Dandenong Police Paddocks and Churchill NP - Pictorial Heritage 1837 to 2017

History

Commandant's residence 1925 (SLV)

Blacktrackers from Queensland, 1979 ( SLV)  EARLY HISTORY The Paddocks date back to the early 1830s, and is on Crown Land, jointly managed by Parks Victoria and the City of Casey. In the past, the area was part of the former Cities of Berwick and Dandenong. In October 1837, Captain William Lonsdale, who was in charge of the infant settlement, directed that land in the district of “Nerre Nerre Warrene” be set aside for a depot for a native police corps. Early survey maps show this land to have covered an area of about six square miles. Note: The modern official (Landvic) name is Nerre Nerre Warren, also shown in some resources as "Narree Worran" )  It extended from the present line of Police Road in the north to Heatherton Road in the south (known as the Mornington Rd in the late 1880s) and from the present Gladstone Road to the west (in present-day Dandenong North) to deep into the Lysterfield Hills to the north-east. The depot itself was established on a hill east of what was then called the “Dangynon” or “Dangy Nong” Creek in what became known as the Police Paddocks. It originally included the area to the west of present-day Stud Rd to Gladstone Rd  (now occupied by residential housing, the Tirhatuan Lake, Tirhuatan Wetlands and Tirhatuan Public Golf Course), and north-east to the land which became the Churchill National Park. The eastern boundary was on the western edge of what became the Churchill Park Golf Course. The original boundaries were ill-defined, mainly because there were very few  made roads in the 1830s, and the land was broken up into large holdings (runs)divided into grids following surveying. The region was centred on the Dandenong Creek Valley. Note that the original Police Paddock was created solely for recreational use, in perpetuity, and was never to be used for residential or commercial development, except under "special circumstances". Exceptions to this occurred decades later when some allotments were opened up in the area between what is now Stud and Gladstone Rds, and on the south east corner of Stud and Brady Rds. The present-day (2017) area is about 499 hectares, with boundaries being Stud Rd, Police Rd, Churchill Park Drive, the western fence of the Churchill Park Golf Course, part of the Sydney Pargeter Recreation Reserve, Kennington Park Drive, Essex Park Drive, Monash Freeway, and the Dandenong Creek. Some of it is fenced. The gated roadways in the hill area were constructed In 1962/63 for the 7th Australian Scout Jamboree - most have been retained for fire management purposes and as walking tracks. These are Brady Rd extension, Baden Powell Drive, Belair Ave, Landsdowne Rd, Greenbanks  Avenue, Clifford Park Drive, Frankston Drive, Greystanes Crescent.

EARLY ACTIVITY According to the Victoria Government Gazette, first published in 1851, the earliest reference to the Police Paddocks was in January 1855, when tenders were called for the delivery of 6000 posts and 6000 rails for construction of a perimeter fence around the "Dandenong Paddock Enclosure". This had originated from the Office of the Chief Commissioner of Police. It indicated that timber for splitting was available from a nearby paddock. and that a bullock team and dray would be placed at the disposal of the contractors. The total area to be fenced was about 2000 acres (about 810 ha), with a perimeter of some 9 miles (15 km). It is noted that the original name of the area was "Dandenong Police Paddock", which subsequently became "Dandenong Police Paddocks"

Captain Dana, 1879 (SLV) HISTORICAL BACKGROUND Aboriginal people knew the location of Dandenong Police Paddocks as Nerre Nerre Warrene. It was part of the lands of the Bunurong Aboriginal people. Today members of the Wurundjeri community of Melbourne are involved in park management and recovering Aboriginal heritage. It's an area of sloping land along a ridge overlooking the Dandenong Creek and river flats. It includes the surface and subsurface remains of several occupations from the 1830s.   The town of Melbourne was founded in 1835, and the land to the south-east was extensively cleared, stripped of trees, drained, furrowed and fenced. In the 1830s the area was known as the Dandenong Paddock, originally about 1800 acres. There were five buildings of wattle and daub with bark roofs constructed at this time.   It subsequently became known as the Dandenong Police Paddocks.   1837-1838 The headquarters of the first Native Police Corps commanded by Christian de Villiers was stationed here. The Corps, consisting of Aboriginal men, were involved in dealing with disputes between Aboriginal and European people across Victoria   1840 - 1843 The Melbourne-Westernport Aboriginal Protectorate Station was 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 - 1931 The Victoria Police Horse Stud Depot was located here.   1879 - 1963 Aboriginal people worked as trackers with the Victorian Police in this era. Until 1931, many of the trackers were based with the Victorian Police Horse Stud Depot in the Reserve.   1960s The Narrandjeri Wurundjeri Park was set aside, as a permanently preserved area within the Police Paddocks, following representation by the Kulun peoples, the traditional owners.

