Elephant Rock

 

Image credits: Department of Crown Land and Surveys (24/2/2019)

A unique natural landform and a community hub, Elephant Rock has served the local community for decades, with records dating back to the 1970s. The huge granite rock, shaped like the animal whom it is named after, is located on Beaconsfield – Emerald Road, Dewhurst. Regularly painted by professional painters and muralists including the likes of Ted VanGo and Katherine Brandenberger, as well as members of the public, the rock is sure to change with every drive by.

Announcements for births, deaths, marriages and other events allow the community to come together and celebrate the important moments in life, as well as the memories of loved ones.

    Louise Quinn-Watson, administrator for the Elephant Rock Facebook page, believes “Elephant Rock has been an important landmark of the area for many years. Most everyone has a memory or a story about it even if they’ve not painted it themselves.”

    The site allowed Louise and her family to commemorate and share their story with the community. “When my baby goddaughter [Ruby May Simmonds] passed away in 2017, my family and I painted the rock with Ruby’s name as a way of sharing her name with the world around us.”

Image credits: Elephant Rock Facebook Group (2/10/2021)

    During the Reservoir construction from 1970 to 1973, the original road to Emerald was to be abandoned, and the newly proposed road would run through where Elephant Rock was located, on the Bimbimbe property. At the time, construction workers believed the rock to be a fraction of the size. Upon digging, they discovered the rock would be far to difficult to remove. This lead to a problem; the new road would need to run right through the site. It was decided the rock would remain, and the road was constructed around it. Now a permanent fixture in many local lives, the rock is easily accessible via a public car park, offering views overlooking the Cardinia Reservoir. 

Image credits: Elephant Rock Facebook Group (24/2/2019)

    If you would like to follow the announcements made at Elephant Rock, follow Elephant Rock’s Facebook page.

 

Written by Brooke Pickering

References:

Jenny Pritchard, J. (2022, June), Landscaping at Elephant Rock. Upper Beaconsfield Village Bell. https://www.upperbeaconsfield.org.au/wp-content/uploads/upperbeac/Village-Bell-2022-228-Jun.pdf

Quinn-Watson, L. [@ElephantRock]. (2022, August 8), Elephant Rock [Facebook], https://www.facebook.com/TheElephantRock/

Pave Festival (2021), Elephant Rock Painting. Pave Festival. https://www.pavefestival.org.au/elephant-rock-painting/

Upper Beaconsfield History. (2022). History of Upper Beaconsfield. https://upperbeaconsfieldhistory.au 

Images:

Department of Crown Lands and Survey. (1971). Elephant Rock [Photograph]. Provided by Upper Beaconsfield History. Department of Crown Lands and Survey. (1971). Elephant Rock [Photograph]. Provided by Upper Beaconsfield History. Residents of Upper Beaconsfield and surrounding areas - Main Page (upperbeaconsfieldhistory.org.au)

Elephant Rock. [@ElephantRock]. (2011, 2 October). Elephant Rock [Photo]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/TheElephantRock/

Elephant Rock. [@ElephantRock]. (2019, 24 February). Elephant Rock [Photo]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/TheElephantRock/

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Dewhurst

In a previous post I posted some mystery photographs, that turned out to be of Dewhurst, a small town in the Cardinia  Shire between Beaconsfield Upper and Emerald. The original township is now under the Cardinia Reservoir. The mystery photographs were identified by Mrs Dorothy Burgess (nee Bishop) who grew up in Dewhurst. Mrs Burgess also gave us copies of some of her own photographs and has allowed us to post them on our blog. These photographs, along with the ones shown in the previous post, provide a fairly comprehensive record of life in the original township of Dewhurst from the 1930s to the 1950s. I am grateful to Mrs Burgess for allowing us to share her photographs.

This is the wedding of Dorothy Bishop and Alex Burgess in March 1957 at the Dewhurst Methodist Church.

This is the Dewhurst Methodist Church congregation, taken April 29, 1956. The Methodist Church was located down hill from Elephant Rock (opposite Bimbimbie Drive).   Left to right are Andrew Haldane, Jill Haldane, Mrs Hamilton, Ethel Lewis, Stan Hamilton (at back in doorway) George Lewis, Margaret Bishop, Frances Bishop, Hilda Haldane with baby Ruth, Edwin Hamilton, Val Hamilton (Bramley), Graeme Horsfall (the lay preacher), Dorothy Bishop, Irene Horsfall and Rodney Horsfall.

