The Boronia Mall light sculpture.

 

The Boronia Mall light sculpture.

You may have seen pictures of the Boronia Mall in its opening days; these photos featured almost exclusively a large eye-catching sculpture hanging from the ceiling above the stage in the foyer of the centre.

The sculpture doubled as a chandelier of sorts. It dropped a full six metres from the roof with three concentric rings at its peak, the widest having a three metre diameter. Suspended from these rings hung 9000 125 mm. mauve, amber & pink plastic discs. The sculpture was not a light fixture but a means to diffuse the banks of twenty mercury vapour lights, which gave the centre its bright, airy atmosphere.

You can still see the area and the rails and fixtures from which it once hung.

The idea of the installation was conceived and designed by the centre architects Buchan, Laird & Buchan, while the builders T.H. Lustig and Mercator Lighting designed, constructed, and installed the piece. Mercator, back then, was an emerging entity specialising in budget light fittings like oyster lights and baton fixes, usually made of Perspex and pressed aluminium, that were in huge demand during the popularity of the building of apartments and flats in the 1960s & 70s.

1973

The Managing Director of Mercator, Syd Kleerkoper, boasted it was the first and largest light sculpture of its kind in Australia. And who was to argue? It was an impressive piece that was a stylish drawcard for the centre.

2026 with original fixing point still in view.

Now things get a bit murky. In 1986, the centre went through a major refurbishment. Staircases were removed from the car park and the Chandler Road ends. The carpark entrance stairs were replaced with a single escalator, while the Chandler Road end stairs were removed, including the rockery underneath to create more floor space. The walkway leading to Kmart at the same end also had the bottom half of the tile work covered with plaster and railing (perhaps even removed, no one is sure)

But somewhere in these upgrades, the light structure “disappeared”.

While no one I’ve talked to has a collaborative story to confirm the truth, the most accepted story is that a tip truck backed into the mall one morning, and the whole sculpture was dropped, complete with all parts still connected into the truck’s tray and driven away. The reason?

                                                 A Before and after video 1973-2026

Once again, the most commonly accepted reason seems to be to escape from garish 1970s chic. Which, when looking at the old photos, it had in spades. The design and look of the installation had a very dated appearance, and being the mid-1980s, the times and fashions were changing fast. It also meant events that were held in the staging area could be seen unobstructed from the upper levels. Opening up the viewing area, thus capacity for special occasions.

Pictures are rare from anytime before or after the refurbishments, though there are plenty after the Mall was sold in 1988, showcasing the crowds watching events on the then-rotating stage.

Whether the sculpture would have stood the test of time is debatable. The colourful discs were Perspex and were subject to becoming brittle with age; they were also notorious for collecting dust. The maintenance would become a problem over time. It’s ironic these days that the sculpture may have been removed to stop the centre from becoming dated, and it never seems to be a part of the Mall that people bring up when reminiscing about their past visits there. It is a shame that some of the coloured discs weren’t saved for old times' sake, but progress is progress to some.

Off the original plan 1972

We also must remember it has been gone for nearly forty years. I look at old pictures from the centre from the 1970s and don’t so much wonder if it would still be an iconic part of the mall, I want to know if it made chimming or rusting sounds if a breeze or object hit it?

Originally printed in BBCN Issue 352

Rediscovering The New Mystic Lake Estate 40 years gone.

 Rediscovering The New Mystic Lake Estate 40 years gone.

In June and July 2022, I wrote about a failed housing estate near where I lived and was fascinated enough to explore the area. This led to the introduction of Gary Pope, a local whose family built a holiday house that was occupied by his grandmother, an amazing woman, Steea Patrone.

I traveled up the abandoned roads (now tracks) and found a whole new history I was unaware of.

I'm proud to say that this story won the BEST HISTORY STORY in the Community Newspapers Association of Victoria 2023

Read about it here:

 PART ONE

PART TWO

Then in July and August 2023, I returned to the area, and I blogged about the reclaimed homes in the Dandenongs, thanks to Gary Pope, whose Grandmother was a resident there and whom he spent many a happy holiday exploring and enjoying whilst growing up.

The house and the whole estate were reclaimed by the State Government and returned to their natural state as a National Park.

You can read about Gary's memories and my attempt to find traces of the old residence.

