The Beginning
A Settler
Portrait of a Man
The Homesteads
Ben Nevis
Glenfern
Springbank
The New Century
The Migrant Influence
Heide I & II
1990 - and Beyond
The district of Doncaster - Templestowe had its beginnings in Bulleen. It was here that the first white man settled, here the first community was formed and, when it was proclaimed, the shire took the name The Shire of Bulleen. However, Villages formed on the higher land of Doncaster and the centre of Templestowe bypassing the Bulleen area.
During the great expansion of Melbourne in the 1950’s Bulleen was the first area to be subdivided for housing bringing a new wave of settlers to the district. Now Bulleen has come back into its own with its own large shopping and community centres and along the beautiful river flats sport and recreation areas have given a new quality to the area. This short history endeavours to present the rich history of Bulleen with its proud and interesting past.
"Clarendon Eyre", built in 1865 by Robert Laidlaw in Bulleen, Originally called "Springbank". the building was constructed by David Mitchell.
1 Ricardo's Land
2 Banksia Park
3 Heide
4 Yarra Valley Country Club
5 Bulleen Plaza
6 Laidlaw's Land
7 Templestowe Brick Works
8 Clarendon Eyre
9 Veneto Club
10 Duncan's farm
11 Ben Nevis
Chapter 1: The Beginning
Before the arrival of the white man generations of aborigines had lived on the river flats of Bulleen and Templestowe. Wild duck abounded and fish filled the billabongs and tributaries of the Yarra. The aboriginal tribe known as the Wurrundjeri or Yarra Yarra tribe hunted kangaroos and large game by the numerous lagoons. The largest of these called Bolin, had been the site of games played between aboriginal tribes for many centuries. The shores of the lagoon remained a meeting place for aborigines until about 1840. This lagoon opposite Heidelberg was later known as Lake Bulleen. It was an extension of the Yarra Yarra river, varying in size from 50-60 acres, depending on rainfall. Aborigines periodically fished and held corroborees on the hillsides until 1841 when the Protector of Aborigines Mr William Thomas was directed by Superintendent C J La Trobe to keep his people away from land which had been bought by settlers in the village of Heidelberg.With the arrival of squatters and woodcutters, large game became scarce and in the words of the Aboriginal Protector 5 "When Bolin and the few lagoons become public property, it will be one of the most serious losses hitherto sustained by the blacks".
John Wood was the first white man to settle in the Bulleen area. Arriving from Van Diemen's Land he settled with his young brother William on the river flats in 1837 and began a sheep run almost at same time as the Ruffey brothers took up grazing land in Bulleen north of Woods' sheep station. Also coming from Van Diemen's Land, the five Ruffey brothers, after setting up a grazing run in Cranboume, formed another sheep station in Bulleen in 1837. The land was used as a holding station before stock was taken to market. This was on the site of the present Yarra Valley Country Club. The brothers' stay in the area was short-lived, as two years later they left the district.
The surveyor Foote, spelt the name Ruffey as Wedge had misspelt it in an earlier survey of Koonung Creek. When the streets of Templestowe were later named after pioneers of the district, the name Ruffey was given to the street, and the creek was known as Ruffey's creek in the 1860s.
The area known as Bulleen, the aboriginal name for the Yarra river in the area, was originally selected by Frederic Wright Unwin of Sydney in March 1841. He obtained 5120 acres (8sq miles) between the Yarra river and Koonung Creek for £1'0'0 per acre. This selection was one of the nine special surveys allowed by the Colonial Office before the regulations were rescinded in August 1841. Unwin divided his land into farms for the purpose of lease. After a review of the Special Survey rules concerning the distance from Melbourne, the selection was moved closer to Melbourne so that the boundary included the whole river Yarra frontage from Koonung Creek to Church Road.
The Billabong on the Yarra flats at Bulleen.
Alexander Duncan's Cheese factory was situated in Thompsons Road on the site of the Bulleen shops.
When the land was resurveyed, the deed was issued to James Atkinson who was a land speculator. Having bought the survey from Unwin, Atkinson named the area the 'Carlton Estate', the name which endured for many years.
The rich river flats supported the growth of cereal and potato crops and sawyers operated on the high ground which was thickly timbered. Further over in Doncaster, many of the early pioneers arrived in the 1850's and took possession of properties on the Carlton Estate. Families such as Williamson, Petty, Bogle, Corbett, Wittig, Baillie, Hardidge, Whitten, Tully, Berger, Smedley and Chapman are some of these people.
