Council
20 February, 2025
Historical society hosts a tour of history
A LARGE crowd gathered on Sunday to Ballangeich as it was more than a century ago.
The tour was organised by the Mortlake and District Historical Society with its president, Robert McLaren, providing numerous stories of the early days of Ballangeich.
“Many of those in attendance were able to provide additional information and anecdotes around these same stories,” Mr McLaren said.
“Everyone gathered at the Ellerslie bridge to commence the tour and then headed southwards to stops at Pangburn’s Lane, Riordan’s Lane, the Ballangeich Cemetery and finally to the bluestone Ballangeich School.
“The four hotels in Ballangeich were discussed, with the Royal Mail Hotel above the Ellerslie Bridge, McCubbery’s Hotel opposite the bluestone school, the Ballangeich Inn just to the south of Riordan’s Lane and finally Tomlinson’s Half Way Hotel towards Purnim.
“Only the Half Way Hotel, ran by the Tomlinson family, survived into the 1900s.”
Mr McLaren said the group then visited the Ballangeich and Ellerslie War Memorial, situated beside the Hopkins River, which rests on a site donated by Annie Gordon of Ballangeich Station.
Commentary was made about a number of the soldiers who died in the service of the Empire.
“One example was Private Robert McNaughton, who was at Gallipoli in 1915 but died of the Spanish flu in Belgium in 1919 after the end of hostilities,” Mr McLaren said.
“At the next two stops, the early European settlement of the Ballangeich district and site of the village were presented.
“It was after the 1865 release of public land that the district population swelled, when families moved on to the blocks that they had successfully applied for.
“A store, bootmakers, hotels, a school and a small Catholic Church all commenced after this date.”
A long cavalcade of cars then raised the dust on the gravel road down to the Ballangeich Cemetery which sits on a rise above the Hopkins River.
The site is immediately adjacent to the home of the Eddington family, the first European settlers in this part of Victoria.
“The stories of the Eddington family and the creation of the Cemetery Trust were presented, again further information was proffered by those in attendance,” Mr McLaren said.
“Many people afterwards wandered the cemetery to view graves of family members and took in the peace and solitude of the place, with Mount Shadwell clearly in view, sitting on the horizon to the north.
“The Ballangeich School was the final stop. The Ballangeich Creamery, the North Ballangeich Post Office, (and there was also a South Ballangeich Post Office and school) and bluestone school itself were spoken of.
“The school is much altered from its initial construction in 1872, the door having been moved from the south to the northern end, windows moved from the roadside of the school to the south end, a small wooden porch has been added and finally toilet facilities are inside.
“Photos, books and maps that detailed the history of Ballangeich and Ellerslie were on display at the school.”
Mr McLaren said the day proved a hit with attendees, both for its informative approach to creating visual markers to history and for the social connections made along the way.
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