Where is Myrniong?

Myrniong is a town located in the state of Victoria, Australia. It is situated in one of the oldest settled districts in the region. The town’s history can be traced back to the mid-19th century (1852) when Captain William Wootton Blow held a large selection of fertile land in the vicinity to fulfill the government’s requirement to feed the sudden influx of diggers which resulted in a population explosion.

The relatively flat land became known as Blow’s Flat, after Captain Blow. It is interesting to note that the name “Blow’s Flat” seems appropriate considering the surrounding hilly landscapes of Pentland Hills and Mt Blackwood.

The Crown subdivided and sold Captain Blow's land in 1856, leaving the Captain to relocate back to Melbourne for a few years before heading back to Middlesex, England shortly thereafter to live out the rest of his days. He died in 1885, aged 72 years.

The first mention of “Myrniong” was as early as 1854, when the township was located on sub-division Maps. The exact reason for renaming is unclear, however it may have been as a result of Captain Blow leaving the district. It took more than a decade for the name Myrniong to be adopted, possibly because of the difficulty in pronouncing it, which still poses a challenge today. “Mer-nee-ong”

________________

Myrniong: hard to say, but easy to stay!

Comments

Bluestone blocks reveal

Last week we explored the controversy and "blame games" when the Ballan Shire Hall was in such disrepair that it required a re-build. Plans were drawn up and tenders were submitted. Rigorous debate surrounded the most suitable location for the new hall. Once the dust had settled and the new building opened, the materials for the original building we dumped and forgotten about until a most unfortunate incident brought the bluestone back to life! Lunchtime, Saturday 26 January 1901. A devastating fire destroyed John Foley’s Plough Inn Hotel at Myrniong, along with the out-houses and 12-stall stables, which is where the fire was alleged to have started. Reports indicate that an “unhinged tramp” was seen loitering about the stables and possibly knocked over an oil lamp which quickly ignited, resulting in the enormous blaze. Two valuable horses belonging to Mr Tracey, and the pigs in the sty, were all roasted. The weatherboard hotel was connected to these outbuildings. Strong win...

Martin Deveny Part 1 – Martin Senior

Martin Deveny came to Pentland Hills as a 41-year-old after a full and adventurous life in England. After serving in the military for over 17 years as a Private in the 88th Infantry he married Mary Cannon in 1854. Their first son, Patrick, arrived in mid-1856. Early the following year, the family headed to Australia for the 3-month journey, boarding the “Anne Roydon”. They landed in Melbourne in April 1857 and shortly after arrived in Pentland Hills. Martin quickly made connections with the locals, renting land from Robert Lawson before acquiring pastures of his own. He purchased many hundreds of fenced acres in Blackwood and Pentland Hills, as well as acres for the family homes. The family home was eventually settled at “Churchbank” which is still present today, located at what was referred to as “Deveny’s Corner”. Once settled in Pentland Hills, Martin and Mary added another eight children, including one set of twins – their last child being born when Martin was 62 years of age. This...

John Tyson Part 2: Head-banging blacksmith, mis-haps and controversy aplenty

We continue our tale of John Tyson, following his adventures throughout Myrniong and Bacchus Marsh in the late 1800s. Whilst assisting some workmen in July 1868 to pull down the old blacksmith’s workshop to make way for a new one, John Tyson met with a rather nasty accident. As he passed under a beam, it fell on him, injuring his shoulder, fracturing a bone in his hand and, more seriously, cutting his head badly in a few places resulting in him narrowly escaping death. As fortune would have it, Dr William Bone was close by at the time and promptly attended to the patient. The newspapers were pleased to report on their “respected neighbour” John Tyson as being “out of danger and progressing favourably”. Dr Bone first arrived at Bacchus Marsh in September 1865 and lived at Parkside Cottage, Stamford Hill, where he also conducted his medical practice. He and his wife quickly became respected members of the community. However, 1867 brought controversy which hit the national papers and the ...

Let's dish up some history from The Plough

Search This Blog