Lower Plenty, Victoria
Encyclopedia
Lower Plenty is a suburb in Melbourne
, Victoria
, Australia
, 16 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district
. Its Local Government Area is the City of Banyule. At the 2006 Census, Lower Plenty had a population of 3938.
Lower Plenty, in earlier times part of Eltham, almost certainly got its name from the Lower Plenty Toll Bridge built in 1860 to collect tolls across the Plenty River. This bluestone bridge still stands as part of the Lower Plenty Trail. A report of a court case, in The Argus newspaper, dated 1 May 1879, reveals two lads, Corkhill and Hodgson, "broke the windows of the old tollhouse, Lower Plenty bridge", some 19 years after the bridge was built.
The suburb is bounded by the Plenty River in the west until it joins the Yarra River
, which forms the southern boundary. Fitzsimons Lane forms the eastern boundary and Airlie Rd north of Main Road (a continuation of Lower Plenty Road from the west) forms the northern boundary.
In March 1855, Wekey held a meeting at the Bulleen Hotel and called for shareholders, each “according to his means”, for a proposed toll bridge, the first bridge ever built over the Upper Yarra, joining Lower Plenty to Templestowe, and replacing a punt being operated by the company. The bridge would cut five kilometres off the trip from Eltham township to Melbourne, it was claimed at the meeting.
A plan, backed by a group of Melbourne businessmen who would form the ‘Templestowe Bridge Committee’, attracted the necessary shareholders and the project was underway. Colonial Architect of the day, James Balmain did the design as a private commission, engineers and builders were Allott and Greenwood. The foundation stone, laid by John Hodgson M.L.C., on August 18, 1855, concealed a manuscript giving details of the ceremony.
The bridge would have a span of 43 metres and a width of eight metres. It would cost 2200 English Pounds ($US800,000 in today’s currency). It would be located at the end of what is now Bonds Road, Lower Plenty, the land for this road being donated by local landowners John Seymour and David Bell. And the Central Road Board agreed to level the road to the bridge on the Templestowe side through the estate of Henry Stooke.
Meantime Wekey conceived a plan for another bridge at Studley Park to improve and shorten the trip to the city even further. By September 21 the plan for this second bridge was underway.
A stoppage in the works of the Templestowe Bridge was explained by Wekey on September 22, as being a dispute between the Board and the contractors over payment when the foundation on the Lower Plenty side was found to be different than expected, causing a change in the design - the contractors were wanting more money to accommodate this.
Unfortunately in January 1856 the Victoria Vineyard and Garden Fruit Company was forced to sell its land. The sale was to Mr King for eight English Pounds an acre - the land had been acquired originally for 4.60 English Pounds an acre - but Wekey had been confident it would soon be worth 18-20 English Pounds per acre. The company was to be wound up shortly after.
It appears the Templestowe Bridge was operating by this time.
In March 1862, a deputation of Eltham residents approached the Commissioner of Railways and Roads, requesting the government buy the Templestowe Bridge then give it back to the Eltham District Road Board, as while its toll earning capability was not as “remunerative” as had been hoped, the bridge was a “great public convenience”. The request was denied.
In October 1863 there was a great flood causing the Yarra to rise 12 metres - it even flooded Elizabeth Street in Melbourne
's central business district
. A number of bridges were washed away.
In March 1865 another deputation this time of Templestowe residents to the Acting Commissioner of Roads and Bridges, offered 600 English Pounds raised by them towards a new bridge to replace the Templestowe Bridge and requested a government grant towards the cost. The Acting Commissioner “promised to give the matter further consideration” though he did not see “from what fund a sum of money could be granted to them”.
A repair job was carried out in 1873 and 1874.
There were several more large floods notably in October, 1923, when the Templestowe Bridge, “a solid wooden structure on an iron girder, with stone supports” almost washed away again. The bridge also appears to have survived the significant December, 1934 flood as it is mentioned in a news article in The Argus newspaper in February 1935. No other references have yet been discovered. (Regretfully no picture of Templestowe Bridge has been found and most residents don't even know a bridge was there.)
The last ‘bits’ of the Templestowe Bridge, joining Bonds Road, Lower Plenty to Finns Reserve at Thompson’s Road, Templestowe, finally washed away in the 1960s
.
Around 1855 another bridge was built in what is now Lower Plenty but over the Plenty River. The Lower Plenty Toll Bridge, referred to above, bluestone blocks and steel, still stands today and is part of the Plenty River Trail close to the Heidelberg Golf Club and the Lower Plenty Hotel. It is possible that the Templestowe Bridge was similar in appearance to this.
'The Lower Plenty School' opened in 1876. At the time this area was part of Eltham.
Lower Plenty Post Office opened around 1902.
