County of Bourke 1866 zoom elgars special section zoom

In 1841,

Henry Elgar Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) *Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal ...

purchased or eight square miles of land approximately 10 km east of

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a me ...

, Victoria, Australia. The land was purchased from the Crown for one pound an acre under the terms of the short-lived Special Survey regulations. The land was considered to be amongst the best land in Boroondara, especially given its convenient location near the established suburbs of Kew, Hawthorn and Camberwell. Elgar's Special Survey covered the area now bounded by

Burke Road Burke Road is a major north–south thoroughfare in Melbourne, Australia. It runs from Ivanhoe East to Caulfield East and through the major shopping district at Camberwell. It is aligned with the western boundary of Elgar's Special Survey ...

(west), Canterbury Road (south), Elgar Road (east) and the

Yarra River The Yarra River or historically, the Yarra Yarra River, ( Kulin languages: ''Berrern'', ''Birr-arrung'', ''Bay-ray-rung'', ''Birarang'', ''Birrarung'', and ''Wongete'') is a perennial river in south-central Victoria, Australia. The lower ...

and Koonung Creek (north). It includes all of the Melbourne suburbs of

Balwyn Balwyn () is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 10 km east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Boroondara local government area. Balwyn recorded a population of 13,495 at the 2021 census. Whit ...

, Balwyn North,

Mont Albert Mont Albert may refer to: * Mont Albert, Quebec, a mountain in the Gaspé Peninsula, and one of the highest mountains in southern Quebec, Canada * Mont Albert, Victoria Mont Albert is an inner eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 12 ...

and Mont Albert North, and the parts of

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of ...

and Surrey Hills north of Canterbury Road. The land is in the

parishes A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

of Boroondara and Nunawading in the County of Bourke.The Elgar's Special Survey had a lasting effect on the alignment of Boroondara subdivisions and roads as some boundaries did not conform to the one mile (1.6 km) interval cadastral survey Section lines running north–south and east–west, referenced from the survey datum at Batman's Hill. It is noted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics as being a particularly well known example of the short-lived special survey system.

References

{{Citation , title = Nunawading Parish Plan, Imperial measure N3337-1 , series = Regional Land Office Plans Digitised Reference Set , author = Victoria. Dept. of Crown Lands and Survey , url = http://www.prov.vic.gov.au/ , id = PROV, VPRS 16171/P0001/Plans Ne-R/Nunawading(Psh)LOImpN3337-1.pdf , accessdate = 2010-09-20 History of Melbourne