with little success. In 1887, in addition to the hotels there was also a general store, three or four dwellings and a state school. It took another year for speculators to arrive in the district looking for land and it was about this time that development, and suitable drainage work started on the large swampy land nearby. By 1900 the town included a large produce, livestock and furniture market, opened by Ernest Witton in 1895. And, as the area was becoming more prosperous, a petition was prepared in April 1899 to ask the Bank of Australasia to establish an agency in Bunyip and to send an officer two days a week. 1900-1950 The township of Bunyip grew slowly in its early years, but by the turn of the century there were more businesses than houses, and these served the people in the surrounding agricultural districts as well as the local township. As the local population grew so did the need for additional services such as churches. St Joseph's Catholic Church at Bunyip South, later renamed Iona was opened in 1900. A new church was constructed in 1940 and blessed by Archbishop Daniel Mannix. Today most parishioners live in the nearby towns, including Bunyip. The current church with its Romanesque Revival architecture and tower is a genuine icon of the district. In 1902 the foundation of St Thomas' Anglican Church was laid on the hill above the town. It is notable for its stained glass windows. The Bunyip Parish of St. Thomas' was originally part of the Gippsland Forest mission in 1879 and early services were held in Kraft's Hall. On 15 October 1902, Mrs. W.A. A'Beckett Snr. of Brighton laid the foundation block for the new church which was designed by architect Frederick L. Klingender. This church was built on land donated by the A'Beckett family and cost over £377 and the opening was conducted by the Right Rev. Bishop Arthur Pain, the first Bishop of the Diocese on 28 December 1902. Extensive alterations were made to the church in 1919 due to damage caused by white ants. In 1980 another restoration appeal was launched to rectify structural problems relating to the roof, to reblock the floor and for repainting. Further renovations and extensions were carried out on the vicarage in 1995 and in 1996 a Lady Chapel was established. Following World War I the Soldiers' Memorial Stone was erected