early streets

Early streets

"Number 8", William St

Here is a map of early Lismore. Click on the markers for details of each house or shop.
If the map does not load you can copy and paste this URL into your browser.
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(Information below was compiled by Andrew Lang from converstions with Les Buchholz in about 1980) Please "contact us" if you have more details.

The White Swan, also known as Tapp's hotel. Built in the early 1840's, it served the locals, carriers, and travellers between Geelong and Belfast (Port Fairy), and points between. These sort of inns were usually set up at points like creek crossings, usually at about 20 mile (30 km) spacings. It sold bottled beer and spirits, provided stabling, food and accommodation, and was a point of information about the district for travellers. Presumably built by Tapp, it was owned by James Parry in the 1870's, and demolished in 1911.

Gray St sites from east to west

James Parry's ‘the Store’. 1 Gray St. Built in 1864, it was house, store and the district's first post office. After Parry, various tenants operated it till 1911, when it was bought by A.S.Liston. He built a new store on the first block in High St, perhaps reflecting the change in traffic movement. He lived on in the house on this site till it was destroyed by fire in 1923.

Land Army girls houses 1-9 Gray St. These five houses with near identical floor plans were built in 1943 by the federal government to house up to 50 Land Army girls. Four were principally accommodation with a fifth having the main kitchen and eating arrangement as well as bedrooms. The girls worked at the flax mills, and must have brought new life to the town. The RAAF training base at Cressy also added to the local society. Many of the girls married men from the area and some of their children and grandchildren still live here.

Site of J.Vaughan's stables. Vaughan's were the town licensed carriers from very early till the 1970's, and played a critical role in local commerce. With the advent of the train service in 1913 they would cart to and from the train, and convey passengers. With early trucks they continued to cart produce from farms and delivered corrugated iron, jute sacks and woolpacks and bulk supplies, and were also agents for commodities such as C.OR. oil and petrol, BP products and Shearer machinery until closing down the business (in the late 1960's?).

George Skene's Blacksmith shop and house, built in 1857. The workshop was probably at the street end of the block and the house still stands at the rear, backing onto the town common. The Skene's went on as Blacksmiths until 1946, with other family members working on, and managing local properties to the present day.

Site of the stables of Currie and Shaw's coach line, later the Western Stage Company, which ran from Geelong to Belfast (Port Fairy) twice weekly from 1863-85. The stable was on Thomas Seymour's land. He built his house here in 1862. He is described in the 1870 shire rates record as a labourer. The Seymours lived on in the area until the 1960's.

High St sites from west to east

Presbyterian Manse built in bluestone in 1872. The Manse land, the 'glebe', covered the block between Brown and West Sts and ran down almost to Brown's Water Holes. It gave the minister supplementary income and hosuehold meat rations from running his own stock. The first minister was the Reverend Horatio Ellerman. The Manse was demolished and rebuilt in brick in 1960. It was sold to become a private residence in 198?, and the glebe was subdivided.

Site of Maternity hospital, with attached residence. Mrs Jane Ingles, a midwifery nurse, and her husband, a dairy farmer from Cobden area, built this 6 ward hospital about 1911. The first doctor, Dr Paton, arrived shortly after. Mrs Ingles was said to have never lost a baby during confinement. In 1925 it was purchased from Mrs Ingles for 1000 pounds, and became 'Yanimah' private hospital for medical, surgery and midwifery cases. It was run by Margaret Bott, A.T.N.A. under a local committee of management.

Site of the Lismore Bush Nursing hospital, built in 1930, following a fund raising appeal (on the site of the previous private hospital, according to Ron Howell). Additions were made in 1939, 1946, and 1958. Henry Bolte opened this last wing, which cost 10,500 pounds, and made it a 14-bed hospital. In 1965 it changed to become a public hospital under the management of Ballarat Base Hospital. In 1970 a nurses' accommodation was built. By 1980 the hospital had acute, hostel and aged care beds, and was regarded as a model for rural health care, being exceptionally well-equipped thanks to tireless fund raising by the Hospital auxiliary. All this came to an end due to the Kennet Liberal Government's ill-directed cost cutting, when all beds were closed and it was converted into a day-time health centre, to the great distress of patients, staff and area residents.

