The Deviation revisited

Several years ago I looked at a little of the history of Deviation Road, Fyansford then, whilst researching a recent post I came across further details which revealed the politics behind what became a 22 year battle to have the road constructed. Here's what I found:

Prior to 1933, the most direct way to travel from Fyansford to Geelong was via Hyland St up the steep, 1 in 10 grade of Fyansford Hill. Hauling drays up the hill required the harnessing of extra horses, just to make the climb and the heavy braking by vehicles travelling downhill caused damage to the road's surface. The steep incline was also susceptible to erosion during bad weather.

Aerial image of the Cement Works and Fyansford Hill prior to the construction
of Deviation Rd, dated (incorrectly) as 1939. Image by Charles Daniel Pratt,
State Library of Victoria

By 1911, an alternative route was being promoted by Councillor McCann of the Corio Shire, one which was slightly shorter but most significantly had a gradient of only 1 in 20. The total cost, including land purchases, was estimated at £1,500 (Geelong Advertiser, 30th November, 1911). The benefits would include easier access for Geelong to the bluestone and sand deposits in the Fyansford area whilst the journey would also be significantly easier for travellers and companies bringing produce into town. By February, 1912, the shire engineers of both the Shire of Corio and City of Geelong were in agreement that the project would be a significant improvement on the existing road. The surveyor for the Shire of Newtown and Chilwell agreed.
By April, 1914 (Geelong Advertiser, 30th April, 1914) four prospective routes had been proposed. The first was merely an upgrade of the existing route up Hyland St, whilst two other options also saw the road rerouted from the end of Fyansford Rd (now Autumn St) at the top of the hill. The fourth and preferred scheme, not only provided breath-taking views of the valley, but also provided the most direct route between Geelong and Fyansford as well as eliminating the need for several right angle turns. It was also the most expensive route, now estimated at £7,000.
At this point, the outbreak of war intervened and it was not until 1919, that the required land had been purchased and the route pegged out. As always seems to be the case when multiple parties are involved however, progress on building The Deviation stalled. On 2nd June, 1921, the Geelong Advertiser reported that Corio Shire was (understandably) reluctant to carry the sole cost of construction. In November 1923, Geelong West Council objected to the financial burden of the project (to be divided amongst various shires and councils) which it saw as having little benefit for its own town (Geelong Advertiser, 1st November, 1923).
By July, 1924, the longer, more picturesque route from the end of Aberdeen St had been accepted as the preferred option and on 4th July, the Geelong Advertiser published the below map of what the new road would look like. (Note also, "Valley Rd" descending from the top of proposed Deviation to the river below. Traces of this older road can still be found today.)

Proposed deviation from Fyansford to Aberdeen St, Newtown (Geelong Advertiser,
4th July, 1924)

By this time, suggestions were circulating that day labour in the form of returned solders from the First World War could be used to build the road, keeping costs to a minimum.
As with many major projects, politics was also a burning issue. In July, 1924, a stoush was brewing between the Nationalist Member for Barwon Edward Morley - in whose seat the road lay - and Labour Member for Geelong, William Brownbill. The latter was deemed guilty of a breach of etiquette when he intervened in the matter, approaching the acting chairman of the Country Roads Board to discuss funding and the use of day labour for the project.

A young William Brownbill. Image taken from the
Parliament of Victoria website

By 1925 steps were being taken to secure finance which would allow the extension of Aberdeen St past Minerva Rd to the top of the proposed deviation, however objection to even this measure was raised by one Louis Melville Whyte of 'The Heights', subject of one of my recent posts. Whyte - some of whose land had been compulsorily acquired by the CRB - was now being levied by the
Newtown and Chilwell Council who had stepped in after the CRB declined to build the extension, to contribute to the cost of building the new road. He argued successfully (see the above post) that as a previous, rather than current owner, he could not then be charged for construction of what he claimed would be an under-utilised dead end road (Geelong Advertiser, 12th August, 1926).
Regardless, progress did continue, albeit slowly. In May, 1926 it was reported that the line surveyed by the CRB for The Deviation in about 1914 was about 18 feet south of the line of Aberdeen St, which if not fixed would have left a kink in the road once it was finally constructed (Geelong Advertiser, 24th May, 1926).
A further hurdle was faced by the unfortunate surveyor for Newtown and Chilwell Council who, when needing to take the new levels, was confronted by an angry bull. The council resolved to have the unnamed owner remove the animal whilst the surveyor was on site (Geelong Advertiser, 6th July, 1926). The issue with Whyte was finally resolved in his favour with the council ordered to pay costs in August, 1927 (The Age, 23rd August, 1927).
And so it continued. By the middle of 1930, construction still had not begun as wrangling over finances continued. In June, the shires of Bannockburn, Corio, Geelong, Geelong West and Leigh sent a deputation to the Minister for Works, asking the government to undertake the project, once again citing local employment as a benefit, however the government were unimpressed with the lack of funding offered by the respective councils (The Age, 25th June, 1930).
During August, the councils continued pushing to have the earthworks for the project funded from the Government's unemployment fund. By early 1931 however, these issues were sorted and 80 unemployed Geelong men were selected to begin work on 9th February. A few months later, an article in the Weekly Times (11th April, 1931) noted that workmen had discovered numerous fossils ranging in size from tiny shells to the bones of "huge beasts".
In May the following year and with construction well under way, beautification works were being undertaken in the form of tree planting. On the 14th June, commemorative trees (does anyone know where?) were planted by Alderman William Brownbill, the mayor of Newtown and Chilwell and the President of the Shire of Corio.
Finally on 28th April, 1933 a short paragraph in The Age noted that "the new Fyansford deviation road, which has been formed with cement penetration, has been opened to traffic."

