Kallista, Victoria
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Kallista is a locality within
Greater Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung/ or ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second most-populous city in Australia, after Sydney. The city's name generally refers to a metropolitan area also known ...
beyond the Melbourne metropolitan area Urban Growth Boundary, 36 km south-east from Melbourne's
central business district A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides wit ...
, located within the
Shire of Yarra Ranges The Shire of Yarra Ranges, also known as Yarra Ranges Council, is a local government area in Victoria, Australia, located in the outer eastern and northeastern suburbs of Melbourne extending into the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges. It has ...
local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a federated state, state, province, division (politica ...
. Kallista recorded a population of 1,418 at the 2021 census. Kallista, along with the other towns of the Dandenong Ranges is celebrated for its picturesque natural setting, wealth of heritage and luxury houses and gardens, and country atmosphere all within commuting distance to inner Melbourne. Today, the town is closely associated with the work of Thomas William Roberts, the English-born Australian artist and leading member of the Heidelberg School art movement, also known as Australian impressionism, who lived and worked in Kallista between 1893 and 1931.


Early impressions

"It is a long, steady rise from Belgrave to Kallista, and 20 years ago the road was rough and stony. The two city artists who were with me had found the walk rather far. As we rose to the crest, topped now by the Kallista school, the water-colourist sighed, drew his hands from his trouser pockets – he always strolled with his arms buried to the wrists – and looked at me reproachfully. 'Someone has stolen the end of this road,' he remarked with conviction. Five minutes later his back straightened, his eye brightened, he was a different man; we were facing that wonderful view which is framed by the soft green hills of Sassafras and Olinda. 'Why didn't I bring my paints?' he asked."


History

Kallista's history has moved from likely use by Aboriginals prior to white settlement, to slow development by loggers and farmers, through settler selection to the current mix of state forest (
Sherbrooke Forest Sherbrooke Forest is a wet sclerophyll forest within Dandenong Ranges National Park, 40 km east of Melbourne, in Victoria, Australia, close to the suburb of Belgrave, Victoria, Belgrave. It lies within an altitude of 220–500 m Height abov ...
, part of the Dandenong Ranges National Park), residential housing and agriculture. Kallista's history is closely related to the suburbs around Kallista, including
Sherbrooke Sherbrooke ( , ) is a city in southern Quebec, Canada. It is at the confluence of the Saint-François River, Saint-François and Magog River, Magog rivers in the heart of the Estrie administrative region. Sherbrooke is also the name of a territ ...
,
Sassafras ''Sassafras'' is a genus of three extant and one extinct species of deciduous trees in the family Lauraceae, native to eastern North America and eastern Asia.Wolfe, Jack A. & Wehr, Wesley C. 1987. The sassafras is an ornamental tree. "Middle Eo ...
,
Olinda Olinda () is a historic city in Pernambuco, Brazil, in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region. It is located on the country's northeastern Atlantic Ocean coast, in the Recife metropolitan area, Metropolitan Region of Recife, the state ca ...
, The Patch,
Monbulk Monbulk is a town in Victoria, Australia, 42 km east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Shire of Yarra Ranges local government area. Monbulk recorded a population of 3,651 at the 2021 census. The town is the h ...
and
Belgrave Belgrave may refer to: Places *Belgrave, Cheshire, an English village *Belgrave, Leicester an English district *Belgrave, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia **Belgrave railway line **Belgrave railway station, Melbourne **Belgrave (Puffing B ...
. From being a distant holiday town from Melbourne in the early to mid part of the twentieth century, Kallista is now part of greater metropolitan Melbourne. The earliest white occupants were probably loggers in the 1850s. Gradually other settlers arrived. In 1867, the State Government commissioned a survey of the area around what is now Kallista. were declared a forest reserve, although in 1878 the boundaries were altered and another were made available for sale. During the economic depression of the 1890s in Victoria, the President of the Board of Land and Works and Commissioner Crown Lands and Survey, John McIntyre, decided to open areas of the Dandenong Ranges for
selection Selection may refer to: Science * Selection (biology), also called natural selection, selection in evolution ** Sex selection, in genetics ** Mate selection, in mating ** Sexual selection in humans, in human sexuality ** Human mating strat ...
. Although there were protests from various groups, another were opened in 1893. Selectors were of two types: village selectors and free selectors. Village selectors were expected to live on their selections and could work on the roads. Free selectors were unable to work on the roads, but could keep their existing jobs and work the land. South Sassafras (Kallista) was open to free selectors. The Post Office opened around 1902 and was known as South Sassafras until 1925. From 1912 to 1918 roads were completed between Belgrave and South Sassafras (Kallista) and Monbulk. Melburnians then began to use the area for weekenders and holiday homes as the original farm blocks were subdivided. The South Sassafras State School opened on 10 March 1919 with sixteen pupils. It was first located in the local hall known as the Mechanics Hall and by 1924 had moved to its current location on Monbulk Road. A telephone exchange was installed in 1923. By 1924, the problem of confusion of the name of South Sassafras with
Sassafras ''Sassafras'' is a genus of three extant and one extinct species of deciduous trees in the family Lauraceae, native to eastern North America and eastern Asia.Wolfe, Jack A. & Wehr, Wesley C. 1987. The sassafras is an ornamental tree. "Middle Eo ...
led to suggestions that the name of the town be changed. Many names were suggested, but the name "Kallista" (in ancient Greek, " Kalliste", meaning "most beautiful") was adopted and the change made on 1 April 1925. The
Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
saw an influx of people buying the weekend cottages from Melburnians who could not afford to keep them up. The new owners were hoping to support their families from the blocks of land.


