The year 1875 is principally noted for the building of the old Warrandyte Bridge. This romantic old structure stood for more than 80 years and played a very important roll for the well-being of the town. At the time of its demolition in 1955 it was the oldest structure spanning the Yarra; it narrowly beating the Johnston Street bridge which was opened for traffic in 1876 and was also but recently demolished.
The urgent need for a bridge across the Yarra at Warrandyte had been felt ever since the earlier structure had been washed away in the great flood of 1863, but anxious as the people were for its replacement, it was soon evident that the Government had no intention in the world of doing it. The old punt, which had been moored close to the bridge, would have come in handy, but it had been washed miles downstream and the residents of Templestowe got in first and set it up across the river to improve their communications with Eltham.
A pulley boat - run on wires across the river - afforded a small measure of relief, but it was naturally far from satisfactory as many people were unable to use it. In May, 1867, a well-known resident in Mr. Jack Hutchinson J.P., asked the Eltham Roads Board for their assistance in an approach to the Government. Their reply is typical of the struggling Roads Boards of that day :- "We will assist in every way possible but we cannot make ourselves liable for any financial expenditure."
The approach came to nothing, but the way was considerably cleared in 1869 when the Government passed a law to consolidate the Main Roads Act, which made it mandatory on local Shire Councils to erect bridges in their territory with the aid of Government subsidies.
In December, 1873, the residents of Warrandyte called a public meeting to protest at the continued backing and filling in connection with their bridge, and the Eltham Shire made the first tangible offer of assistance when they sent Cr. H. H. Cameron and authorised him to make an offer of £50 on their behalf. The outcome was the forming of a committee of 3 from the Templestowe Roads Board and 2 from the Eltham Shire to get the matter in hand. A good deal of discussion ensued between the two bodies, as the Eltham Shire contended that such an expensive outlay at the remote corner of their territory was not warranted and, though the Shire surveyed and built a road from North Warrandyte to connect with the Eltham Road at Research, they still disclaimed any responsibility for the bridge.
On November 30th, 1874, the Governor-in-Council, acting on the advice of the Executive Council - under powers granted in the Act of 1869, directed that the Eltham Shire should erect the bridge within 12 months and named a maximum of £700 as Government subsidy. On October 7th, 1875, the Inspecting Engineer for the Melbourne and Gippsland Districts of the Public Works Department issued a certificate that the bridge had been completed at a cost of £1,419 and that the Shires were entitled to the maximum Government subsidy. The Templestowe Board (then known as the Shire of Bulleen) share of the cost was £252 odd shillings.
There is no evidence of any opening ceremony in the contemporary press, though there is a tradition of a march by school children led by the Warrandyte Town Band, from the school to the bridge on the day of the opening, but it is rather doubtful as there were very few opening ceremonies in that day.
In the intervening years the bridge became a remarkable rendezvous for New Year's Day and Empire Day Celebrations. In fact, old timers can remember when virtually the only entertainment the river side village had to offer was an evening of dancing and revelry above the murmuring waters of the Yarra.
Two other public institutions were built in Warrandyte soon after the erection of the bridge, one being the court house which stood on the north side of Yarra Street below the junction of Forbes Street, and the other was the State School which was opened on July 4th, 1877. The need for increased school accommodation had been felt since the stepping up of mining activities and also the passing of the State Schools Act in 1872 which allowed for free and compulsory education. In 1874 the Education Department accepted Mr. James Sloan's tender for £540. 9. 0 for the construction of the present school which was built to accommodate 100 pupils. In the year 1878 a head master's residence was added at a cost of £270, but it was unluckily burnt down some years later.
An incident which had a disastrous effect on the Warrandyte Goldfield, and in some instances left the miners bankrupt for years after, was the court case between Richard Joseph Lawler and the Pig Tail Quartz Mining Company and Lewis A. Grant, its legal manager. The Pig Tail claim was discovered by the Stiggants' family in 1874, it proved very rich and was formed into Pig Tail Hill Quartz Mining Company on the 8th June, 1876, with a capital of £6,000, Henry Stiggants Snr. and Jnr., George Holloway and Lewis Grant being the principal shareholders.
Owing to some unknown reason no effort was made to work the claim for several months after it was transferred to the company, and the site was claimed by R. C. Lawler of Williamstown who sought a declaration of forfeiture on the grounds that work had been suspended for a period of more than 14 days. This was in accordance with rather an unusual by-law of the Castlemaine Mining Board which stated :- "Any claim upon which work having been commenced, shall be suspended for a space of 14 days shall be said to be forfeitable, and may by a competent court be declared forfeited."
