The house of John and Sunday Reed at the Heide Museum of Modern Art

Heidelberg (including Bulleen, Templestowe, Doncaster East, Park Orchards, Bundoora, South Morang, Yan Yean, Whittlesea and Yarrambat)
Suburb of Melbourne famous for its association with the Heidelberg School of painting
Heidelberg is a city and suburb located 18 km by road north-east of Melbourne's CBD and 80 m above sea-level. The Yarra River forms the eastern boundary of the City of Heidelberg which incorporates the suburbs of Banyule, Eaglemont, Ivanhoe, Darebin, Rosanna, View Bank, Macleod and Yallambie.

Prior to the arrival of Europeans the area was occupied by the Wurundjeri willam people. The Municipal Directory supplies us with a 19th-century description of the natural features of the area as undulating country "with a series of green hills, the sides of which slope gently into rich flats and valleys, the river [i.e., the Yarra] winding through the country".

The rich river flats drew attention from pastoralists, market gardeners and orchardists soon after Melbourne was established in 1835. The first land sales occurred in 1838 and Heidelberg was already well settled by 1841 with timbercutters at work, dairy farmers along the creeks and gentleman farmers on larger estates.

One of the first property owners was one of the first overlanders of cattle, Joseph Hawdon, who transported livestock from Jugiong on the Murrumbidgee to Melbourne in 1836, thereby blazing a trail which others soon followed. In 1838 he contracted the first mail run through the uncharted country between Melbourne and Yass. That same year he became the first to overland cattle from Howlong to Adelaide. In 1839 he settled at Heidelberg and built 'Banyule' homestead which was completed in 1846. One of Victoria's oldest surviving homesteads, it is still standing today. His family remained there until 1863. Hawdon was involved with the Heidelberg Road Trust, the establishment of St John's Anglican Church, the Old England Hotel and the Heidelberg Primary School.

Another early landowner of renown was Captain Sylvester John Brown who owned the first steamer to work the waters of Port Phillip. He bought 313 acres at what is now East Ivanhoe, naming the property 'Hartlands' and settling there in 1840. His son, Thomas Alexander Browne (who added the 'e' to the surname), who lived on the property, later adopted the pseudonym Rolf Boldrewood and became one of Australia's first novelists of note. It was his relative, Richard Henry Brown, who observed, in 1837, that the area reminded him of the countryside around Heidelberg in Germany and the name stuck.

Another early settler was Alexander McKillop and his family, including his daughter Mary McKillop, founder of the Sisters of St Joseph. Alexander had a farm at Darebin Creek and the family became parishioners of the new parish of St Monica's at Heidelberg. The first mass of the parish was held at their house. Mary may have been one of the first to attend school at St Monica's which was built in 1851. A group of German Lutherans settled in the Heidelberg area in 1850.

The formation of the Heidelberg Road Trust in 1840-41 was the first step towards local government in what became Victoria as such an institution was set up by a quorum of local landowners in order to levy a toll on local roads. This was deemed necessary by the poor state of the Heidelberg Road which ran from what is now Fitzroy through to Warringal. Some improvements were made in the early 1840s but an economic depression intervened and it was not until 1848 that the Great Heidelberg Road opened. It was the first macadamised road in Victoria and it greatly encouraged Melburnians to regard Heidelberg as a suitable and accessible venue for picnics and outings and, indeed, as an ideal locus for settlement.

The natural vegetation of the area was soon displaced by the trees and plants of England. Small farmers moved in, growing first wheat then, later, oats, potatoes, vegetables, barley, lucerne, maize and hops and establishing market gardens, orchards and vineyards. Even tea plants were grown at Eaglemont in the 1860s. Sheep, cattle and horses were also grazed on the local estates. Hedgerows of hawthorn divided the fields in the early years although fencing emerged later in the century.

The first church at Heidelberg was Scots' Presbyterian, built of rendered brick in 1845 (it is now demolished). It was also used by the Anglicans from 1848 until the completion, in 1851, of St John's, reputedly the first permanent Anglican church to be established in Victoria, outside of Melbourne.