The first church services were held in Duncan's barn, worshippers sitting on planks placed across barley sacks. A cheese chum was used as a holy table.
Early settlers in the area adopted the task of educating their children at home, but in 1847 Robert Laidlaw, a prominent citizen, gave part of his land near the Banksia St Bridge for a school run by the Church of England.
To expedite traffic across the Yarra River, in 1842, a punt was installed on the river at Heidelberg from Unwin's Special Survey. The Port Phillip Gazette of Saturday 10 December, 1842, reported this news item and noted that the punt would save 10 to 15 miles for the drays of such owners as Messrs Newman, Anderson, Chisholm, Seymour, Dardell, Sutherland, Wragg, Wade, Airdlie and others. Mr B.G. Levien was the constructor of this punt which was in operation for some years until the bridge was built.
The Punt across the Yarra connecting Bulleen with Heidelberg
Banksia Street Bridge from the Heidelberg side looking to bridge street Bulleen. Opened 1860, Replaced with present bridge 1962. On the left is a pipe bridge built to carry the water main from Preston to Surry Hills in 1930. Water now runs in the opposite direction.
Chapter 2 - A Settler
Robert Laidlaw arrived on the 'Midlothian' in 1839, one of the first migrants from Scotland. A native of Aramulloch near Abbotsford in southern Scotland, he had worked for Sir Walter Scott. This young man of twenty three years together with a friend John Kerr, purchased Wood's sheep station on the river flats at Bulleen.Their earliest accommodation was very primitive, being a rough slab hut shared with two hired shepherds and a stockman.
At first fortune favoured them, but soon after, the economic depression of the 1840's hit Melbourne. The partnership foundered as the sheep which had cost 36/- each were now reduced to 4/6. John Kerr left and Laidlaw formed a partnership with Alexander Duncan, who was a dairy farmer, near the comer of Thompson and Bulleen Roads.
This association flourished and soon the fertile fields were covered with waving ears of wheat, and barley. The quality of wheat was so high that a parcel sent to Edinburgh in 1847 won a congratulatory letter for the grower.
Robert Laidlaw in 1843 married Annie Gordon from the Western District pastoralist family and over the years they had eight children, two boys and six girls.
Ninety extra acres were bought by Robert Laidlaw in 1853. This part of the Carlton Estate had a river frontage and cost two thousand, four hundred pounds. This farm, which Laidlaw named "Springbank: proved to be so successful that the Department of Agriculture regarded its owner as one of the best farmers in the Melbourne area.
For a time "Springbank" was leased while the Laidlaws took up the 22,000 acre Longlands Station in the Western District where Laidlaw had earlier connections.
On his return to the Bulleen area he became interested in local affairs and was a foundation member of the new Shire of Bulleen. He was a councillor for nine years and was elected President on three occasions 1876,1878, and 1881.
Laidlaw was a prominent citizen of the district having been Chairman of the Templestowe Roads Board and a Justice of the Peace and Magistrate of the Heidelberg Court.
In 1907 Robert Laidlaw died at the ripe old age of 91. His wife Annie had predeceased him by two years. He had been the Bulleen areas' earliest permanent settler and had played an important part in the opening up of agriculture in Bulleen in addition to being a prominent figure in the development of the Shire.
'Springbank' still exists as one of the loveliest mansions in the district. Now named 'Clarendon Eyre', from the cattle stud owned by J.V.M. Wood, owner of the land from 1925 to 1946 when it was purchased by the White family. Springbank is on the register of the National Trust. The dairy farm, famous in the 1920s for quality was one of the last dairy farms operating in Bulleen.
Caws grazing on the river flats at Ben Nevis. Now the site of the Sentimental Bloke Hotel.
Chapter 3 - Portrait of a man: Sidney Ricardo MLA South Bourke July-1857-August 1859
Sidney Ricardo was the first local resident elected to represent the Bulleen district. He had arrived in Port Phillip in 1843 as a keen young man with a sophisticated knowledge of London business. Joining the community living on the rich farmlands by the Yarra River at Bulleen his 150 acres of land became an excellent farm famous for potatoes and vegetables.In 1856, when residents wished to form a Roads Board (Shire Council) at Templestowe, Ricardo led a petition to the Government to request this important move. At the Templestowe Roads Board elections, Ricardo was elected first chairman of the Board and remained in this position for the next six years.
He was so successful, that a group of Templestowe people nominated Ricardo for the seat of South Bourke in the elections for the First Victorian Parliament. At first he failed but the following year -1857- he won the by-election and became MLA for South Bourke.
