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Life as a pioneer in the early days of settlement
in the Eltham Shire was harsh in comparison
to today. Early pioneers came to the area to fell
timber — both for building materials and to
clear the bushland for agriculture. Water was
obtained by digging wells into the hard rocky
earth and orchards were begun using a pick and
shovel to plant the trees. The pioneers of the
Eltham Shire worked tirelessly under the open
sun and rain with little time to see the beauty
around them. Little did they know that in spring
they were living in one of the most beautiful
wildflower gardens in Victoria.
Early settlements were later based on gold
mining, which followed the significant discovery
of gold at Andersons Creek. Early farming
continued to accompany mining activities and
grew with the decline of goldmining.
Eltham developed more slowly than other
surrounding areas where better land was
available, but development increased when
in 1850 Josiah Morris Holloway, the first
private land developer in Eltham, purchased
approximately one square mile of land which
he subdivided and named ‘Little Eltham’. The
road from Eltham to Kangaroo Ground was
proclaimed in 1852 although it was still a dirt
track and almost impassable in the winter-time.
The indigenous flower featured within this panel is
the pale vanilla lily or
Arthropodium milleflorum.
in Research
AND PALE
VANILLA LILY
PHOTOGRAPH
A Bush Home
Shire of Eltham Pioneers
Photograph collectionYarra
Plenty Regional Library Service
in partnership with the Eltham
District Historical Society
INFORMATION
Marshall,Alan.
Pioneers and Painters: One hundred
years of Eltham and its Shire
(1971)