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Pioneers of the Waratah TownshipPrint Page Print this page

Waratah Township Pioneers : 10-April-2013
Waratah Township Pioneers : 10-April-2013

Photographs supplied by Graeme Saunders

The monument commemorates the pioneers of the Waratah Township from 1878 to 1926 who mined limestone for the building industry. Walkerville was originally known as Waratah.

Its heyday was the early quarter of the 20th century, where commercial quantities of lime  were bagged and exported to the booming capital city. Lime obtained from the site is said to have been used in the building of Melbourne's iconic Flinders Street Station. Raw material was mined from the surrounding limestone cliffs, loaded into horse-drawn trams and hauled along above the high-tide line to be burned in one of six kilns. Much of the surrounding countryside was depleted from a combination of mining and timber-harvesting to fuel the kilns. Burned lime was bagged, then stacked in sheds. Lime was transported to Melbourne aboard a series of ships that stopped at the 300-metre jetty nearby. Operations continued until 1926, when shipping expenses made the product unprofitable.

Even at its peak, the township was home to only eighty people, mostly workers at the six lime kilns.

Location

Address:Bayside Drive, Walkerville South, 3956
State:VIC
Area:AUS
GPS Coordinates:Lat: -38.858803
Long: 145.997314
Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate.
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Details

Monument Type:Monument
Monument Theme:Landscape
Sub-Theme:Settlement
Approx. Event Start Date:1878
Approx. Event End Date:1926

Dedication

Front Inscription

This cairn commemorates the pioneers of the township of Waratah who mined, fired and shipped limestone to Melbourne for  the building industry  

1878 - 1926

Source: MA
Monument details supplied by Monument Australia - www.monumentaustralia.org.au