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Eltham Primary School
House
AND HARDENBERGIA
The heritage listed Eltham Primary School
building (pictured at the rear) was completed
in 1876. This State school, Number 209, is
historically significant as a rare surviving
example in Melbourne of a local sandstone,
single room school and as one of Eltham’s
oldest public buildings.
The design was described at the time as ‘an
extendable structure’. In its early years, the
Eltham Primary School accommodated 100
pupils although attendance fluctuated due to
the workload required by local families
during the fruit harvesting season. In 1891
the five roomed brick teacher’s residence that
still stands today was built (pictured in the
foreground) and leased out to the head teacher
at the school.
The featured native plant in this panel is the purple
coral pea, which is also known as native sarsaparilla
or
Hardenbergia violacea.
PHOTOGRAPH
Eltham Primary School
Residence
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)