Hi All, I have just acquired on loan 'Buln Buln' A History of the Buln Buln Shire by Graeme Butler. In the first chapter, Labertouche, I was surprised to read about a Toll Road that existed in Gippsland in 1868! "In the 1866 Post office Report we find the emergence of a Melbourne to Sale Mail Service: running a coach, the 130 miles to Sale, on a six days per week basis. Cyrus Hewitt got the job for a mere 5000 pounds return. A note was made that the cost of this service was a liability, at 1/2 per mile., whereas other mail coaches in the Colony could easily run on 4d-9d per mile. The service stopped off at Oakleigh, Springvale,Dandenong, Berwick, Pakenham and then came the long and dangerous stretch to Moe and Russels Creek.............. In that long stretch, two years later, it was proposed to erect a tollgate "at or near that creek known as Brandy Creek". This was June 1868. A complex system of tolls existed in the Colony at the time, and the scale applied as equally to the Sale Road as it did already to a number of roads...... The toll system was calculated in detail depending on the effect the beast or beasts, the vehicle or vehicles, would have on the road surface and thus incur maintenance.' I guess this goes to show that Toll Roads are not new and in a further e-mail I will continue with the rates etc. BTW this book has a very extensive index and if anyone would like a Lookup I'd be happy to do so. I think it would be best to do this 'off list' so please send an e-mail directly to me at helenh@nex.net.au with Buln Buln Lookup as the subject. Cheers Helene Helene J Hayes Pakenham Vic helenh@nex.net.au