Doncaster Templestowe Historical Society, Schramm's Cottage, Muriel Green Drive, Doncaster (2026)

We are an accredited Museum interested in preserving historical places, artefacts and promoting information, knowledge and understanding of the history of the local area. Formed in 1967, the Society maintains Schramm's Cottage museum complex including the local history archive.

11/08/2026

Bivouac by the Yarra
How the farmland and river flats of Doncaster and Templestowe became a training ground for Melbourne's citizen soldiers, 1902–1939

For much of the first half of the twentieth century, the quiet remote farmland, dense bush and the Yarra river around Doncaster and Templestowe led a double life. By day they were farmland and grazing paddocks, but on selected weekends they became a battlefield. Engineers threw pontoon and suspension bridges across the Yarra, infantry companies dug in among the gum trees, and gunners wheeled their eighteen-pounders across paddocks that decades later would carry suburban streets. It was here, not in some distant training ground, that many of Melbourne's part-time soldiers learned the trade of war.
The terrain was the drawcard. Its remoteness, both dense bushland and open farmland and the winding Yarra River gave the army a variety of situations for training exercises, and the river in particular lent itself to exercises in building temporary bridges from freshly felled timber. After 1930, this training was carried out by militia units - part-time, voluntary units drawn from ordinary citizens rather than full-time soldiers, who committed to six days of annual camp plus regular evenings at local drill halls, training to defend their communities and back up the regular forces in time of need.

Much of these exercises took place at the former Pontville estate and Yarra River at Templestowe and elsewhere at Doncaster.

Here's some pictures of the exercises from newspapers of the time.

Read the full story and more on the pictures on the Doncaster Templestowe Historical Society webpage at https://dt-hs.blogspot.com/2026/08/bivouac-by-yarra.html

10/07/2026

School Excursions

One of the joys for children attending their state school were the excursions to various places and we all have memories of some of those excursions. Here’s a few Doncaster school excursions from the past with some photos.

For many years around 1920-30, the children from Doncaster East state school had an annual excursion and picnic to the Melbourne Zoo with many of the excursions paid for by Mr. Wagstaff, a wealthy resident of East Doncaster who was a great benefactor to the area. The children travelled in fruit wagons belonging to members of the school committee, the boys sitting on the tail boards with their feet dangling over the back. Before leaving each child was given a bag of lollies and an ice-cream. It was a long trip to the Zoo by horse and cart so at Kew, Mr Wagstaff had arranged for a shop to have hot buttered buns ready for the party. At the Zoo each child was given a ticket for a ride on the donkey, the train and on Queenie the elephant.

Later when motor lorries were being used in the orchards, these made a faster trip and in December 1924 around 300 children aboard nine lorries and some other vehicles set off for the zoo including riding in Fred Zerbe’s Leyland with its solid tyres, August Zerbe’s old Morris, Tommy Buck’s Fiat and Sam Magg’s Chevrolet.

And again in 1929, twenty five trucks were required to convey 400 children from East Doncaster school on their annual trip to the Zoo. They were accompanied by many friends and family members.

Here’s some pics of some excursions including:
- a pic from around 1920 showing Doncaster east children in fruit wagons heading off to a picnic in the hills and the wagons would have typically been used for the excursions to the zoo,
- a 1925 pic from the Sun News-Pictorial newspaper showing scenes of Doncaster children at the zoo,
- a 1929 pic again from the Sun News-Pictorial newspaper showing children sitting in the back of a truck while stopped at Kew and then on their way to the zoo,
- a pic of eight members of the school committee of the Doncaster East school at the zoo and dressed-up in their best gangster style outfits.
- pics of a 1986 visit of around 350 local state and secondary school children to Petty’s orchard in Templestowe to see a demonstration of aspects of orchard methods of the past.

Doncaster Templestowe Historical Society is always welcoming excursions from local schools to the Schramm’s Cottage Museum Complex for them to see and learn about the old fruit growing industry in Doncaster Templestowe and how people of the time lived their lives. We’re just sorry that they don’t arrive in horse-drawn wagons or in the back of trucks.

Hope you have many great memories of your school excursions.

24/06/2026

The Doncaster East Cool Store

In comparison to information on the Orchardists cool store, the Government (Central) cool store, the West Doncaster cool store and the Templestowe cool store, little has been written on the history of the Doncaster East (or East Doncaster) cool store that once stood on land at the corner of Mitcham and Springvale roads, Doncaster East.

For inclusion in its recording of the history of Doncaster and Templestowe, the historical society is asking if anyone has any information or photos relating to this cool store. We only really only know that it was built around 1919/20 and demolished somewhere between 1974 and 1982.

No photographs of the cool store have been found in the DTHS collection. A sketch by Mr Alf Perry of the Doncaster East cool store is all we have which we have included below. We have also marked-up an aerial photo from around 1960? showing the location of the cool store.

Can you help us with any information/photos.

13/06/2026

Here are some old photographs of pupils and ex-pupils of Templestowe state school No 1395.

The photos including pupil names are for years 1921 and 1936 and one taken in 1935 of pupils who were at the school between 1894-1914.

There are plenty of well known Templestowe family names in the photos. Maybe you have parents, grandparents or relatives who are in the photos.