You can check out and catch up via these links

Mystic Mountain Memories

PART ONE

PART TWO

I returned in 2025 because it was the area that kept giving up secrets, not only by my own research and exploring but thanks to the diligent record keeping of Gary Pope, who, like me, had rekindled a sense of wonder and started to search for those people he once knew in that sparsely populated area.

First, I wanted to learn more about the Meisels House, the grand home of Andre and Jolly Meisel, a tailor who built his weekender there and had many parties. He hired Stella Patrone to be his housekeeper, cleaning the property for the next weekend's gathering.

What follows in the next three blogs is the story of the Meisel House and my search for any trace that might exist, and from what I found, a desire to seek out more of the reclaimed properties for more history and more artifacts.

YOU CAN START HERE WITH PART ONE: The Meisels Grand House

The Basin Now and Then

 The Basin Now and Then

Another time lapse video of another place I like to write about. Outer eastern suburb The Basin.

Melbourne's Olympic Legacy Part 2

  Melbourne's Olympic Legacy Part 2

   

Last month I wrote about the 1956 Melbourne Olympics venues and their eventual providence, this month I visited the place that housed all the athletes and officials who performed in those stadiums.

The Melbourne Games were the first in history to house the athletes in a specialty location as opposed to dormitories as other host cities had done previously. For Melbourne the athletes would be allocated their own apartments, or as it turned out semi-detached houses and flats. This wasn’t just a large building like a hotel but a whole suburb. Thus, creating the now common term Olympic Village. This wasn’t the only game changer, not only was it a new development it was also the first time male and female athletes would live in the same compound, albeit separated by a wire fence. Given there were some 3300 athletes, the male-to-female ratio was almost 9 to 1 (this doesn’t include the other 1200 or so officials of both sexes, who also shared the accommodation)

It may seem innocent now, but an Olympic village full of fit young athletes in the 1950s and having both males & females living together was considered a radical social experiment.

A rumour going around during the games was that a Greek pole-vaulter used his talents to clear the fence looking for female company.

 Several nations chose to boycott the Friendly Games -as they were dubbed- with heightened global tensions with the Cold War and the Suez Canal crisis dominating the media.

 All up 67 countries competed but one country chose not to stay at the Village, at first.  For security reasons the USSR team refused the Village and were housed on a Soviet freighter docked a Port Melbourne. The USSR had invaded Hungary to quell a revolution less than two months prior to the Games. However, diplomacy won over.  It was reported: …the USSR was persuaded to relocate to the village. It proved an inspired move. The Cold War protagonists got on famously, apparently indulging in vodka and rock n roll parties, and going on joint excursions.

With this kind of reaction, you can see how the Olympic Village became the mainstay in the planning of future Olympic Games.

 

After the Games, the compound in West Heidelberg, now exclusively referred to as  Olympic Village was allocated as public housing, and became a Housing Commission area, the architecture similar if not identical to other areas developed at the same time from Doveton to Broadmeadows and Jordanville to Sunshine. It also suffered the same sort of disadvantages these areas tended to attract by the early 1970s.

My In-laws live in Reservoir and I have to drive through West Heidelberg to get there, So, recently I decided to take a quick look at what once was the athletics village of the Friendly Games. After all these years I never realised I only had to turn left at one set of lights and I was there. Having studied photos from the era, I found the main entrance instantly recognisable.  Mainly because of the prominent Olympic rings over the road where the original entrance was. What was the old police station and administration buildings is a strip of shops and a community centre. There seemed to me, that there was a level of ignorance by the building committee of the day, as they had named all the streets after events, vessels and places from the recent World War, in particular the Pacific theatre.. 

Not very fitting for an event meant to draw nations together. Driving down under the rings (Alamein Road) takes you directly into the original village. I say original because unlike most Housing Commission areas, which have many of their older buildings replaced with more modern dwellings, many of the 1955 flats and houses still stand. The reasoning behind this may be that Olympic Village was predominantly brick construction, whilst areas such as Jordanville and Doveton were fabricated concrete and were only ever expected to last 40 -50 years. The other thing that struck me driving around the tight and curved road with lots of parks and open areas was ”Did they really fit nearly 5000 people in this little area?”  

