History
Joseph Harris And The Scout Park By Peter McCullough
M
otorists accelerating down Hearn Road on the slopes of Mt. Martha might catch a glimpse on their left of the entrance to the Joseph Harris Scout Park. This year marks the Park’s 80th anniversary. So who was Joseph Harris?
Profiting from land prices, Harris sold out in 1870, only to buy Handasyde and McMillan’s Nursery in South Yarra and a lovely terraced home nearby. He had married Eliza Nicholson in 1861 and in the Avoca Street home they raised three daughters and a son. Land purchases
Early years Joseph Harris was born in 1833 in Henbury, a small English village three miles from Bristol, and educated at Henbury Grammar School. His father had a three acre plant nursery at nearby Taunton, called Nursery Gardens, and a seed shop in Bristol. To Australia The influence of his father’s flowers and plants notwithstanding, the lure of the Victorian goldfields was too great and Joseph Harris sailed on the ‘Morning Light’ in July 1856. He brought with him a wheelbarrow, a farewell gift from his family and perhaps a reminder of his father’s business. It came in handy when Joseph was required to push his luggage ashore on arrival in Melbourne. Goldfields and nurseries Joseph Harris spent a year searching for gold at Mt. Korong near Bendigo, without success. He returned to Melbourne where he obtained employment in the seed shop of Smith and Adamson in Collins Street. After working hard he saved sufficient funds to purchase the firm’s Floral Nursery in South Yarra, a reflection of his passion for plants and trees which started in his father’s nursery in England.
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Owning nurseries in Melbourne proved to be highly profitable as early Melbournians were beginning to make their own gardens, and trees and shrubs sold by Harris were always of good quality. Before long his interest in trees and plants extended to owning land; he purchased a number of lots in Mornington, building a house (‘Marina’) on one, plus a substantial 86 acre holding near the summit of Mt. Martha. On the latter Harris experimented with seeds and plants that he had collected on overseas travels as the soil, sun and air were suitable. On some of these excursions he was accompanied by the highly respected botanist Baron von Mueller, the long time director of Melbourne’s Royal Botanical Gardens. Adjoining his land was a public park and, being a public spirited man, he provided plants, donations and advice for this park. Upon completion of the Royal Exhibition Building in early 1880 Harris, with his flair for design and love of plants, assisted with the garden setting surrounding the building. Subsequently, in 1888, an International Exhibition was held; a feature was a Japanese garden drawn up and laid out by Harris. This was at a time when oriental design and ornaments were becoming popular.