Early inhabitants and owners

John Hardy (after whom Hardy's Creek was named) was commissioned by the State Government to survey the area around what is now Kallista in 1867. Early settlers included James Hermon (Hermon's Saddle Reserve and Hermon's Corner (the corner of Grantulla Road and the Belgrave-Gembrook Road)) and Matthew Hall (remembered in Hall's Track, the original name of Grantulla Road and now the name of the track in Sherbrooke Forest that runs along Grantulla Road). Matthew Hall sold land to G.W. Selby (after whom the neighbouring suburb of Selby is named). One of Selby's managers was William Grant, who built Grantulla. J. Jackson (Jackson's Hill) selected the land adjoining Selby's. J.C. Cole, a nurseryman, started a nursery called "Glen Harrow" (Glen Harrow Heights Road) between Belgrave and Kallista. Coles Ridge Road was named after him. In 1910 Mr John Garibaldi "Garry" Roberts and his family acquired an allotment on the north side of Sassafras Creek (now Sunnyside Avenue) opposite Beagley's Bridge (now part of Perrins Creek Road). The property was named "Sunnyside" and became a focal point for many artistic guests, including CJ Dennis and Jeannie Gunn, author of " We of the Never Never". Mr Roberts acquired a number of buses (retired horse-drawn omnibuses) which were brought to Sunnyside to provide accommodation for the visitors. CJ Dennis wrote "
The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke ''The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke'' is a verse novel by Australian poet and journalist C. J. Dennis. Portions of the work appeared in ''The Bulletin (Australian periodical), The Bulletin'' between 1909 and 1915, the year the verse novel was comp ...
" whilst staying at Sunnyside. It was illustrated by Hal Gye who was also a visitor to Sunnyside. First published on 9 October 1915, it was dedicated to Mr and Mrs JG Roberts. The foundations of the original "Sunnyside" still remain after a house fire in 1937.


