Robinson’s Wonwondah Mill – 1903 to 1907
One of the
first sawmills built in the Warburton area was constructed in 1903 by Edmond Andrew Robinson, James Duncan, and a Mr. Munro.
This was located on the Yarra, immediately south of the present-day “Signs” Bridge and near the present-day
Warburton Caravan Park.
It was on the huge 350 acre Wonwondah property, owned by Mssrs Thomson and Blunden.
The Mill
was connected to the Warburton station by a three-foot gauge tramway. This was to be the first tramway to be built into the
station yard.
This tramway
travelled along the south side of the road through La La, then took a winding route on a ledge cut into the mountainside to
reach the station yard.
The licence
allowed logs to be taken from the slopes of Mts Victoria and Donna Buang, which were transported to the mill by a tramway,
which crossed the Yarra over the Wonwondah Bridge, which at the time was privately owned by Mssrs Thomson and Blunden. The
present-day Signs Bridge replaced the old Wonwondah Bridge in 1936.
This tramway followed, in part, the current-day
route of the road to Mt Donna Buang, then next to what is now Yuonga Rd, then continued up the side of Mt Victoria. The large clearing adjacent to the present day Yuonga Rd car park at the O’Shannassy Aqueduct Trail
entry point marks the location over which the tramway passed.
The tramway
continued up the mountain, and its alignment follows the present-day “Yuonga Walking Track” to a junction known
as “The Bump”, linking with other tramways. This Track, in Freehold Land, is now heavily overgrown, and
is virtually impassable.
This Mill
closed in 1907.
Notes:
The name "Wonwondah" is an Anglicised form of an Aboriginal term "Won Won Da",
meaning "Meeting of the tribes".
The name "Yuonga" also has an Aboriginal origin, meaning "Kangaroo".
In the present context, it is the name of the Parish, which abuts the Warburton Parish
See the Special Chapter in this Study titled "The Wonwondah Estate" for further information!
