Native Police 1850 PERIODS OF OCCUPATION The Corps, consisting of Aboriginal men, were involved in dealing with disputes between Aboriginal and European people across Victoria. There were two distinct periods of occupation of the Native Police Corps in the Paddocks.   1837-1838 The headquarters of the first Native Police Corps commanded by Christian de Villiers was stationed here.   1843 to 1853 The headquarters of the second Native Police Corps, commanded by Henry Pultney Dana was stationed here.   The Native Police were also the first police stationed on the goldfields and they acted as guards at Pentridge Prison at Coburg.   1853 The Corps was disbanded and its functions were taken over by the newly formed Victoria Police Force.

Timeline of Police Paddocks usage up to 1930 (Heritage Victoria)

(Above) Map of c.1855 showing plan of Headquarters complex (Heritage Victoria) Note: "Log Crossing" was near the modern bridge on Stud Rd, where it crosses Dandenong Creek. This is from an early line drawing and is not to scale.

(Above) Map dated 1865 (SLV) showing part of Police Paddock, with  contour lines. It shows an intriguing roadway leading to the Stud complex, extending from the top right diagonally, down from the ridge. This roadway appears to be the main access route to the site, which at that time was the Stud Headquarters for managing the police horses. The roadway is shown starting at what is now the junction of modern Churchill Park Drive and (gated) Frankston Drive. These roadways did not exist in the 1860s and the map is somewhat misleading. The latter roadway was built in 1963 for the 7th Australian Scout Jamboree and still exists. It had been widely held that access to the Police site in the 1860s was only from Stud Rd. In that era, it is known that a "Woodcutter's Track" existed along the route of the future Churchill Park Drive.