Presbyterian church, High St. Opened in 1864, the church's solid structure and early existence reflects the preponderance of lowland Scots among the early station owners. Robertson at 'Struan' Gnarpurt), Currie at Larra, Wilson at Gala, Logan at Elephant Run, and Mack at Berrybank, along with many of the early townspeople were from the same general area of lowland Scotland and were strong Presbyterians. Prior to this church the minister from Kilnoorat, south of Darlington, had served the district since 1847, holding services in homes and homesteads. Robertson at Struan had converted a room in his house into a chapel. He later built his own tiny bluestone church in 1867.

Site of first school, in High St, just east of the Presbyterian Church. Built in 1867 by the church on land donated by Mr Wilson, owner of 'Gala', it was a one-roomed school catering for about 15 children. Mrs Ross was the first teacher. In 1870 it became the non-vested Rural School No. 44. The first teacher was Hugh Miller Andrew, an un-classified teacher on a salary of 45 pounds a year, a shilling a pupil a week, 20 pounds from local contributions, and free board. He lived till 1872 in two small rooms built on to the school room. It was unlined and draughty, allegedly either like an oven, or freezing.

Police Station site no.2. The police station was re-opened here in about 1911 at the time of closer settlement. Initially the officers were Mounted Troopers. Constable Kerr was the policeman in the 1920's. 'He was bloody by nature too' was the recollection of Les. Buchholz, an early resident. A stable in the back yard is said to date from that time. The lock-up at the fifth police station was moved from here, via other sites, towed on a sled.

Site of Vin and Dolly Edgar's fruit shop (1920's), then Caldow's café, later Mrs Gordon Dunn's, the billiard room (cloth once replaced by Walter Lindrum), men's hairdresser ( Andy Caldow, Max Stewart - also also sold sporting goods, toys, electrical appliances), Brickie McQuinn's saddlery (1920's), Ted Parasene's accomodation (1950's). In the 1930's a visiting dentist, Jack Haugh from Camperdown, used to operate in the billiard room (and also the hotel) with a foot-pedalled drill and a high-backed kitchen chair with head rest extension ('All branches of dentistry practised in the latest and most up-to-date manner. Extractions painless'). The whole complex of inflammable businesses burnt down one night in 1969 along with Bustard’s general store next door.

Site of Bustard's store (originally Nielsen, Graham and Bustard). Built in 1911 at the time of closer settlement, Bustard's was a traditional counter-service general store. The grocery was ahead on the right wall, with a long counter displaying a round of mature cheddar, and a side of bacon, marble slab and cutting devices and scales. Bins of flour and oats, salt and sugar, sat on the floor. All these went into paper bags. Shelves of tinned and packet goods rose up the wall to near the ceiling. Up the facing wall were hardware items. On the west side of the store, separated by a wall to the ceiling, was the drapery and manchester section. And at the far end of this side school items, comics like Illustrated Classics, and childrens books were stocked. The Bustards were pillars of the Methodist church and town. Mr Bustard senior turned on the power in 1938. The shop burnt down in 1969, leaving some stables and sheds, the old bluestone bakery, and the charred safe from the little office at the end of the grocery area.

Charles Taylor's house, store and carpenters shop. Built in 1869, it was the competition to Parry's store. Taylor possibly employed Samuel Stone, a carpenter who in 1865 built a stone house down West St toward the creek (demolished in about 1900). Taylor built some houses in the late 1870's in the High St to rent out. It is likely he built the bluestone bakery which still stands in a derelict condition at the rear of this block. Members of the Bustard family lived in this house till the 1970's (in the 1920's the town cows used to camp in the dry under the verandah). It was demolished to make room for a fuel depot.

Site of Robertson's mechanical repair in 1915. Robertson moved the next year to the present garage site and dealt in Ford cars. E.J.(Ned) Ryan, grain dealer and H.V.McKay agent worked from the front of the building into the 1950's. The house section at the rear was built on later.

House and surgery built by Dr Paton, Lismore's first resident doctor, who arrived in 1911. Before this time doctors were at Camperdown, Skipton and Linton, and to get a visit made to Lismore might cost eight pounds, the equivalent of two weeks wages for a working man. Dr Paton was an excellent doctor who travelled all weathers, first by horse and buggy, then a belt driven Triumph motorcycle, and later by car. He moved to Carlton in 1928, leaving behind a prosperous practice, a resident chemist, and an adequate hospital.