Charles Henry Baker built the Old England Inn in 1850. Local citizens organised a petition to prevent him obtaining a licence and so he opened it as a general store but he was granted the licence upon reapplication. The Old England became a fashionable resort for young people who were drawn there for outings and dinners. It was also the first stopping place for coaches travelling from Melbourne to Queenstown until the end of the 19th century.

St John the Evangelist Catholic Church was built from 1857-60, a Primitive Methodist Church in the 1850s and a Wesleyan Methodist Church in 1859. Heidelberg shire was declared in 1871. The Austin Hospital was opened at Heidelberg in 1882 owing to a substantial donation from the widow of Thomas Austin of 'Barwon Park' (see entry on Winchelsea). She also facilitated the process by pressuring the state government to match her donation.

The Municipal Directory of 1883 likens Heidelberg to an English hamlet, describing it as a pretty municipal and postal village with a population of 457 and a pleasant resort for picnic and wedding parties from the city. Its major forms of cultivation were market gardens, grapes and orchards and it is recorded as possessing two hotels, four churches, a police court, a railway station and a cheese factory. By 1891 there was also a bank and an agency of an insurance company. That same year Ivanhoe was described as a scattered postal hamlet with a telegraph office, a state school, one church, one hotel and a number of villas. The population of Heidelberg was recorded as 713 in 1891 and it essentially remained a sleepy little country village until after World War I.

The area is principally famous for its associations with a crucial aspect of Australia's art history. In the mid-1880s a loose association of painters, including Arthur Streeton, Tom Roberts, Frederick McCubbin, C.D. Richardson, Charles Conder, Walter Withers, Jane Sutherland, Clara Southern and Emma Boyd (the wife of Arthur Boyd) began adapting the ideas of the French impressionists to Australian conditions. Often painting in the open air to capture the nature of Australia's light, colour and atmosphere, they initially carried out much of their experimental work at Box Hill. The group (with the exception of McCubbin) moved on to Eaglemont at Heidelberg later in the decade, thus acquiring the name 'The Heidelberg School'.

It was largely through Tom Roberts that the new pictorial ideas, theories, techniques and sensibility were imported from Europe. Roberts embarked upon a walking tour of southern France and Spain in 1883 in the company of the Sydney artist John P. Russell. They heard of impressionism through two Spanish artists whom they met. Roberts returned to Australia to apply these new ideas under Australian conditions while Russell remained in Paris, where he joined Fernand Cormon's studio, there meeting artists who were already moving on from impressionism to post-impressionism. These included van Gogh, Toulouse Lautrec, Emile Bernard and Louis Anquetin. Russell then bought a house in Brittany and became firm friends with Rodin and Monet (a frequent guest at Brittany who admired Russell's work). Like Roberts, Russell acted as a kind of conduit between a nascent European modernism and Australian artists. These included Charles Conder, who also studied at Cormon's studio, and the likes of E. Phillips Fox, C.D. Richardson, John Longstaff and Bertram Mackennal, who all stayed with Russell at Brittany in the late 1880s and early 1890s.

Conder's 'Departure of the S.S. Orient' was the first painting of the new school to be purchased by a public gallery when it was displayed by the Art Gallery of New South Wales in 1888. The following year members of the so-called Heidelberg School launched, in Melbourne, a major exhibition of their works entitled the 9" x 5" Exhibition. Although it met with great critical and popular hostility the 'Heidelbergians' acquired many followers and, by means of their influence, challenged the supremacy of Victorian ideas and values in the Australian art scene. Although the group had effectively disbanded by 1900 their vision of the Australian landscape would become the dominant influence in Australian art in the 1920s and their work dominated popular taste into the 1930s, influencing many landscape and social realist painters. One of the original school, Walter Withers, lived at Heidelberg from 1890 to 1903 and at Eltham from 1903 until his death in 1914. The Walter Withers Reserve, at the corner of Bible and Arthur Streets in Eltham, is named in his honour.