The Town today

Kallista Village is particularly known for its proximity to Sherbrooke Forest. Walks around Sherbrooke Forest range from easy to somewhat steep. Sherbrooke is well known for its
Superb Lyrebird The superb lyrebird (''Menura novaehollandiae'') is an Australian passerine songbird, one of two species from the family Menuridae, with the other being the much rarer Albert's lyrebird. It is one of the world's largest songbirds, and is re ...
population, which has increased recently with efforts to reduce the feral cat and fox population. Although early in the morning is the best time to see and hear lyrebirds, they can be seen and heard throughout the day. The males' calls are particularly prominent in June. Grants Picnic Ground, on Monbulk Road near Kallista Village, is very popular with tourists, as large numbers of
sulphur-crested cockatoo The sulphur-crested cockatoo (''Cacatua galerita'') is a relatively large white cockatoo found in wooded habitats in Australia, New Guinea, and some of the islands of Indonesia. They can be locally very numerous, leading to them sometimes being ...
s,
crimson rosella The crimson rosella (''Platycercus elegans'') is a parrot native to eastern and south eastern Australia which has been introduced to New Zealand and Norfolk Island. It is commonly found in, but not restricted to, mountain forests and gardens. The ...
s,
galah The galah (; ''Eolophus roseicapilla''), less commonly known as the pink and grey cockatoo or rose-breasted cockatoo, is an Australian species of cockatoo and the only member of the genus ''Eolophus''. The galah is adapted to a wide variety of m ...
s and
Australian king parrot The Australian king parrot (''Alisterus scapularis'') is a species of parrot endemic to eastern Australia ranging from Cooktown in Queensland to Port Campbell in Victoria (Australia), Victoria. Found in humid and heavily forested upland regions o ...
s gather to be fed bird seed by on-lookers. They will usually fly down and sit on hands, arms and (sometimes) heads.


Notable residents

*
Jim Cairns James Ford Cairns (4 October 191412 October 2003) was an Australian politician who was prominent in the Labor movement through the 1960s and 1970s, and was briefly Treasurer and the fourth deputy prime minister of Australia, both in the Whitl ...
, former Deputy Prime Minister in the Whitlam Government, would often sells his books and other counter-culture material at a stall in the Kallista markets during the 1980s. *
Don Chipp Donald Leslie Chipp, AO (21 August 1925 – 28 August 2006) was an Australian politician who was the inaugural leader of the Australian Democrats, leading the party from 1977 to 1986. He began his career as a member of the Liberal Party, winnin ...
, founder of the
Australian Democrats The Australian Democrats is a centrist political party in Australia. Founded in 1977 from a merger of the Australia Party and the New Liberal Movement, both of which were descended from Liberal Party splinter groups, it was Australia's lar ...
, lived in Kallista for many years during the 1980s. *
Tom Roberts Thomas William Roberts (8 March 185614 September 1931) was an English-born Australian artist and a key member of the Heidelberg School art movement, also known as Australian impressionism. After studying in Melbourne, he travelled to Europe i ...
, painter, lived here between 1856 and 1931. A painting of his entitled "Washing Day, Kallista" is hanging in the Art Gallery of New South Wales. A local road is named after him. *
C. J. Dennis Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis (7 September 1876 – 22 June 1938), better known as C. J. Dennis, was an Australian poet and journalist known for his best-selling verse novel ''The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke'' (1915). Alongside ...
, poet and author, wrote much of his ''
The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke ''The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke'' is a verse novel by Australian poet and journalist C. J. Dennis. Portions of the work appeared in ''The Bulletin (Australian periodical), The Bulletin'' between 1909 and 1915, the year the verse novel was comp ...
'' on J. G. Roberts' property at Sunnyside circa 1913/14. *
Paul Hester Paul Newell Hester (8 January 1959 – 26 March 2005) was an Australian musician and television personality. He was the drummer for the band Split Enz for their last year together from December 1983 to December 1984, and co-founding member an ...
, original drummer for the band
Crowded House Crowded House are an Australian-New Zealand rock band, formed in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia, in 1985. Its founding members were Neil Finn (vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter) and Paul Hester (drums), who were both for ...
, lived there during the 1970s.


References


External links


Kallista
(SMH Travel) {{authority control Yarra Ranges Shire