Darraweit Guim, Victoria
Encyclopedia
Darraweit Guim is a Victorian
town
situated on Deep Creek, which rises in the hills beyond Romsey
on the edge of the Shire of Macedon Ranges near the shire's boundary with the Shire of Mitchell. In 1992 the town had an approximate population of 300 with approximately 120 homes and a local school overseeing 51 students. Next to the school are the two local tennis courts which are regularly used. Up the hill is the Town Hall, Churches and CFA
which protects the area. Platypus
can be spotted in the local creek, and Wombat
s also have burrows in the river banks.
language. Another legend has it that "Darraweit' means the meeting and "Guim" means the turn which the course of the water makes in the township. Which legend is correct no one is sure, but according to the Postal Department record of Post Office
s in the Commonwealth of Australia, it is the only one known by that name.
The first survey of the district was made in 1851 by Surveyor Foote, who gave it the name of Darraweit Guim, which was approved by the authorities in Sydney.
of the now Old Broadmeadows road and the Darraweit Guim road. In the early 1860s Mr and Mrs Francis conducted a general store
there and also collected the toll at the Toll gates. This toll was a charge made on those using the road and went to the maintenance of the road. There was also a hotel or wine shanty conducted by the Cummins family, descendants of whom are still in the district. One of the "Toll Gates" from Toll Bar corner later hung for many years below Mr Geo. Wilson's house where his property opens on to the road to Darraweit Guim (Stennings Lane). What other places of interest existed at the Toll Bar Hill is difficult to ascertain, but we have heard of a blacksmith
, and possibly there would be others who lived there.
It has been said that surplus butter from those living on the Deep Creek towards Darraweit Guim was carted to meet the transport wagons (either bullock or horse wagons) at the Toll Bar Corner for transport either to Melbourne or to the Goldfields in Bendigo. The early potatoes grown here were taken to the goldfields, north, rather than to Melbourne as today. In those days it was on the goldfields that the heavy concentration of population was to be found. The Stockdale family who settled at "Oakdale" in the 1850s and are still there, tell of produce going to the goldfields. Mrs Stockdale, snr was a Cummins of the Toll Bar, and the first of the family at "Oakdale" was born in 1858.
Church and then Presbyterian Church. Above the Presbyterian Church there were four blocks in the name of T. Shelley and one in the name of E. Maher, all allotted between 3/5/1 and 6/711867.
post office was opened in 1858 and serviced Darraweit Guim 6 times a week until the Darraweit Guim Office was opened in 1868 (closed 1976) .
It often shifted between households and continued until the mid 1950’s when Wallan reclaimed the run. Rail to the area was surveyed in the 1880s but was never followed through with. The town's general store closed in the 1980s, reopened for a while in the 1990s by the Guy family. The current owners hoped to reopen it, but it is getting a bit dilapidated
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....
town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
situated on Deep Creek, which rises in the hills beyond Romsey
Romsey, Victoria
Romsey is a town in the Local Government Area of the Shire of Macedon Ranges in the state of Victoria, Australia. The town is located north of Melbourne. At the 2006 census, Romsey had a population of 4490.-History:...
on the edge of the Shire of Macedon Ranges near the shire's boundary with the Shire of Mitchell. In 1992 the town had an approximate population of 300 with approximately 120 homes and a local school overseeing 51 students. Next to the school are the two local tennis courts which are regularly used. Up the hill is the Town Hall, Churches and CFA
Country Fire Authority
Country Fire Authority, or CFA, is the name of the fire service that provides firefighting and other emergency services to all of the country areas and regional townships within the state of Victoria, Australia, as well as large portions of the outer suburban areas and growth corridors of Melbourne...
which protects the area. Platypus
Platypus
The platypus is a semi-aquatic mammal endemic to eastern Australia, including Tasmania. Together with the four species of echidna, it is one of the five extant species of monotremes, the only mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young...
can be spotted in the local creek, and Wombat
Wombat
Wombats are Australian marsupials; they are short-legged, muscular quadrupeds, approximately in length with a short, stubby tail. They are adaptable in their habitat tolerances, and are found in forested, mountainous, and heathland areas of south-eastern Australia, including Tasmania, as well as...
s also have burrows in the river banks.