Police Station first site. This building was constructed in 1881 to house the first policeman,

Mounted Constable Dominick Healy. In 1893, it was decided that a police presence was not warranted. Mounted Constable John Hall was withdrawn, and the station was closed. The brick building on the corner may have been the post office from 1914-1924. In the 1930's it was Bertie Bennett's butcher shop, later Keith Abley's. Bert Bennett slaughtered beasts at a slaughterhouse above the creek north west of town, reached from Brown St.

Site of a series of small businesses businesses: in sequence, from the corner of Heriot St-

A series of blacksmiths worked on the site. In 1926 McQuinn and Gallichan, Lismore Shoeing Forge, commenced business here 'undertaking all descriptions of blacksmithing - a trial solicited'. This site held a blacksmiths into the 1930's. Later it was used by E.J Ryan as a fuel depot.
Site of Roy McQuinn, saddler (1920's). 'McQuinn sat behind a never diminishing pile of harness. A great place for men to gather and gossip.' He also repaired boots.
Site of John Dunstan's grocer shop, also Mr Jarman, later Bill Lewis ran an electrical shop and repaired radios. (now state bank building)
Site of two small shops used by visiting dentists and solicitors in the 1930/40's. One became an opportunity shop in the 1950's.

Site Jim Edgar's shop, a greengrocer, dry good and stationery -' fresh fruit and vegetables always available, school requisites stocked'. Edgar was also curate of the Presbyterian church. Later it was owned by Vin Edwards selling fruit and vegetables. Vin delivered fruit and vegetables round the district by car in the 1930's, including to Derrinallum.The current brick building was built as the office of Elder Smith Goldsbrough Mort Ltd, stock and station agents. It is now a café.

Site of National bank 1910-1996? The original Bank building was removed in 1959 and broken into three. Two parts are now houses in Gray St, and the foyer is a Gray St house tool shed. The

site was originally owned by Seymour Bros, coach builders. They may have operated here before
moving to another site in Heriot St later Whatmough's International Harvester agency and garage (1951). The bank building was used as the first official post office from 1915 to 1924 when the new post office was built.

Drinnan's shop and tea room 1930's. It became the office and workshop for Norman Dean, who lived in the house behind. It was the operations headquarters during the 1944 fires when Lismore was menaced by two separate fires. Norman Dean was a great citizen and sportsman, and his wife Kathleen is remembered as a wonderful woman always helping others. She donated the land for the N.G.Dean Memorial bowling green. The building then became the office and parts store of the Lismore Water Trust, employing , among others, a very large round man called 'Tiny' Lang.

Site of H.Adams Lismore Advertiser, 1910-1955 (backing onto Goodacre's block). The paper was written, typeset, and printed at this site. Adams sold to Marg and Vern Gazzard in 1923. They sold to Edward Harvey in 1955. The building was moved to Heriot St to become Harvey's store. The paper became incorporated with the Camperdown Chronicle and then re emerged as the Western Plains Advertiser.

Site of Robertson's garage 1916. He was agent for Ford Motor Co. It was owned from 1920 by Eric Drinnan when the hand pumps dispensed Plume, Texaco and Shell petrol. As well as taking over the ford agency, he became agent for Paige Dewett, and Morris cars and trucks. Eric held driver's license no.5 for victoria issued in 1907. He had driven for Curries when they owned a De Dion Bouton car. George Menere bough tthe garage in 1940. He sold it to Tom Rhook in 1945, who expanded the garage and built the modern brick façade (it extended onto the site of Norman Dean's office). He continued to deal in Morris and then British Leyland cars and Trucks. Reg and Trevor Rhook continued it on. It is currently owned by Geoff Gallichan.

Known as Martin's corner. Site of A.S.Liston's new 'Store', taken over by Hesse and McIlroy in 1911, and then Rodda. It was burnt in 1923. In 1926 Norman Dean built a garage, machinery dealership and grain trading business on the site. Charlie Gallagher worked for him as tractor mechanic in the 1930's. The workshop was behind the office. In the 1940's there was just a shed here used by Deans for storing petrol.