Outstanding natural features of Lower Plenty are the Yarra and Plenty rivers. These are complemented by the Main Yarra Trail and the Plenty River Trail cycling and walking tracks, exposing the beauty of the rivers in a bushland setting, while joining Lower Plenty to the city and Docklands in one direction and in other directions to Greensborough and Montmorency, but also to Templestowe and Doncaster.
Thus residents and visitors can enjoy the natural landscape of Lower Plenty knowing they also have offroad access via many lovely nature trails to all parts of the CBD and to the state public transport network. These natural features and bicycle/walking infrastructure are clearly shown in Banyule City's freely available Travel Map.
The built-up features of Lower Plenty are the Heidelberg Golf Club, the Lower Plenty Hotel, the distinctive radio masts that rise above Bonds Road, and the Christian Brothers
"Amberley" Retreat Centre on Amberley Way, home of the Edmund Rice Camps
.
Lower Plenty also has a primary school, on the main road as well as a scout hall along Para Road. Also a baseball club is located at Glenauburn reserve.
and Cricket Clubs are located in Montmorency
, at Montmorency Park on Para Road. Since 1995 the Lower Plenty Football Club
(the Bears) have played in the Diamond Valley Football League
(now the Northern Football League), after playing and winning a Premiership in the Panton Hill and District Football League during the 1980s. Having enjoyed a few years in division one, Lower Plenty are now in the Northern Football League second division.
Golfers play at the course of the Rosanna Golf Club on Cleveland Avenue or at the course of the Heidelberg Golf Club on Main Road.
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, 16 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district
Melbourne city centre
Melbourne City Centre is an area of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. It is not to be confused with the larger local government area of the City of Melbourne...
. Its Local Government Area is the City of Banyule. At the 2006 Census, Lower Plenty had a population of 3938.
Lower Plenty, in earlier times part of Eltham, almost certainly got its name from the Lower Plenty Toll Bridge built in 1860 to collect tolls across the Plenty River. This bluestone bridge still stands as part of the Lower Plenty Trail. A report of a court case, in The Argus newspaper, dated 1 May 1879, reveals two lads, Corkhill and Hodgson, "broke the windows of the old tollhouse, Lower Plenty bridge", some 19 years after the bridge was built.
The suburb is bounded by the Plenty River in the west until it joins the Yarra River
Yarra River
The Yarra River, originally Birrarung, is a river in east-central Victoria, Australia. The lower stretches of the river is where the city of Melbourne was established in 1835 and today Greater Melbourne dominates and influences the landscape of its lower reaches...
, which forms the southern boundary. Fitzsimons Lane forms the eastern boundary and Airlie Rd north of Main Road (a continuation of Lower Plenty Road from the west) forms the northern boundary.
History
In February 1855 Hungarian immigrant Sigismund Wekey purchased 211 acre (0.85388746 km²) in what is now Lower Plenty, via The Victoria Vineyard and Garden Fruit Company of which he was manager, with a vision to start a wine industry in the new settlement of Melbourne.In March 1855, Wekey held a meeting at the Bulleen Hotel and called for shareholders, each “according to his means”, for a proposed toll bridge, the first bridge ever built over the Upper Yarra, joining Lower Plenty to Templestowe, and replacing a punt being operated by the company. The bridge would cut five kilometres off the trip from Eltham township to Melbourne, it was claimed at the meeting.
A plan, backed by a group of Melbourne businessmen who would form the ‘Templestowe Bridge Committee’, attracted the necessary shareholders and the project was underway. Colonial Architect of the day, James Balmain did the design as a private commission, engineers and builders were Allott and Greenwood. The foundation stone, laid by John Hodgson M.L.C., on August 18, 1855, concealed a manuscript giving details of the ceremony.
The bridge would have a span of 43 metres and a width of eight metres. It would cost 2200 English Pounds ($US800,000 in today’s currency). It would be located at the end of what is now Bonds Road, Lower Plenty, the land for this road being donated by local landowners John Seymour and David Bell. And the Central Road Board agreed to level the road to the bridge on the Templestowe side through the estate of Henry Stooke.
Meantime Wekey conceived a plan for another bridge at Studley Park to improve and shorten the trip to the city even further. By September 21 the plan for this second bridge was underway.
A stoppage in the works of the Templestowe Bridge was explained by Wekey on September 22, as being a dispute between the Board and the contractors over payment when the foundation on the Lower Plenty side was found to be different than expected, causing a change in the design - the contractors were wanting more money to accommodate this.
Unfortunately in January 1856 the Victoria Vineyard and Garden Fruit Company was forced to sell its land. The sale was to Mr King for eight English Pounds an acre - the land had been acquired originally for 4.60 English Pounds an acre - but Wekey had been confident it would soon be worth 18-20 English Pounds per acre. The company was to be wound up shortly after.
It appears the Templestowe Bridge was operating by this time.
