Pioneers of the Carrum Swamp Victoria Australia

McBefore European Settlement the Carrum Area was known as Karrum Karrum (the Aboriginal meaning for Boomerang).
It is believed that the area got this name as Aborigines rested at todays site of Olivers Hill, Frankston and looked in the distance at a sandy beach shaped like a Boomerang. Europeans would call this Long Beach or Nine Mile Beach. The area stretched from Frankston to Mordialloc.

CARRUM, also known as "Karum Karum", meaning "Boomerang". Also known to Europeans as "Garem Gam"

MORDIALLOC, known as "Moody Yalloak", meaning "Near the Little Sea" (Mordialloc Creek)

CHELSEA

EARLYS SQUATTERS RUNS
The Long Beach or Nine Mile Beach Run was originally occupied by Joseph Stewart and transferred to James McMahon in 1852

Moody Yallock Run. In 1837 Michael Solomon had taken a Licence to Graze Sheep. The run was transferred to Benjamin & Willson 1842

The "Garem Gam" Run was taken over by Henry Jennings in 1853

BANYAN WATER HOLES, later named "Ballermerring" run at Carrum Downs.

EARLY PIONEERS

BEILBY, John Wood married Catherine Ogilvy, Victoria 1850 (reg 2379). John died Beechworth, Victoria 1903, aged 86 years. Son of William Beilby & Maria Catherine Moller. The Beilby Station was called "Tirhatuan" the Aboriginal word for Land of the Flying Squirrel. This property was on the Dandenong Creek.

GEELONG ADVERTISER & SQUATTERS ADVOCATE
SUPREME COURT.(CONTINUED FROM OUR FIRST PAGE.) Thursday, July 29, 1847. John Wood Beilby was indicted for the murder of Charles Durrant, at the Glenelg, on the 21st May last. John Hughes deposed that Durrant had come to Beilby's station and taken away a filly, and that Beilby had enquired as to the direction in which Durrant went, and followed after him. Roderick Ercott deposed to having seen Beilby on the 21st May, he was riding very fast; he stopped and related how he had accidently shot Durrant, saying that the tether rope had got twisted round a stump, and the deceased tried to back the filly on him, at the time the pistol went off ; he was then riding for a doctor. Allen M'Donald, surgeon, described the wound on tlhe body of the deceased. Dr. Wilie, Mr M'Combie, Charles Lamb, Rev. Mr Forbes, Dr. Fletcher, Mr Bates. and Mr James Smith, gave evidence as to the good conduct of Ihe prisoner. The Jury retired, and after half an hours' de- liberation, returned a verdict of manslaughter. The prisoner was sentenced to pay a fine of one shilling, and be imprisoned till the fine be paid.

WEST GIPPSLAND GAZETTE 4th September 1900
AN OLD PIONEER. DISCOVERER OF CROSSOVER -GOLDFIELDS. In theLegislative Assembly recently Sir. John M'Intyre presented a peti tion from Mr. John Wood Beilby, of Beechworth, praying for consideration of his own and other pioneers' claims for aid towards the maintenance of themselves and their wives in the declining years of their life. Mr. Beilby states that he is almost the sole surviving pioneer of Victoria bush settlement in the early forties. He claims a share of the unpaid moiety of the vote of £1000 for the priority of information to the local Government on June 7, 1851, of a site of the discovery and working of Victorian gold, and also some consideration of the fact that he was the first to erect and work a sawmill in the colony, the traffic to and from which opened up Ferntree Gully. Another event in the ancient'history of the colony with which he was connected, and for which he cgnsiders he is entitled to some reward, is the discovery, in April, 1864, by himself and party, of the Crossover gold-fields. This, it is alleged, was the beginning of the settlement of Buln Buln and Gipps land by agriculturists. Parliament voted £10,000 for gold-fields dis coveiies in that year, but the peti tioner states that " owing to ill-feeling on the part of the then Secretary of Mines towards your petitioner his claim for self and party was per-. sistently ignored.

BESWICKE, Charles & James Lomax. Charles married Elizabeth Keys at Scots Church, Melbourne 10th February 1846. James Beswicke was killed in a Cart accident in 1844, aged 24 years. I believe that Charles was the Father of James Lomax and that Charle's marriage to Elizabeth Keys was his second

BROWN, Hugh born Stewartstown, Tyrone, Ireland 17th March 1830. Arrived Adeliade, South Australia 8th August 1855 and came to the Mordialloc District, Victoria in 1856.