Site of J.H.Gazzard, blacksmith, farrier, wheelwright and coach builder (1912-20).) who bought the site from Paddy Wise, a farrier from Skipton. Gazzards were agricultural and general blacksmiths and produced farm items like smoodgers, rollers, harrows and a patent swingle tree. Geordie Skene worked for Gazzard and went on to take over and run the business in the 1930's. He worked with Jim Arthur, and shod horses, made wagon wheels, and did general blacksmithing and repair. A good blacksmith was always busy, and town kids would be conscripted to pump the forge bellows. Skene stopped in 1946. The business was carried on into the early 1950's by Jim Meldrum, who first employed Alec Cornish. Chris Bennet used the building as a store for some years. It was finally demolished prior to building the Lismore Pool in the early 1960's.

The bakery. This still has a semi-derelict wood fired ovens at the rear. In the 1930's Charlie Bray was the baker, and with Harold Long and Charlie Gilbert would hand knead the following day's bread starting about 9pm. Bread (generally white aromatic high loaf with a piece of tissue paper round it) was delivered by standing order round the district by Charlie Gilbert, in horse and cart He went as far as Gnarpurt, Mingay and Foxhow. K.M.Anderton was still baking in 1963 (cakes, pastry and pies a speciality)

High St side road east to west

Cameron's post office 1888-1914. William Cameron ran Parry's store and was postmaster from 1878-84. He used to take mail and sometimes passengers halfway to Camperdown, to meet a gig coming from Camperdown. Mail and passengers would be swapped and each would return. In 1884 the telegraph came through from Geelong, with the line running between white porcelain insulators on short poles attached to fence posts. The telegraph operator managed postal services at a house in High St from 1884-88, when the telephone service to Camperdown was established. The post office moved back to Cameron's (along with the town phone?), and from about 1906 the exchange was run by the two Misses Cameron (one married Fred Smith, the other Archie Lewis). Cameron was also later the Massey machinery agent.

Site of the house built in 1872 by H.M.Andrew's, the first school teacher. Mrs Andrew took in boarders. In around 1900 occupied by Mrs McLennan, midwife. In the 1920's 'Scotty' Bob Wilson, lamplighter and member of the town band lived here. His job was to charge up the six or so town street lights with enough calcium carbide and water each evening to give light from the generated acetylene gas till about midnight. Known sites of lamps were: outside the Presbyterian church, the Mechnics Institute, Cameron's post office, and the hospital. The house became the home and office for Martin Brown, Dalgety's local representative, in 1933 (Dalgety had an agent in town since 1911).

H.H.Vail, Chemist 1926-45 (Vail was the first scoutmaster), followed by F.C. Brabner ('photographic requirements adequately catered for'), then Doug Pearson. All three men played a leading role in the town life.

Site of Lakey's boarding house, shop, livery stables (on bowling green site), pony hire. Bob Lakey ran a delivery cart in the 1920's and did a mail run to Mingay to the post office at Barr's. Into the 1950's it was the home of Bill Lewis, who had a small bicycle repair shop on the east yard corner (later Chris Bennet's radio repair shop). Joe Lewis also ran a market garden. Lewis' house was demolished (in the 1960's?) and the large site became the office, store and yard of Strachans (from 1946) and then Elders, stock and station agents. Currently the office and showroom built by Dennys Strachan Mercantile in 1980 houses the Landcare group office, the Community Facilitator office and the craft shop, with the Lismore branch of Remco Woolbuyers occupying the store shed. Over 100,000 tree seedlings go through the yard each spring for landcare plantings on local farms.

Site of 3rd police station, in the mid 1930's, one officer being Constable Hollis, who rode an AJS motorbike. He had 3 or 4 children and Neville Dunn remembers them shutting him in the lock-up as a four year old. The station is said to have been burnt in revenge by a swaggie locked up for the night. In the 1920's it was Daniel and Mrs Dunn's boarding house.

Heriot St sites

Harvey's store (1955) used the building that had been the Advertiser office in High St. He later split the business, with Kevin Keating running the grocery side, and Harvey doing the papers and manchester. It became a drapery owned by Nancy and Des Davis, and a newsagents run by Max and Margot Lee. Further buildings running south housed variously a butchershop, plumbing supply, TV repair, a hairdresser, Harper's café. This section burnt in 197?

