MOOROOLBARK RAILWAY STATION ARCHAEOLOGICAL PRECINCT
66 MANCHESTER ROAD MOOROOLBARK, YARRA RANGES SHIRE
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Statement of Significance
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MOOROOLBARK RAILWAY STATION ARCHAEOLOGICAL PRECINCT - History
Officially numbered Departmental Residence 135 (DR. 135), the Mooroolbark Station Master's house was built with the station in 1887. The location of the house is known from early 20th century Imperial general staff maps and detailed 1935 plans of the Mooroolbark Station Complex. The house sat on a rectangular plot measuring 843.9m² and situated on the northeast corner of the Manchester Road/Lilydale Railway Line level crossing.
The house was constructed according to standardised late 19th century Victorian Railways plans for a 3rd Class Stationmaster's Residence. The T shaped house, known as a '3 T' design, included a living room at the front (12" x 18"), kitchen at the rear (12" x 12") and two bedrooms on either side forming the T (10" x 10"). The original house included a simple gabled roof with a central chimney and adjacent fireplaces in the kitchen and living room. It served as a residential dwelling from 1887-1973, owned by the Victorian Railways and occupied by a series of Station Masters and their families. Occupancy records exist which detail the names and dates for 13 consecutive occupants between 1920 and 1973. The longest occupants of the house were Andrew Bell and his family who lived there for 20 years (1940-1960) during which time he had eight children and and no hot water, septic sewage or gas connection.
A 1935 Victorian Railways plan of the station shows the outline of the house which includes an extension at the northeast. Original occupancy documentation for the residence shows this extension was an additional bedroom (12" x 13") built some time prior to 1935. The 1935 plans also show the locations of three outbuildings. Though unlabelled, VR residences of this period would have typically included a wash house, a woodshed and a toilet (pers com. Ian Jenkins 2019). A record of alterations and additions between (1946-1973) is also available which details a series of renovations to the property including construction of a storage shed in 1946 and construction of an additional room and repairs in 1949.
The most recent available image of the station master's house is a 1972 aerial image of Mooroolbark. In 1972 the house remains standing and a large oak tree is visible in the backyard. Land north of the station and surrounding the house property has been cleared and is being used for car parking. In a 1973 memorandum issued by the Victorian Railways chief civil engineer, Departmental Residence 135 at Mooroolbark is described as "very old and in poor condition [and] to avoid further expenditure is proposed [to] be abolished" (Australian Railway Historical Society archives). The last resident of DR 134, P. J. Butler, vacated the residence on October 13, 1973. The house was demolished shortly afterward though the exact date is not known. Today, the location of the house is used for station car parking, though the Oak Tree is still present.
MOOROOLBARK RAILWAY STATION ARCHAEOLOGICAL PRECINCT - Interpretation of Site
When constructed in 1887 the Mooroolbark Station Master's House was a modest 4 room design with two bedrooms and a few outbuildings. The earliest occupants of the house are unknown, and the property likely remained unchanged until atleast shortly before 1935 when the earliest extension, an additional bedroom, was installed. By the early-mid 20
th century extensions to the house included additional rooms and a storage shed. The building served as a Victorian Railways owned family home for ~86 years before falling into disrepair and being Abolished in 1973-74.Today, the location of the house is used for station car parking. The site has been sealed by the concrete surface of the car park. A large oak tree, visible in the backyard of the house in historic aerial imagery remains in a small garden plot in the southeast corner of the site. The level of impact caused by the house demolition, levelling /grading and pouring of concrete is unknown. The surrounding land is generally flat was likely levelled out prior to the house's construction. It is possible only minimal ground disturbing works were required for the car park construction and no other structures have ever been built on the site. Depending on the level of ground disturbance, there is significant potential for structural remains of the house, its outbuildings and potentially cess/refuse pits to remain preserved below the car park surface.
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MOOROOLBARK RAILWAY STATION ARCHAEOLOGICAL PRECINCTVictorian Heritage Inventory
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Bickleigh Vale EstateYarra Ranges Shire H2053
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Mooroolbark War MemorialVic. War Heritage Inventory
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