District History
Melrose Street, looking east from Saleyard Road corner
European settlers have been moving through the district from as early as the late 1830s, with sheep and grain, and it is known that James Phillis settled in the district in 1842, growing a crop of wheat which he harvested and took to Adelaide to sell. Family folklore says that he returned to England returning with Romney Marsh sheep. He made a further journey to England in 1855 and returned with many other family members. Henry Giles, another early settler, and his wife, too, were in the area in the early 1840s, with George Melrose settling in the North Rhine region, today known as the Marne and Henry Bushell and his wife (a sister to James Phillis) also settling in the early 1840s. Joseph Thyer too, was an early settler
James Phillis, Henry Giles and George Melrose all held pastoral leases in 1844.