Rodda's store (rebuilt on this site after the store at 2 High St burnt in 1923), sold to H.Price, owned in the 1930's by J.Myer. It is remembered then for its open bags of pollard, and as the source of comics for town kids. He employed Lorrie Jolly, who would do deliveries around the town. Myer sold it in turn to Ted Harvey. He moved the business to the other side of the street. Harpers turned it into a tea rooms. A succession of owners sold pies to school children (10pence each in 1955), sweets, milkshakes. Booths ran along the western wall, and a large oven in the kitchen was used for cakes and scones.

Peters Hardware. Built in 19?? Peters sold a wide range of building materials and maintenance items, and their site included the yard and shed behind, now owned by Crawford Dowling. In 196? Kevin Keating, who had worked for Harvey's across the road, bought this premises and converted it into one of the new style self-service grocerys. Later owners have been Goodacres, Robottoms, Shephersons, Greys, Paul and LisaBosch, and now Ricky Vagg

Police station no.5. The lock-up at the rear of the office was brought from previous police stations. Built in the early 1950's this police station was the first building on this town block. At the time only the two iron clad houses on the west side of Heriot st were there, brought in from Larra before WW2.

William St sites, east to west

Temperance Hall 1880, Mechanics Institute and reading room 1888, greatly enlarged 1912. The new Mechanics Institute was built on the site of the original building. This building was moved to the rear and became the commodious supper room of the new hall. At the opening of the new hall the Lismore Town Brass Band paraded the streets playing quick-step marches. The gap between the buildings was built over in 1920 and became a billiard room. It was opened by Fred Lindrum. The hall was the venue for dances, plays, and visiting speakers and performers of every sort. It was probably here that Dr Brown from Camperdown, an amateur magician, put on an illusionist show in the 1930's and proceeded to saw Grace Drinnan in half. Lewis Dunn ran the Plaza talkies here from 1934 into the early 60's. Movies had earlier been screened on an irregular basis by George Botterill, a Skipton garage owner, who is famed for building 'Big Lizzie', the enormous traction engine capable of towing 100 tons, now on display at Redcliffs. The hall was condemned by the shire and sold for demolition in about 1991.

Site of shearing depot and holding paddocks (behind No.8 William St down Cunningham St). The depot was active through the 1920's and 30's, shearing sheep for closer-settlement farmers who had no shearing sheds. It was owned by Oman's. In the 1940's Gardiner Oman and his three sisters lived in No 8. Gardiner also had stables and cobbled yards for his prized horses on this land. Gardiner was 'outside' man, and from 1940-48 manager of Dalgety's, stock and station agents. Ernie Kerr, a nephew of George Skene, worked in the depot in the early 1930's. He recalls 'Friday' Edgar was the classer (he was called that because he wouldn't work Fridays). 'Nugget' Stevens was one shearer and 'Skinny' Devon was a gun shearer doing 200-250 a day. There were four stands. As it was right by the school yard the teachers would bring the children over occasionally. It persisted into the 1950's though no longer shearing for up to 15 weeks of the year.

Town common, pound paddock, first water reservoir (dam), first tennis court and cricket ground with pavilion 1888. Site of circuses, and town livestock grazing. The common and pound extended along the full width of Lismore between Oman St and Seymour St. Until the 1950's Cunningham St stopped at Oman St, and circuses were held on this site. Gradually the area has been subdivided and sold off, with the town pound at the western end last to go. This area was the site of the first tennis court and cricket ground, and the 1888 centre of the current cricket pavilion was moved from here. The early town water was partly from the dam here, and a windmill on Brown's Water holes below Cunningham St.

The second State School built was built here in 1880 to hold about 40 students of all grades with one teacher. One night in 1901 the chimney was struck by lightning and collapsed through the roof. The newly-built school was on the original line of the track from Lismore to Camperdown and Larra, and all traffic would cut past either side of the building. By 1900 the site still was not fenced and animals would often come and rub on the single room building. With closer settlement the student numbers outgrew the building, and it was moved to Gnarpurt to become the Struan school. The new larger one-room school was built in 1912 (by D.Dunn?) and could accommodate 70 children, still with one teacher (!!!). It was extended in 1916 by S.J.Gullick, a builder based in Ferrars St It was painted ochre and brown. Ron Howell recalls at 11 years old riding six miles to school in 1927. 'Harold Claverton was the Headmaster and taught 5, 6, 7 and 8 on his own. By golly he was a good teacher. He was strict. I grew big on the strap, but I only got it for mucking around'.

