Dudley Street Eltham    Story By Daryl Morrow

Back in the 70’s I saw an ageing family home behind this entrance, it was well cared for and you could hear children playing in the large back garden , a loving family home raised their children hear no doubt.

They enhanced the front entrance, building a slate faced brick fence with a letter box slot and a rolled newspaper pigeon hole also you can see they had planted their own Christmas pine tree which has matured and survived until today.

Eltham was a sought after residential suburb with a petrol station in the main street, a hay and grain store, furniture shop, wide open roads and a balanced shopping strip. Visiting town for the weekly shop meant talking to people and getting free broken biscuits for the kids and this home was close to all Eltham had to offer and an easy walk to the city rail station, the Nillumbik Shire Council offices formed part of the town’s boundary.

We were known as the green wedge shire where artists and mud brick builders helped make this area unique and Montsalvat grew amongst the gum trees.

In the 90’s and after the turn of the century and around 2010 Eltham saw much change the shire offices moved close to Greensborough, leaving their site vacant, new shops adorned the main street the service station was demolished, new large grocery stores were built which moved businesses away from the main street and angle parking changed to parallel, shire zoning change putting pressure on residents to sell and move on as development made the township less desirable. A new type of people became interested in Eltham, in came the money hungry developers that had no interest or feeling to retain the unique lifestyle that Eltham had to offer. The council and VCAT have supported the destruction of the towns centre.

The family who lived on this site sold and now it has been sold for a high rise development of 5 stories part commercial with unit residential above. This photo is the last visual evidence of a blissful life style that soon will be gone. The trees will be removed a big hole dug and a brick or concrete bland high rise structure will evolve.

I wonder what the people and families who lived here feel about progress like this; their history and stories of joy, love, hope and successes will be gone forever.

PHOTOS AND STORY **** By, Daryl Morrow. circa 2018