By today's standards, it’s hard to imagine this being the latest in modern accommodation for elite athletes. But then I had a cheeky thought. They were just amateurs after all. (anyone who plays amateur sport and has to travel will not see the humour in this) This as an aside, the athletes of the sixteenth Olympiad gave the complex a resounding thumbs up and the village was considered a huge success and a massive hit with those staying there.

The area where the shops are littered with markers and monuments to the 1956 Games is quite interesting not just the information you can learn but how many different commemorations there have been since the Games were held. I recommend, if you are driving through this part of town take the detour. It’s great reliving a wonderful part of Melbourne's history that is quickly coming up to celebrating its 70th Anniversary.

       

Emerald Lake Experience.

 

As I keep writing, one of the perks of retirement is being able to visit popular places and events during the weekday when crowds are at a minimum. And let’s face it. Nothing is better than a stroll in the park on a warm late Summer day. Originally part of the Gembrook Nursery, Emerald Lake park still carries traces of its beginnings through the huge amount of mature deciduous and other non-native trees. This is a legacy of the nursery's ornamental garden that dates back to the beginning of the last century.

 It is truly amazing how the area incorporating the road from the main entrance passed the lake is still strikingly similar to what it was in a Rose series photograph taken in the 1940s.

Taking paths that lead west from the car park leads you through shady groves that follow the small creek with trees that have matured over the hundred-plus years they’ve been left to thrive with the tall ferns and gums. This eventually will lead you to the Emerald Museum & Nobelius Heritage Park. The museum is an immaculately kept building and is a treasure trove of historical artifacts from the area and its past. The surrounding garden, which also teems with history includes a 120-year-old Kiwi fruit that was introduced by the nursery's founder Carl Nobelius and still bears fruit today. Just above that is the original packing-shed siding for the nursery that Puffing Billy still passes by today.

Heading back to the eastern side of the car park below the main sloping lawns with its three amphitheatres is the main body of water Lake Treganowen, surrounded by walking paths with its paddleboats and protected wading area it all gives off the feel of a British period television show. You know you’re walking around the Dandenongs when you encounter stone pillar shelters with wooden picnic trestle tables. Another thing I found fascinating, while I’ll admit others will not, is the toilet block architecture which is like a history lesson of park amenity construction through the century. From the original block between the lake and the main road used as a toilet/ changing room for swimmers when the park officially opened in 1941, to the more besser brick building and patterned brick supported by round wooden poles construction in the Café and Bandstand area respectively that date between the 1950s and 1970s which also double as changing rooms. Though these days for the wading pool only, as swimming in the main lake is forbidden. And last, the more modern Nobelius block which is newer but made to look more in sync with the environment with its wooden structure and grey colours.

While the park has its mid-century charm, it’s the new area that has been built to enhance the Puffing Billy experience that really surprises. The Lakeside Visitors centre has been built to blend in with its surroundings. Next to the lakeside station and below the model railway shed (which, sadly, was closed the day of my visit), It is a vast area that services the multitude of visitors who disembark off the train waiting for the return journey. The building is open and airy, giving the impression of a large railway goods shed, which I’m pretty sure was their full intention. Walking from the station, the expansive opening invites you in and the design of the building promotes a natural traffic flow that takes you passed the ticket /information box and gift shop toward the huge café that is more than capable of dealing with the massive weekend Puffing Billy crowds. All along the way are quirky artworks by local artists.

However, what I found the most fascinating was  Lakeside Hall. A museum dedicated to the history of Puffing Billy and its multitude of volunteers.

Like most retired gents my age, I’m a sucker for old trains, but this even held my wife’s attention. The main feature, to me, besides the wonderful set pieces of train artifacts was the interactive display featuring a video narrated by Shane Jacobson and featured the partially restored but animated remains of one of the original trains used on the line the famous “3A”. A truly fun experience.

I have made a mental note to come back later in Autumn to catch the changing of the colour when the trees are shedding their leaves. I’d come for that even if there wasn’t a model railway exhibition to catch up on.

Originally published BBCN March 2024 Issue 330

Mystic Mountain Memories Part 2

 

 Mystic mountain discovery.

In search of the thunderbox steps.

 

After writing about Stella Patrone’s inspiring life in the New Mystic Lake estate last issue. I decided with information supplied by Stella’s grandson Gary Pope, I would head back up to the estate to use my very amateur archaeology and sleuthing skills to rediscover some history.