In the 1930's teachers were Miss Pluck (junior), Mr Dwyer (intermediate) and Mr Dance (headmaster). Geoff Drinnan recalls lots of nature study and excursions. The school burnt down in 1948, and was rebuilt in 1950 to accommodate up to 120 children. By 1961 after two more rooms and a staff room were added it was accommodating 144 children with four teachers. By 1966 there were 188 children and eight teachers. Extra rooms including a library were added, but the enrolment turned down in 1967 and numbers have slowly dwindled to pre-1912 levels.

J.G.Johnson and Co. paddock and saleyards, built 1911, purchased by Strachan,Murray and Shannon in 1928 for 1900 pounds. Later purchased by Elders. Demolished in the late 1990's, and subdivided.

Ferrars St sth
45 'Bottletop Cottage' is built on a site subdivided from Sam Perkins original block, which he bought in 1894 for 8 pounds. Shortly after he built the house to the north that still stands. Bottletop Cottage was one of a number of houses moved into the area around 1914-16 from the Pitfield township near Cape Clear. When the Woady Yalloak gold diggings were exhausted the township houses were gradually sold off. Buildings were mostly moved by bullock teams. The name came from the beer bottle tops used to secure the wire netting that acted as reinforcing for the trowelled-on cement render.
R.L Gibson built a butcher shop here sometime after the subdivision. Geoff Drinnan remembers Harry Howard (Howith?) trading from here in the early 1930's. He came house to house in a red and yellow buggy. It had a pull-down back with a chopping block on the tailboard. Harry used to carry a gum tree switch to brush the flies from the meat while serving. In this period only one butcher at a time was operating in Lismore, while in the 1950's there were two shops, both in the central town area.
High St, just west of Hospital
46 4th Police station. This house was brought in from Pittong (Pitfield?) in the early 1920's, and an office was built on the east side. It served as the station through the 1940's. Constable George Hornsby was one of the officers. It was originally a one acre block and had an orchard. One account is that there was a free-standing building, possibly a mortuary, that was shifted later to the hotel yard. It is likely the solid lock-up that is at station no.5 was also here. Ted Court has lived here since 1956.