Ricardo was the ideal representative of the small farmer. Inclined to be radical, he was courageous enough to speak out for the small land owner against the power of the landed gentry or squatters.
For too long the land had been locked into large holdings which favoured the rich, and Ricardo was outspoken on a Bill before Parliament at the time, which made no provision for the small farmer.
He favoured repossession of the land from the squatters and redistribution into smaller runs, to allow fairer allocation for the benefit generally of agricultural interests throughout the state .Ricardo was very interested in a plan of holding a market for agricultural produce with two acres under cover, enabling farmers to exhibit their produce.
Again, Ricardo, the ever vocal advocate of the small farmer, complained of the suggested salary of £500 for the Director of a proposed experimental farm. He pointed out that labourers on the farm were only to receive £30 a year and thought that the discrepancy was unfair. Ricardo had already won support for the appointment of an Australian director, against the original plan to appoint an Englishman to the position. With his extensive experience of small farming in Bulleen under Australian conditions, he felt that an English director would be unfamiliar with agricultural problems found in Australia.
Sidney Ricardo, a radical among the largely aristocratic landowners and businessmen who made up Parliamentary members in the early days of the Victorian Parliament, was always ready to champion the cause of the small man. He was always prepared to be outspoken, advocating parliamentary reforms and extensions to the franchise to form a broader base.
After his original Parliamentary term was up Ricardo did not seek re-election. His duties on his farm were onerous and he had accepted further positions in Templestowe. He became Secretary to the Roads Board on two occasions and in the seventies an official of the Templestowe Cemetery.
Although he had advanced ideas combined with the ability to inspire others with the courage to put them into practice, he lacked the patience needed for the tedious routine of administration. Detailed book keeping was not one of Ricardo's strengths which were reserved for solving the problems of the small agricultural landowner.
In the early days of Parliament, Sidney Ricardo was a man in the right place at the right time. He staunchly stood up for the small land owner against the wealthy squatter, when the general tendency was to meekly bow to authority.
Ricardo died in Melbourne on 14 January 1896, having lived over 50 years through Victoria's most formative period.
River Red Gum at Bridge Street When Ricardo farmed this land the tree was already mature.
Chapter 4 - The Homesteads
Ben Nevis
This lovely old home was built in 1890 by George Smith, a member of a notable Templestowe and Bulleen family in the late nineteenth century.George had arrived from Inverness, Scotland in 1853-54 as a young man.. He purchased land near the Duncan family in Bulleen, later marrying one of the daughters of Alexander Duncan. Possibly George Smith had first settled near the present Camberwell Golf Links, but later, bought the land from William Clarke, Joseph Clarke, and Patric McCaughan, directors of the Chatsworth Estate Company.
He became a most successful dairy farmer in the area and urged other members of his family to emigrate from Scotland. The Smith brothers, Tom, David, John, James, and Joseph played an important role in many aspects of the developing Shire of Bulleen, proclaimed on 7th May 1875.
Ben Nevis, built by George Smith in 1890. Standing on the hill above the Sentimental Bloke Hotel.
Named after "Ben Nevis", the tallest mountain in Scotland, the home stands on the highest point of the Smith land, to avoid the flooding which frequently occurred when the Yarra River broke its banks.
The house was a typical Victorian style of stately proportions with verandas extending around the front and side.
These were originally built with wooden floors, ornate cast iron lace and an iron roof. Due to deterioration and loose railings the verandas were demolished and the terraces paved with concrete. In the 1980's, the verandah with its cast iron lace has been replaced.
The interior has seen some alteration. Many homesteads in the nineteenth century, were the focal point of a farm and were used not only by the family in residence, but by farm workers. "Ben Nevis" had a large mess room on the ground floor once used by farm labourers for eating and there was a downstairs bedroom for a servant.
Alterations have included a functional kitchen, adjacent dining room with a sun room and laundry which makes the house more suitable for modem living.
As the only bedrooms for the family were upstairs, the new owners, converted downstairs sitting areas into extra bedrooms.
The small windows, typical of many homes built in the 1890"s did not fit in with the modem desire for airiness and light, so new windows have been added. Many of these are floor to ceiling style, to combat the dark interiors.
Ben Nevis, built by George Smith in 1890. Standing on the hill above the Sentimental Bloke Hotel.
As "Ben Nevis" was not connected to electricity, modem alterations have included attractive light fittings, hung from the original ornate rose mouldings.