The day we chose couldn’t have been any better for climbing around the site. 18 degrees in February, dry but overcast meant at least we could be comfortable in protective clothing. This was needed due to the grasses being long (some sharp). broken branches and stumps both visible and hidden that were a burden on exposed skin. Armed with clues that may point us towards some hidden treasure we walked up into what once was Stella’s home for 15 years. On entering Alamein Ave., we were surrounded by butterflies, if it had been a warmer sunnier day, I dread to think how many more there would be. It’s just one of the charms of being up in this part of the woods in February. Moving down the road they flittered and fluttered in front of us until we reached the bend in the road that landmarked the property entrance.  Here, we could identify the flat area, known as the bottom landing that sat in front of the large gum tree, that in another age was where a table was set up for outside meals. It was clearly still there for anyone to find complete with a rock surround, and I was amazed it wasn’t bulldozed away back in the 1980s during the reclamation. Up where the front fence and top landing have been was now overgrown and were destroyed with any trace of the foundations for the floor supports.

One thing we were specifically looking for was the remains of the outback toilet, a standalone structure further up the block, something Gary had rediscovered on a visit with his wife Betty after reading the Mystic Estate article in the BBCN last year.

Misreading the orientation of the house and where it faced on the block we were looking further back than we needed to be when my sharp-eyed assistant Madelyn discovered a piece of cast iron just below the surface in an area surrounded by rocks of various sizes, almost perfect for a garden border. We identified it as a flue transition from an old wood stove, coincidently almost identical to one I have as an ornament in my own garden.

Getting our bearings thanks to Gary’s reference and the massive gum that is the one remaining tree that still can be identified from old photos, we moved a bit deeper into the block where we found the partially covered steps leading up the hill. I started to clear away the grass, dirt and fallen trees that covered them. I was using my little hand spade to clear the area when just as I was bringing it down to find an edge of a step, a reptilian head popped out and I smacked the face of the blade right on its head. At this point, I was ready to give up completely. However, my trusty assistant, Madelyn, who is a keeper at the Mt. Evelyn Nocturnal Zoo and handles these things on a daily basis was more concerned for the reptile which to my mind was a giant anaconda but she had wisely identified it as a blue tongue lizard. By now it had recovered from its bonk on the head and decided to turn around showing its body and legs and go back into its hole. When we (I) recovered we unearthed eight steps, all flat concrete and spaced evenly. This took a bit longer than anticipated because instead of hitting a lizard I had to avoid Madelyn who kept getting in the way trying to retrieve the reptile. The steps look so out of place amongst the natural flora.

 How the bulldozers removed all traces of introduced vegetation but missed these is a mystery, but proof still exists that life was once vibrant up this now closed-off and abandoned street. On consultation, the piece of cast iron didn’t belong to the house,  as Stella had an open brick fireplace and chimney but it was confirmed that the area it was found in was a garden bed and was full of found pieces to house cactus and smaller plants.

I have a theory of why after 35 years Lot 61 still has some traces left. The main aim was to remove structures and evasive flora. Other items not bulldozed would be reclaimed by nature and since the Pope property was higher on the mountain, the other two established sites referred to in the last issue faced the Mountain highway and with widening and reinforcing of the road, a lot more area was eventually removed. Ironically, the one property that blatantly stands out with its set of stairs leading up to a flat pad was never built beyond that point and is clearly visible from the highway today.

 

I have discovered that the New Mystic Lake estate is a piece of history that just keeps giving and there is still so much to explore but that’s it for now.

It's wonderful to point out that thanks to ladies like Stella, the Basin and the Mountain still had women with a pioneer spirit right up to the middle of the last century.

Daffodils are Forever.

 Daffodils are Forever.

I like to go for walks, and I like to explore the various tracks, parks and reserves that are nearby. One that I hadn’t walked through, even though I have friends living on its border, is not very far from my house and it’s been the subject of much controversy lately. I refer to the Koolunga Native Reserve.

