A History of Wonga Park and Surrounds: Dreamtime to Communities by Geoff Arnott

The land now designated as Wonga Park was originally occupied by the Wurundjeri people for over 40,000 years which is well before recorded history. As a result of European settlement in Melbourne and beyond to the Yarra Basin the Wurundjeri people faced a catastrophic future which required a visionary leader to carve out a strategy for their long-term survival. That vision was provided by Simon Wonga who became ngurungaeta, of the Wurundjeri people and head of the Kulin nation of tribes.

Wonga park become a small rural community in the 1890s when the Victorian Government created a settlement for impoverished families in the timber reserve adjacent to part of the former Wonga Park Station. As several of the settlers were involved in the Eight Hour Day Movement, the settlement was initially called “The Eight Hour Day Pioneer Village Settlement” but was later called Wonga Park.

The settlement was a resounding success and the surrounding district which included Brushy Creek (renamed North Croydon) and Croydon Hills went on to develop as prime fruit growing areas which continued up until recent times. Wonga Park developed a strong sense of community, connectedness between families and enormous resilience as shown through two World Wars and a major Depression. These characteristics were based on a rish cultural tradition which can be traced back to the work of the early pioneers who literally carved out a future for their families and future generations beyond the original one square mile which comprised the Eight Hour Pioneer Village Settlement.

Hardcover, 348pp, 2022

$60.00

1 in stock