FINNS RESERVE
ACCESS
Finn's Reserve is next to the south bank of the Yarra, in Lower Templestowe. It's reached from Templestowe Rd, then from the junction of Union St and Duncan St, then Riverview Lane.
It's name derives from Finn's Upper Yarra Hotel, which was built in 1872 on the corner of Templestowe Rd and what is now Thompson's Rd. It burned to the ground in 1968.
MAIN FEATURES
-
Wombat Bend - children's playground, cultural heritage area
-
Public toilets
-
Walking tracks beside the Yarra
-
The suspension bridge linking to the Main Yarra Trail
-
Bridges over the creeks
-
The start of the Ruffey Creek Trail
-
Confluence of Ruffey Creek with Yarra
-
Walking trail and stairway alongside of Yarra
-
The confluence of Ruffey Creek and the Yarra
-
Historical cairn and Pavilion
-
3rd Templestowe Scout Hall
BRIDGE
A vehicular bridge over the Yarra was built in 1855, linking what is now Finn's Reserve with Bond's Rd (Lower Plenty). The bridge was destroyed by floods in 1863 and was rebult in 1873, and survived until about 1935. No trace remains. but bluestone foundations have been found in the bush on the Templestowe side, possibly from the Bridge. Bond's Rd currently is blocked off at the Main Yarra Trail. It previously ran to the river, and the closed-off section is now a walking trail leading to a fence!
TEMPLESTOWE FOOTBALL CLUB
From its founding in 1892, the Templestowe FC, then known as the "All Blacks" used the area for its first home ground, in the Heidelberg District Football League. In 1912, the club moved to Westerfolds Park (previously known as Smith's Paddock) and in 1922 was a founding member of the Diamond Valley Football League.
This image is a marked-up section of the official 1945 Aerial Survey Map of Melbourne. North is at top. The purple line is the location of the former Templestowe Bridge. Finn's Reserve is the large open area next to the purple line. The structures at centre top right are part of the Odyssey House property. The watercourse at the right, running to the south from the Yarra, is the Ruffey Creek. Bond's Rd leads northwards from the Bridge. Templestowe Rd comes in from the left. The cleared land in top centre is farmland. Residential development south of the river occurred from the early 1960s. (Map from Melbourne Uni. Library)
Below - Pictures of Wombat Bend Cultural Heritage area
SLIDE SHOW
This is an autoplay sequence of images (March 2015) in the Yarra Reserve, at the east of Finn's Reserve, just past the confluence of Ruffey Creek, in Templestowe East. Access is from the Yarra South Bank, at the Suspension Bridge.
