daniel Jepps and Martin Fogarty. "Inspired" by an older rogue, William Cam, this quartet, took to the bush in the Dandenong district late in April, 1812, and in the course of a few days "stuck up" and robbed a number of stations. Then, working their way across country, they began operations in the Plenty country, visiting Major New-man's lonely station near the Mullum Mullum (now Deep) creek. Their booty consisted of 30 pounds, powder horn, two watches, a silver tureen and a number of medals and military ornaments. News of the outbreak in the Plenty country soon reached Melbourne and recruited by Mr. Latrobe, a party of five young bloods set out from the Melbourne Club in pursuit. The bushrangers were located in a hut on the station of Mr. Campbell Hunter near Diamond creek, and after a pitched battle, one was shot dead and the re-maining three captured and brought to Melbourne, where the gentleman volun-teers were feted by the populace and, after, a trial, the bushrangers executed, also with much public applause. Major Newman had a slice of luck with most, of the property stolen from him. He offered a reward for its recovery, particularly the silver tureen, the watches and the medals, but without success. Some years later, however, a man named Adams, who had taken, possession of the hut occupied by William Cam, who hud been transported for his part in the bushranging exploits, found the property (except the money) hidden in an old tin in the yard. He ad-vertised his find, and the property was claimed by Newman. The silver tureen is now in the. possession of a descendant in West Australia.

It is still a matter for argument where the first gold was found in Victoria, but there is no dispute that the first officially recognised field was at Anderson's Creek. California, and later New South Wales, may rightly be blamed for the fever of gold in Victoria. Hargraves's discovery near Bathurst in May, 1851, fired the people. Alarmed at the consequences to Victoria, the Mayor of Melbourne called a public meet-ing, which was held in the Mechanics' Institute on 9th June, and resulted in the formation of a gold discovery committee. Meanwhile several parties were scouring the hills near Melbourne. One headed by Louis John Michel, a publican at the corner of Swanston and Little Collins streets, (where now are the Town Hall chambers), was searching in the Plenty country. In June, they found gold near the Deep Creek on portion of Major New-man's property. The fact was made pub-lic on 5th July, and on 16th July, accord-ing to McCombie in his history of Victoria, the party brought "a considerable sample of the dust to Melbourne, which they exhibited to the gold-discovery committee." On the next morning, the following newspaper announcement was made:— ' The committee appointed to promote the discovery of a gold field in the colony of Victoria have the satisfaction of announcing that unquestionable evidence has been adduced showing the existence of gold in considerable quantity, both at the Deep Creek, on the Yarra (near Major Newman's run), and also at the Deep Creek, on the Pyrenees, near Mr. Donald Cameron's house. - William Nicholson; Major (Chairman of Committee). A rush set in, the first of Victoria's many exciting gold rushes. Major Newman found himself deserted by his shepherds, cow herds and servants, and also by a gang of laborers who were even then erecting a malt house and brewery on his station, a project that, afterwards, he did not proceed with. On 20th August there were about 200 men on the field. On 1st September Anderson's Creek field was first occupied under the sanction of the Government. The more famous fields of Chines, Buninyong and Ballarat followed on 20th September. In a few years, the brief glory of the Anderson's Creek field faded. In 1857, a select committee of the Legislative Council awarded. Michel and his parti £1000 for their discovery. Newman appears to have taken no part in the gold hunting. He was more intent on farm-ing his land. In the work, actually, his son Charles took most part, and alter a few years this son became the virtual owner of the Pontville property. A second son later succeeded to the Monckton pro-perty. Major Newman himself moved to the city, and in 1855 we find him in a two-storied house m Lonsdale street, on the south side, between Swanston, and Elizabeth streets. After his death, this house became famous as a cafe, the Maison Dore, over which, in the eighties and nineties, presided a martial-looking lady, Madam Laeaton, a Swiss. Because of her great height and military bearing this lady was known to the bohemians of the, day as the "Giraffe" and the "Grenadier." Another city property of Major Newman was in Lennox-street, Hawthorn, where he died. On12th September, 1866, aged 80. So deep was his affection for the Templestowe properties that he was buried on the knoll midwav between Pontville and Monckton. Here, also his wile and his sons were buried. When Monckton was sold about thirty years ago, the remains were removed to the Doncaster Ceme-tery. Monckton was cut into small orchard properties. Pontville is still in the possession of descendants of Charles Newman, who entailed it. Major Newman's great love for horses has come down through three generations to a great-grandson, Mr. Benjamin Weir, who today conducts a riding school on Ulupna, a property at Bundoora. A proud moment for Mr. Weir is when he reins in a party of riders on a hill overlooking the Yarra beyond Eltham and points out across the forests, and the valleys and the orchards, the white walls of the two houses his great-grandfather built - Monck-ton and Pontville - standing like sentinels on their outposts, walled in by hills and timber, and with the Yarra gleaming below their rich flats.

1933 'MELBOURNE'S HISTORIC HOMES . .', The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), 26 August, p. 17. , viewed 29 Jul 2018, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article204379491


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