The Heidelberg Mines Warden, Mr. Charles Edward Strutt, accepted "may" as giving him discretionary powers and on account of the extenuating circumstances found for Grant and the Company, but he also agreed to state a special case for the opinion of the Chief Judge, Sir Robert Molesworth. He found, however, that the word "may" in an act of Parliament was meant to be imperative, but stated that he had reached his decision with some doubt and would say nothing in regard to costs, and a long and expensive litigation began.
When the case came before the Warden, he again found for the defendants in spite of the ruling of the Chief Justice. 2 months later, Grant and the Company applied for an injunction to prevent Lawler from working the claim, but on the day of the hearing there was no appearance on behalf of the company; objections were raised but the Warden decided to hear Grant alone. Evidence was taken and, upon objections being raised on behalf of Lawler, the Warden refused to reserve any of them or state a case for the Chief Judge.
Lawler obtained an order from the judge for the warden to state a case, but, in doing so, he omitted the evidence that no work had been done on the claim since September, 1876, and there was no machinery thereon, which Lawler deposed as having given. The judge referred the case back to the warden, but he only stated that he had no recollection of the evidence having been given. On the judge again referring the case back to Strutt to affirm or deny the case made by Lawler, he returned it with the certificate - "I deny that they were proved before me at the hearing on the 28th May."
Mr. Walsh, for Lawler, then submitted that as there was no appearance by the Pit Tail Company in the joint application, the warden should have dismissed Grant's application for an injunction. That the evidence was insufficient, in that Stiggants, the original transferor to Grant, had not shown that he had any interest to transfer; the mining register should have been produced and the title traced. That the Pig Tail Company were beneficially interested, but no miner's right was produced for it, and fourthly, as the claim was unoccupied, and no work done, if Lawler's evidence was true he was entitled under the act to take possession and his title was good.
Mr. McFarland for Grant, submitted that the warden had the power to amend the application and hear Grant alone and quoted several authorities in support. That Grant and the Company were actual possessors of the claim, which was sufficient against a trespasser and no transfer from Stiggants need be produced. That Grant, having the legal title to the estate, and the production of his miner's right, was sufficient, and that the law of the Castlemaine Mining Board applied only to the case abandonment, which this was not.
Sir Robert Molesworth substantially found for Lawler, stating that the application for the injunction should have been dismissed, that the miner's right produced by Grant was not sufficient to entitle him to the relief sought, and that the title acquired by Lawler in taking possession of the land, was sufficient defence to the application.
Mr. Walsh stated that Lawler was entitled to costs, a rule "nisi" was granted requesting the warden to state the case, this rule was opposed and the question of costs was reserved until the special case was argued.
Mr. McFarland:- "It is not usual to give costs in these cases."
The Chief Judge:-"I cannot give costs against a warden, unless they are specially asked for in the rule "nisi", but with reference to the respondent in this instance the case was exceptional, for the warden was undoubtedly wrong, and the applicant took advantage of his wrong decision and attempted to maintain it. The case ought to have been dismissed on the 2 preliminary objections. I shall direct Grant and the Company to pay the costs of rule "nisi" and of the special case."
In other words, it would appear that the Warrandyte miners were done out of their claim owing to an outdated mining act, which was originally intended to apply to small shafts so as to give all miners an equal chance to work them. The miners were also unlucky to have had to pay costs, on account of the Magistrate's bad decision, the case had been before the Supreme Court on four different occasions and must have been considerable.
Lawler, having gained the verdict, set about forming the New Pig Tail Quartz Mining Company, also with a capital of £12,000. For a time they struck good payable gold, but met with a 50 ft. slide when they were down to a depth of 150 ft. in 1881, and the claim had to be abandoned. In 1906 it was worked with some success under the title of the Caledonia Consol[idated].
In 1876, still another company was formed - the Warrandyte Freehold Goldmining Company with 6,000 shares at 30/- - to work the recently discovered Diorite Dykes on the Elliott Freehold Estate. The Dykes were masses of small quartz leaders running through decomposed rock between well defined walls. The material could be crushed for as little as 2/- a ton and more than 22,000 tons were treated for a yield of 1762 oz. in the three years of the company's operations.