However, the lingering pastoralism of the Heidelberg area was only enabled by the fact that it was bypassed by the boom of the 1880s. Thus in 1897 the Australasian was still able to liken Heidelberg to an English hamlet with old-world charms. However, the arrival of the railway from Collingwood in 1888 and, more particularly, its extension to the inner city in 1901, provided the impetus that triggered the break-up of many large estates for subdivision and 'development ' in the 1920s. Walter Burley Griffin and his brother-in-law lived and worked at Heidelberg in the 1910s and 1920s. Griffin was engaged by Peter Keam to lay out his Glenard estate for subdivision.

An interesting footnote to the history of Heidelberg is the fact that a famous 100-minute film about the Kelly gang was filmed at the local 'Charterisville' estate in 1905. A three-minute remnant was rediscovered in the 1980s.

Heidelberg was declared a city in 1931. West Heidelberg was opened up when the Housing Commission contracted A.V. Jennings to subdivide the area in 1945. The Olympic village was built there in 1956 to provide accommodation and training for Olympic competitors. In recent years, some light and general industry has been established at West Heidelberg although the character of Heidelberg, as a whole, is primarily residential. However, it has retained pockets of the natural beauty which made it such an attraction in the 19th century.

The Heidelberg City Festival is held annually in March.

Things to see:  

Tourist Information
For local tourist information contact Nillumbik shire on (03) 9433 3315, or the Nillumbik Tourism Association on (03) 9714 8634.

The Heidelberg Historical Society and Museum
The Heidelberg Historical Society and Museum is located in the old courthouse (1899-1900) in Jika St. It features material relating to the Heidelberg School of painters, along with historic buildings, pioneer memorabilia, photographs and sports history. The museum is open Sundays from 2.00 p.m. to 5.00 p.m. There is a small entry fee, tel: (03) 9457 2130. For more information check out http://member.telpacific.com.au/heidhist

A Sidney Nolan painting in the library at Heide 1

Heide Museum of Modern Art
The Heide Museum of Modern Art is considered Victoria's premier contemporary art museum. It is located amidst five acres of parkland in a series of fine modernist buildings at 7 Templestowe Rd, Bulleen, just east of Heidelberg. Works associated with the Angry Penguin movement form the centrepiece of the museum which focuses principally on 20th-century Australian and international artworks. The Artists' Walk leads through a Sculpture Park.

The complex is open Tuesday to Friday from 10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. and weekends and public holidays from midday to 5.00 p.m. (closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day). There is a cafe and kitchen garden, tel: (03) 9850 1500. To get there turn off either Lower or Upper Heidelberg Rd into Banksia St. Follow it east and simply turn left into Templestowe Rd and it is a short distance along to the left. If you are coming from the Melbourne CBD follow the Eastern Freeway past East Kew and turn left into Bulleen Road which leads across Manningham Rd into Templestowe Rd.

Statues of Cows in the fields at the Heide Museum of Modern Art

Heidelberg School Artists Trail
This route is designed to take interested parties to the approximate sites depicted in the paintings of those associated with the Heidelberg School (i.e., Arthur Streeton, Walter Withers, Louis Buvelot, Tom Roberts, Clara Southern, David Davies, Emanuel Phillips Fox, Charles Conder, Tudor St George Tucker, Eigene Von Guerard, May Vale and Jane Price).

At each such site there is a reproduction of the relevant painting, providing insight into the artist's interpretation of the landscape and into how the landscape has changed since that time. It passes largely along the Yarra River, through Heidelberg, Bulleen, Templestowe, Eltham, Diamond Creek, Research, Warrandyte, passing through Ringwood and Montrose, en route to Kalorama, Olinda, Kallista and Upper Ferntree Gully. There is a guiding brochure which can be obtained from Banyule Council (tel: 03 9490 4222) or the project's organiser, tel: (03) 9458 5955 or (0418) 356 768.

The Old England Hotel
The Old England Hotel was first licensed in 1850. It was originally a 13-bedroom hotel with stables, coach house, stockyard and two-acre garden. Other outbuildings were added and it became a centre for social activities, frequented by fox-hunting clubs whose members were watched from the hotel's front verandah. Until the end of the 19th century it became the first stopping place for coaches from Melbourne to Queenstown. It was rebuilt to face Lower Heidelberg Road in 1890 and has been extended over the years but the original stone section of the 1850s remains as part of the building. It is located at the corner of Lower Heidelberg Road and Yarra St.

