The Lyons-Ryan Family of 'Ellendale', Marong, Victoria

'Ellendale' in 1994

In September 1994, Brian and Margaret Walters, together with sons Chris and Jeff, visited the site of the former Ellendale property. The approximate location of the site had been advised by Kevin Hart (now, sadly, deceased). Kevin was the grandson of Patrick and Ellen Lyons and father of Denis Hart, now Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne.

The site was remarkably easy to find, being on the main Marong-Serpentine Road, north-west of the Marong township - see map. The old homestead was just visible behind some trees a few hundred metres from the road. Note that the 'road' shown on the map, apparently passing through the homestead location, does not exist.

Rather than simply entering the property for a closer look, the then current owners were contacted to ask for permission. This was given and the old homestead was inspected the following day. The owners at the time of the inspection were the Cornish family whose residence, Lynden, is located on the Calder Highway.

The following photos show the homestead as it existed at the time. The main house was intact but dilapidated - the second building seen in the 1880 photograph had been demolished and only the foundations remained. (Update: the homestead was still standing in 2012, see Google Maps: Latitude: 36.710231 S; Longitude: 144.122665 E).

View towards the Ellendale homestead from the Marong-Serpentine Road — **View towards the homestead from the Marong-Serpentine Road. The homestead is visible behind the trees just to the left of the sheds**

**Front view of the homestead. The verandah faces towards Bullock Creek**

**The south-western wall of the homestead (it was against this wall that the 1904 photograph was taken)**

**Rear view of the homestead. The foundations of a second building can be seen in the foreground**

**View through the main corridor of the homestead from the front to the back**

If anyone is passing through the area, it would be worth visiting the site. It would be advisable to seek permission to enter to avoid possibly antagonising the current owners.

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