The 1880s from a mining point of view were extremely dull, the majority of the townspeople just living in hopes that the Pig Tail Company would be reopened, which did not eventuate; however February 11th, 1891, ranks as an important milestone in the history of the town though the people did not realize it. On this day 160 links on either side of the Yarra River, from its source to the junction of the River Plenty, were reserved by Government Proclamation. This led the way to the proclaiming of the Warrandyte Public Purposes Reserve on the 3rd December, 1907. Clement Hodgkinson laid the ground work in 1857 when he reserved 3 chains on either side of the Yarra at Warrandyte as a goldfield reserve. This prevented it from being thrown open for public selection and, judging by the thousands of people who have enjoyed the picturesque beauty of the riverside village in recent years, it is not only the local people who have cause to be thankful.
Another interesting feature is the town's first "magic lantern" entertainment with illustrations from Uncle Tom's Cabin, in Limelight which were screened by the Rev. Mr. J. Caten at the State School on the 9th February, 1882. The new school was proving quite a popular rendezvous for entertainments; in the '70s the Temperance Hall, in the main shopping block, had served the purpose, but it was very small and the school was proving a blessing in more ways than one. Still another feature in this picturesque pioneering year of 1882, was the beginning of the Free Public Library and Reading Room. A room was kindly loaned by Mr. W. Gardner at his home below Forbes Street for the purpose. The Government granted £40 and, with the aid of numerous donations, books, magazines etc., and a "Ball", it got away to a good start. Mr. Simpson was first Hon. Librarian and he was succeeded a few months later by a Mr. William Unwin.
The promise of a thrice weekly coach service to Ringwood on the opening of the Lilydale railway in December did not materialize. This was unfortunate for the residents, as the only means of transport was the mail jinker, and it only had room for one or two.
It was also a year of sorrow as well as achievement; the death of George Holloway at the early age of 51 came as a shock to the residents of the Creek - he was proprietor of the general store that stood in the old house which still stands near the police station - and had several mining interests. Mr. William Hastings had lost three members of his family within a year, and the death of Mr. W. Littledale in April at the age of 72 removed the town's oldest resident. In 1856 he opened a delivery stable on the hill east of the recreation grounds, but it did not survive for long.
On July 11th, 1883, the historic Elliott Freehold Property was put up for public auction by the Sheriff, and knocked down to Captain Alfred Selby for £900. This was the property originally taken up by James Dawson in 1842 and known as the Warrandyte Station and later Thompson Pre-emptive Right. Nearly half the gold produced in Warrandyte was probably found on this property.
The annual inspection of the State School proved a pleasant surprise for the residents, when under the able tuition of Mr. Lewis the school marks averaged 79%, a ten percent improvement on the previous year. On the whole, the school percentage was not very high, but the scholars suffered a lot on account of the continual changing of the staff. In church matters, however, things were not so good, and judging by a correspondent writing in the Boorendarra Standard for November 23rd, the generosity of the Warrandyte people must have been unfairly taken for granted. "Our admirable choir in connection with the Church of England has always been willing to help their neighbours, and give their services, but the scant courtesy meted out to them by the Church of England at Ringwood on Friday last will not be quickly forgotten and, I think, will debar our choir from going away from home in the future. The fact of being advertised to take part in the proceedings and then to be treated so shabbily, not to speak of the great inconvenience they had to go to in fulfilling their engagement. The ladies especially felt it very hard."
The passing of James McAvoy, better known under the sobriquet of "Yankee Jim" in July, 1884, removed one of Victoria's best known early gold discoverers. As a member of Geraghty's party, he discovered gold at Warburton and Yankee Jim Creek was named in his honour. There is a tradition that he returned to America after receiving the reward in the sixties and opened a gambling casino in California, but at the time of his death, he had resided for several years at Warrandyte. He was greatly given to drink and had laid paralysed for several days prior to his death. Besides his cottage at Warrandyte he also owned a nice property at Richmond.
The annual picnic of the Warrandyte School has always been an enjoyable occasion until comparatively recent years, but the one held at the recreation ground on New Year's Day (1887) was probably the finest of all.
It was decided that the picnic should be a general one and everyone was invited. A subscription taken up by Messrs. Davidson and Squires brought in nearly £20. Mr. and Mrs. H. H. Cameron M.L.A. drove over from Kangaroo Grounds and all the Councillors of the Bulleen Shire were present together with more than 400 people from near and far, all of whom joined in the fun and followed the school sports with interest.
