KNOX ODYSSEY

Ferntree Gully Shire Hall

Shire of Ferntree Gully in 1889

On 23 May 1889 the Shire of Ferntree Gully was proclaimed. The area of the new shire was 150 square miles with a population of 750 residents. The five main settlements were Ferntree Gully, Bayswater, Lysterfield, Emerald and Menzies Creek.

The Municipal Directory published in 1890 provides the following information about the new shire and its officials.

Descriptions from the Municipal Directory in 1890 of settlements in the current Knox area follow:

"FERNTREE GULLY - A postal station 21 miles E. of Melbourne. The surrounding country is of a pastoral and agricultural character. The gullies abound in ferns and mosses and there are numerous visitors during the summer season. The roads are greatly improved to the gully and a splendid side cutting road being made up to the top of One Tree hill from which a magnificent view is obtained. There are two churches, three hotels, large assembly hall and a State school. A railway is constructed to the foot of the gullies to branch off from the Lillydale railway line at Ringwood. A coach meets the Gippsland trains at Oakleigh twice a day, taking passengers to the gully; fare, 2s. 6d. It is situated at the S.W. corner of the Dandenong State forest, which contains timber of immense size and almost every gully is full of beautiful ferntrees, ferns &c. Tramway projected to start from Oakleigh to run up to the gully; this will be a great convenience to the residents along the route. Annual rainfall, 30 to 45 inches. E. L. Thompson, postmaster. Population scattered."
"LYSTERFIELD - A postal village 25 miles E. of Melbourne in the centre of a large grazing and farming district. There is one State school, the teacher being the postmaster. Population, 50."
"MACAULEY (Bayswater) - A postal village - formerly called Scoresby - 28 miles E. of Melbourne, S. of the Lillydale railway line. The Dandenong State forest is located here. There is a State school. G. W. Leach, postmaster. Population, about 80."

The railway line from Ringwood had opened on 3 December 1889 with stations at Bayswater, Ferntree Gully and Upper Ferntree Gully. The fare was 2s. 7d. and 1s. 10d.

Ferntree Gully Council in 1889

Initially there were three ridings - North Scoresby, Centre Scoresby and South Scoresby with three councillors elected for each riding. The first council elections were held in August 1889.

The first nine representatives for the area were:

The first shire president was James John Miller.

The first meeting of Ferntree Shire Council was held in Dobson’s Hall on 13 August 1889. Council meetings were initially held at noon on the first Saturday after the full moon to allow councillors who travelled to the meetings on horseback to ride home safely. In 1894 the meeting day was changed to the Monday after the full moon.

Ferntree Gully Shire Hall

In September 1889 John Martin offered the council land to build a shire hall provided that the council maintained the section of Station Street which ran through his property. At the same time offers to sell land to the council for a new shirehall were made by W K Ross, Councillor John T Dobson, Councillor William Chandler and Councillor William Barry. Although most councillors believed that a shire hall should be built, Councillor Thomas Dobson (junior) felt that the money would be better spent repairing roads, especially as the council could have the use of his brother's hall for meetings at the cost of 25 pounds per year. Council meetings continued to be held at Dobson's Hall until 1891 when they were transferred first to a room at Upper Ferntree Gully Railway Station and then later to the Royal Hotel. Discussions on the best site for the shire hall continued until 1892 when the council accepted John Martin's original offer.

Ten pounds was set aside for the design of the shire hall. Twenty-eight submissions were made and a design known as Fairview was chosen. Harry (Frederick Harry) Lording, an architect from Kensington, designed the Ferntree Gully Shire Hall. Frank Lording, a glass stainer from Kensington is thought to be responsible for the stained glass windows in the shire hall building. (Both Harry and Frank Lording were sons of Frederick Henry Lording, a builder who arrived in Ferntree Gully in approximately 1888 and lived in "Kingston" in Dorset Road until his death in 1914).In 1893 a tender from Renshaw and Tyrer to build the hall for 919 pounds was accepted.

Extensions

The area around the Ferntree Gully Shire Hall building served as the focal point for local government in the Knox area until 1974 when the new Knox Civic buildings were opened at 511 Burwood Highway, Knoxfield. However over the years alterations were made to the Ferntree Gully Shire Hall itself and additional buildings were added until eventually municipal functions were transferred from the shire hall to other other buildings in the complex.

In 1934 during the Depression an annexe was added at the rear of the shire hall for the use of the Sustenance Officer.

In 1954 a master plan was prepared for the construction of a two storey building including a council chamber, president’s room, modern offices and auditorium as part of the shire hall complex. Instead weatherboard extensions on the north side of the building were built for additional office space.

After the Knox Civic Offices were opened at 511 Burwood Highway, Knoxfield, in 1974 the Ferntree Gully Shire Hall and associated buildings were sold to the state government.

Other uses of the shire hall building

After the First World War an honour board naming men from the district who served during the war was displayed on one of the walls in the hall.

The council buildings adjoining the shire hall were used by the Road Traffic Authority for many years after 1974.

The shire hall building was used by a church group for a number of years

For years the shire hall building was empty and became derelict. Many proposals as to what to do with the building were put forward and a Ferntree Gully Shire Hall support group was formed as there were fears that the building would be lost to the community. On 5 February 1996 the Ferntree Gully Shire Hall building was classified by the National Trust. Eventually a proposal to refurbish the shire hall complex for use by the Knox Community Health Centre was accepted.