COLEMAN, William

FRASER, Major James

JENNINGS, Henry

KEYS, George born Tyrone, Ireland C.1792. Died 8th October 1873 Keysborough, Victoria. Arrived Port phillip "Catherine Jamieson" 1841

MACDONALD,Alexander Vause
The Argus 24th December 1881
A Mr. Macdonald, of Mordialloc, one of the first settlers there, was seen late on Monday night making his way home, and was subsequently missed. His hat was found the next morning floating on the creek, and it was at once surmised that he fell into the water, as he was supposed to be not quite sober . Mounted constable Strahan, assisted by the neighbours, spent several hours dragging the creek yesterday, and ultimately found the body in the creek at about 4 o'clock (Death reg.11425)

MCARTHUR, Daniel

MCMAHON, James Born: 1806, Tyrone, Ireland
Married: MARIA KELLY (daughter of Robert Kelly & Isabella Carothers) in Tyrone
Died: 2nd October, 1872, Invercargill, South Island, New Zealand (Cancer of Liver and Stomach).
Arrival: “Strathfieldsaye”, Port Phillip, 30th August 1841
James McMahon obtained pre-emptive rights to a 2000 feet frontage where he built "Half Way House", also known as "Long Beach Hotel when a beer licence was obtained.

MCMAHEN,William Moore married Margaret Keys at The Scots Church, Melbourne 10th February 1846. Margaret was 14 years old and William 35 years. Died 13th October 1892. Buried cheltenham Pioneer Cemetery.

NEWTON, believed to be the first settler near Mordialloc Creek

SOLOMON, Michael. It appears that Michael Solomon arrived in the Port Phillip District. In 1837 he had taken out a licence to Graze Sheep in the Area Known as the "Moodie Yallo" or "Carrum Swamp" Run. By 1842 there was a slump in the price of Sheep and was declared insolvent. In 1846, Michael Solomon was convicted for a Jewel theft in Tasmania and sentenced to 15 years jail. He served 8 years and was released in 1854. By 1856, he was before the Court again accused of setting fire to his premisis to claim the insurance money. There was not enough evidence and the jury returned a verdict of Not Guilty.

STEWART, Joseph

WATKINS, James

WEDGE, Charles,Henry & John

WELLS, Henry born Hertordshire, England (no relation to Henry Cadby Wellls). Married Martha Elizabeth Cole. Wells Road is named after this Pioneer.

YOUNG, Mark came to the Melbourne in 1857 aboard "DAVID G FLEMING". After stints at the Victorian and New Zealand Goldfields he selected 187 acres in the Carrum Swamp. In 1887, the Young family moved to Frankston after his purchase of the Pier Hotel. President of Dandenong Shire Council

The Argus, 17th August 1876
THE CARRUM SWAMP SELECTORS.
The Minister of Lands dealt yesterday with a number of the cases of selectors who had taken up land in the Carrum Carrum Swamp, under the Lend Act of 1869, and who had partially failed to carry out the condition of residence. The cases came be- fore the Minister on applications for leases, the selectors appearing to nrge reasons why a strict compliance with the residence condi- tion should not be enforced. The first appli- cation was that of Peter Carrol, who had effected considerable improvements, having enclosed 20 acres of his selection, but to whom a lease had been refused for non-resi- dence. The applicant stated that for nine months of the year the land was overflowed with water, making residence vory undesir- able, and in addition to that, a considerable area of the selection was unfit for cultivation. It was now the intention of the selector to build a house and reside. It appeared that Carrol was a publican, and Mr. Gillies was doubtful whether the terms of his publican's licence would admit of residence ou his selection. Ho, however, expressed his will- ingness to order the issue of a fresh licence, Mark Young bad selected 170 acres, on which be had spent £709 in improvements ; 25 acres of the land had been cleared. The applicant bad resided on tbe land with his family from the 9th September, 1872, to July, 1874, con- tinuously, making 17 months' residence. He came to reside in Emerald-hill, to make money to support his family. He had never had any return from the land, not even sufficient to pay for the seed sown. It was also urged that Mr. Grant bad said that where the selector had proved his bona fides residence would not be insisted upon, Mr. Gillies admitted that the length of residence and the large amount of money spent on improvements made this a peculiarly hard case, but be could not see his way to relax the condition of residence in any case. He could only order that the land should be sold at £1 per acre, with a liberal valuation for improvements. The applicant said that the amount returned for improve- ments did not really represent all the outlay, as he had not charged for his own personal labour. Mr. Gillies recommended him to send in a fresh valuation for the improve- ments, which would be reported on by the Crown lands bailiff. J. D. Morris had selected 202 acres, and spent £391 on improvements. The applicant had applied for the issue of a grant, which had been re- fused on the ground of insufficient residence. Morris intimated that he bud not continually resided on the land himself, but that his family had done so. Mr. Gillies said he had not yet determined the question of family residence, and could not therefore decide the application, but expressed his intention of consulting the Crown law officers on the point. A similar application, made by a selector named Jos. Mason, received a like reply from the Minister. Malcolm M'Quean
made an application for his lease, stating that he had spent a considerable amount in improving his selection, but that it had been decided by the department that the residence condition was not fully complied with. Mr. Gillies said he could only order the land to be sold by auction, with a good valuation for the improvements. Joseph Clarke selected 140 acres, the improvements on which were valued at £84. The applicant resided at Carlton, and the decision of the Minister was
the same as in the last case. Donald M'Swain had selected 154 acres and spent £59 in improvements. As it was proved that he had not yet completed his improvements, he was allowed six months to do so, the Minister stating that nothing could be done
till the improvements were completed. Samuel Jeffray had selected 137 acres and effected improvements to the extent of £188. There was no cultivation on the land, and
the applicant admitted that he resided at Preston. Mr. Gillies said that the land should be sold at auction at £1
per acre, with a valuation for improve- ments. Henry Wells, a selector of 119 acres, stated that be resided for five months on the land, and had spent a large sum in improvements. The decision given was similar to that in the last case. D. Greaves, selector of 156 acres, with improvements valued at £185. The selector lived at Dande- nong, and had not complied with the resi- dence condition. The land was ordered to be sold on the same terms as in previous cases. Mark Foy, selector of 195 acres, with improvements valued at £600. The grant had been refused on the ground of non-residence. The appli- cant stated that his family had resided on the land for a considerable period, and that he had resided for 13 months himself, and frequently visited it. Mr. Gillies said he could do no more than in the previous cases —order the land to be sold by auction, with a fair valuation for improvements. J. W. Randell selected 200 acres, and spent £500 in improvements. Applicant stated that he had resided 200 days in each year on the land. Mr. Gillies did not think the condition had been fully complied with, and gave a deci- sion similar to the last. Several smaller holdings, in which the circumstances were the same, were dealt with in like manner.