47. The creek-side golf course, public reserve and town water supply. This was the site of the second Lismore Township golf course (to distinguish it from the golf course on 'Gala'). The township club began in 1930, playing on the common, pound paddock and recreation reserve on the south side of town. With development in that area the links moved to this area of Crown Land where nine holes were laid out along the creek, possibly providing more water hazard than any other course in the country (a major pastime of children of golfers was to retrieve balls from the creek). In 1974 the club and ex-RAAF clubhouse moved to the current site.
The creek was a choice recreation area for town children, into the 1960's. There was a footbridge below Cunningham St, which gave access to the cemetery area, and a windmill just downstream pumped water up into the town (into the pound paddock dam?). Water quality was better then, and platypus, water rats, yabbies and fish were here. Several holes were big and deep enough for swimming.
High St east of Manse
48. Methodist Church site. The first Methodist services in the area were held at John Bustard's house The Church was built by S.J.Gullick of Ferrars St and was opened in 1912.. The Closer Settlement Act stimulated subdividion of parts of many stations, and this meant a marked increase in population of the area. The land was donated by John Bustard, and the Bustard family were prominent members of the Methodist community, with Harry Bustard being one of only two organists for the next fifty years (the other being Miss C.Missen). Other Methodist families included Wilson, Walters, Dunstan, O'Donnell, Hosking, Tonkin, Gazzard, Worral, Ingles and Bennett. The last service was in 1965 and in 1968 the building was moved to just behind the Presbyterian church. It served as a Sunday school, meeting room for cubs, and a place for piano lessons for some years.
High St side road opposite Manse
49. The Anglican Church site. Some early services were held at 'Titanga' in 1978 during Alexander Buchanan's ownership. In 1911 services in the Mechanics Institute attracted up to 25 worshippers. As with the Methodists, closer settlement from 1911 had brought more Anglicans into the town and surrounding farm settlements. The church was built by S.J.Gullick (who had just finished the school) and completed by July for the first wedding (Gullick immediately went on to build the Methodist church). The site for the church was given by S.McPadden. The church was called St Augustine's after the home parish church of the oldest member of the congregation, Thomas Seymour (he had been working in the area since at least 1862). The McPaddens continued as pillars of the church for the next sixty years. Ron Howell remembers coming from Struan 6 miles to church every Sunday in a buggy in the late 1920's, when Lismore would have been full of church goers from town and the closer settlement farms.(the horse and buggy was left at stables behind Bustard's store). The church was extensively renovated in 1975 and re-hallowed. In 1979 the first set of twins, Kerry and Joanne McPadden, were christened, being great-grand daughters of S.McPadden.
The congregation slowly dwindled through the 1980's. The decision was finally made by the Camperdown Parish to deconsecrate and sell the building. It is now a private residence in Werribee.
Gnarpurt Rd east of recreation reserve
50.The flax mills and manager's residence. The Second World War generated a great need for flax for making parachute webbing, bags, straps, leggings and puttees. A search round Victoria located a number of suitable sites for growing flax, including the granite soils around Lismore. Growing began from 1940 with the flax sent to Colac by rail. The flax mill was built in 1943. At its peak the mill and outside jobs employed 90 people, including up to 50 Land Army girls.
Crops were harvested when higher than 23 inches. The crop inspector George Williams would then send the reaper-and-binders in. Loads of flax sheaves were carted to the showgrounds area and stacked (hundreds of tons of these stacks were burnt in the 1944 fire). The Land Army girls worked turning the spread out stalks so the soft vegetable material would rot off the fibre (retting). This was done on the land south of the sports reserve. The retted flax went to the flax mill and was processed.
After the war demand for flax products dropped away and the mill closed. Several attempts were made to use it for making agricultural machinery, the first by Jim Meldrum who tried making hay balers. Finally the site was bought by Jack Lang. In the mid 1950's the local scout troupe met in the buildings. They were badly vandalised to their present state by a few town boys in the early 1990's.
High St side road just west of West St.
51. The Lismore Catholic Church was completed in 1923. Before this religious needs of Catholics in the area were served by priest from the Parish of Camperdown which stretched from the coast to about Cape Clear. Fr Daly held the first Mass in Lismore at the Hall in 1911. The congregation consisted of three adults and four children. More families arrived with closer settlement. There had been a site allocated for a Catholic church in Gray St at the corner of Cunningham St (a rather wet site and close to the Presbyterian church). This was sold, and a new site bought on High St A local curate, Fr.T.Darcey, lived midway between Lismore and Derrinallum.
With an overflowing congregation necessary extensions were added, and opened in 1957. From 1958 the parish priest was based in Cressy, initially Fr O'Keefe. In 1974 Bill Keating, a local boy, was ordained a priest before a congregation of 700 in the only ordination in Lismore's history.
Camperdown Road, corner of Seymour St
52. Site of Hood and Reed, Blacksmiths. They started here in the 1920's (1934 according to BWH), and are remembered by Les Buchholz as 'ex-military men'. While Hood and Reed left few memorials, this blacksmithing business is the only one out of the six sites that continues to the present. Alec Cornish operated here through the 1950's, after beginning with Jim Meldrum. The present engineer John 'Whoopie' Worral maintains the ability of the early blacksmiths of being able to straighten anything by eye, and to repair any broken equipment, so that that section will far outlast the rest of the machine. Given time he can find a nut for any bolt and vice versa, and identify the thread type apparently by instinct. Here there is still an element of the less frantic past, and men stand here and talk, and watch while repair goes on. No one feels they have to be on their most polite behaviour, allowing the basic problems of life (particularly politics and the iniquities of big business) to be freely discussed in straight-forward language, often interspersed with crude jokes and raucous laughter.

Lismore Historic Precinct

Click here for Corangamite Heritage Study 2013. (It takes a while to download as a .PDF file)

This gives a history of early Lismore and gives interesting architectural details of many of the early buildings which still exist.
Buildings of interest in Lismore are listed in Volume 2, pages 34 to 37.
Derrinallum, pages 27 to 34.

Lismore historic precinct, pages 248 to 262.