DAREBIN HERITAGE STUDY STAGE 24 DEVELOPING DAREBIN’S ECONOMIESIntroductionMany <strong>of</strong> the early European settlers in <strong>Darebin</strong> were small farmers, who made their living bydairying, cropping and to a lesser extent grazing. Although parts <strong>of</strong> the area gave way tosuburban and industrial development in the latter part <strong>of</strong> the nineteenth century, farmingpersisted in the northern parts for longer. One <strong>of</strong> the larger properties, Bundoora Park, wasused for breeding race horses well into the twentieth century.The area’s natural deposits <strong>of</strong> clay attracted significant industries. At its peak, <strong>Darebin</strong> wasMelbourne’s second largest producer <strong>of</strong> bricks. The area’s isolation and the availability <strong>of</strong> waterfrom the creeks and the Yan Yean pipeline attracted two industries in the 1860s - bacon curingand tanning - which became <strong>Darebin</strong>’s principal nineteenth century industries. The side effects<strong>of</strong> these industries were pollution <strong>of</strong> the air and waterways. Other industries followed,including shoe, glue, soap, clothing and hat manufacture, dye works and food processing. Theexpansion <strong>of</strong> the tramway network in the twentieth century as described in the previouschapter was underscored by the largest employer being the Melbourne & MetropolitanTramway Board workshops in Preston.<strong>Darebin</strong> has a special place in the history <strong>of</strong> Melbourne’s water supply. The pipeline from YanYean, built 1853-57, traversed the whole length <strong>of</strong> the study area, and the suburb <strong>of</strong> Reservoirtakes its name from the three service reservoirs built to assist in the distribution <strong>of</strong> the watersupply.As each small settlement took shape commercial enterprises, including shops, opened to servicethe local residents and passers-by. Large shopping centres developed, drawing shoppers fromfurther afield, particularly the High Street shopping strip and later Northland. Hotels served avariety <strong>of</strong> functions as centres <strong>of</strong> local entertainment and meeting places for the localcommunity. One hotel also provided a significant sporting venue. The new entertainmentmedium <strong>of</strong> cinema took hold <strong>of</strong> <strong>Darebin</strong> in the 1920s. Westgarth Theatre is Melbourne’soldest purpose-built cinema still operating.This chapter incorporates the following themes:AAVAHT4.5 Places where people procured food or raw materials; 1 Associations with rural industry3 Developing local, regional and national economies; 3.11 Altering the environment;5Working.History4.1 Utilising natural resourcesFarming and grazingAlthough <strong>Darebin</strong> was blessed with some fine grasslands, created by Aboriginal burning andland management, it was not to be the realm <strong>of</strong> a few wealthy pastoralists as the Port PhillipAssociation envisaged. Nevertheless its pasture was used for grazing, mostly in the short termwhile awaiting suburban development. A remnant <strong>of</strong> the brief squatting era in the districtsclose to Melbourne is the bluestone stables from Oakhill homestead, built by pastoralistAlexander Brock. Brock’s sheep station was at Janefield, just to the north <strong>of</strong> <strong>Darebin</strong>’sboundary. The homestead was demolished in the 1960s (Summerton, 1997:19).One <strong>of</strong> <strong>Darebin</strong>’s few large properties to remain intact was the 1005 acre property comprisingpart <strong>of</strong> Allotment 15 Parish <strong>of</strong> Keelbundora, purchased by John Brown at the first Preston landsale. Brown leased it to Jonathon Boadle, who named the property Prospect Hill. Boadle42
VOLUME 2: THEMATIC ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORYimported the first shorthorn cattle into Victoria and established a dairy farm. He built a smallfarmhouse and dry-stone walls around his stockyards and paddocks. At the time <strong>of</strong> his death in1870 Boadle had a dairy herd <strong>of</strong> 138, a number <strong>of</strong> pedigreed cattle, 54 horses, includingClydesdales, saddle and harness horses, a trots stallion, and some pure-bred sheep and goats.Samuel Gardiner, who purchased the property, renamed it Bundoora Park and established ashorthorn cattle stud and a horse stud. He built a new brick and stone homestead andoutbuildings, including extensive stables. In the early 1890s Gardiner succumbed to thetemptation <strong>of</strong> the land boom and risked Bundoora Park Estate in an investment with C. H.James and his Dominion Bank, losing the property when the venture failed in the economiccollapse (Carroll 1985:207-11; Cannon 1972: 20; Heathcote).Figure 18Samual Gardiner’sBundoora ParkHomestead, (imagedate unknown)[Preston HistoricalSociety Collection]The Smith family era at Bundoora Park began in 1889 when John Matthew Vincent Smithpurchased the property from the State Savings Bank <strong>of</strong> Victoria as a site for his horse stud andhome for his family. Smith organised a public architectural competition for the design <strong>of</strong> hisnew house and Sydney Herbert Wilson was chosen as the architect for the project. TheBundoora Park residence (now known as Bundoora Homestead Art Centre) is one <strong>of</strong> Wilson’smost distinguished works, and a prominent example <strong>of</strong> the English Queen Anne style asadapted to the Australian milieu.Figure 19John Matthew VincentSmith Homestead,showing Helen Smith,Dudley Smith, JeanSmith and MrsMcGregor walking upthe drive, 1914.[Smith FamilyCollection]43