Former Police Station
Also in Jika St is the former police station, a single-storey bluestone structure built c.1860. It features a timber verandah, a hipped slate roof, 12-pane sash windows, quoins, chimneys and random-coursed masonry and is an important element of the townscape.

St John's Anglican Church
St John's Anglican Church, in Burgundy St, was erected between 1849 and 1851 to a Gothic Revival design. It was reputedly the first permanent Anglican church to be established in Victoria, outside of Melbourne. Its central feature is the castellated, square-pinnacled tower which rises above the entrance. The building is composed of stuccoed brickwork on a bluestone plinth. The shingled roof has been replaced with slate. There is a four-bay nave and small chancel with buttresses and lancet windows.

Catholic Church
St John the Evangelist Catholic Church is a bluestone building constructed between 1857 and 1860 and completed in 1909. It is located at the corner of Cape and Yarra Sts.

Banyule perched high on a cliff above the river valley

Banyule
'Banyule', perched high on a cliff above the river valley, is one of the state's oldest surviving mansions. The first stage of construction (c.1842) entailed the single-storey wing of clay and quarried stone. The two-storey main house was completed in 1846. It is made of stuccoed local bricks on a sandstone foundation and is executed in the Gothic Revival style. The walls are 75 cm thick and the building features gabled parapets, corner pinnacles, bay windows, a porch, prominent string courses and fretted battlements. The house became a social centre frequented by most of Melbourne's distinguished early figures. Hawdon's family remained there until 1863. It was extended in 1907 and extensive alterations and additions were carried out in 1996. It is located in Buckingham Drive.

Christopher's House
At 121 Hawdon St is a notable early villa known as 'Christopher's House'. It was built in the early 1860s and originally known as 'Cintra'. From about 1920 to 1941 it was the residence of Bishop Christopher Green. The house features a cast-iron verandah, bay windows and a fine roof.

Serendip
Located at 456 Upper Heidelberg Rd, 'Serendip' is a single-storey stuccoed brick house erected c.1859 on bluestone foundations. Features include an encircling timber verandah with shaped brackets, slate roof and facade windows with architrave surrounds. It makes a fine contribution to the townscape.

Charterisville
'Charterisville', at 77 Burke Rd Ivanhoe, is one of the earliest surviving houses in the state. It was built for David Charteris McArthur of the Bank of Australasia with work commencing c.1840. The house is constructed of brick, bluestone and locally-quarried sandstone.

An interesting footnote to the history of Heidelberg is the fact that a famous 100-minute film about the Kelly gang was filmed at 'Charterisville' in 1905. A three-minute remnant was rediscovered in the 1980s.

Ravenswood
'Ravenswood', at 40 Beauview Parade in the suburb of Ivanhoe, is a grand two-storey Italianate Renaissance-style mansion which was built in 1890-91. It features a two-storey colonnade of Corinthian columns, Tuscan pilasters, a single-storey pedimented porch, balustrades, parapets, cornices and festoons.

'Ravenswood' was originally set amidst 6.4 ha of gardens and parkland and was once a centre of high-society social life. There were garden parties, charity functions and a grand ballroom (added in 1895) with orchestra. An Edwardian extension of three bedrooms, a bathroom, open living area and balcony was added above the ballroom in 1914 to accommodate a growing family. It was taken over as a military establishment during World War II and was converted into four flats after the war. In 1949 it was used by the Melbourne Ladies Benevolent Society for the accommodation of elderly women. A cream-brick extension was added to the rear of the building in 1956. By the 1980s it was rather dilapidated but has been nicely restored as a Victorian home of the 1890s with period furnishing and a period garden.

Parks and Gardens in Heidelberg
Banyule Flats adjoins the Yarra River on Somerset Drive. On Beverley Rd are both Heidelberg Park and Warringal Parklands. All feature picnic, barbecue, playground and parking facilities, tel: (03) 9490 4222.

