Mildura is a town on the Murray River, established in the late 1880s by the Chaffey Brothers, who introduced an irrigation scheme which turned the land into a productive agricultural area. The town was a planned town, well laid out and the main street was Deakin Avenue, named after Alfred Deakin who, before he became Australia's second Prime Minister, was a Victorian politician. In 1884, Deakin chaired the Victorian Royal Commission into Irrigation and the same year he met the Chaffey Brothers in California when he went there to investigate irrigation. (1) Mildura is a town with many Palm Trees, some planted soon after it was established. Here are some newspaper articles which refer to Palms.
Palm Trees at Rio Vista, Chaffey's Homestead at Mildura, c. 1915.
Photographer: August Muller
Museums Victoria
In July 1913, Mrs Emily Pelloe wrote to the Mildura Cultivator regarding the proposal to remove gum trees in Deakin Avenue and replace them with palm trees. Mrs Pelloe described these gums as the finest straight double row of sugar gums in Australia. She also wrote that -
It is suggested that palms be planted in their place. Now palms, though certainly handsome in some situations, are very stiff, monotonous in color, and entirely lack the graceful beauty and dignity of the gums, with their changing tints; besides being quite useless in comparison, for shade purposes. Many a horse (and motor car, too, if it could) would regret the change, not to speak of the many men, women and children who, by the use they make of it, greatly enjoy the shade of these trees in the hot summer months. (Mildura Cultivator, July 12, 1913, see here)
A letter in response noted, inter alia - It will now be opportune to deal with Mrs Pelloe's sweeping but naive indictment of palms in general and I might ask where she obtains her information that all palms are stiff and monotonous in outline or lacking in umbrageous habit? Has she seen the palm (Jubaca Spectabilis) with which it is proposed to plant four equidistant rows in Deakin-avenue, and, if so, has she seen it in its proper climatic zone and can she possibly describe it as lacking in grace or beauty? I am greatly afraid from the tone of her remarks that her knowledge of palms beyond the few representatives of the order to be seen here, and the coddled specimens further south, is painfully limited. (Mildura Cultivator, July 16, 1913, see here)
The editor of the Mildura Cultivator made this comment at the end of the second letter - Our correspondent has the courage of his opinion and a good amount of solid reasoning on his side, but he will not get many supporters of the proposal to remove the Deakin-avenue gums.
Date Palms at Mildura, c. 1908.
State Library of Victoria image H90.140/1066
There were, however, palms in other locations in Mildura, in fact in 1920, the Mildura Council decreed that they must be planted. L. Jacob wrote to the Council asking permission to remove pepper trees from his block on the corner of 11th Street and Benetook Avenue. - Permission granted, provided palms were planted in the breaks. (Mildura Telegraph, February 6, 1920, see here) .
The issue came before the Council again, the next year -
Street Trees - Council Control of Private Planting. Are Palms a nuisance? The question of citizens planting palms in front of their residences is to be discussed by the Mildura Borough Council, as it is considered that some uniform plan should be adopted, so as to make the avenues more attractive. At present different species of palms might be planted in the avenues, and detract from the attractiveness of the thoroughfares. Certain kinds of palms do not grow well in Mildura, and some adapt themselves to the climate excellently.
At Thursday night's meeting of the Mildura Borough Council a letter was received from Mr. A. F. Brown, asking permission to plant palms in front of his residence in Lime Avenue. Cr. R. M. Black said that some regular plan should be carried out with the planting of palms. Other councillors inquired whether the palms were to be planted right along the avenue, and were answered in the negative.
Cr. J. W. Washington pointed out that Mr. Brown was doing his bit to beautify the street. Others would not do their share, and perhaps the borough could not afford to plant the avenue with palms at the present juncture. The Town Clerk said the gardener had a number of palms available at the recreation reserve, which he was holding for extensive planting. Cr. Henderson submitted that the council should refer the matter to the Parks and Gardens Committee; Cr. Black said that it was a policy matter: other councillors asserted that the fan-palm was a nuisance and dangerous in town, and so the matter was deferred until a further meeting could consider it. (Sunraysia Daily, March 15, 1921, see here)
Deakin Avenue, Mildura, c. 1940s.
Photographer: Murray Views. State Library of Victoria image H2017.26/542/8
In 1920, there was this report about street trees, which notes that the Palm Trees in Mildura were 30 years old, hence planted around 1890 -
Mildura has many imposing lines of trees, some of them far from the business centre; but the most strikingly picturesque are the stately rows of palms that the pioneers planted so generously and tended so religiously. Yanco, modelled in so many of its features upon Mildura, has some promising avenues of baby palms; but Mildura's are twenty to thirty years old, and, having found a congenial soil, they have come to a noble maturity. (Mildura Cultivator, June 5, 1920, see here)
Five years later in 1925, there was this report on the trees in Mildura's main street, Deakin Avenue -
Mildura streets were laid out at right angles with a chief boulevard, Deakin avenue, 13 miles in length and 200 feet wide, admitting of ornamental tree and palm planting, which has been carried out by the early founders. Ample reserves were set aside by Chaffey brothers for churches, hall, reading rooms, schools, parks, gardens and the like. (Sporting Globe, May 13, 1925, see here)
A month later was this report on the same issue - trees in Deakin Avenue in the section between Eleventh and Twelfth Streets. The council desired some months ago to plant this particular section with date palms, owing to the excessively salty soil having killed the gum trees which had been placed there. (Sunraysia Daily, June 26, 1925, see here)
.jpg)
The Gardens, Deakin Avenue, Mildura, c. 1940s, perhaps showing some of the 424 trees of all varieties planted in 1934.