Marble fireplaces were closed off and some were remodelled to suit modern tastes. As time has passed, the original 200 acres has been reduced to about one acre. Land which was originally part of the farm estate is now occupied by Marcellin College, Carey Grammar, a golf course, parks and the Sentimental Bloke Hotel.
"Ben Nevis" still stands in a prominent place on the hillside and remains a neighbourhood landmark, taking its place among the grand homes of Bulleen.
"Glenfern"
The oldest historic homestead in the Bulleen area stands in the spot once known as "Kennedys Creek". This part, now bordered by the entrance to the Eastern Freeway and High Sreet, just off Ayr St, was a part of the Carlton Estate.In 1858 an Englishman Alfred Millwater Caldicott, a native of Birmingham, took possession of 74 acres of land along the Koonung Creek. Intending to farm the area, he purchased a quantity of farm implements, and suitable stock.
He also built a Victorian homestead which he named "Glenfern" and which appears on local rate books as "Glenfern Farm" Kennedys Creek.
Glenfern Built by Alfred Caldicott 1858
Caldicott was an accountant in the Immigration Office in the city of Melbourne ,and daily walked from his home in Bulleen to Hawthorn Station. Using a "gold embossed" railway ticket he travelled First Class to his city office.
"Glenfern" mirrored the style of the wealthy at the time, and was a solidly built homestead. Cited in National Trust records, it is described as a "home in colonial derived Italianate style, essentially of its era, but distinctive for the timber valance detailing, and for the use of reduced rear wings. It has a hipped slate roof on paired eaves brackets."
Alfred Caldicott moved into his home after 1858, having paid £864 for his total allotment. Together with his wife, a widow Margaret Jane Young (maiden name - Buchanan) he lived at "Glenfern", farming the land with a full complement of servants and farm workers.
Twelve years later, Caldicott moved to Fiji to become a cotton planter leaving his wife and children at Bulleen.
1873, his wife was given a Power-of-Attomey and instructions by Alfred to sell their property, including the homestead, at Public Auction. This sale realised £332,700, and passed into the hands of Robert Outhwaite.
The Outhwaite family, farmed the land on which "Glenfern" stands, for many years.
The land was subdivided and passed through several ownerships. In 1946, "Glenfern" and the adjoining farm had shrunk to 25 acres. Mr and Mrs Cock who acquired the land at that time, developed the land into a successful dairy farm, specialising in quality Ayrshire cattle, a breed noted for high milk yield.
After a further subdivision in the 1950's Mr. and Mrs. Campbell purchased "Glenfern" and Mrs. Campbell is the present occupant of the home.
"Springbank" Now "Clarendon Eyre"
On the river flats in Bulleen, was built a lovely two storey mansion. Commissioned by the owner Robert Laidlaw, David Mitchell father of Dame Nellie Melba, erected a gracious home worthy of a prominent farmer, J.P and Magistrate of the Heidelberg Court.’Springbank" named from the surrounding farm, was occupied in 1865 by the Laidlaw family .The house had the most attractive view facing the river, so the veranda and the balcony, complete with graceful cast iron decorations, was built on the side. The front facade, is dominated by an imposing chimney wall, without windows, but in beautiful proportions and richly decorated.
The front door, reached by a verandah paved in white tiles is on the right. Above the single storey verandah and over the front door is an unusual window with a pretty cast iron window box. The rest of the house, with varied roof levels, contains the original servants quarters. "Springbank" contains 14 rooms. The hall features panelled doors and beautifully moulded architraves in Queensland maple. The plaster arch, dividing the hall, is wood-grained, by an expert who has perfectly matched the grain in the surrounding woodwork.
A tall stained glass window, depicting a peaceful scene of cattle grazing, is the outstanding feature of the landing on the staircase.
This splendid old home still stands in its own grounds, gracefully framed by lovely old trees protecting it from the passing traffic of a modem suburb.
Chapter 5 - The New Century
Bulleen remained a rural area well into the twentieth century. The region slowly recovered from the depression of the 1890”s with little development until the subdivision of land in the second decade of the century. This land however was not easily sold due to the inadequacy of transport and the arrival of the Great Depression of the 1930's.
Mrs Negri remembers her children sitting at the window counting the cars passing by in the late 1930"s - 5 or 6 on Sunday was an average total. The farmers wives walked to Mangan"s store in Templestowe Road, opposite Bridge St for their purchases.
Mr Negri travelled to the Victoria Market in his truck, three or four times a week with his load of cabbages, cauliflowers, lettuce and tomatoes. Even in the 1930"s entertainment was a rare event for the busy farmers of the district. An occasional visit to the "pictures" in Heidelberg, and perhaps a visit to friends in the Templestowe township provided a break from the round of farm activities.