Parks, Gardens and Galleries in the Templestowe Area
There are a number of parks, gardens and nurseries in the Templestowe area just east of Heidelberg. Westerfolds Park (adjacent Fitzsimmons Lane) offers wood-fired barbecues, canoeing on the Yarra River, a fun and fitness trail, picnic tables, a playground and toilets. The Main Yarra Trail enables cycling through to the Melbourne CBD. Envirofest is held here on the first Sunday in June and Recfest in November. The former explores environmental themes and the latter offers activities such as kite flying, rafting, bike riding, abseiling and boomerang throwing to name but a few, tel: 131 963.

At the eastern end of Reynolds Rd is Currawong Bush Park, a 120-acre recreation area with a modern conference and meeting venue. The Environment Centre is available for events, parties, camping, nightwalks, bushwalks, barbecues and picnics. There is a wildlife enclosure with kangaroos and wallabies and a native plant nursery, tel: (03) 9841 9810.

Smiling Wombat Tours conduct children's birthday parties and tours with native animals in this urban bush setting. They also organise tours to a chocolate maker, tel: (03) 9850 9971.

Adjacent Currawong Bush Park is Mullum Mullum Creek Linear Park with bitumen cycling/walking paths, playground equipment and a wetlands system in Larnoo Drive Reserve, tel: (03) 9840 9333. Ruffey Lake Park, on George St, is a major recreation area with a lake and a network of paths leading through vegetation next to a creek and open hillsides. There are also barbecue facilities, a playground and toilets, tel: (03) 9840 9333.

Pettys Orchard, in Newmans Rd (which runs off Warrandyte Rd) hosts the Antique Apple Festival every year in March. There are orchard tours, entertainment, displays, tastings and apple produce for sale, tel: 131 963. The orchard itself is a commercial venture growing over 200 different types of antique apples. It is situated beside the Yarra River and features wetlands and a birdhide.

The Recherche Gallery in Templestowe Village has historic items on permanent display. There are family heirlooms, old photographs, Australian memorabilia, original paintings and limited edition prints. It s located at 130 James St and is open weekdays from 10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. and Saturdays from 9.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m., tel: (03) 9846 1314.

Further east, in Knees Rd, within the suburb of Park Orchards, is 100 Acres Reserve, a picturesque and significant area of remnant vegetation with a nature trail, tel: (03) 9840 9333.

Bundoora Park Children's Farm
Children can encounter, feed and cuddle farmyard animals, enjoy hayrides and pony rides, and meet some unique Australian wildlife at Bundoora Park which is adjacent Plenty Road at Bundoora, just north of Heidelberg. The Historical Centre focuses on the area's heritage, tel: (03) 9462 4079.

South Morang
Plenty Rd continues north from Bundoora through South Morang. If you head east off Plenty Rd, along Gorge Rd, it soon leads past Plenty Gorge Park which has picnic and barbecue facilities, toilets and a walking trail. Further north, on the eastern side of Plenty Rd, is Hawkstowe Park which has walking trails with stunning views of the Plenty River and Plenty Gorge. The historical homestead on the hill overlooks the entire park and there are numerous picnic areas. The Plenty Valley Food & Craft Festival is held here each November, tel: 131 963.

Alpine Toboggan Park
Plenty Rd continues north to Whittlesea where the Whittlesea Show is held annually in November. On the western side of the road is Alpine Toboggan Park which features a 1.2-km toboggan slide, two waterslides, mini-cars, an 18-hole mini-golf course, electric barbecues, picnic areas with undercover seating, a playground and a kiosk, tel: (03) 9716 1078.

Toorourrong Reservoir Park
At its northern end Plenty Rd feeds into the Whittlesea-Yea Rd. 5 km along this road is a signposted turnoff on the left to Toorourrong Reservoir Park which is located in a tranquil setting at the foot of Mt Disappointment within the Great Dividing Range. It has picnic, barbecue, disabled and playground facilities, toilets and walking trails, tel: 131 963.

Yellow Gum Park
Yellow Gum Park, adjacent the Plenty River, has a walking track, a picturesque lake, a lookout and barbecue facilities, tel: 131 963.