 So off I went to see what all the fuss was about. My First impression was how thick the bush was from my entry point which was the car park off Forest Road but when you move along the many trails also how wonderfully mysterious it could be. I was surprised when I stumbled across a waterway that winds beside the path that snakes through the heavy bush. I was unaware this was a drain, it looked so much like a creek the way it follows its own path, though I did find out later it leads directly to Blind Creek. The bush eventually opens up and reveals some nice open lawned areas bordered by huge pine trees. All along the way noticing benches for sitting and enjoying the scenery. I was surprised by how compact it was but also how much it was being enjoyed, not just by the number of people strolling through it but also by the little tree houses made out of fallen branches by local kids and the water bowls beside trees. Whether they were for dogs or local fauna, I wasn’t sure.  I had a quick peek at the sign indicating future works regarding the implanting of a wetland area. So when I got home I decided to look into it a bit more.

Being a local history buff, I immediately got hooked on the fact the park was part of  

the original Chandler daffodil farm. Roughly over 50 Hectares in its prime and to be able to see it now 

when the crops were in full bloom on a sunny day with the Dandenongs in the background would be a sight to behold. Owned originally by Alfred Chandler, part of the Chandler dynasty that is responsible for much of the progress and development of this corner of what is now Knox council can never be lauded enough. It was Alfred’s son Gilbert who probably had the most influence on the area. As a horticulturist, his tenure as a local and state politician culminated as a Minister for Agriculture, during this time under his leadership he led a remarkable advancement in research in many areas of Farming disease control and primary industry. Gilbert was also a conservationist of the first order with a  passion for preserving the beauty of the Dandenongs and for being instrumental in the buyback of the Western face of the Dandenongs to incorporate it into the National park, thus stopping future development in that area. He was also responsible for selling the land that is now Koolunga Reserve to the council on the proviso it remains a natural bush setting. In the 1950s, other members of the Chandler family sold adjoining land and helped establish and develop the Boronia Bowls Club. This led to the beginning of housing development in the area and in 1972 the daffodil farm ceased operations which led to further development to the point where the only part of the original property remaining in one form or another is the Koolunga Native Reserve. This, of course, is a very abridged version of the history and I encourage everyone to look into the fascinating lives and history of the area and the Chandlers themselves.  There is currently a  movement to stop a section from being turned into wetlands by the council. The section takes up about an eighth of the existing park. This is where I decided I had an opinion on what was happening.

Wetlands are a good thing, they provide an important resource in the stability of the local environment for both fauna and fauna. I, however, find them aesthetically unappealing. Since arriving in the area I have seen three areas developed into wetlands. Wicks Reserve, the area below the library on Dorset rd. and the redevelopment of the lake at the Arboretum. Though all provide important functions, I never felt they added to the original vista. To me, they made the original messier. Less attractive. With the proposed Koolunga wetlands, to me, it is not so much how it will affect the area it is in but the area around it.  This brings us back to the Daffodil farm. Below where the wetlands are proposed lies the open area I mentioned earlier flanked by pine trees, Originals from the early days of the daffodil farm that were used as windbreaks, This open area is part of the fields where daffodils grew and it didn’t occur until it was pointed out to me, still have the rise and fall of the flower beds. Something you can see more clearly when the lawn is mowed or from another point of view, on Google Maps the rows can be seen clearly when viewed from above. Basically. this is the last remaining area that exists as part of the original farm and from what I can ascertain is in the path of heavy machinery to construct the earthworks to build the wetlands.  I’d like very much to see this part preserved and perhaps a historical marker or board proclaiming what this particular area was a small part of.

I sincerely hope that a compromise can be made, we are in an enviable position where our local history is treasured and incorporation of the old with the future is always an option.

That, and the fact that I really hate those wetland boardwalks.

previously published in the BBCN September 2022

More info

The Gully News report

Friends of Koolunga Facebook page

Knox Council Future Directions Page

In search of the New Mystic Lake Estate. Part 2

In search of the New Mystic Lake Estate.

Part Two

The New Mystic Lakes Estate was a failed development by Spencer Jackson, an agent who had experience in the area, that tried hard to capitalize on the peaceful and serene location, spectacular views and beauty of the Dandenong Ranges via an impressive advertising campaign in 1952  but along the way left out some important information. If you wished to live here, depending on which lot you chose it would pay to be a survivalist or a mountain goat. I can attest to this because when I tried to explore one of the plots, I gave up due to the lack of a grappling hook and a safety net. Those who actually came to inspect the site- obviously the majority- realized the work and expense involved to build there, while those who bought off the plan sight unseen as an investment were not so lucky. Despite all this, at least eight people/families decided to make the New Mystic Lake estate their residence in one form or another. 

