Carron Vale, Mooroolbark, about 20 miles from Melbourne near Mount Dandenong, was the country home of Archie, Connie, Harold and Peg Beatty from 1913 until late 1927. Hilda Forster lived with them for most of that time, along with Connie’s lady companion and various staff.
Verandah with “boy’s rooms” at Carron Vale
It had a golf course and tennis court, and every weekend Stan and Gordon Forster among other friends and relations would congregate there. It sounded like Camelot at Mooroolbark from the stories we heard from Harold, Peg and more recently from their cousin Gwen Taylor (nee Littleton) who, along with her older brother and sister Geoff and Ruth was a frequent visitor. As with other Camelots there was also the sense that everything was not quite as perfect as it seemed.
It was an exciting place for Harold and Peg to spend their childhood though.
I’m posting this because I’ve written up all of the Carron Vale period into “Our family story” (see the chapters on the side menu), although I might add some more photos as I get around to it. There are albums full of them!
Next I’ll deal with Harold’s jackarooing period and the 1930s. It might take a while though as there’s a lot of photos and documents to sort before a clear timeline emerges to hang all those stories of his on.
I’d love to hear from anyone with further information about the family at this period, especially corrections to, different versions etc. of this story.
taggerty 