HOW TO INCREASE, A SHIRE SUBSIDY. , The Age of Monday exposes what-it calls " The Carrum Swamp Ring,'" and shows how it manipulates shire revenues for its own advantage. The Carrum Swamp is a triangular shaped tract of land, having its base fronting the sea between Mordialloc and Frankston, a distance of ten miles. The rest of the swamp stretches back from the sea into the northward, and, gradually narrowing, terminates in a peak close up to the township of Dande- nong. The sides of the triangle measure approximately ten miles each; and the total amount of land within what is called the Carrum Swamp survey is about 12,000 acres. A family of the name of Keys, according to our contemporary, by themselves and by dummy selectors have managed to secure the central portion of the area, consisting of 5000 acres of the choicest soil in the centre of the survey. In addition to this they have the grazing monopoly of 700 acres Government land, known as the Sugar-beet reserve. Keys- borough is the name oft' their township, which occupies an elevated ridge nearly in the centre of the "Swamp," and the "dummy huts" of their selectors extend considerably beyond their present posses- sions. The powers of the Keys party at an election is estimated at 200 votes, and as the boundary line dividing the county of Mornington from South Bourke passes right through the centre of the Keys pos- sesssions their influence is a matter of in terest to Messrs G. P. Smith, J. B. Crews and Mr Purees. Running along the county boundary line, and consequently passing directly through the centre of the Keys estate, a drain has been constructed, which is thirty feet broad by two deep, and about six miles long, having its outlet to the sea at Mordialloc. The funds for the work have been contributed by a voluntary tax of one shilling per acre by the selectors interested, a large number, if not a majo- rity, of whom are the Keys family, and their attaches. This matter would be all legitimate enough, and very laudable, if conducted in a bona fide manner for the general benefit of a resident population; but, in addition to the fact that the drain- age works do not benefit much other land than that in which the Keys are interested, this matter has special features worthy of note. The Dandenong Shire Council is composed of three ridings-the south, the middle, and the north. The Carrum Swamp is in the south, and the township of Dandenong in the middle riding, the ratepayers in which latter state that Mr John Keys, who is the secretary and engi- neer for the shire council, has for the last four years, by means of the returns show- ing the rateable value of the south riding, obtained a larger portion of the Govern- ment subsidy than the council has been entitled to. The charge is that the secre- tary has made the 1s per acre contributed by one rriding, and by only a few in that locality for a special purpose beneficial only, to themselves, to appear on the rate books as '"general rates," on which basis the Local Government Act specifies the proportion of £2 to £1 annually granted by the Government only can be obtained. The middle riding ratepayers repudiate all connection with thiis matter, and state that the irregularity has been continually per- petrated by the means of packing the council with members of the ring interested in this special work of drainage, which does not concern or benefit the ratepayers in the other two ridings.