Original advertising
brochure

The development was named the New Mystic Lakes because the Mystic Lake name had been used for a former estate further south near One Tree Hill back in the 1920s. The Mystic Lake derives from the “Lake” that appears on foggy mornings down in the lower reaches of the Basin and when viewed from the higher points such as the development gave an impression of a misty ethereal lake.

There would be no “lake” today it was a beautiful sunny autumn day as the wife and I  headed to the upper level of the old estate now part of the Dandenong Ranges National Park.

I was going to inspect the other main road associated with the estate the now Tobruk track or as it was known back then Tobruk Avenue, to see if I could find any trace of the adventurist souls who made this home for a while. The entrance to Tobruk track is just short of half a kilometre further up the Mountain highway (passing the only existing estate house which is on the north side of the highway) and runs roughly in tandem to Alamein track but about 100 to 150 metres higher depending on the block sizes. The track is also gated these days but the road is in great condition, though I believe the Alamein track to be marginally better.

Surprisingly enough the track is very even and rises and falls gently over the kilometre we travelled before returning. Luck was on our side as it was midmorning, with a beautiful blue sky and the temperature just nudging 20 degrees, to add a touch of colour to the comfort we were surrounded by hundreds of brown butterflies. (Or Common Brown Butterfly as we spent quite a long-time trying to capture pictures of these guys then another long time on the internet trying to identify them). These butterflies basically followed or led us depending on how slow we were, for the entire length of our trek and back. And if I going to be surrounded by flies in the bush these are definitely my insect of choice. I’d read that a couple of families built on this road until they were bought out or burnt out by bush fires.

the Common brown butterfly

So, with our merry band of butterflies, we began our journey, stopping occasionally to take in the views towards Croydon or up to see the towers nestled on top of the mountain. On the first tight bend, we came across the remains of a driveway, exploring deeper we came upon a rock face and the sound of water. There was a water source in there somewhere, I assumed it ran under the road because opposite the driveway on the downside of the hill, it fell away very steeply to what looked like a gully. Up the driveway and beyond the growth was a levelled out area which may have been the foundation of a structure but no other evidence was visible. So, we followed the butterflies onward. We walked for quite some time thinking that we were too late and mother nature had won, when we were approaching our predesignated point of return, I noticed a cutting into the bank that arched back down a few metres further. Almost like steps.  Not seeing any viable path  I looked down the road and saw what could only

Evidence of a driveway

be the overgrown remains of a driveway. Following the driveway, up the hill, I saw something solid with a square hole. As I approached closer, I could see it was a slab of concrete and beside it was a section of brickwork and beyond that a level piece of ground. I had found the remains of a house. The concrete and brickwork looked like it was part of a chimney probably for a kitchen stove.

First site of the chimney

 

The levelled area indicated the structure itself may have been quite small. The wife and butterflies had stayed down on the road so I had to sauver the discovery by myself and spent some time looking for anything archaeological. I had no luck in that department. It was great to see someone had made a red hot go of it up here and a tiny piece of the legacy remained. Content with the morning's work we let the butterflies lead us homeward. I had a feeling they wanted us gone by the end because I got a few direct headbutts from a couple who didn’t swerve as good as they did earlier in the day.

    

Now comes the weird part. The butterflies all stopped just prior to the descent back down to the gate. The same place where we first encountered them. We surmised the heat of the road or the noise and slipstream of the cars were a hazard. That was until I got home and researched a bit more. That’s when I found that near to that very spot where Tobruk Ave. intersects with the Mountain highway lived a former psychiatrist  Ms Annie Yoppa, who lived a hermits existence in a tent after retiring from city life. Though from a rich family and by nature of her occupation highly intelligent her final years seemed to point towards that maybe she was suffering some degree of mental illness. In February 1959 Ms Yoppa was murdered in her home/tent by a  man seeking out her assistance, he then reacted by beating her to death with one of her tent poles. Soon after his arrest the man was certified insane and committed to an asylum.

Canberra Times April 3 1962

Maybe the butterflies sensed the sad places and avoided them for the happy ones. Maybe there’s a bit of mystic still happening up there.

 

 

References and much thanks to:

 Rick Coxhill’s history of the Basin and the Trove newspaper website. www.coxhill.com       www.trove.nla.gov.au