The Deviation, 2016 from Button Hill, Fyansford

Finally, after 22 years of delays, politicking, legal proceedings and financial wrangling, Deviation Rd, Fyansford was completed. Today, it remains the main entry point to Geelong from the Hamilton Hwy and still provides one of the most scenic views of the Barwon River; a view which has been painted, sketched and photographed from the earliest days of European settlement.

Hanging ten at 'The Heights'

As I mentioned in my previous post, I recently attended a "paranormal investigation" at 'The Heights', a National Trust property in Newtown, overlooking the Barwon River. Did we communicate with spirits? Well, I remain unconvinced, however as I also said, various people present claimed to have heard the word "white" issue from one of the electronic devices in use.
To anyone with knowledge of the property's history, this is potentially very significant. Could the word in fact have been "Whyte"? You see, WHYTE was the surname of the man who in 1889 married Minna Ibbotson, daughter of the businessman Charles Ibbotson for whom 'The Heights' was built on "Newtown Hill" in 1854.
Louis  Australia Whyte was the second husband of Minna Elizabeth Ibbotson of 'The Heights' in Newtown. He was a keen amateur sportsman and in 1894 became Australia's first amateur golf champion and throughout the 1880s and into the 1890s he competed in a number of tennis championships across Victoria and New South Wales, also winning two titles in that sport.
He and Minna married in England in 1889 and it was here that their only surviving son - Louis Melville - was born in 1890. Within two years, as a family of three, they returned to Australia where they lived at 'The Heights'.

Louis Australia Whyte. Image taken
from the Tennis Archives website

In June, 1892, a stillborn child - a younger brother for Louis - was born to the couple. Neither birth nor death was registered, however cemetery records show that a stillborn male child given the Whyte surname was buried in the Ibbotson grave at the Western Cemetery. On 18th July The Argus published a birth notice announcing the birth of a stillborn son to the wife of Louis A Whyte at 'The Heights' the previous month on 27th June.
Despite the loss, life continued at 'The Heights' with both Louis and Minna regularly involved with the local community. On the 9th November, 1892, Louis spoke at a banquet to celebrate the recent election of a new mayor - Cr J.R. Hopkins (Geelong Advertiser, 10th November, 1892).
In September, 1907, Louis and Minna hosted an event to which they invited members of the Barwon Heads Golf Club - of which Louis was then president - to play on the private course which he had established on the grounds at 'The Heights'.
All was not well however. For many years Louis had suffered from what was at the time of his death, described as "insomnia and neurasthenia". Whilst the term neurasthenia is not generally used today, during the 19th and early 20th centuries it was a common diagnosis for stress, depression and a variety of nervous conditions probably including post traumatic stress disorder as shell-shocked soldiers were also diagnosed with the condition. In many circles it was considered to be a disorder suffered predominantly by the wealthier classes and was sometimes referred to as "Americanitis".
As a result of his ongoing mental health issues, on 3rd April, 1911, Louis took his own life. The subsequent inquest found that he had died from a single revolver shot to the head and that his body was discovered by his son who upon being unable to raise his father's attention, had gained access to Louis' bedroom by breaking a window.
The Geelong Advertiser of 7th April, 1911 reported that Louis' funeral was a large one with the cortege consisting of the hearse, two mourning coaches and 30 vehicles. He was laid to rest at the Western Cemetery.
Following his death Louis' widow Minna and their son - commonly known as "Lou" - remained at 'The Heights'. Like his father, Lou was educated at The Geelong College (1900-1908) and was also a keen sportsman. In 1919 he spent six months in Hawaii. Here, at Waikiki Beach he learnt to surf. Upon his return to Australia he brought with him four redwood longboards which he acquired from Duke Kahanamoku, the Hawaiian man credited with introducing the sport of surfing to the world. Two of those boards can be seen today at the Australian National Surfing Museum in Torquay. This afternoon, I went for a visit:

