One of the founding families of the district, the Holmes family, named their homestead after the steamship Arawata which brought them to Melbourne from New Zealand in the late 1880's. The Arawata steamship was built in Glasgow in June 1875. Lawrence Holmes, who is Mr Don Peter's grandfather (Fairbank Rd, Arawata) , was born in …
Thank you for the Music.
Imagine doing something that you loved, and that for which you had a natural talent, for the whole of your life. One of the special women of Arawata was Lucy Peters ( Nee Holmes) , grandmother of Don Peters and beloved mother of Olive Raymond ( Nee Peters) . Lucy was a tiny four month …
Arawata Hall (Part Two) – The Rebuilding after Fire
The Arawata Hall between 1900 and 1936 continued to be the focal point and embodiment of the community spirit, as it does today. There were concerts, farewells for enlisted local lads, choir evenings , the services of a library, Boy Scout gatherings, community picnic days and Christmas celebrations. Picnic at Arawata Hall. photo from the …
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Arawata Union Church – The Beginning
The Arawata Hall was used for Church Services until 1910. The first Presbyterian service was held in the hall in 1889, with 54 worshippers in attendance. The Methodist church services were held in the home of Mr Newton, but an amicable agreement was then reached which saw Methodist and Presbyterian services held on alternate Sundays …
Arawata School. Early Years.
Mr L C Holmes, as Secretary of the Arawata Community Hall Association, first wrote to the Education Department in January 1889, advising that the Community Hall was being built for the purposes of Church and School and asking that a teacher be sent to the area. There were eighteen children living within two miles of …
The Arawata Hall – Hub of the Pioneering Community ( Part One)
A meeting of the "residents of Korumburra" was held in the home of Mr Nicholson, Two Chain Rd on the 15th of December 1888. At this meeting it was decided that a building should be erected for the purposes of " school and other public purposes" Both Mr John Bell and Mr Matthew Holland offered …
Continue reading The Arawata Hall – Hub of the Pioneering Community ( Part One)
The Tracks, The Surveyors and The Challenges
George Thomas McDonald was from Dumfries in Scotland, arriving in Victoria in 1853. He was employed in the Lands and Survey Office for over 20 years. In 1860 he started surveying a track, which would extend for 70 miles, roughly following the Strezlecki Ranges, from Tobin Yallock on the Lang Lang river right through to …
Continue reading The Tracks, The Surveyors and The Challenges
Welcome to the Arawata Hall Blog
Welcome to the first post of our new blog for the Arawata Community Hall! We will be updating the blog with 12 chapters on the history of the Arawata Community Hall. Please follow us as we journey through the rich and vibrant history of our beloved community space. We hope you will come visit again …
Arawata Community Hall Association 
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