This was the last service at the Methodist Church and was held in December 1972.

 

Dewhurst School, No. 4522,  with the large shelter shed at the back.

Then School was later extended.

The Dewhurst School Mothers Club. Back row - Mrs Moore, Mrs Wilson, Dorothy Bishop and Ruby Pratt. Front row - Di Ladd, Elaine Bruce and baby, Frances Bishop and Ethel Peart. Elaine  Bruce was married to the son of Mary Grant Bruce, the author and journalist.

This is Dewhurst Primary School in 1935. Back row - Hilda Hamilton, Grace Black, Mary Mumford, May Black. Second from back - Mary Bishop, Beverly Downey, Ethel Hamilton, Barbara Renfree. Second from front - Pater Downey, Ernie Rainey, Edwin Hamilton, Don Wilson. Front row - Ron Shanks, Norm Wilson, Ray Wilson.

Dewhurst School - perhaps late 1930s. Back row - Don Wilson, Edwin Hamilton, Miss Crow (teacher) Hilda Hamilton, Peter Downie, Ray Wilson. Middle row - Barbara Renfree, Betty Hamilton, Beverley Downie, Mary Bishop. Seated at front - Ron Shanks, Norman Wilson. 

Dewhurst School - c. 1940. Back row - Ettie Hamilton, Barbara Renfree, Marjorie Wilson (checked top), Hilda Hamilton, Edwin Hamilton, Peter Downie, Don Wilson (wearing cap), Ray Wilson (wearing tie). Front row - Ann Bell (nee Black)*, Beverley Downie, Mary Bishop, Dorothy Bishop, Mary Hamilton, Stan Hamilton (hands over face) Ron Shanks, Maurice Downie, Norman Wilson and John Downie. Dorothy was too young to have started school but used to go to the school to play with her siblings.

Dewhurst School students - mid 1940s.  Back row - John Nash, Adolf Champion, David Halley, Stan Hamilton. Middle row - Margaret Halley, Winston Champion, Margaret Bishop, Janice Peart. Front row - George Bishop and Robert Wilson.

Dewhurst School students, mid 1940s. - Back row - Stan Hamilton, David Halley, Brian Richardson, Dorothy Bishop, Mary Hamilton. Front row - Janice Peart, Robert Wilson, Helen Miller, Margaret Halley, George Bishop, Margaret Bishop. We have  a great photograph of Mary Hamilton's wedding in 1954, here.

Dewhurst School - mid 1940s. Back row - David Halley, Stan Hamilton, Dorothy Bishop, Mary Hamilton, Brian Richardson. Front row - unknown girl, Winston Champion, Margaret Halley, Margaret Bishop, George Bishop, Janice Peart. 

Dewhurst School 1950. Back row - Winston Champion (hidden), David Halley, Mr Waugh (teacher), Adolf Champion, Stan Hamilton. Front row - Janice Peart, Robert Wilson, Margaret Halley, Ken Peart, George Bishop, Margaret Bishop.

For more Dewhurst photographs, click here.

*Thank you to Malcolm Bell for supplying the name of this girl (his mother). We previously had her listed as 'unknown', but I put the photo on our Casey Cardinia Heritage Facebook page on December 21, 2017 and she was identified.

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Mystery photographs - are they of Dewhurst?

I have been scanning some Shire of Pakenham slides, most are of streetscapes and rural views in the Shire taken in the 1980s and early 1990s. However, some are copies of old photographs, like the ones below.  I know the one immediately below is of the Dewhurst State  School, which operated from 1934 until 1953. But the  rest are mystery shots,although I believe they are also Dewhurst. The original town is now under the Cardinia dam, which was completed in 1973 - so were these photographs collected by the Shire to commemorate the  lost town?  If you can help identify them, I would be very grateful.   I put this post up in September and today (October 2, 2013) I spoke to Mrs Dorothy Burgess (nee Bishop) who grew up in Dewhurst. They had an apple orchard, next to the school. In fact, her mother, as a young girl was responsible for naming the town. The area was always known as North Beaconsfield, but the Progress Association wanted another name - there was a choice of three and in the end young Frances Shanks, selected Dewhurst. You can see some other Dewhurst photographs here.

Dewhurst State School

This is the interior of the Dewhurst School.

