Above: The first homestead, constructed 1851. Bottom right: . ‘The Briars’ c.1870. In the foreground is Captain Reid’s cottage. The homestead is on the hill. Between the two are orchards and vineyards.
before him: "salvaging a body from the sea; finding a child dead from climbing a tree for possums; re-making the broken end of the Mornington pier" [Dame Mabel Brookes: Memoirs, p 18]. Two more daughters had been born, Maria in 1855, then Lucia three years later. By then the Balcombe property had a new name - Briars House, named both for the home where he had grown up on St Helena and the home he had known in N.S.W. Eldest son Alick, twelve years old, was enrolled at the Melbourne Church of England Grammar School where he would be a boarder for the next couple of years. Now wealthy, Alexander and Emma designed a grander main wing for their farmhouse. This incorporated a front entrance accessed from a circular drive at the head of the long, tree-lined avenue to the property. The new wing had four spacious rooms, each with its own marble fireplace. A central hallway linked it to the rest of the house. French windows opened from each room onto a covered veranda that ran around the building. Beneath one of the rooms was a large cellar where things needing coolness could be kept, including the wine that was produced from the vineyards Balcombe had planted. This venture wasn’t a great success and the family called the wine “Balcombe’s Vinegar”. Wine-making was not a pursuit Alexander kept up. The remaining vines were eventually grubbed out in the 1920s after outbreaks of phylloxera. Another son was born to William and Emma in 1861 - Herbert Henty (or ‘Bertie’). Emma fell ill in 1864 and went to Melbourne to be cared for
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by friends. During her absence daughter Jane became the lady of the house, looking after the smaller children and supervising the household. Alexander wrote poignant letters to his wife, telling her of life on the farm and how much she was missed. She returned to Mt Martha and the couple’s last child, daughter Alice was born in 1865. This completed their family of two living sons and five daughters. Family and Financial Difficulties The late 1860s ushered in a period of family and financial difficulties. The property was in arrears. Friction had developed between husband and wife. ‘Eastcourt’ became Emma’s preferred home and her absences caused problems; on one small practical matter an urgent telegram was despatched asking where the cellar and barn keys were kept. Although she returned to The Briars, Emma increasingly yearned to be at ‘Eastcourt’. She found their Mt Martha property too isolated and fretted about her children’s social prospects. She urged Alexander to lease out the property and move the family to East Melbourne. He wanted to stay; he was happiest on the land. Deeply unhappy, Emma considered leaving Alexander. This drew a letter of reproval and advice from her older sister: Lady Murphy pointed out that country living was less expensive and healthier and that by remaining at The Briars they could afford to give Alick and Jane a good start in life and the younger children a good education. She reminded Emma of her wifely duties and urged her to stay with her husband despite his “difficult nature”. Then father and eldest son had a heated quarrel that resulted in