Coburg North in Merri-Bek, Victoria, Australia — Oceania

Coburg Lake Reserve

Gaol House Rocks

Photographed by Dean Barton-Ancliffe, June 3, 2026

1. Coburg Lake Reserve Marker

Inscription. One million years ago lava poured from volcanoes located to the north of Melbourne in areas such as Bald Hill, Craigieburn. It covered the undulating plains and creek valleys. The lava cooled to form basalt, the rock used in the construction of Pentridge Prison and Lake Reserve.

The prisoners quarried basalt (bluestone) on the Merri Creek during the 1850s and 1860s and also built the Newlands Road Bridge in 1866 using this stone. A weir was built across the Merri Creek in 1914 to allow water to be drawn from the creek and the lake was constructed soon afterwards to provide a place of social interaction and recreation.

Pentridge Prison closed in 1997 and was redeveloped as Pentridge Village maintaining various bluestone buildings and large sections of the outer wall.

Erected by Moreland City Council.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Natural Features • Parks & Recreational Areas. A significant historical year for this entry is 1866.

Location. 37° 44.062′ S, 144° 58.278′ E. Marker is in Coburg North, Victoria, in Merri-Bek. It can be reached from Newlands Road

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0.1 kilometers west of Golf Road, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Newlands Road, Coburg North VIC 3058, Australia. Touch for directions.

Regionally, it is in Oceania,

in Australasia,

in the Pacific Ocean,

in South Pacific,

on the Pacific Rim,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 8 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Pentridge Timeline (about 240 meters away, measured in a direct line); The Watchtowers (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); The Muster (approx. 0.4 kilometers away); Sydney Road (approx. 0.8 kilometers away); Rudder Grange Historical Chronology (approx. 7.2 kilometers away); Keith Haring Mural (approx. 7.4 kilometers away); Alphington River Landscapes (approx. 7.7 kilometers away); Alphington Swimming Pool (Marker 1) (approx. 7.7 kilometers away).

Also see . . . Coburg Lake and the beauty of Pentridge’s backyard. Pentridge

By the end of the 19th century Coburg was home to 41 quarries, producing many
Photographed by Dean Barton-Ancliffe, June 3, 2026

2. Coburg Lake Reserve Marker with the Bridge in the Background
of the stones that would find their way into the construction of HM Pentridge. One such site would become Coburg Lake, when the area now called Lake Reserve was purchased in 1912 and a weir constructed to form a manmade lake contained by basaltic rock outcroppings.

Over the following decade, work continued on the beautification of the site, as the reserve came to embody the efforts of the Coburg municipality to improve parks and gardens with the city during the 1920s. The result was a semi-formal Inter-war era reserve of considerable scope and beauty, largely as a result of the curatorship of Jack Gray and the inspiration of its design.

At its peak, the Lake featured diving boards, wading pools, and a kiosk accompanying the gardens – sadly lost to history. During the mid-20th century, the lake was regularly drained, with one notable occasion turning up a motorcycle stolen in 1944, a broken and empty safe stolen from Coburg’s Grand Theatre in 1945, six truck wheels, eight car wheels, a bicycle frame and an old-fashioned rifle.

(Submitted on June 7, 2026, by Dean Barton-Ancliffe of Rowville, Victoria.)

Credits. This page was last revised on June 7, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 7, 2026, by Dean Barton-Ancliffe of Rowville, Victoria. This page has been viewed 31 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 7, 2026, by Dean Barton-Ancliffe of Rowville, Victoria. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.