To mark Dandenong Star Journal’s 160 years of publication, PHILIP SALAMA-WEST is taking a then-and-now look at the people, places and events that have formed Dandenong’s modern history.
This week, we’re looking back at Captain Doveton’s former house.
Below is the extract that appeared in the Journal on Thursday June 10, 1965.
DOVETON – One of the most historic houses in the State of Victoria – this home built in Doveton Ave. – was built and occupied by Captain Doveton himself towards the end of the last century.
The present occupant is Miss Douglas who has lived there for 47 years.
“When my parents moved here,” she recalls, “the district was known as Dufton in the County of Cutpawpaw. Gradually, over the years, it changed to Doveton.”
Mrs Fow, of Grant St. Oakleigh, whose family occupied the house before the Douglases, said that in the 15 years her family lived there her father would allow no one to cut down the flagpole which stood in the middle of the front garden.
Since then, the flagpole has gone.
To Mr J.M. Swords, of Nepean Hwy., Frankston, whose family owned property in the district, Doveton was originally known as Grassmere.
“It was changed to Doveton by the PMG Department,” he said, “because there were too many Grassmeres in the State. At that time there was a one-room house – Eummemering School – where GMH now stands.”
And that, believe it or not, is the concise history of Doveton.
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Sixty years on, Captain Doveton’s house still stands is one of just two early houses left on Doveton Avenue, Eumemmerring.
Built in the 19th Century, the house was named after Captain John and Margaret Doveton who bought the house in 1894, lived almost a decade before the house was sold on August 1903.
Despite their short stay in the town, in 1954 the area was named after Captain John Doveton.
The home is heritage listed, but some fears arose in the community following the news in 2024 that the owners were seeking to sell the property and were entertaining offers from developers.
A local community movement sprang up, with future City of Casey mayor Stefan Koomen and MP for Bruce Julian Hill as notable supporters.
The movement sought to ensure that Captain Doveton’s house remained out of private hands, and especially the hands of developers.
City of Casey however decided against the purchase, despite stating it as a “rare example of a surviving Victorian house in this urbanised and industrialised area”.
The council stated that it was protected by a local heritage overlay, which ensured it couldn’t be demolished without permission.
The house was sold in August 2024 for $600,000.
