Three young men from local pioneering families trying to establish their own orchards amused themselves in the evenings by learning to play violin. Soon they were good enough to play at district events and earned a reputation as “fiddlers”. They were jokingly said to have come from “Fiddletown”.
In 1899 a “Conditional Purchases” notice had been published confirming the application by Horace Henstock for 24 acres, Frederick Henstock for 25 acres, and William Small for 34 acres, at what was then “Upper Galston”. The conditions of purchase involved a requirement to spend one night per week on the land. The fiddlers usually worked on the properties over the weekends.
The blocks were located just north of the present Northholm school site and now bounded by Peebles and Nollands Roads. The Telstra exchange is now on the corner.
Frederick Henstock left to go to the Boer War (1899-1902), although he was underage, as a horse attendant and joined a horse troop in South Africa. Afterwards he did not return to his block but enlisted for the First World War in 1914 when married and resident in Leichardt. As a Lance- Corporal he was landed at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915 where he was killed five days later.
The remaining two men continued working their orchards, Horace on Portion 89 and William on Portion 87.
The Geographic Names Board officially assigned the name Fiddletown in December 1995. Later on the Postal authority suggested to establish a separate postcode for Fiddletown but the name was retained using the Arcadia postcode.