Timber surfboards brought to Victoria by Louis Whyte
in 1919, located at the Australian National Surfing Museum

Swim suit (left) worn by Louis Whyte, Australian
National Surfing Museum

On his return to Australia, Lou took his newly-acquired boards to Lorne where the photo below was taken in 1920, in the process, bringing the sport of surfing to Victoria.

Louis Melville Whyte. Image taken from the Victorian Collections website

Louis Whyte and friends with their boards at Lorne, 1920. Australian National
Surfing Museum

Lou's other passion was motoring and where his grandfather Charles Ibbotson had once stabled his horses, Lou now parked his cars. His 1957 Daimler can still be seen in the stables at 'The Heights' today.
As a member of the social elite, Lou was no doubt considered a highly eligible bachelor, however it was not until 1936 at the age of 46 that Lou secretly married his partner of 15 years Ella Layton Wyett (known as Marnie). As described in a piece written for Vic News, magazine of The National Trust of Australia (Victoria), Lou and Marnie only announced their marriage in 1938 after the death of Lou's mother Minna who strongly opposed any romantic match for her son.

Grave of Minna and Louis Australia Whyte, Western Cemetery

Unsurprisingly, there were no children born to the couple who lived the remainder of their lives at 'The Heights'. Instead, with the assistance of  architect Harold Bartlett, they turned their attention to the old house which Lou inherited from his mother and which over the years had undergone various additions leaving it dingy and somewhat ramshackle. The makeover of the house undertaken by Bartlett and the Whytes, saw 'The Heights' redesigned as a modern, fashionable home of the 1930s, light and open where the original house had been dark and enclosed. At the same time, the interior was transformed by the noted interior designer Reg Riddell and the garden underwent a transformation at the hands of Marnie.
Over the years however, the land surrounding the house which was originally purchased by Charles Ibbotson was variously subdivided, sold, donated or compulsorily acquired for various purposes. One of the earliest pieces of land to go was a section which was acquired in the 1920s by the Country Roads Board with a view to building an extension to Aberdeen St which at that time stopped at Minerva Rd. This work was a precursor to the construction of Deviation Rd which, after a protracted battle, was opened in 1933. Contemporary newspaper reports indicate that Lou instituted legal action which culminated in the Supreme Court when the Newtown and Chilwell Shire Council endeavoured to have him pay part of the cost of construction of the road as a neighbouring landholder. Lou argued - successfully - however, that as the land had been compulsorily acquired, the council who by then had charge of construction, could not expect to claim costs from him as the previous owner.

Louis Melville Whyte in later years. Image taken from
the  website of The Geelong College

Not all "The Heights'" land was acquired under such controversial circumstances however. As a former pupil of Geelong College, Lou was no doubt keen to support his old school. According to the College's website he both sold and donated a total of around 49 acres of land extending between Minerva Rd and the Barwon River to the College beginning with an initial purchase of 15 acres in 1945. In 1960, the site opened as the junior school campus of Geelong College.
Over the years, various parcels of land were sold and today, all that remains of Ibbotson's original purchases is the 1.13 hectares upon which the house and outbuildings stand. Lou and Marnie lived the remainder of their lives at 'The Heights'. Lou died on 10th April, 1975 and was buried the following day in the lawn section of the Western Cemetery. Marnie survived her husband by only a few months, dying on 18th September, 1975. She was buried with Lou the following day. Their grave is marked by a simple plaque.

Grave of Louis Melville and Ella Layton "Marnie" Whyte, Western Cemetery
(NB note the misspelling of "Layton", spelled "Leighton" on the headstone)

Following Marnie's death 'The Heights' passed to the National Trust and today, is open to the public, providing a unique glimpse into a significant piece of Geelong's past and the life of the Ibbotson and particularly, the Whyte family. It is also interesting to note a number of the street names which now surround 'The Heights' and which stand on what was once land owned by Charles Ibbotson and the Whytes. Names such as Ella Close, Layton Crescent, Louis Court, Melville Avenue and of course, Whyte Court.

Yell for Cadel!