Site of Native Police Corps HQ (author 2017) PHASES OF PRINCIPAL LAND USAGE - TIMELINE October 1837 to January 1838 - the headquarters of the first Native Police Corps commanded by Christian de Villiers 1840 to 1843 - the Westernport Aboriginal Protectorate Station 1843 to 1853  -.the headquarters of the second Native Police Corps, commanded by Henry Pultney Dana 1853 to 1930 - the Victoria Police Horse Stud Depot  1860s - land sales  1930 to 1957 - farming, grazing, and agriculture  1941 - Dandenong National Park formed, in the north section of the land,  renamed Churchill National Park in 1944 Dec 1964 to Jan 1965 -7th Austraiian Scout Jamboree  1965 to present - walking trail network (managed by Parks Victoria since 1998) 1960s to present - recreational areas 1978 to present - Dandenong Softball Association 1980  to present - Frank Holohan Soccer Centre

FRIENDS OF THE DANDENONG POLICE PADDOCKS The Committee of Management of this community group was officially incorporated on July 28, 1992, and dissolved on July 26, 1997. In its short lifetime the group had planted thousands of native plants, rehabilitated a wetland area, constructed and installed nestboxes and participated in many Clean Up Australia days. The regular planned activities were designed to allow people of all ages to enjoy and participate in the protection of the reserve. The group produced a quarterly newsletter that listed upcoming events and activities and kept members in touch with the latest developments in the management of the Dandenong Police Paddocks Reserve. Members of the group ranged in age from five to 80 and came from all walks of life.

SUB-LEASING Since the mid-1960s, several areas of the Paddocks have been  made available on a long-term basis to various sporting, recreational, and cultural organizations, principally: Australian Softball Centre (off Brady Rd) Rowville Recreation Reserve (off Stud Rd) Aimee Seebeck Sporting Centre (off Police Rd) Frank Holohan Soccer Complex (off Baden Powell Drive) Soccer Field (off Brady Rd) Kooronga Camp Girl Scouts Australia (off Baden Powell Drive) Robinson Reserve (Boy Scouts) (off Churchill Park Drive) Narrandjeri-Wurundjeri Aboriginal Park (off Brady Rd) Melbourne Water Retarding Basin (off Baden Powell Drive) Council tips existed for short-term periods,  located off Brady Rd and Baden Powell Drive. COMMUNICATIONS TOWER A mobile telephone tower is located off Baden Powell Drive, in bushland, near Churchill Park Drive. LOCATION SIGNS These are located at Cnr of Police Rd and Churchill Park Drive Entrance to Frankston Drive, off Churchill Park Drive Northern Entrance to Baden Powell Drive. off Churchill Park Drive Southern Entrance to Baden Power Drive, off Power Rd Entrance to Sydney Pargeter Recreation Reserve, off Power Rd Brady Rd, next to Dandenong Creek bridge Stud Rd, opposite Tirhatuan Golf Course  Police Rd, opposite entrance to East Rowville Terminal Station WATERCOURSES Recent excavations in support of investigatory research by local Government examining historical land usage has revealed the existence of many buried pipes in the flood-plain area bounded by Stud Rd, Churchill Park Drive, and Police Rd. The Photomap of "Melbourne 1945" shows some of these channels, which originated in the higher ground in what is now Churchill National Park.  The resolution of these surface features is limited by imperfections in the technology of the day, decades before Google Earth appeared!

(Above) Original boundaries in red (approx.) in 1838 - 15 km perimeter - 1600 hectares (author)

Nominal present day boundaries of the Police Paddocks Reserve - 9.1 km - 500 hectares (author)

CHURCHILL NATIONAL PARK Government inspection of future NP site, May 1907 (Argus) From the early 1900s, community agitation had been increasing for the creation of a new public park in the Paddocks area.  In 1939, 670 acres (271 hectares) was reserved for a new National Park, which became the Dandenong National Park in 1941, and renamed Churchill National Park in 1944. Churchill NP thus became divorced from Police Paddocks, as a separate entity. Click here to go to the Churchill National Park chapter!