Timeline

The History of Mannerim

The following is extracted from Balla-wein : A history of the Shire of Bellarine by Ian Wynd.

North of Marcus Hill was a vague district known as Mannerim. It took its name from a property of the same name situated on the Queenscliff Road twelve miles from Geelong. In 1868 it contained 307½ acres of well watered pasture and there was a grazing lease on an adjoining 1100 acres capable of carrying 1500 sheep. The ten room villa had a balcony giving a good view of the Heads and Bass Strait; there were servants' quarters and a lodge on the Queenscliff Road gave access to the property. After the owner, William Arabin Smith, youngest son of Thomas Tringham and Emma Smith of London and Palazzo Brusciato, Florence, died in 1867 aged 24 years, the property was for sale as his family proposed to return to England. It may not have found a buyer then for it was put up for auction again in 1869. By 1871 Mannerim had come into the hands of Captain Norbonne Smith, probably a brother. Formerly of Her Majesty's 72nd Regiment, he had for many years been commandant of the Drysdale Volunteer Artillery. He had returned to Europe in 1869 and was intending to return to Victoria when he died at Florence, aged only 36 years. When the news reached the colony, his old corps paraded in mourning at the Drysdale Church of England on July 16, 1871. His widow, Emma Tringham Smith, returned to Mannerim where she died in 1879. The mortgagees, Dennys, Lascelles & Co., offered the property for sale - there was no reserve, so it would probably be obtained "at a very low price", said the Advertiser.

Evidence suggests that Mannerim estate was north of Queenscliff Road and east of Grubb Road. But John Kinder Archer, J.P., also gave his address as Mannerim, Wallington, and his property, about 1200 acres, began about a mile south of the Queenscliff Road and ran to the sea east of Grubb Road - now part of Collendina. He used this as grazing land and also made £250 to £300 per annum from selling wood and wattle bark. In 1882 he sold out at £2.9s per acre to James Wilson of St. Albans and moved to Murrawuk Estate, Mounter Mercer, which he had bought from a Mrs. Coltish. To further complicate matters, what became the Mannerim school was established on the Swan Bay Road about one mile east from Banks Road. The school was first proposed by Cornelius Fogarty who sent a petition signed by 14 parents. This resulted in two acres of Section 11, Paywit Parish, being purchased from William Jones for £10, the erection of a portable wooden building to accommodate 30 pupils, and the opening of No. 3096 Paywit South with Charles McKinley as head teacher. At the end of 1911 the name was changed to Mannerim. The other signs of the separate existence of Mannerim were the building of a Methodist Church in Banks Road and a public hall near the station in 1925. (p. 110)

(See p. 180 of Balla-wein for source references.)

[Reproduced with the kind permission of Ian Wynd, Geelong]

Wynd, Ian. Balla-wein : A history of the Shire of Bellarine, Shire of Bellarine, Drysdale, 1988 - available from the Bellarine Historical Society and the Geelong Historical Records Centre.

Mannerim History Links

Members of the Bellarine Historical Society and residents of the towns of the Bellarine Peninsula have commenced a major project to document the history of their local areas on the Internet. These histories will includes towns, buildings, families, schools, environment - in fact any subject which adds to the history of the Bellarine Peninsula.

These are not all encompassing histories and certainly will not replace the need for researchers to visit or contact the Bellarine Historical Society and other local repositories for more detailed information. The purpose of these histories is to increase the awareness of the depth of history on the Peninsula and to encourage further research into local archives.

Your Contribution

We'd love your input to the history of Mannerim. This is how you can help :

Please don't be bashful - your contribution can be anonymous or we'll happily put your name to it.

If you don't have email access, please mail information or questions to :

Publicity Officer, Bellarine Historical Society, PO Box 53, Drysdale, Vic 3222

Record Sources for Mannerim

Bibliography

Brownhill, Geo. H. Illustrated Guide to Geelong And District, Facsimile edn., Deakin University Press, Geelong, 1990.

Campbell, A. J. Tourist Guide to Geelong and Southern Watering Places, Henry Thacker, Geelong, 1893.

Wynd, Ian. Balla-wein : A history of the Shire of Bellarine, Shire of Bellarine, Drysdale, 1988.

Wynd, Ian. Geelong The Pivot : A Short History of Geelong and District, Cypress Books, Mont Albert North, 1971.

Created by : Susie Zada
© 1996 Susie Zada, Ocean Grove, Victoria, Australia
Last revised : July 17, 2004.
Email : szada@zades.com.au