During the 1939-45 war, vegetables grown by the Bulleen farmers were sold to the Army, which bought and stored them in warehouses in Melbourne. Travelling salesmen peddled their products around the Bulleen farms and the farmers wives always tried to wheedle goods from the salesmen without giving up their precious coupons.
In 1948, the Glen Iris Brick Company set up business in Templestowe making bricks. Later the works were taken over by Boral Bricks. The elegant chimneys were a landmark in the district.
Mangan's Store. the store was built in 3 stages during the 1950's. The first built was on the right, a store and "milk bar", in the centre a green grocer and fruit shop; the last on the left a baby wear shop.
The 1934 flood on the Yarra near the bridge.
The old narrow bridge over the Yarra was replaced in 1962. Fifteen years later, as the volume of traffic increased, the road was widened again to cope with the extra load caused by the population boom in Bulleen and Templestowe.
The increase in population which had taken place in Melbourne after the Second World War, spread to Bulleen in the 1950”s as the demand for building land grew. Materials for building became increasingly available as the economy gained strength and vast areas of land which had been orchards, became housing developments. In the 1960"s and 1970"s, the building boom became even more pronounced and a net work of services to cater for the vastly increased population were required. These had been meagre and thinly spread, but in the 1960's began to catch up with the demand.
The Glen Iris Brick Works were built in 1938 on Templestowe Road. Both works were similar in appearance but the Glen Iris plant had 2 kilns and chimneys.
Spear's Templestowe Brick works. Built 1939 on Bulleen Road the site of the streets a round Golden Way and Rocklea Road.
Mangan's General Store which had been the only shop in the area, was flanked by a row of additional shops at the end of Banksia St ,and other shopping centres were developed. Bulleen Shopping Centre in Manningham Rd was built in 1974, and was later named Bulleen Plaza.
Chapter 6 - The Migrant Influence
Among the people who hastened to build in Bulleen in the 1960"s were many Italians who had migrated to Australia during the immigration boom in the 1950"s. After a period spent in the inner suburbs, their next move was to Bulleen. These migrants built beautiful modern homes often incorporating features popular in Italy, lovely marble porches, decorative concrete and elegant columns each side of the entrance.As the Italians settled down in their new homes, they felt the need for social interaction, and in 1967 the Veneto Social Club was founded. The club purchased 15 acres of land on the river flats in 1969, and in December 1973, the official opening took place.
The Venezia Ballroom is the largest function Hall in the Doncaster area, accommodating up to 500 guests.
Landscaped gardens which form a framework for the building are beautifully kept with trees and sweeping lawns. The focal point in the gardens is the large original gondola, the symbol of Venice, one of only two authentic gondolas outside Italy. This was obtained through the Regional Government of the Veneto.
The old and the new blend harmoniously on this spot where the Veneto Club stands. The land, first surveyed by Unwin in 1841, was cultivated industriously by Robert Laidlaw one of the earliest pioneers of the district. The present descendants of Venice, the largest agricultural and pastoral region of Italy, strive to merge their rich culture of history and commercial leadership with that of their adopted country. The qualities of these new settlers, their love of art and music and their willingness to share, are part of the development of modern Bulleen.
Chapter 7 - Heide I and II
On part of the land once owned by Sidney Ricardo, an Englishman named James Lang, built a large home in the 1880's. Facing Templestowe Road, this weatherboard house was a typical Victorian home with wide verandahs trimmed with iron lace.
A small dairy farm was developed and run as a commune by John and Sunday and their friends. A contemporary photograph shows deer roaming in the garden of Heide I.
John Reed was a practising solicitor in Melbourne and his wife Sunday was a member of the prominent Baillieu family. They were cultured people, passionately interested in fostering "avant garde" paintings and supporters of Australian modernism.
The contribution of the Reeds to the cause of modem art was extraordinary and recognised world-wide. With their support and patronage, the work of artists such as Sydney Nolan and Joy Hester was exhibited, gradually helping to break down the barriers toward acceptance of modem art.
John and Sunday Reed offered many struggling artists a temporary home. They bought paints and canvasses for them, offering advice and introductions to interstate galleries.
Over the years, a fine art library was built up at Heide I. Artists could consult these books and many gave examples of their work to the Reeds, who amassed a wonderful collection to which they added, right up to the time of their deaths.
