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  • Fisherman’s Cottage Museum Complex, Tooradin

    Fisherman's Cottage, TooradinThe February meeting of the SEHA was held at the Fisherman’s Cottage Museum on the Foreshore at Tooradin. The Museum is operated by the Cranbourne Shire Historical Society. The curator and caretaker, Rosemary Mynard, gave guided tours of the Museum throughout the day. The Museum is housed in an old cottage, built c.1873. The builder was most likely Matthew Evans who was an early landowner in Tooradin.
    Evans owned most of the early town lots in Tooradin and donated land for the Anglican Church in 1890.The cottage is one of the earliest houses built in Tooradin and one of the few remaining examples of the fishermen’s houses that originally dotted both sides of Sawtell’s Inlet at Tooradin in the nineteenth century and early twentieth century.

    Amongst the owners of the Cottage was Isabella Poole (nee Kernot) who owned it from 1910 until 1949. Isabella’s father, Henry Foreman Kernot, was a fisherman who had arrived in Tooradin from Hastings in about 1876. Isabella’s father-inlaw, George Poole, and his two brothers Fred and Thomas were early Cranbourne Shire settlers and some of their descendents were involved in the fishing industry at Tooradin.

    The Cottage was saved from demolition in 1968 by the action of the foundation members of the Cranbourne Shire Historical Society. Mrs Kath Metherall (the winner of the Garryowen trophy at the Royal Melbourne Show on two occasions),
    Mrs Peggy Banks and Mrs Jess Ayres were concerned about the possible demolition of the Cottage so they approached the Cranbourne Shire to purchase it. The Shire did so on the proviso that the group raise half the purchase price of
    $6000 and payback the council, which they did eventually. This battle to preserve the Cottage sparked the formation of the Cranbourne Shire Historical Society in August 1968. Many local families donated furnishings and household items to the Museum and the Cottage still receives donations from early families of material of local historical significance.

    The School building behind the Museum was originally erected at Monomeith in 1925. After it closed in 1933 it was shifted to the Tooradin North site where it was opened in 1935. The building served the Tooradin North community until it was closed in 1971. The owners of the School site donated the building to the Historical Society and with the generous support of the City of Casey the School was re-opened as a Heritage Education Centre in October 2005.

    The Museum is open week-ends from 10.30am until 4.30pm and for group visits, at other times, by appointment. Ring Rosemary on 03 5998 3643.

    Further Reading

    The Good Country : Cranbourne Shire by Niel Gunson (Published by the Shire of Cranbourne, 1968)

    • The Good Country – into the dawn of a new day,1968-1988 by Fred Hooper (Published by theShire of Cranbourne, 1988)
    • Tooradin : 125 years of Coastal History, 1875-2000(Published by the “Tooradin celebrates together125 years of Education Committee”, 2001)

    *Originally published in South Eastern Heritage Issue 5 June 2007 and written by Heather Arnold.

  • Mornington Park

    The November SEHA meeting was held at Mornington. After the meeting Val Wilson and Frank Green from the Mornington Historical Society gave us a very informative tour of Mornington Park.
    Mornington Park was temporarily reserved as a park on November 24th, 1863 and permanently reserved as a ‘place for promenade and recreation’ on May 1st, 1874. It shows the foresight of the citizens of the town that they worked to have the Esplanade frontage permanently reserved for recreation.

    In her history of Mornington (see details below) Leslie Moorhead has written an interesting account of Mornington Park, which is worth quoting in full.

    The Mornington Park has been truly a place of recreation throughout the past century. Picnic parties have come from the city and suburbs by horse-drawn drag, by steam boat, by steam train, by “charabanc” and by motor bus to the park to enjoy a day by the seaside under the spreading cypresses, trees which seem designed for easy climbing by small adventurers. Sports Clubs have exercised on the cleared grass, the Fire Brigade has practiced with hose and wheel on an asphalted area ; until the late 1920s cyclists trained on a circular track, and earlier residents enjoyed the delights of a Rotunda in the park with a dancing floor below and a bandstand above.

    Statue of Matthew FlindersThere is a statue of Matthew Flinders, unveiled in 1888, in the Park. Flinders had made a survey from Schnapper Point on April 29th, 1802 when he was exploring in the area in the Investigator. The distinctive stone archway at the entrance was erected in 1932 as part of an employment scheme during the Depression. On an opposite corner to the Park is a very poignant monument to the 1892 Football disaster. Fifteen members of the Mornington Football Club were returning, on Saturday May 21st, from the match at Mordialloc in the fishing boat Process. It sunk and all lives were lost. Only one body was recovered, that of Alfred Lawrence, aged 19. The deceased were Charles Hooper, aged 35, the owner of the Process and his 14 year old son also called Charles ; John Coomber, aged 31 ; three sons of the Presbyterian Minister at Mornington , the Reverend James Caldwell. They were James aged 21, William aged 19 and Hugh aged 17 ; Charles Allchin , aged 19 ; William Grover aged 25 and his nephew also called William Grover, aged 17 ; James Firth ; Charles Williams and John Kenna, aged 18.

    As a matter of interest Mornington was known as Schnapper Point until 1864 when if officially became known as Mornington. Mornington was already the name of the County. Mornington was the seat of the Earl of Mornington in County Meath, Ireland. The Earl was the father of the Duke of Wellington. As Val mentioned at the February meeting a history of the Mornington Fire Brigade has been published and was launched on Australia Day, 2007. It is called Ready and Willing we strive to save : the story of the Mornington Urban Fire Brigade 1917-2007 by Colin Fisher. It is available for $10.00 from the Mornington Historical Society.

    Further Reading

    • Mornington in the wake of Flinders by Leslie Moorhead. Published by the Shire of Mornington, 1971.

    *Originally published in South Eastern Heritage Issue 5 June 2007 and written by Heather Arnold.