To get there follow the Greensborough Highway north from Heidelberg. At its northern end it runs into Diamond Creek Rd. From Diamond Creek Rd turn left into Yan Yean Rd. After about 1 km Yan Yean Rd bends to the left and then, a little further on, bends to the right. Proceed straight ahead along Memorial Drive instead of following Yan Yean Rd when it takes the aforementioned bend to the right. Memorial Drive will take you to Goldsworthy Lane which leads to Yellow Gum Park

Hills of Plenty Winery
If, instead of turning into Memorial Drive, you follow Yan Yean Rd northwards you will pass Plenty Views Golf Park. At 370 Yan Yean Rd is the Hills of Plenty Winery which offers tastings and sales of red and white wines on the last Sunday of each month from midday to 5.00 p.m. or by appointment, tel: (03) 9436 2264.

Flying Scotsman Railway and Other Attractions at Yarrambat
Further north on Yan Yean Rd, to the left, are the Yarrambat Park Community Golf Course and Yarrambat Park where there are views of the Plenty River, playground and picnic facilities.

A little further north, on the other side of the road, at 744 Yan Yean Rd, is the Flying Scotsman Railway where you can drive a working model railway and view a record of the Flying Scotsman's Australian Tour. It is open weekends from 10.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. and, during the school holidays, on Wednesdays from 10.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m., tel: (03) 9436 1112.

Yan Yean Reservoir
Continue north along scenic Yan Yean Rd for about another 6 km to the intersection with Arthurs Creek Rd. Turn left to access the main facilities of Yan Yean Reservoir Park which is located in the foothills of the Sherwyn Ranges. There are excellent views, picnic areas, disabled facilities, walking trails, an historic dam wall, many waterbirds, eastern grey kangaroos, barbecues and toilets, tel: 131 963.

	Hotels
	Old England Hotel Lr Heidelberg Rd Heidelberg VIC 3084 Telephone: (03) 9459 1166
	Sir Henry Barkly Hotel Burgundy St Heidelberg VIC 3084 Telephone: (03) 9457 1003
	Restaurants
	A La Carte Pizza & Pasta Bar Burgundy St Heidelberg VIC 3084 Telephone: (03) 9459 0907
	Cellini Restaurant 31 Nothern Rd Heidelberg VIC 3084 Telephone: (03) 9459 3151
	Diamond Restaurant 122 Burgundy St Heidelberg VIC 3084 Telephone: (03) 9457 1096
	Dragon House Chinese Malaysian & Thai Restaurant 110 Lower Plenty Rd Rosanna Heidelberg VIC 3084 Telephone: (03) 9459 24377
	Eagles Nest Restaurant 86 Yarra St Heidelberg VIC 3084 Telephone: (03) 9458 3360
	Isabella's Pizza Restaurant 34 Bell St Heidelberg VIC 3084 Telephone: (03) 9459 9244
	Jade Kingdom Chinese & Malaysian Restaurant 233 Waiora Rd Heidelberg VIC 3084 Telephone: (03) 9458 3188
	KFC 467-469 Lower Heidelberg Rd Heidelberg VIC 3084 Telephone: (03) 9459 5651
	Kuali Malaysia Restaurant 148 Burgundy St Heidelberg VIC 3084 Telephone: (03) 9457 4650
	Lentini's The Pizza & Pasta Spot 248-250 Lower Plenty Rd Heidelberg VIC 3084 Telephone: (03) 9458 3300
	Mana Thai Cuisine 44 Bell St Heidelberg VIC 3084 Telephone: (03) 9457 7913
	Mcdonald's Family Restaurant 120 Bell St Heidelberg VIC 3084 Telephone: (03) 9459 5356
	Bed & Breakfast/Guesthouses
	Oakenfold Bed & Breakfast cnr Hawdon & Brown St Heidelberg VIC 3084 Telephone: (03) 9459 1135 Rating: **1/2
	Restaurants
	Punto Di Vista Restaurant 184 Burgundy St Heidelberg VIC 3084 Telephone: (03) 9458 2222
	Tarin Thai 71 Burgundy St Heidelberg VIC 3084 Telephone: (03) 9457 6250
	Village Square Greek Tavern Restaurant Burgundy St Heidelberg VIC 3084 Telephone: (03) 9459 4514