Tucked away in a little nook under the stairs at Eskleigh was a box of timber off-cuts. Various shapes and sizes, all covered in dust and dirt, placed there many years ago. These seemingly ordinary pieces of timber, however, hold important insights into local history.

Attached to the timber blocks are old printing plates. These plates are made of brass and bronze and hold images from the past.

Printing blocks would be covered in a thick layer of ink and then have paper pressed against them. The ink would imprint the image on the paper. Traditionally used in newspapers and magazines, printing blocks became obsolete with advancements in printer technology.

Many of the staff and residents at Eskleigh hold hidden skills, one being Jonathon Burgess, Training Coordinator, who does block printing as a hobby. Jonathon was able to make a print from one of the old printing blocks, revealing an image of a crooked timber building.

Sam Diprose Adams, Secretary of the Perth Historical Society, said the print was from the 1861 book ‘Over the Straits’ by Lousia Anne Meredith. The book tells the story of her journey from Hobart Town to Victoria in the 1850s. She stopped in Perth during her journey and sketched the building.

The print is of McLeod’s Mill which was on Old Mill Road near the Flinty Creek Viaduct