Diamond Creek in Nillumbik Shire, Victoria, Australia — Oceania

The Orchard c.1904

— Heidelberg School Artists Trail —

Photographed by Dean Barton-Ancliffe, July 7, 2026

1. The Orchard c.1904 Marker

Inscription. May Vale
Australia 1862-1945

The Orchard, c.1904
Oil on Canvas, 48.8 x 74,4cm
Purchased, 1971

Collection: National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne

In the 1920s, May Vale moved to Diamond Creek, to a hill-top studio and hut which she named 'The Shack'. The property overlooked the township and was next to the Nillumbik Cemetery. She lived here until 1940, painting and producing landscapes and portraits in enamel. In this work, May Vale depicts 'Mayfield', the house built for Andrew and Georgiana McCrae in 1841-1842 and purchased by her father, William Mountford Kinsey Vale, in 1886. Its address was 37 Church Street, Abbotsford, and it was here that May Vale gave her first art lessons. "Mayfield' has since been demolished.

The Traditional Lands of the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung People.

Erected by Nillumbik Shire, Suburban Revitalisation and Victoria State Government.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Colonial Era • Women. A significant historical year for this entry is 1904.

Location. 37° 40.569′ S, 145° 9.071′ E. Marker is in Diamond Creek, Victoria,

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in Nillumbik Shire. It is on Watkins Street north of Edinburgh Street, on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Watkins Street, Diamond Creek VIC 3089, 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 6 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Moonrise (within shouting distance of this marker); Walter Withers (approx. 4.3 kilometers away); Swimming Pool on the Plenty River (approx. 4.7 kilometers away); Quirk's the Tailor and Mrs Quirk's Tea Rooms (approx. 4.8 kilometers away); Eltham Avenue of Honour (North) (approx. 5 kilometers away); Post Office & Former Observer Office (approx. 5.5 kilometers away); Stroll through history (approx. 5.5 kilometers away); Eltham Avenue of Honour (South) (approx. 5.7 kilometers away).

Also see . . . May Vale (1862–1945). Australian Dictionary of Biography

May
Photographed by Dean Barton-Ancliffe, July 7, 2026

2. The Orchard c.1904 Marker along the Trail
Vale (1862-1945), artist, was born on 18 November 1862 at Ballarat, Victoria, second of twelve children of William Mountford Kinsey Vale, stationer, and his wife Rachel, née Lennox, both London born. In 1872 the family moved to Melbourne where May attended Honiton College, St Kilda. During her father's appointment to London in 1874-78, she went to school there and also attended the Royal School of Art at South Kensington. Back in Melbourne, she studied at the National Gallery schools (1879-86, 1888-89) under George Folingsby and Frederick McCubbin. At Mayfield, built for Georgiana McCrae and purchased by William Vale in 1886, May gave her first art lessons.

(Submitted on August 21, 2026, by Dean Barton-Ancliffe of Rowville, Victoria.)

Credits. This page was last revised on August 27, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 21, 2026, by Dean Barton-Ancliffe of Rowville, Victoria. This page has been viewed 10 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 21, 2026, by Dean Barton-Ancliffe of Rowville, Victoria. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.