Following the Momentum Energy People's Ride and the women's race on Saturday 31st January, Sunday saw the inaugural staging of the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race. As I did the day before, I headed off on Sunday to various points along the Barwon in order to snap some photos of the men in action.
My first stop was once again the Breakwater Bridge which the peloton hit about 15 minutes into the race. With threatening, grey skies overhead, I joined a group of locals and waited for the travelling circus to arrive. This they did with the usual parade of zooming motorbikes and support cars accompanied by the expected cavalcade of police vehicles.

All together over the Breakwater Bridge

A few short seconds and they were off to Barwon Heads and with drizzle beginning to fall, I was off to Queen's Park to await the return of the field, with enough time for a coffee stop along the way. Once there, I sussed out my options, selected a spot and as the rain continued to fall, I ate lunch and kept an eye on the live stream to see how far off the riders were. As I waited, I was joined by increasing numbers of the locals who had come out from the surrounding homes to watch the race pass by, which it eventually did at about 2pm.


The entourage crossing the Queen's Park Bridge ahead of the riders

I snapped away along with everyone else as the three leading riders swept across the bridge closely followed by the peloton with a number of riders off the back.

Again the riders disappeared, although not so quickly this time, as the field was quite spread and their next move was a sharp left up the 20% gradient on Melville Ave.

The lead riders clear the bridge with the peloton hot on its heels

I suspect the front rider was not so much smiling for the camera as grimacing

Once they had passed, I followed on foot at a much more leisurely pace and headed off to my next viewing location overlooking Queen's Park at the top of the Deviation. Once again, I waited with another group of locals as the riders hit the first lap of the 20km street circuit around Geelong. I estimated a wait of about 20 minutes and I was pretty close to the mark.

The leading trio hit the Deviation

The peloton about to descend

With thunderous-looking grey clouds in the background, the field were over the hill and gone in short order, on their way to climb the cement works hill, (known by us locals as "Cementies"). At about this point, the rain started to come down again - harder. My next test was to see if I could ride the 5km back to the Barwon Bridge in town in the time it took them to ride the 10.5km to the same point via Geelong West and the Waterfront. And the answer was? Not quite. I did make it to the opposite side of the river in time to grab a few more snaps but then had to cross the river and wait to catch them on the third (and final) lap of the street circuit.

This I managed to do and set myself up at the bottom of the bend in the hope of some good action shots. Although the man of the moment didn't oblige by appearing front and centre in any of my photos, I did get a reasonable shot of some of the Team Cannondale-Garmin boys taking the bend for the final time.

Team Cannondale-Garmin rounding the bend on Barrabool Road

Then there was just one final climb for me, up from the river and down to the Waterfront, hopefully in time for the big finish. This time, I arrived with more than a few minutes to spare and took up position about 100m from the finish line to wait.

The sprint for the finish line

It didn't take long for the riders to appear and then the sprint for the finish line was well and truly on. When it was all done and dusted, the win went to Gianni Meersman of Extixx-Quick Step, second was Simon Clarke from Orica GreenEDGE and third was Nathan Haas from Team Cannondale-Garmin With Cadel finishing fifth.

Cadel and son Robel heading for the presentation area after the race

As the riders headed for their tents, we headed over to watch the presentations before heading home to wait for next year's race...

The boys (and girls) are back in town!

Jayco Herald Sun Tour 2011, stage 2 - riding up the Deviation

For a few brief moments on Thursday and Friday, I could have sworn that the UCI World Championships had returned to town, but no, it was in fact the Jayco Herald Sun Tour 2011. Regardless, professional cycling had, however briefly, returned to Geelong and the Barwon River.

On Thursday afternoon on the second stage of its five day ride, the peloton made its way from Ballarat, to Geelong, finishing with a run into town through Fyansford and up the Deviation to finish at the top of one of the best views in town - although I doubt the competitors noticed.

The weather was perfect, the media helicopter hovered above and the valley looked a picture. First across the line was the South African rider Reinardt Janse van Rensburg, just beating out Baden Cooke in second place and Steele von Hoff in third.

Jayco Herald Sun Tour 2011, Barwon Valley

The rest of the peloton followed in short order. Interviews were given, presentations made and the travelling road show that is professional cycling was on its way once more. In fact, the speed with which the fencing, promotional banners and other assorted paraphenalia was dismantled was remarkable.

None of which phases the winning cyclists who receive their jerseys, kiss the girls and depart the podium to prepare themselves for the following day's ride.

Unbeknownst to me, the concurrent women's event was also run earlier in the day at the Criterium circuit on Belmont Common - also within a stone's throw of the Barwon.

