THE 1847 PORT PHILLIP DIRECTORY. :: FamilyTreeCircles.com Genealogy
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THE 1847 PORT PHILLIP DIRECTORY.

Journal by itellya

I'm taking the easy way out here to save myself a couple of hours adding bits to journals in which many of the following have been mentioned.

Henry Eldridge (See Hotels near Tullamarine- The Sir John Franklin) was earlier a farmer, Carlton Estate, Plenty.

J.M. and Robert Ardlie were described as farmers, Moonee Ponds. This of course meant Camelswold, which would have been the southern part of Dunn's Viewpoint at Tullamarine, certainly not in the suburb of Moonee Ponds. (See the Ardlie and Historic Howlers journals.)

The three different men in Melbourne's north west named James Robertson are listed.
1."James Robertson, farmer, La Rose" was Peter McCracken's brother in law and the son of Coiler Robertson. He arrived as a 17 year old brewer and his know-how was probably responsible for the success of McCracken's Brewery. La Rose was north of Reynard Rd and between the creek and Rose St. The beautiful bluestone homestead on the corner of Mitchell Pde and Le Cateau St (Melway 29 A1)was started by Dr Farquar McCrae, who had leased out his grant, "Moreland", but was primarily built by the Robertsons. James inherited the northern half of Nicholson's grant in Doutta Galla Parish (the southern half being Peter McCracken's "Ardmillan")and built "Trinifour" which stands just west of the Railway in Park St (Melway 28 G6.) See Between Two Creeks re La Rose and Lenore Frost's Historic Essendon Houses re Trinifour.
2."James Robertson, grazier, Upper Keilor" was the father of James,( who built "Aberfeldie" and married Peter McCracken's daughter) and Francis (who was a member of Parliament and built Mar Lodge on the estate of that name, later owned by the McCrackens and housing a golf club, which extends west from just east of McCracken St almost to Hedderwick St, Melway 28 D1-3.)The Mar Lodge homestead is still standing (33A Forrester St?)
3. "James Robertson, blacksmith, Merri Creek." This was the fellow that Andrew Lemon thought was a Keilor farmer. (See Historic Howlers journal.) Without going into too much detail, he and builder, Alexander Gibb were related through the Coupar family. Gibb received the grant for the 640 acres north of Fawkner's "Box Forest"in 1848 according to Lemon but the Will Will Rook parish map seems to indicate that Alexander and James bought 320 acres each. Gibb called the northern half "Meadowbank" and Robertson called the southern half "Gowrie Park". Gibb built both homesteads in the Scottish baronial style. Alexander and his son, Alexander Coupar Gibb (who moved to Berwick and became a member of parliament) served Broadmeadows Shire well and Gibb Reserve was named in recognition of this. The Robertsons seemed to have later moved to the Somerton area and leased Gowrie Park to Robinson. Gibb's house remains in Glenlitta Ave (Melway 7 D10) while Robertson's farm is recalled by Gowrie St, the Gowrie Park swim centre and Gowrie Station.

Isaac Batey's recollection of the early days, published in the Sunbury News, provided much detail for I.W.Symonds' "Bulla Bulla". In one article, Isaac said that his father, Martin, seemed to have arrived at Red Stone Hill (opposite the Lancefield turn off just east of Jacksons Creek) as an employee of Flintoff and not to have become Flintoff's partner until 1848. However "Martin Batey, settler, Red Stone Hill, Saltwater River" seems to indicate that he was a partner by 1847. An article in about 1937 about the oldest fruit tree in Victoria, in which a Flintoff descendant was interviewed, seems to indicate that Martin Batey might have planted it but a poor piece of proof reading (for meaning )makes it ambiguous about who did the planting. I think the tree was in Kew.

