Healesville


 * [|HEALESVILLE:] (click on this link to view the Wikipedia entry)**

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__**A Brief History of HEALESVILLE in 1950**__

In 1950 Healesville still had about forty guesthouses, providing with the Hotels around 2,000 beds, that’s more than any other tourist resort at the time. The old weatherboard Post Office and telephone exchange built in 1877 was said at the time to be at that time a thing of beauty and an ornament to the town. Was still working well into the 1960s The Guesthouse “Summerleigh” boasted a nine hole Golf course, a 25mt swimming pool, a Ballroom, a Tennis court, was sold to the Federal Government who gave it to “The Army School of Health” To train R.A.A.M.C personal in Field Hospital Admin, Evacuation of wounded and Ambulance Stretcher Training, R.A.P and FIRST AID Treatment. The school remained there till well into the 1990s when they relocated to Portsea. The Bush Nursing Hospital was located in Harker St served the community for years until the community Fun Raising allowed the committee to manage a Government Grant to build the District Hospital where it is today. The “High School “ was located in Badger Creek Rd Where the Living Learning Centre is today with Portable Class Rooms up until the present High School was built in Camerons Rd in the 1960s

The Collin Mckenzy Sanctuary was renowned for its native wild life especially the platypus and the wedge tail eagle located Badger Creek Rd has now been taken over by the (Zoological Parks and Gardens Board)

=Maroondah Dam= One of Victoria’s most popular parks is the Maroondah Reservoir Park near Healesville, fifty-five kilometres from Melbourne. The Maroondah Reservoir replaced a diversion weir upstream on the Watts River when it was completed in 1927 as part of a large-scale dam construction program that included the O’Shannassy and Silvan Reservoirs.

Images from the Museum Victoria Collection
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Source: Museum Victoria ed-online
 * Date:** CIRCA 1928

The Dam
The dam is a concrete gravity dam, a design that relies on the weight of the concrete wall to hold back the water, and is a more labour intensive construction project than an embankment dam. At its crest the wall measures 41 metres from the river and is 291 metres across. With a total capacity of 22,000 megalitres and covering an area of 200 hectares the reservoir is filled from a 10,400 hectare catchment reserve and is relatively small compared to other Victorian reservoirs. From Maroondah water is piped to Sugarloaf Reservoir and from there to some of Melbourne's northern, western and inner suburbs.

The Park
For the visitor the special appeal of the [|Maroondah Reservoir Park] lies in its unique blend of traditional English and Australian landscaping. At the time of the reservoir’s construction the area below the dam wall was landscaped in traditional English style and this is now an idyllic picnic area with pleasant walks amongst the mature trees and shrubs. Visitors enjoy climbing the Rose Stairway, and of course the wall to take in the panoramic views. For the walkers there are many bush trails to explore, including the 3km trail through native bushland to Donnellys Weir Park, another of Healesville’s historic weirs.

= = =Healesville is a wonderful place to visit!=

Healesville is located just one hour north-east of Melbourne in the scenic Yarra Valley. It is surrounded by mountains, forests and rolling hills dotted with vineyards. The population in late 2006, was estimated at 7,098. Healesville is a flourishing tourist resort with many attractions. Amoungst the many attractions, Healesville is famous for the wild life park, Healesville Sanctuary.

Healesville Sanctuary
The reserve was started by Sir Colin Mckenzie who studied native fauna for medical research. Originally the land was part of the Coranderrk Aboriginal Mission, but after McKenzie moved to Canberra the land was handed on to the local council. It was then that the 31 hectares of land opened in 1934 as the Healesville Sanctuary.

Today ther are over 200 species of Australian wildlife that are in this stunning bushland environment. There are reptiles, birds and native mamals. Koalas, emus, platypus, kangaroos, lyrebirds, owls, dingos and echidnas are just a few of the animals.
 * [[image:http://www.visitmelbourne.com/content/2006/Jan/Healesvillesanctuary2.jpg caption="Healesville Sanctuary - Koala"]] ||
 * Healesville Sanctuary - Koala ||

You are able to get up close to many of these animals and therefore it truly offers an introduction to the sights and sounds of the Australian bush. These 'close-ups' occur, with thier keepers doing presentations, at set times throughout the day. There are demonstrations such as the feeding of the eagles and displays of the wombats, koalas and snakes.

There is a lovely walking track which leads through a number of enclosures, wetlands and aviaries. There are spacious areas where birds and animals live in their natural habitat.

The park provides picnic and BBQ facilities, including with also several kiosks. There is also a Gift shop to purchase all your souvenirs.

Healesville Sanctuary is open daily from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm. There are also guided tours and package tours available. For information on entrance [|pricing], or bookings, telephone (03) 5957 2800.