Photographer: Rose Stereograph Co. State Library of Victoria image H32492/6933
In 1934, there were two reports of landscaping work on Deakin Avenue and we learn why Deakin Avenue was so wide and thus ideal for tree planting -
Deakin Avenue Plantation. In the designing of Mildura, the Chaffey brothers made ample provision for the future needs of the district by providing wide roads. Deakin Avenue was designed for an electric tramway to serve the immediate settlement. With the introduction of motor transportation, that need does not now exist. But the Chaffey brothers gave Mildura a boulevard which is outstanding. The beauty of that road, with its centre plantation of trees and gardens, is to be extended by the work that is now in progress from Fourteenth Street toward Seventeenth Street. The Mildura Shire Council controls that section, which is being laid out in small plantations. It is proposed to plant 424 trees, which will include sugar gums, palms, jacarandas, umbrella cedars and Cape chestnuts. The completion will be a further step towards the ideal of an avenue of trees extending from Red Cliffs to Curlwaa bridge. (Sunraysia Daily, May 28, 1934, see here)
Work On Gardens. The following work was reported by the parks and gardens committee of the Mildura City Council last night: Fences were removed in Deakin Avenue on the sections of the central plantations from Eighth Street to Ninth Street, and a rockery was constructed around the bandstand. The section from Twelfth to Thirteenth Streets was fenced, and palms and wattles were planted. Palms and wattles were planted in the centre of Orange Avenue from Ninth to Eleventh Streets, and missing trees on the river frontage park were replaced with others. A section in Deakin Avenue, opposite "Sunraysia Daily" office, was planted with selected shrubs, and new beds were laid out at the railway reserve. (Sunraysia Daily, September 14, 1934, see here)
This 1938 report is not about Palm Trees, as such, but rather the name of Palm Avenue -
A suggestion that Palm avenue, in which the late W. B. Chaffey lived, should be called Chaffey avenue was made yesterday by the town clerk (Mr T. J. Nihill) at a meeting of the works committee of the city council. He said that the proposal had been made by a visiting bowler, who had commented upon the failure of the council to name one of the principal thoroughfares after the city's founder. The suggestion was regarded favourably by councillors, and it was decided to investigate the matter at a later date. (The Argus, May 12, 1938, see here)
In 1951, the Mildura Cultivator reported on pioneer Palm Tree planters -
Pioneer who grew palms. The death on Tuesday of Mrs Amelia Ann Mahy at her home in Deakin Avenue severed another link with the history of the settlement of Mildura. She was the wife of Mr T. J. Mahy. Mr and Mrs Mahy came to Mildura in 1891 and purchased land on Morpung Avenue. They planted fruit trees, and at the same time beautified the avenue with a line of palm trees. Ten years later, Mr and Mrs Mahy and family returned to their homeland in Guernsey Channel Island where his people had bred stud Guernsey cattle for export to America for generations. In 1911, the family returned to Mildura and took up land on Deakin Avenue. Mrs Mahy always had an active interest in production of dried fruits and citrus. She is survived by her husband two sons and two daughters. (Sunraysia Daily, December 27, 1951, see here)
A suggestion that Palm avenue, in which the late W. B. Chaffey lived, should be called Chaffey avenue was made yesterday by the town clerk (Mr T. J. Nihill) at a meeting of the works committee of the city council. He said that the proposal had been made by a visiting bowler, who had commented upon the failure of the council to name one of the principal thoroughfares after the city's founder. The suggestion was regarded favourably by councillors, and it was decided to investigate the matter at a later date. (The Argus, May 12, 1938, see here)
In 1951, the Mildura Cultivator reported on pioneer Palm Tree planters -
Pioneer who grew palms. The death on Tuesday of Mrs Amelia Ann Mahy at her home in Deakin Avenue severed another link with the history of the settlement of Mildura. She was the wife of Mr T. J. Mahy. Mr and Mrs Mahy came to Mildura in 1891 and purchased land on Morpung Avenue. They planted fruit trees, and at the same time beautified the avenue with a line of palm trees. Ten years later, Mr and Mrs Mahy and family returned to their homeland in Guernsey Channel Island where his people had bred stud Guernsey cattle for export to America for generations. In 1911, the family returned to Mildura and took up land on Deakin Avenue. Mrs Mahy always had an active interest in production of dried fruits and citrus. She is survived by her husband two sons and two daughters. (Sunraysia Daily, December 27, 1951, see here)
Palm Trees at the Grand Hotel, Mildura, c. 1960s.
The Grand Hotel is on the corner of Langtree Avenue and Seventh Street.
Photographer: Rose Stereograph Co. State Library of Victoria image H32492/381
Footnote
(1) Victorian Places https://www.victorianplaces.com.au/mildura
No comments:
Post a Comment