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| Walter Withers, Charterisville near Eaglemont, c1980, oil on wood panel, 20.3 x 33.0 cm |
Walking part the Heidelberg Artist Trail recently with Louise Blyton at Yarra Flats, I noticed a sign board with a painting by Walter Withers. My attention went to a home in the distance now called Clarendon Eyre (formerly Springbank) on the other side of the river in Bulleen.
So we set out again recently to discover Clarendon Eyre and the Bolin Bolin Billabong. We not only discovered the house but a short history of the area was shared by a generous neighbour who also guided us on our journey. The Bolin Bolin Billabong was an important gathering place for the Wurundjeri people and other tribes as far as Western Victoria. In the early days of settlement the area was known as 'the fruit bowl' of Melbourne until floods in the mid-1800s? destroyed the trees and it was converted to pasture (info local verbal knowledge).
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| Clarendon Eyre |
Springbank was built by David Mitchell (father of Dame Nellie Melba) in 1879.
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| Bolin Bolin Billabong |