Alex. Guthrie is mentioned in the John Thomas Smith and His Electors journal. Before farming Glengyle and moving to his big farm near Emu Creek, he and James Guthrie were farming land on licence from the Crown. In that journal, I stated with certainty that the Will Will Rook land was Fawkner's "Box Forest" between today's Northern Golf Course and Fawkner Cemetery. The 1847 directory also states that Cameron and Guthrie were at Main's Creek. Hazarding a guess about which Cameron was which is a very risky business because I remember reading somewhere that a ship arrived, possibly in 1839, with over 300 Camerons on board! However this might have been the Cameron that owned Arundel for a while. The Camerons gave Glenroy its name and had Ruthvenfield (Mel. 6 K7) and Stony Fields, which is now known as Roxburgh Park.
I can be fairly certain about Cameron and Guthrie's Main's Creek. Patrick Main built the first bridge over the Moonee Moonee chain of ponds at Flemington so it would be reasonable to assume that Main's Creek was the Moonee Ponds Creek. Reasonable but not right! J. P.Main received the grant for the 640 acres bounded by Rachelle Rd, the line of Farrell St, Hoffmans Rd and Buckley St. Known as Main's Estate, this was later split into farms owned by James Anderson (Springbank), Mrs Sinclair, Dugald McPhail (Rosehill), John Beale (of Shelton over Rachelle Rd) and those of James Collier and Thomas Cox, which became the Niddrie quarry.The creek flowing through section 12 was later called Steele's chain of ponds but it would seem logical that in 1847 it would have been known as Main's Creek.

The next two 1847 pioneers have not been mentioned in other journals but I need to get rid of at least one page of scribbled notes! John Hazlett (sic, Haslett) was listed as a "farmer, Mona Vale, Moonee Ponds." I have speculated that Joseph Raleigh (Mona Vale 1847) was actually at Broadmeadows Township (three years before it was declared) and this could have been the case with Haslett too. This makes sense because today's Westmeadows is about halfway between his two grants at Melfort Ave (Melway 28 J1) and a 160 acre (approximately) crown allotment (if I remember correctly, on the north side of Somerton Rd in the parish of Yuroke.)
CHECK! BALLATER PARK?
On the small lot bisected by Melfort Ave, John Haslett established the National Hotel, which Robinson later renamed the Melfort, using a bike race to promote it.

George Smith, settler, Tootgarook, Westernport. Contrary to some of the runs mentioned in the Squatters in the Westernport District journal, this run was actually somewhere near Westernport. Spencer Jackson (Beautiful Dromana 1927) said that George was related to Captain Hobson of the Rattlesnake and I presume this extended to Edward Hobson (of Tootgarook Run and owner of "The Rosebud" which gave my neck of the woods its name in March 1855) and (Horatio?)Hobson who received the grant for the next allotment west from Edward Byam Wight's "The Ridge" at Kensington. In 1842,Owen Cain's 4 1/2 year old daughter became lost and nearly died because she was too frightened of the aborigines to call for help. Georgiana McCrae (or her son) said that she only survived because she was found, after many days and taken to the Wooloowoolooboolook homestead of George Smith (six miles from the McCrae homestead on the road to Cape Schanck, which I calculate as being near Pattersons Rd)and nursed back to health by George's wife. In Lime Land Leisure, C.N.Hollinshed gave the impression that Edward Hobson already had the Tootgarook Run and added Smith's run in 1850 before transferring it to James (AND PETER!!!!) Purves.The above entry seems to suggest that Wooloowoolooboolook was just one of several names (all to do with frogs)used for the Tootgarook run. You might notice the subtle hint that Peter Purves was also involved at Tootgarook. It was Peter who signed the Police Fence Petition while his brother was living the high life in town and visiting his Chinton Station near Kilmore.

by itellya Profile | Research | Contact | Subscribe | Block this user
on 2011-12-12 10:20:27

Itellya is researching local history on the Mornington Peninsula and is willing to help family historians with information about the area between Somerville and Blairgowrie. He has extensive information about Henry Gomm of Somerville, Joseph Porta (Victoria's first bellows manufacturer) and Captain Adams of Rosebud.

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