Residents in Menzies Creek were shocked to see a local heritage-listed artefact removed without any notice on Friday 22 August, possibly damaged in the process.
A water trough installed in the area in 1929 was removed by Yarra Ranges Council workers last week, and the community are concerned it will not be reinstalled, council has since stated the situation was a ‘regrettable oversight’ at the last council meeting.
Marion Matta from the Southern Sherbrooke Historical Society said her group immediately contacted the council when they realised what had happened.
“We first knew about it when a resident Will posted on the Menzies Creek Facebook page, and I contacted the council,” she said.
“I can say that the council got back to me and said it will be repaired and restored to its position with its water supply and possibly a meter to check for leaks and so forth in about two weeks time.”
“Goodness knows how much damage was done to it when it was abruptly ripped out of the ground.”
Concerns have been raised about the condition of the trough, as it was removed by a front-end loader, with some pieces of the trough’s legs allegedly left behind.
“It’s just been wrenched out of the ground with the front-end loader, as far as we can tell, and got broken in the process,” said Ms Matta.
Listed on the Yarra Ranges Council website heritage database, the water trough is described as having high local significance as “most probably the only remaining horse trough that is still operational of eight installed by the Shire at the time.”
“These troughs have great historical significance as a reminder of the time when horses were a major form of transport,” reads the website.
“The trough, made of pre-cast reinforced concrete, remains in its original location and is considered to be in good, intact condition.”
Holding connections to the Herman Family, who were early European settlers of the area, the water trough has been a staple part of the Herman’s Saddle Tree Reserve or Herman’s Corner, as it is known in Menzies Creek.
The trough has been moved before, but in a much more considerate and careful manner.
“We weren’t too concerned about the initial move from outside the Daffodil farm into the reserve, that made sense,” said Ms Matta.
“They did that carefully, and they put in a water supply and so forth,” she said.
Ms Matta said that the Historical Society will now pursue the Council in regards to their processes in their regular works.
“It’s been roughly handled, and they did not follow their protocols,” she said.
Menzies Creek resident Will Ashburner approached the Yarra Ranges Council at question time on Tuesday 26 August on the matter.
The question read, “On Friday morning, the 22 August, 2025 three council workers removed the horse drinking trough from Herman’s Corner Saddle Reserve Menzies Creek, Selby. The workers who removed the trough had no knowledge of its significance and that it was heritage listed and included in the Heritage Overlay. What steps is the council going to take to make sure and ensure that Council employees and their subsequent actions are aware of heritage and other overlays so that this incident or debacle doesn’t happen again?” it read.
Hjalmar Philipp, Director of Built Environment and Infrastructure, responded on the evening, calling the situation a ‘regrettable oversight’.
“We can confirm a heritage listed trough was removed from the site for repair. We acknowledge this as a regrettable oversight,” he said.
“The process has been reaffirmed with our teams, and the trough will be reinstated as soon as practicable and in line with all heritage requirements.”
Mr Phillip also stated that for completeness, the council’s process is to refer to their asset and geospatial mapping system, which identifies relevant planning overlays and other significant information.”
“Working across the shires, two and a half 1000 square kilometers, the team have a good track record with this approach, including working with history groups on special projects,’ he said.
“We’re happy to keep you updated as we work to reinstate the trough.”
