Mitcham - Charles Rook's Reserve

My visit of September 10, 2018 

The Charles Rook's Reserve is in Rook's Rd, Mitcham. It is mainly regenerated and native bushland, managed by Whitehorse Council.  It occupies the site of the long gone Nunawading Migrant Hostel, which was the temporary (six months) home to British migrants between 1952 and 1968. The Hostel was known as "Eastbridge",  a legacy of which is adjacent Eastbridge Court, and comprised Nissen huts and modern stone-brick apartments. A school with 54 students occupied one of the huts, starting in 1953, staffed by Victorian Education Department teachers.

Along the northern edge is  a section of Melbourne Water's Mitcham Pipe track.

Notices in the Park describe the principal fauna and flora. There are gravelled walking tracks, seats, and a playground.

Many of the mature trees in the Park were planted in the 1950s, including Stringy Bark and Pine.

The nearby area was originally known as Scotchman's Hill and Mt Pleasant in the 1860s. An early settler was Abraham Rooks (Rooks Road is on the east of Forest Hill), who was a Wesleyan. He was associated with the Mt Pleasant Wesleyan church (1865), which was the site of the area's first primary school. The church is now the Mt Pleasant Uniting Church.

Hostel in 1967 - Nissen Huts

The Hostel in 1967 - new flats (SLV)