In March 1862, a deputation of Eltham residents approached the Commissioner of Railways and Roads, requesting the government buy the Templestowe Bridge then give it back to the Eltham District Road Board, as while its toll earning capability was not as “remunerative” as had been hoped, the bridge was a “great public convenience”. The request was denied.
In October 1863 there was a great flood causing the Yarra to rise 12 metres - it even flooded Elizabeth Street in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
's central business district
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
. A number of bridges were washed away.
In March 1865 another deputation this time of Templestowe residents to the Acting Commissioner of Roads and Bridges, offered 600 English Pounds raised by them towards a new bridge to replace the Templestowe Bridge and requested a government grant towards the cost. The Acting Commissioner “promised to give the matter further consideration” though he did not see “from what fund a sum of money could be granted to them”.
A repair job was carried out in 1873 and 1874.
There were several more large floods notably in October, 1923, when the Templestowe Bridge, “a solid wooden structure on an iron girder, with stone supports” almost washed away again. The bridge also appears to have survived the significant December, 1934 flood as it is mentioned in a news article in The Argus newspaper in February 1935. No other references have yet been discovered. (Regretfully no picture of Templestowe Bridge has been found and most residents don't even know a bridge was there.)
The last ‘bits’ of the Templestowe Bridge, joining Bonds Road, Lower Plenty to Finns Reserve at Thompson’s Road, Templestowe, finally washed away in the 1960s
1960s
The 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...
.
Around 1855 another bridge was built in what is now Lower Plenty but over the Plenty River. The Lower Plenty Toll Bridge, referred to above, bluestone blocks and steel, still stands today and is part of the Plenty River Trail close to the Heidelberg Golf Club and the Lower Plenty Hotel. It is possible that the Templestowe Bridge was similar in appearance to this.
'The Lower Plenty School' opened in 1876. At the time this area was part of Eltham.
Lower Plenty Post Office opened around 1902.
Today
Lower Plenty has a low density of urban dwellings compared to nearby suburbs, and is dominated by large homesteads that are built away from the main roads. These houses sharply contrast with the relatively undeveloped roads (some unsealed) and infrastructure of the area.Outstanding natural features of Lower Plenty are the Yarra and Plenty rivers. These are complemented by the Main Yarra Trail and the Plenty River Trail cycling and walking tracks, exposing the beauty of the rivers in a bushland setting, while joining Lower Plenty to the city and Docklands in one direction and in other directions to Greensborough and Montmorency, but also to Templestowe and Doncaster.
Thus residents and visitors can enjoy the natural landscape of Lower Plenty knowing they also have offroad access via many lovely nature trails to all parts of the CBD and to the state public transport network. These natural features and bicycle/walking infrastructure are clearly shown in Banyule City's freely available Travel Map.
The built-up features of Lower Plenty are the Heidelberg Golf Club, the Lower Plenty Hotel, the distinctive radio masts that rise above Bonds Road, and the Christian Brothers
Congregation of Christian Brothers
The Congregation of Christian Brothers is a worldwide religious community within the Catholic Church, founded by Blessed Edmund Rice. The Christian Brothers, as they are commonly known, chiefly work for the evangelisation and education of youth, but are involved in many ministries, especially with...
"Amberley" Retreat Centre on Amberley Way, home of the Edmund Rice Camps
Edmund Rice Camps
Edmund Rice Camps is a charitable volunteer organisation closely associated with the Congregation of Christian Brothers, and inspired by the work of Edmund Ignatius Rice...
.
Lower Plenty also has a primary school, on the main road as well as a scout hall along Para Road. Also a baseball club is located at Glenauburn reserve.
Sport
The Lower Plenty FootballLower Plenty Football Club
Lower Plenty is an Australian rules football club in Montmorency, Victoria, currently competing in the Northern Football League.-History:The Lower Plenty Football Club located 18 km north-east of Melbourne in the suburb of Montmorency...
and Cricket Clubs are located in Montmorency
Montmorency, Victoria
Montmorency is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 18 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Banyule. At the 2006 Census, Montmorency had a population of 8176...
, at Montmorency Park on Para Road. Since 1995 the Lower Plenty Football Club
Lower Plenty Football Club
Lower Plenty is an Australian rules football club in Montmorency, Victoria, currently competing in the Northern Football League.-History:The Lower Plenty Football Club located 18 km north-east of Melbourne in the suburb of Montmorency...
(the Bears) have played in the Diamond Valley Football League
Diamond Valley Football League
The Northern Football League is an Australian rules football competition based in the Diamond Valley region of suburban Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The league changed its name on 1 May 2007. The league was founded in 1922, originally having seven clubs, four of whom are still participating...
(now the Northern Football League), after playing and winning a Premiership in the Panton Hill and District Football League during the 1980s. Having enjoyed a few years in division one, Lower Plenty are now in the Northern Football League second division.
Golfers play at the course of the Rosanna Golf Club on Cleveland Avenue or at the course of the Heidelberg Golf Club on Main Road.