Epping Primary School’s two original bluestone buildings are among more than 80 significant sites to be added to Whittlesea council’s heritage register.
Principal Glenn Beattie, who has been at the school for 10 years, said the former headmaster’s house and original classroom had been built in the 1870s and are still in “tip top” condition.
Even old slate roofs are in good nick, and the school is about to paint and repair external windows and fascias.
“While it’s in no way linked, the Port Arthur penal colony was st
ill in operation when these buildings were built, which gives you a good idea of their age,” Mr Beattie said.
Whittlesea Post Office in Church Street, the Yan Yean Reservoir, Bundoora Primary School and Epping and Yan Yean cemeteries are among a list of structures due for protection through Whittlesea council’s amended planning scheme.
The heritage overlay will cover 88 sites and buildings in the municipality that have significant historic value. It was approved last Tuesday by Planning Minister Richard Wynne, who visited an archaeological dig on the banks of the Plenty River at Mernda.
Owners of heritage-listed properties must apply for planning permits before making changes, such as extending, demolishing or externally altering buildings and other structures. A permit is not required for routine maintenance and is rarely needed to make internal changes.
Marjory Jeffrey’s 1853 Mernda property Rockbank has also been given heritage protection.
The homestead has been in Ms Jeffrey’s family for more than 160 years and is ringed by about 600 towering River Red Gums.
Ms Jeffrey said she is pleased the property is now heritage listed.
“As a young country, we do not have a long history and it is important to preserve the little we have built up so far,” she said.
Mayor Ricky Kirkham said it was important the council recognises places of cultural and heritage significance while it experiences such rapid growth.
“Our heritage gives us an understanding of where we have come from and conveys the stories of the city’s development and our unique, living landscapes,” Cr Kirkham said.