In 1887 the library was transferred to Hosford's Hotel which had been delicensed. The young people were fortunate, as they could spend 2 nights a week before a cosy fire in all the comfortable surroundings of a hotel. Efforts were being made to establish a debating club, and probably few towns could boast of having done so much for their youth.
Efforts were also being made to assist the anglers. Captain Selby brought down 150 brown trout from the breeding ponds at Ballarat and obligingly freed them in the River Yarra. This was the beginning of trout fishing in the Yarra and appeals were made to the visitors and locals alike to see that they were preserved. "Give them a go", said an enthusiast, "and they may become a permanent feature in the Yarra."
Transport, as usual, was the great concern of the people of Warrandyte, and when Mr. Meader of the Tower Hotel took over the mail contract in 1887 the venue was changed from Heidelberg to Box Hill, and he obligingly offered to run at the most convenient times for the local residents, and considerable differences of opinion were expressed; the tradesmen favouring a continuation of the morning delivery, but the majority requested the inward mail in the evenings and outward in the mornings as this gave them a chance to visit the city and return the same day. A petition was also presented to the Government seeking a coach service from Heidelberg to Anderson's Creek. It was three years, however, before William Lewis, who operated the Royal Mail Line Coaches to Queenstown agreed to run a service to the Creek. This was the first permanent service to Warrandyte.
In April, 1887, all Australia was shocked by the terrible calamity, known as the Old Bulli Colliery Disaster in New South Wales; the explosion was one of the worst ever experienced and everyone of the 80 odd miners below ground were killed instantly. It is even recorded that a pit boy driving a horse a quarter mile away was thrown over a cliff and picked up insensible. To make things worse, the miners had only returned to work for a week after being out on strike for 18 months. The town was virtually left destitute. The people of the Yarra Valley responded magnificently to the Mayor's Appeal for the victims, but Warrandyte made no effort at all to assist the appeal; this brought a lot of adverse criticism from the surrounding districts, but William Oldham explained their position fairly well when he wrote in the Evelyn Observer :- "However willing we are to assist everything that tends to keep us as our neighbour in the shape of assistance for charitable objects, it is the impression with us that we have local requirements that should be looked to first. That an entertainment should be got up for the Bulli Relief Fund has not met with the support that outsiders who are ignorant of our position, may think proper. We as a small mining community think that several things have prior right -- the hospital -- our free library etc. It is not that we do not sympathize; but with our limited means I am afraid that "charity commences at home" must, under the circumstances, be our rule."
Towards the close of the 80s the economy became extremely buoyant and Warrandyte was not entirely left out, though it possibly was not affected to the same extent as other centres. The largest property to change hands was 800 acres on the Anderson's Creek Road owned by Mr. R. M. Sergeant, Manager of the Band and Albion Mine at Ballarat, which sold to a syndicate for £32,000.
Work for the most part was easy to obtain the the 80s; the building of the O'Shannassy Reservoir and railway construction etc. provided avenues for steady employment which the people did not previously possess, and there was consequently very little mining activity in the St. Andrew's Division. Crown Company workings owned by Messrs. Stiggants and Martrick crushed on an average of 2,000 tons a year with passable results, but the workings collapsed in April, 1883, with considerable loss of equipment. It was sold soon after to David Mitchell for £425 but he does not appear to have done much with it.
The re-opening of the Yarra Tunnel Reef in December, 1884, caused quite a sensation, it was traced in a northerly direction for 900 feet to a point near where the Caledonia Mine was worked so successfully some years later. Trial crushings gave some excellent yields and the owners received a £600 Government grant to assist them develop it, but again the miners had to work under great disadvantages owing to the water. It was abandoned when the reef bifurcated in 1888.
An unusual enterprise was the Melbourne Water Power Company, formed in 1888 for the purpose of creating Electric Power from the water running through the Evelyn Tunnel at the Pound Bend. It was estimated that the force of water running through this tunnel, if harnessed, could provide sufficient electric current to meet the needs of the greater part of Melbourne. Though the same principle of hydro-electric power has since been used with great success in New Zealand and Tasmania, the people at that time were suspicious, and the company failed to attract sufficient capital, but the promoters - Messrs. J. B. Thomas and H. H. Cameron - are deserving of much credit for their enterprise.
Source: We believe from handwritten notes in records that the following text is an unpublished manuscript in 2 volumes (Ch1-11 and Ch12-21) written by Louis Radnor Cranfield (1927- 14 Oct 1992) F.R.HIST.S. (Fellow of the Royal Historical Society). Find a Grave Record. National Library of Australia Record.
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