Keilor Historical Society (KHS) unveiled a new informative panel as part of the Keilor Heritage Trail on July 18, with relatives of the Milburn family in attendance at the ceremony.
The new panel highlights the history of the Heritage Grange Farm and Homestead which was built by John Milburn in the late 19th century.
KHS vice president Susan Jennison said it was an incredible event.
“We were fortunate that the weather was so lovely .. .we also had a fair representation from the Milburn family. It was lovely to have the family members there,” said Ms Jennison.
Dorothy Milburn, the wife of the late John Milburn, was one of the relatives who participated in the unveiling.
“We put a ribbon around the panel and Dorothy was taken out by her children to cut the ribbon, ” said Ms Jennison.
One of John’s brothers, David Milburn, was also at the ceremony.
According to the Victorian Heritage Database, the site is significant due to its links to John’s father, also named David Milburn, who was an early horticulturalist, and the first developer of irrigation in Victoria.
“[David Milburn] developed an irrigation method by using a hand pump to draw water from what is known today as the Maribyrnong river,” said Ms Jennison.
He settled in Keilor in 1857 and the region’s market gardening tradition began soon after his arrival.
“He was a skilled gardener — nicknamed Davey the basketman because he sold fruit, vegetables and butter to those going to the goldfields,” Ms Jennison said.
The farm and homestead is an important archaeological site as it may also uncover information as to how the floodplain landscape in Keilor was developed into orchards and gardens.
“It’s extremely significant agricultural history. For me it was the commitment to do the panels so we get that history out in writing,” said Ms Jennison.
“It’s for the people of the next generations so they know about these things.”
The new informative panel, which was funded by Brimbank council, can be visited at the Heritage Grange Farm at 127 Milburn Road in Keilor — as part of a series of panels along the Keilor Heritage Trail.
