The Basin, Victoria
The Basin is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 31 km east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Knox local government area. The Basin recorded a population of 4,497 at the 2021 census. History Traditional custodians Prior to European settlement, The Basin and surrounding suburbs were often visited by the Bunurong and Yarra Yarra people—hunting in the summer months in the Dandenong Ranges and its foothills. The Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation are the acknowledged traditional custodians of the land on which The Basin and all of City of Knox is located (source: City of Knox publication). Origin of the name The Government Botanist Ferdinand von Mueller named the area The Basin about 1860 during a visit to the Dandenong Ranges because it is located in a "basin" surrounded by hills. (source: Knox Historical Society) "The Basin" is shown on an 1868 survey plan, when settlers had taken licences or made freehold purchases of the land. Early European settlers William Peverill Watson is recorded as being the first official occupier of land in the area now known as The Basin in 1867. David Dobson arrived in Melbourne in 1854 and settled at The Basin as early as 1870 on land that extended from what is now Wicks Reserve through to Pavitt Lane bordered by Sheffield Road, Mountain Highway and Liverpool Road. David Dobson was instrumental in the establishment of The Basin Primary School. The Dobson family still occupies 60 acres of that original land. Other significant early European settlers included the Chandler family. William Chandler was a market gardener who arrived in Victoria in 1854 and eventually settled in The Basin in 1873. He was the first in the area to crossbreed seeds and produce exceptional flowers and vegetables. William and Kate Chandler planted an acorn soon after they settled in The Basin—the English Oak still stands (source—historical marker). Two of William Chandler's sons established plant nurseries in the area and his grandson, Sir Gilbert Chandler was a horticulturalist and Fern Tree Gully Shire President (1938–39) who later went on to be a member of State Parliament. Notable settlers included J.J. Miller, book-maker and publisher of Miller's Racing Guide. In 1872, Miller acquired land at The Basin in 1872 and invested considerable time and money building up a stud farm for racing horses, at one stage owning over in The Basin. To encourage summer tourists to visit and see the stables, training facilities and horses, Miller ran a private coach service from Forest Road in The Basin to Bayswater Railway Station. He also helped publicise the district with a gigantic fireworks display each Christmas. Miller was prominent in local affairs and was the first President of the new Shire of Fern Tree Gully. In 1888, Miller was the first in the area to secure a wine licence at his home. Miller faced financial ruin in the 1890s when the sweepstakes were declared illegal and he had to give up his property at The Basin. The