The following morning however, things had moved to the Waterfront and once again in sparkling sunlight, we watched as the peloton left town and headed for Drysdale via the scenic route to Deans Marsh and Lorne before the run down to the Bellarine via the Great Ocean Road and some more spectacular views.

We waved them off and went for a coffee.

Making a slight Deviation

View down Hyland Street from the cement works hill

In the course of researching my previous blog, I came across reference to the building of the Deviation - a significant stretch of road which overlooks the conjunction of the Barwon and Moorabool Rivers. I have driven up it all my life and run, ridden and walked past it on countless occasions, even dreamt of it as a child - one of the few recurring dreams I have encountered. However, I have never given it much thought.
The Deviation is the culmination of the Hamilton Highway which runs from Hamilton in western Victoria to Geelong where it joins the Princes Highway in Newtown. Prior to the construction of the Deviation, the highway extended along Hyland Street (originally named High Street) up the hill beside the cement works. The steep gradient of this stretch of road no doubt made it difficult for heavily laden drays heading into the port of Geelong in the pre-motorized era.

Deviation Road with Hamilton Highway in the background

Possibly as a result of these difficulties, the citizens of Fyansford first petitioned for an alternate road to be built across the face of the hill as early as 1879, however it was not until 1931 that construction began, using unemployed labour during the Great Depression.  The road was carved out of the side of the hill, providing a much lesser gradient for vehicles passing through. Originally of concrete construction, it was completed in 1932 and officially opened in 1933.
It did not take long however, for tragedy to strike the long-awaited new road. On 2nd December, 1934, a two women were driving a horse and buggy back to Fyansford from a church service when their horse shied at a land slip which had left debris on the road from further up the hill. The horse stopped and backed away and with no guard rail to prevent such a fall, the women were thrown from the buggy as it toppled down the hill. One - Miss Effie Clarke aged 51 - died and the other - her 69 year old sister Adeline - received treatment at the Geelong Hospital for her injuries. At a later inquest, the coroner was scathing of the state of the road, indicating that it was unsafe for vehicular traffic and that a guard rail should immediately  be installed.
The evidence of my own eyes tells me that guard rails were eventually installed, however land slips have continued to plague the Deviation right up to recent times, whilst the tight bends have been an ongoing source of danger to some drivers. In April, 1938 a motorcyclist (Owen B. McEwin, a cement worker from Fyansford) died when his bike with sidecar collided with a truck ascending the hill.

View along the Barwon River from the Lookout above
the Deviation

At the top of the Deviation is the Barwon Valley Lookout which gives panoramic views across the Deviation, the valley below and the confluence of the Moorabool and Barwon Rivers.
"The Lookout" as it is locally known was built in 1938, only a few years after the Deviation and is an art deco concrete structure with a stucco finish. As a child I would walk to the lookout with my grandmother to view the scenery below. During times of flood it makes a very popular viewing point as the valley below becomes, to a greater or lesser extent, submerged.
Today, the view includes not only the river, but also the grounds of the Queen's Park Golf Club, as well as those of the Geelong Amateurs Football & Netball Club (known locally as The Ammos), much of Highton, glimpses of the Geelong Ring Road and the Barrabool Hills in the distance beyond.
This scene is quite different to what it was even a few decades ago, when there was no Ring Road and much of the housing development was absent.
From 1836, in the earliest days of settlement along the river, Dr. Alexander Thompson's sheep could be seen grazing on the hills of what are now the suburbs of Belmont and Highton. Over the years, the signs of industry could be seen as first the flour mill and then the paper mill were built on the banks of the river below. By the mid 20th century, the scene had begun to change even further. The golf club opened in 1948 as a 9 hole course on land leased from the Commonwealth Lands Department which it shared with the Ammos who arrived in 1957. Club rooms were built in the early 1950s which were shared by both the golf and football clubs and in 1975, the course was extended to 18 holes using land that was previously known as the Botanic Gardens - not to be confused I imagine, with the gardens in East Geelong.
On the other side of the river, the fertile, well-watered land between the Barwon and the Deviation was used to grow vines, fruit trees, nurseries and other market garden vegetables. In 1880 it was recorded that Walker's Newtown Valley farm - one of the earliest in the area - was washed away by floods.  The area continued to be used to supply food for the local community into the mid 20th century. Today however, the vines and fruit trees are gone and this land has been re-vegetated and now forms part of the Zillah Crawcour Park which extends back to Queen's Park. In fact, so successful has the re-vegetation been, that it is becoming difficult to see the Deviation from the banks of the river below.