Naming
It is thought by some that Darraweit Guim means "the meeting of the waters" in a local AboriginalIndigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
language. Another legend has it that "Darraweit' means the meeting and "Guim" means the turn which the course of the water makes in the township. Which legend is correct no one is sure, but according to the Postal Department record of Post Office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
s in the Commonwealth of Australia, it is the only one known by that name.
The first survey of the district was made in 1851 by Surveyor Foote, who gave it the name of Darraweit Guim, which was approved by the authorities in Sydney.
The Toll Bar
It would appear that when early settlement was started it was at the Toll Bar Corner which is the junctionJunction (road)
A road junction is a location where vehicular traffic going in different directions can proceed in a controlled manner designed to minimize accidents. In some cases, vehicles can change between different routes or directions of travel.-Origins:...
of the now Old Broadmeadows road and the Darraweit Guim road. In the early 1860s Mr and Mrs Francis conducted a general store
General store
A general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...
there and also collected the toll at the Toll gates. This toll was a charge made on those using the road and went to the maintenance of the road. There was also a hotel or wine shanty conducted by the Cummins family, descendants of whom are still in the district. One of the "Toll Gates" from Toll Bar corner later hung for many years below Mr Geo. Wilson's house where his property opens on to the road to Darraweit Guim (Stennings Lane). What other places of interest existed at the Toll Bar Hill is difficult to ascertain, but we have heard of a blacksmith
Blacksmith
A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...
, and possibly there would be others who lived there.
It has been said that surplus butter from those living on the Deep Creek towards Darraweit Guim was carted to meet the transport wagons (either bullock or horse wagons) at the Toll Bar Corner for transport either to Melbourne or to the Goldfields in Bendigo. The early potatoes grown here were taken to the goldfields, north, rather than to Melbourne as today. In those days it was on the goldfields that the heavy concentration of population was to be found. The Stockdale family who settled at "Oakdale" in the 1850s and are still there, tell of produce going to the goldfields. Mrs Stockdale, snr was a Cummins of the Toll Bar, and the first of the family at "Oakdale" was born in 1858.
Township area
It would appear from the early parish plan that the township area was made available for selection in the year 1866, though some allotments were granted as early as 1864. Some of these earlier ones are the blocks opposite Chas. Coustley's and selected in the name of J. Crough, along with several lying to the north of them in the name of W. J. Lobb. J. Purves selected as early as 1864. As many of the blocks bear the date 18/511866 it would appear that that date rated high in the selection calendar. The block where the store stands was granted to Cornelius Francis on that day, as were those between the then WesleyanMethodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
Church and then Presbyterian Church. Above the Presbyterian Church there were four blocks in the name of T. Shelley and one in the name of E. Maher, all allotted between 3/5/1 and 6/711867.
Natural disasters
During the winter Deep Creek in Darraweit Guim is prone to the occasional flood and did so in 1906, 1916, 1934, 1964 and 1990, at its height reaching above the waist. Then in the summer the area was prone to bush fires and in 1904 & 1927 massive sections of the area were burned. Since those times technology and organisation skills have minimised the risks. Even so in 1969 fires destroyed 12 homes. Both the town's churches and the town hall were also destroyed, and later rebuilt.Post Office
Wallan WallanWallan, Victoria
Wallan or Wallan Wallan is a town in Victoria, from Melbourne on the Northern Highway in Australia.The town sits at the southern end of the large and diverse Shire of Mitchell which extends from the northern fringes of Melbourne into the farming country of north-central Victoria and the lower...
post office was opened in 1858 and serviced Darraweit Guim 6 times a week until the Darraweit Guim Office was opened in 1868 (closed 1976) .
It often shifted between households and continued until the mid 1950’s when Wallan reclaimed the run. Rail to the area was surveyed in the 1880s but was never followed through with. The town's general store closed in the 1980s, reopened for a while in the 1990s by the Guy family. The current owners hoped to reopen it, but it is getting a bit dilapidated
Pioneering Families
Anderton, Barry, Brown, Cummins, Delaney, Elder, Francis, Howden, Lade, Lobb, Maher, McCabe, McDonald, McDonell, Moore, Robson, Stenning, Stockdale, Tom, Waitt, Wilson and Hoban.Resources
- Darraweit Guim P.S. 125th Anniversary Booklet: A Brief History of the School and District (1992, G. Taylor).