Purchasers and Prices on the Beaumaris Estate
Map of purchasers and prices on the Beaumaris Estate.
The original purchaser of Portion 51 was land speculator William Mitchell. After gaining the title he sold the land, at a handsome profit, to Josiah Morris Holloway, a man who already had substantial holdings in the Parish of Moorabbin. It was Holloway who sub-divided the land and arranged its sale.
The following people purchased blocks of land from Josiah Holloway from 1853 to 1859. Their names are arranged in alphabetical order and not in time of purchase. The information includes the price paid together with the lot numbers of the blocks of land purchased.
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Today Estate Agents say ‘location’ is important when determining the value of a property. It was similar in the 1850’s. Land on a major government road brought higher prices. Other factors that may have influenced the price were the nature of the land, the number of lots bought, the intentions of the purchaser regarding the use of the land and the time of the sale.
The report by surveyor Penrose Nevins, indicates some variation between lots. "The general character of the soil is, I consider, much superior to most of the land that I have seen in the parish of Moorabbin. Indeed, some portions of it, my own observations would lead me to coincide in the opinion expressed to me by a man resident on the spot, that this land is of an exceedingly rich nature, calculated to grow anything. The character of the section is mostly of an undulating nature, the flat portions being on or near the Arthur’s Seat Road. And there is upon one portion of it a range of considerable extent, whence a beautiful view is obtained of the Bay, thereby fully justifying you in giving this place the name of Beaumaris. This portion, from which the best views are obtained, is mostly a heath, comprising, at a rough guess, about one-eight of the whole, more or less. The remainder of the property is very well timbered with various kinds of trees - gum, wattle, cherry trees etc. - presenting a pleasing appearance, and rendering the land very valuable from this cause …. One portion of it is a natural reservoir, which, by trifling amount of labour, might be made into a permanent water hole; and, further, that from inquiries made by me on the spot, I am satisfied that fresh water can be got by sinking, as is the case on the adjoining property." (Argus, September 29, 1853)
Some parcels of land were purchased at the same time but recorded separately because of a price difference. John Addicott purchased the adjacent blocks, lots 54 and 55, on the same day but with a price difference of one pound. Other purchases were made after 1859 and are not included in the information presented above. For example, Louis Henry Leplastrier bought a large number of additional lots in the centre of the estate and on Balcombe Road, and Walter Meeres, the first headmaster of School No 84, on its site in Charman Road, purchased three blocks in Patty Street after his arrival in Melbourne in 1861.
