Back to search results

Keilor Market Gardens Cultural Landscape
Arundel Road and Milburn Road KEILOR, Brimbank City

All information on this page is maintained by Brimbank City. Click below for their website and contact details.
Brimbank City
45835 Keilor Market Gardens Cultural Landscape
45835 Keilor Market Gardens Cultural Landscape
45835 Keilor Market Gardens Cultural Landscape
45835 Keilor Market Gardens Cultural Landscape
On this page:

Statement of Significance

The market gardens of Keilor are of regional historical significance as they are associated with the beginnings of irrigated horticulture in Victoria and have been continuously cultivated since the mid nineteenth century. The landscape is of regional significance as an expression of the early and long- lived farming practices adapted to the richer soils of the river terraces. The farms themselves also have long links with local families, such as the Milburns and Senserricks, and the pattern of houses and farm buildings reflect the original population distribution.
Show more
Show less

    • Physical Description 1

      Keilor Market Gardens Cultural Landscape - Physical Description 1

      The market garden cultural landscape covers a substantial area employing extensive irrigation systems and terracing. The irrigation systems are drawing on the Maribyrnong River, using pumps with both fixed and portable sprinkler systems. Terraces have been formed in levelling the fields with areas of steeply-sloping rough ground between. In some places the fields are divided by farm access tracks. The market garden area extends from Brimbank Park to near Overnewton Road, taking in only the alluvial terraces and centred on Arundel and Milburn Roads.

      Most of the cultivated area is on the west bank of the Maribyrnong River, although smaller areas exist at Gumm's corner (no longer farmed, but once part of Borrell's farm) just opposite the Flora Street extension north of the freeway near Rio Vista Soils (also no longer farmed) and around Browns Road in the City of Hume. Another area of alluvial soil at the bottom of McNabs Road (also in the City of Hume) has also been cultivated. Immediately opposite the Brimbank proposed Cultural Landscape, are Heritage Overlay places in the City of Hume including HO255 Milburn's Weir, HO256 House (former Browns) Browns Road. Similarly, the Arundel Road Bridge, which is already included on the Victorian Heritage Register, straddles the municipal boundary.



      The landscape is visually bounded by the top of the escarpment on the opposite side of the Maribyrnong to the north and east, by the Calder Freeway to the south and Overnewton College grounds to the west. As the municipal boundary follows the river, the escarpment and small areas of alluvial flat across the river are in the adjoining City of Hume. The landscape includes several places separately listed in the Brimbank Cultural Heritage Study including Milburn's Weir off Arundel Road Glenburn, The Grange, Hazelwood, and the Arundel Bridge.



      The Site Number in the right hand column identifies places that are also individually listed in the Brimbank Heritage Study. The surviving houses that are contributory to the precinct include the following:



      STREET Place DATE Contributory: Significance Level: Site Number

      Arundel Road Keilor Market Gardens Cultural Landscape Heritage Area 1870s No Regional J

      Arundel Road Frank Milburn's house 1900c. Yes Local 087

      Arundel Road Grange Farm, David Milburn's 1868c. Yes Regional 033

      Arundel Road Hazelwood, John Milburn's farmhouse 1892 c. Yes Regional 032

      Arundel Road Milburn's Weir 1884 Yes State 013

      Arundel Road Trestle Bridge Arundel Road Bridge 1906 Yes State 012

      Physical Conditions

      Keilor Market Gardens Cultural Landscape - Physical Conditions

      As a landscape the area is at a high level of integrity due to the very active horticultural industry now underway. However, few of the original homes of Farm Buildings survive, most having been replaced with modern brick veneer houses and steel framed machinery sheds.

      Historical Australian Themes

      Keilor Market Gardens Cultural Landscape - Historical Australian Themes

      3 Developing local, regional and national economies
      3.5 Developing primary production

      Heritage Study and Grading

      Heritage Study and Grading

      Brimbank - Brimbank City Council Post-contact Cultural Heritage Study

      Author: G. Vines
      Year: 2000
      Grading: Local

      Brimbank - Melbourne Western Region Industrial Heritage Study

      Author: G. Vines & A. Ward
      Year: 1989
      Grading:

Public contributions

Note: Developments may span multiple time periods
Timeline browser

< to 1849
< - 1849
1850 to 1879
1850 - 1879
1880 to 1909
1880 - 1909
1910 to 1939
1910 - 1939
1940 to 1969
1940 - 1969
1970 to 1999
1970 - 1999
2000 to >
2000 - >