Mrs Burgess has identified these Dewhurst students. The teacher, at left,  is Joyce Little (later to become Mrs Taylor). The students in the back row are Dorothy Bishop, Mary Hamilton and Stan Hamilton. Middle row: Margaret Bishop, Margaret Halley, Janice Peart and David Halley. Front row: George Bishop, Helen Turner and Robert Wilson. Photograph taken around 1947.

These Dewhurst students are (left to right) Janice Peart, Winston Champion, George Bishop and Margaret Halley.

This was a Christmas play / concert. Left to right - Stan Hamilton, Margaret Bishop, George Bishop, Brian Davidson, Dorothy Bishop and Mary Hamilton.

This is the Dewhurst Methodist Church and is the wedding of Mary Hamilton and Alan Burgess, around 1954. The land for the church was donated by John Shanks, the grandfather of Mrs Burgess. This is the second church, the first one having burnt down. This was built by John Shanks and Edwin Hamilton. The last service took place in December 1972 and the church was sold and jacked up ready to taken away with a low loader when someone came in and stole the whole building. Not a very holy thing to do.

This is the wedding party - left to right - Ron Burrows, Hilda Hamilton; Bride Groom Alan Burgess; Bride Mary Hamilton; Thomas (Alex) Burgess, Ettie Hamilton; Robert Burgess and Lois Horan. Alex married Dorothy Bishop a few years later, in 1957, in fact you can see their wedding photograph, along with some other Dewhurst photographs, here.

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Beaconsfield Upper history

A history of Beaconsfield Upper has just been published. The author, Dr Charles Wilson and his wife, Yvonne, moved to the 'charming, loosely structured hilltop village' as he describes it, in 1977. They lost their house in the 1983 Ash Wednesday fires, but re-built and stayed in the community. Dr Wilson started to research the history of the town and had amassed extensive notes, but sadly passed away in 2010 before he could convert the notes into  a book. His family and the Upper Beaconsfield Association were keen to see a book published and so commissioned Jennifer Coates and Wendy Eldridge to undertake this project, with Jennifer compiling the work and Wendy project managing it. The result is a handsome, well indexed, authoritative work, which predominately looks at the non-indigenous history of the area. It starts with the squatting runs, Panty Gurn Gurn and Mount Misery, then Bowman's Track and the early selectors and land owners. There is a section on local places and properties, local families and chapters on Guys Hill and Dewhurst.  You can purchase a copy of the book from places in the town - more information is available on the Upper Beaconsfield Association website. We also have copies for loan, check here  for availability.

Just a note on names: Beaconsfield Upper is the official  name of the town, although many locals prefer Upper Beaconsfield. It does seem that the two versions of the name have been used interchangeably over the years, in fact a search on Trove reveals around 3,900 uses of the term Upper Beaconsfield from 1880 to 1980 and around 4,100 uses of the term Beaconsfield Upper in the same period.

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Dewhurst

Dewhurst lies between Beaconsfield Upper and Emerald and was originally known as Beaconsfield North. The Progress Association had the area named Dewhurst in the 1920s. A mail service was established, with Mr Wain as the first mail man, and a Post office was opened in Mr Cation's house. The Dewhurst State School was erected in 1934 and operated until 1953 when it closed down, having at the time, only nine pupils enrolled. In the 1950s the town had the Post Office, a Public Hall, a Fire Station, a Methodist Church, the Falls Guest House. The first house in the area was said to have been built by Dr Louis L Smith in 1888, he called his property Louisville, but is was later known as Bim Bim Be. Other early residents in the area include Mr Mulcahy of Edgevale, later owned by the Harris family; Mr Ricketts; Captain Jones, an Orchardist; Frank Knapton; Mr Shanks, who built the Methodist Church; Mr Spivey; Mr W. Care; Mr Bateman, who ran a piggery; Carl Hepner; Mr Dacks of The Towers; Mr McMeekin of View House and Mr Bunt an orchardist. Most of the residents were farmers or orchardists. The town was in an attractive bush setting, which attracted 'week-enders' one of the most famous being Harold Holt, the Prime Minister of Australia from January 1966 until December 1967. The bush setting also had a dark side, with bush fires being a constant worry. The original town is now under the waters of the Cardinia Dam, which was completed in 1973.


This information comes mainly from From Bullock tracks to Bitumen, a forerunner of In the wake of the Pack Tracks. If you are a reader of Local Histories, published 30, 40 or more years ago, you will know that authors rarely seemed to refer to local identities by their given names, which is why many of the early residents listed above have surnames only. This photograph comes from the book In the Wake of the Pack Tracks. 

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