The first claim for State aid for a school at Salt Pans was made by Rev. W. GILLESPIE, James FERRIER, G. KELLY, W. MILLS, J. B. BOYLE, F. WORTHY and H. FREDERICK in 1870. DI Geary supported it. A site of 2 acres on the NW corner of Allotment 36, Section 12, Parish of Hilgay, County of Dundas was obtained and by May 1872 a 30ftx18ft weatherboard building had been erected at a cost of £113 plus the architect's fee of £4 12s. The building had an iron roof, a hardwood floor and was lined with canvas and papers. In 1872 Charles HILL opened the school, which had an a.a. of 21 in that year. By 1878 the building was divided into 3 rooms - a schoolroom 20ftx18ft and two smaller rooms 10ftx10ft to be used as living quarters by the teacher. During 1878 the school worked part-time with 1735 Murndal. In 1884 the school closed but a year later it re-opened with 1685 Redruth. Following various closures and re-openings it finally closed in 1894 and sold for £10 for removal. Bill and Bob BROWN managed a bullock team and wagon, received £22 10s for moving the closed Gringegalgona school to Salt Pans in 1909. The building was re-erected on a new site - the SE corner of part of Allotment 7B, Section 13, Parish of Hilgay, County of Dundas. Miss June McGROUTHER was the first HT after the re-opening. In 1923 the name was changed to Tarrenlea to avoid confusion between two telephone exchanges, both known as Salt Pans. One teacher Ray RIGBY rode 19 miles by motor cycle from Hamilton to teach at the school. The school closed in September, 1959. The last HT was C. MERNIK. The building remained on the site in 1970.
Source: "Vision & Realisation", Vol 2, Education Department of Victoria.