The important" Ned Kelly" series by Sydney Nolan, was painted on the kitchen table at Heide I reportedly during the midnight hours. On Sunday Reed's recommendation, Nolan used "Ripolian" a synthetic paint, an unusual choice for an artist. In 1976, Sunday Reed bequested the "Kelly" series to the Australian - Gallery in Canberra. "The Bathers" another canvas by Nolan, hung in the kitchen of the home for many years.
The creation of fine gardens was another facet of Sunday Reed"s personality. After her arrival in the area in the early thirties, the large garden was planted with a variety of mixed species of trees, many of them rare specimens. Placed randomly, and set off with sweeping lawns, the cultivated garden has since had native trees added, providing a harmonious blending of foliage, light and texture.
John Reed felt that the bushland park was the perfect background for the large sculptures which now reside in it.
These have been carefully placed, to give the art lover the correct atmosphere of colour and light, in which to appreciate the works of art.
Heide Park has a landscape classification awarded by the National Trust. An important part of this classification is the delightful kitchen garden in the area. The original herb garden was built by Sunday Reed nearer Heide I. After disastrous floods which affected the dairy farm and spoilt the garden, another garden was planted. Mrs Reed was interested in cottage plants and herbs from English gardens and designed her garden on a formal style. Passing through a creeper covered arch, it is possible to see many varieties of old perennials, scented geraniums and old world roses in tangled profusion. Patches of herbs intermingle with pretty perfumed lavenders and there are rows of seasonal vegetables in one corner.
Within this attractive park is one of the few "scar tree” remaining in the Doncaster district. This ancient red gum shows where the aborigines cut a shield or canoe from the bark with a stone axe leaving rough edges on the cut. Perhaps two hundred years old, this fine old tree gives a link in the area with the Wurundjeri aboriginal tribe who fished and hunted along the Yarra River before the arrival of Europeans.
In keeping with the Reed's love of modernism in art, a new home within the park was planned. Built in 1966-68 of Mt Gambier stone on a Frank Lloyd Wright design, the house was based on modernistic principles. Named Heide II, the structure is a Zen design surrounded by open spaces with courtyards, having one tree enclosed as a focal point. The interior staircase has no outside balustrade in keeping with the uncluttered economical design.
The kitchen garden at Heide.
Chapter 8 - 1990 and beyond
A new era was developing for the Bulleen district in the 1970's. Young couples who were arriving, needed services on a scale never before envisaged.The Vista Valley pre-school centre opened in 1970, to be followed by another in Yarraleen Place in 1972. Places in kindergartens were eagerly sought after. Further schools had been built in nearby Manningham Rd and Ayr St, and as children grew up, the Templestowe High School became uncomfortably full.
On land which had once belonged to Robert Laidlaw, Hoyts built a Drive-In theatre which was well patronised in the 1960's and 1970's. The popularity of out door theatres was however short-lived, and this Drive-In closed in the 1980's.
To accommodate the sporting minded in the Bulleen district, the Sheahan's Rd Sport Reserve and basketball stadium was built and opened on April 4th 1974. Guide and scout halls were built and sporting groups flourished to provide much-needed facilities for recreation for the young. The Yarra Valley Country Club caters for adult followers of golf and other sports.
In the 1980's the Board of Works continued a plan for a series of Metropolitan Parks reaching from Burke Rd through to Blackburn Rd in Templestowe. When completed, these will include a continuous bicycle track, walking trails, picnic and barbecue areas.
Bulleen Plaza Shopping Centre, Manningham Road
Banksia Park on a summer weekend is a favourite place for family recreation.
The pioneers found this land a succession of rolling hills, and by their efforts tamed it into productive fields bordered by post and rail fences. The next phase of growth saw the transition from orchards and farms to a busy suburb. Already there are signs of a third phase in Bulleen. Recreation is a fast growing industry, and with the development of large areas of farming land into public parks, the face of Bulleen will change again.
Side by side with the bustling freeway, busy commercial area and streets of suburban homes, the regrowth of tall trees and grassy river flats will once more reflect a peaceful rural silhouette.
Source: Bulleen - A Short History (1991). By Judith Leaney. Illustrated by Irvine Green. Published by Doncaster Templestowe Historical Society 81 McGowans Road Donvale Vic, 3111 ISBN 0 947353 02 X
The Society wishes to thank: Irvine Green, Ken Smith, The Veneto Club, Heide Gallery and Staff, Scott Brown and the Negri Family in the compilation of this book. National Library of AustraliaSource: Original Scan Permission to publish on DTHS Website granted by Judith Leaney 19/2/2020
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