JOHN PASCOE FAWKNER WAS FURIOUS AT ROBERT HODDLE BLOCKING TODAY'S PASCOE VALE ROAD AT THE MOONEE VALLEY RACECOURSE SITE. :: FamilyTreeCircles.com Genealogy
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JOHN PASCOE FAWKNER WAS FURIOUS AT ROBERT HODDLE BLOCKING TODAY'S PASCOE VALE ROAD AT THE MOONEE VALLEY RACECOURSE SITE.

Journal by itellya

This letter was found while researching NEW ROAD in 1847 on trove in reference to Chris Laskowski's STEELE CREEK AND THE LADY OF THE LAKE. As I have limited time to finish the journal about Christine's book, I cannot correct the digitisation of John Fawkner junior's letter. I provide a link.

FAWKNER BLASTS HODDLE

The letter explains why there were so many early roads to Sydney*. Today's Sydney road only went as far as the stockade at Pentridge (which was the original name for Coburg until a royal visit** led to a request to replace that stigmatised name with a regal one.) See:* P.31 BROADMEADOWS: A FORGOTTEN HISTORY. ** Richard Broome's BETWEEN TWO CREEKS.

Fawkner had good reason to oppose* a new Sydney road past the stockade. One of the features of his Pascoeville Township was the Young Queen Inn, "the" landmark for the Sydney-bound. As soon as the new Sydney road was underway a new Young Queen Inn was built on the direct route, prospering while William Smith's one near the Pascoe Vale bridge suffered a lingering death. (*See Page 19, BROADMEADOWS: A FORGOTTEN HISTORY, Andrew Lemon.)

Fawkner's "Section No. 151" was section 151 of the parish of Jika Jika at the north west corner of the parish and adjoining the parishes of Will Will Rook and Doutta Galla to the north and south respectively. Fawkner was not very neighbourly to Major St John, the grantee of section 23 Doutta Galla south across the creek, denouncing him for corruption and causing him to leave in shame.

Section 151 was bounded by the Moonee Ponds Creek on the south and west, extending north to the parish boundary near Victoria St/Rhodes Parade and east to Northumberland Rd, Pascoe Vale.

Robert Hoddle's "petty fifty acres" was probably one of two (of three adjoining) crown allotments in the parish of Doutta Galla granted to the surveyor. Crown allotment 3 of 5, the northernmost was granted on 11-3-1846 and allotment 4 on 24-2-1847, about two months before the letter was written and the southernmost, allotment 5 on 21-7-1847 after the letter was published.

Hoddle's grants were bounded by Pascoe Vale Rd, Bent St, the creek and a southern boundary just south of Coats St.

EXTRACT FROM MY EARLY LANDOWNERS:PARISH OF DOUTTA GALLA.
Allotment 6 and 5 (MOONEE VALLEY RACECOURSE)
Moonee Valley Racecourse now occupies part of allotment 4. An extra 6 acres in this allotment was purchased by May 1909. In the previous November, tenders were called for the construction of a 1 ½ mile track taking in all the vacant land between the old track and Wilson St.

The history of the ownership of allotments 6 and 5 follows:
Allotment 6 -------------- Allotment 5
Dean St to Coats St.------ Coats St to Thomas St.
Grantee: John Mooney.----- Grantee: Robert Hoddle.
1-1-1848. 10 year lease to Mooney.------24-12-1847.Sth. half sold to Mooney.
------------------------- 7-6-1850. Northern half sold to Mooney.

Mooney creates Norwood Township. (Undated map at Sam Merrifield Library).
Richard Feehan bought lots 63-70. Thomas Baillie apparently built his house in this township in 1859.

18-12-1855. Richard Feehan bought all of allotments 5 and 6 east of an un-named road (which, being 525 links from the north west corner of allotment 5, was certainly Walker St).
This deal had been agreed upon while Feehan rode to Keilor with Mooney who had received the grant for section 30 Maribyrnong (Calder Raceway site) on 9-5-1854.
1883.Kensington Park (Allotments 17-19 section 2) having been sold to John Straker on 7-11-1882, W.S.Cox leased Feehan’s Farm for seven years with an option to purchase.

2-10-1895. W.S.Cox dies at 64.
25-1-1912. W.S.Cox Jun., eldest son of Moonee Valley’s founder, dies.
22-11-1913. The Moonee Valley Estate is placed on sale. Mary McPherson became W.S.Cox’s wife and she had connections with the Coats family, Cox’s daughter married a Kenna, Mrs Walker was the mother of Mary Cox, Alexandra Hoskins was born a Cox.
Thomas Cox, who owned the southern half of the Niddrie quarry (subdivision lot 10 in section 12) from 12-11-1850 might have been related but “Street Names of Essendon” gives several possible origins for the name, including a vague reference to the Cox family in the Coats St entry.
1917.The racecourse had been owned by proprietors (the Cox family). The Moonee Valley Racing Club is now formed at a meeting at Hosie’s Hotel in the city, whose owner, J.B.McArthur of Arundel and a descendant of Richard Feehan are elected Vice Presidents. Alister Clark of Glenara, a world famous rose breeder is elected Chairman and retains that position until his death in 1949. One renowned jockey valued the roses more than the dough when he won the Alister Clark Stakes.

Postscript. The titles research on the racecourse land was prompted by an article entitled “Ships of the Desert blow into Valley” (Community News 26-10-1999) in which it was claimed that J.M.Ardlie, a pioneer of Tullamarine and Warrnambool, had owned the racecourse land in 1839. The title, that supposedly confirms this claim, was actually to lot 2 of section 4 Tullamarine (Shawlands Dr. to Gabrielle Cres. in Tullamarine!) He might have held a squatting lease nearer to the racecourse land but no record of this has been found.


JIKA JIKA

DOUTTA GALLA

The Jika Jika map shows the carving up of Fawkner's grant, and the direct route to Sydney only as a dotted line past the stockade. Fawkner, the main opponent of squatters, became insolvent, mainly because of losses incurred on his squat near Mt Macedon that gave Monageeta its name and only saved Belle Vue (later renamed Oak Park), the portion of his estate west of Pascoe Vale because he'd put it in his wife's ownership. Lot 5 bought by H.G.Ashurst became John Kernan's Merai Farm.William McCulloch, a Murray River steamboat operator bought the adjoining (to the north) Glenroy Farm in 1874.)

Surnames: COX FAWKNER FEEHAN HODDLE KERNAN McCULLOCH MOONEY STJOHN
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by itellya Profile | Research | Contact | Subscribe | Block this user
on 2018-05-03 06:54:08

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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