Hope you can read the names but it is a bit hard photographing the photos behind the glass framing. We have a few more if you are interested in seeing them.

Feel free to post them to other Doncaster and Templestowe Facebook sites.

21/04/2026

Templestowe State School No. 1395 - World War 1 Honor Roll and Honor Book

Doncaster Templestowe Historical Society (DTHS) has researched the history of the Templestowe State School No. 1395 World War 1 Honor Roll and Honor Book.

At the end of the war, many schools, town councils, communities, churches, sporting clubs, government agencies such as post offices and railways, etc. decided to undertake the preparation and public display of Honor Roll boards and accompanying Roll of Honor books. These were to place on record and pay a tribute to the memory of the soldiers of their districts who had who had served in the Great War, including those who had made the supreme sacrifice through loss of their life in the war.

Templestowe State School was one of the schools which participated in this important undertaking. On 23 April 1920, the school unveiled their honor roll board with 31 names, including the names of 9 men who lost their lives, as a tribute to the memory of the soldiers of the district.

The names on the honor roll board are:
Left side column: Adams, A. | Beale, J. | Betheras, Alice (Nurse) | Chivers, H.G. | Chivers, S. | Chivers, A. | Cole, R. | Crouch, W. | Gaff, J. | Glynn, H. | Glynn, F. |

Right side column: Kent, T. | Lawson, T. | Ling, T. | Mahoney, A. | Read, R. | Schuhkraft, E. | Sheahan, J.M. | Sheahan, E.P. | Smith, A.R. | Townsend, A. | Wright, A |

Centre (In Memoriam) column: Aumann, C.F. | Chivers, C. | Johnston, A. | Osborne, E. | Richardson, E. | Richardson, F. | Scragg, A. | Svanborg, F. |

The DTHS research also includes a brief service history of those named on the board.

It is not fully known if the names on the board were just those of pupils who had attended the school but may have also included the names of parents, teachers, relatives, others that had an association with the school, or were from the wider Templestowe community and who had also served.

The honor board and honor book may also not show all persons associated with the school who enlisted and fought in the AIF. With honor boards and rolls, a call was generally made to the soldiers or parents or relatives of soldiers to provide details of service for inclusion. Not all may have been aware of or responded to the call, or may not have wanted to be included.

The school was located at the corner of Anderson Street and Parker Street, Templestowe and was closed at the end of 1993. The board however still remains in the now heritage listed 1874 original brick school house building that has since been retained and restored by the Manningham City Council and which is now being used by the Woodcraft Manningham Wood Working Club.

The board allows us to remember and pay respect to members of our local community who served the nation and of the sacrifice of our service men and women, and to those who sadly lost their lives.

The full research can be found on the DTHS website at: https://dt-hs.blogspot.com/2026/04/templestowe-state-school-no-1395-world.html

19/04/2026

Doncaster Templestowe Historical Society (DTHS) has received from Ron Douglas (a former trade school teacher at Templestowe Technical School) around 30 photos of class and teacher groups from his time at Templestowe Technical School from 1973-1991.

DTHS has uploaded the photos onto its website at:
https://dt-hs.blogspot.com/2018/11/templestowe-technical-school.html .

Here’s a couple of typical photos from the collection. And in the DTHS website, click on the photos for a full screen copy.

At the bottom of the website, there is also a link to a book written by Ron (see The Life and Times of Ron Douglas: Reminiscences of a Raconteur or The Ravings of a Ratbag @ link - https://dt-hs.blogspot.com/2025/01/the-life-and-times-of-ron-douglas.html ). Here’s some extracts of his time at the school:

“I was sent to Templestowe Technical School in 1971, which was a brand-new school then. It was so new in fact, that the buildings had not been commenced at that time. My appointment notice read – “Appointed to Templestowe Technical School C /- The Vice Principal, Altona North Tech.” Dave Donaldson was the newly appointed first Principal of Templestowe Technical School.

We commenced operation in February 1971 in temporary accommodation with building works taking place around us and with an enrolment of 80 students - boys only. We became Co-Ed some 3 years later. I taught Sheetmetal, Solid Geometry, and Woodwork, due to the unfortunate passing of our Woodwork teacher. Being the only "Tradie" on staff was a challenging but rewarding time.

As mentioned elsewhere, there were originally two Trade Teachers appointed to Templestowe Tech., me and Harold Jones. Harold was a Woodwork Teacher of many years’ experience, he was appointed as Senior Master being second in command to the Principal, Dave Donaldson. Early in the school year Harold was taken seriously ill and unfortunately passed away. This resulted in a re-shuffling of his duties. As well as Sheetmetal, I also taught Woodwork classes and Solid Geometry.

I was the only Tradie, and assumed practical person, on staff now. I also became responsible for setting up a Student Locker system. This was very demanding, students being students. Initially, I was able to get Locker keys, and others, cut at the local Hardware store which was owned by a parent of the school. It soon became obvious that to purchase our own Key Cutting Machine was the more practical option. Therefore, I gained another worthwhile experience / skill that of key cutting and I was able to pass on the job after three years to another Tradie”.

Have full read of Ron’s book to see what he got up to in life.

Address

Schramm's Cottage, Muriel Green Drive
Doncaster, VIC
3109

Opening Hours

2pm - 5pm

Website

https://dt-hs.blogspot.com/

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