“Remarkable strides in building have been made during the
last two years at Mont Albert. A number of shops have been erected
in Hamilton Street and Churchill Street… Not only shops but
residences of the most artistic and handsome types are being
erected.” (Excerpt from the Box Hill Reporter, September
1921)
Before the shopping village and the handsome residences were
developed in this area in the 1910s and 20s, local children would
walk across open paddocks to collect wildflowers along the railway
line and Mont Albert Road, but it was not until after the railway
station was built in 1890 that the village developed.
The railway station was an important feature in attracting new
residents to the area, and its name is part of local folklore.
Stories suggest residents initially chose the name “Mount
Albert”, but when railway authorities produced the signs for
the station it was spelt “Mont Albert”. The name
stuck.
The first purpose built shop in the village was ‘Pope and
Moran, Grocers’ built on the north-west corner of Mont Albert
Road in approximately 1912. It was later taken over by Tom Morris
and remained in the family for many years. They were soon followed
by a range of shops along Hamilton Street and part of Churchill
Street, including butchers, draper, estate agents, newsagent, boot
makers and sweet shop.
At the same time magnificent villas were being built for upper
middle class families, further along Churchill Street towards Elgar
Road. Built on large blocks with wide frontages, the houses
featured Arts and Crafts detailing, including arched porches and
balconies, curved bay windows and terracotta chimney pots. The tree
lined street complemented the immaculate gardens, some of which
were included in the Herald garden competition.
Mont Albert still retains the village-like atmosphere it
developed between the wars, from the shop awnings and the timber
railway station, to the magnificently intact streetscape of
Edwardian and Inter-War houses.
The coordinates provided will have you outside one of the
grander properties in this lovely precinct. The clues here will
take you on a 10 minute walk past some beautiful old properties
along this street, ending around the Mont Albert Village area. The
name of this cache has been derived from the fact that at the time
of placing, the Salvation Army had it’s headquarters hidden
in this quiet little strip, and a quick survey of the shops will
reveal the average age of the customers here is getting pretty
high!
How many pillars are there making up the front wall of this very
grand property? Number =a
Wander over to the nearby underpass (under the railway). What is
the clearance? 2.b metres.
S 37 49.24(a-b)
E 145 06.30(b-5)
The difficulty rating is due to the high presence of muggles at
almost all times of the day. Approach with caution, and you may
need to do some creative play-acting to get this one !
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