Suburban Rail Loop (SRL) crews have discovered an “abundance of hidden treasures and trinkets” beneath the surface in Melbourne’s east and south east, which offer a glimpse of life in Clayton and Box Hill almost 150 years ago.
Around 14,000 artefacts dating as far back as the early 19th Century have been uncovered during a three-week archaeological dig near the existing Clayton train station on Haughton Road, where two new community spaces are nearing completion.
Artefacts found include historic household items used by local residents between 1870-1920.
Clayton
The Clayton township was originally gazetted on Dandenong Road, but in 1862, a second Clayton township developed with the opening of Clayton Station in 1880.
“It’s a notable parallel to today’s modern world with SRL set to spur on a similar wave of residential, social and economic development,” a spokesperson for the Victorian Government said.
During the late 1800s, the Clayton Station was managed by a female stationmaster – unusual for the time – who lived just south of the Metro Station.
Artefacts discovered in this area include dinner and glassware; champagne, medicine and ink bottles; building materials; children’s toys including dominoes, marbles and parts of porcelain dolls and soldiers; sketchboards; a harmonica; and a metal buckle from a saddle.
Box Hill
Further north, artefacts found in Box Hill Gardens show evidence of domestic life in the early 1900s, including ceramics, glass bottles, nails and cooked bones.
Box Hill was founded as a township in the 1850s, and by 1871 had a population of 154. The train station was built when the rail line was extended from Camberwell to Lilydale in 1882. A new school opened in 1887, setting the scene for growth in the area. Today it’s home to more than 14,000 people and continues to grow.
Archeologists are cataloguing and assessing the items and the Victorian Government will work with Heritage Victoria to determine what will happen to the artefacts.
In the future, the SRL station at Clayton will become a transport “super hub”, connecting passengers from the Cranbourne/Pakenham and Gippsland lines.
In Box Hill, SRL will make it easier to access the Box Hill Institute and Box Hill Hospital, and the new underground station will be surrounded by new and upgraded plazas, and a new linear park on Whitehorse Road.
Tunnelling for the SRL starts in 2026 and trains will be begin taking passengers in 2035.
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