Exploring Mt Donna Buang - Apr 27 2011

These photos were taken on April 27. 2011 at Mt Donna Buang, 80 km east of Melbourne.

No snow (yet!) and the views across the Alps were magnificent.

My visit included short hikes along sections of the Mt Boobyalla Track and Summit Walking Track.

See all of the Photos in slideshow format

Maroondah Reservoir Pictorial Heritage

Hi there!

 

I am pleased to announce the publication of my comprehensive Maroondah Reservoir Pictorial Heritage editorial research project.

I'm inviting you to check out this special project, which is now available on-line at
http://bpadula.tripod.com/maroondah

Its articles, stories, images, maps, engravings and videos describe the development and evolution of this magnificent reservoir and its beautiful surroundings, 65 km east of Melbourne, just past the town of Healesville, in the years 1862 until 2011.

Extensive use has been made of information sourced to old Victorian newspapers, using the National Library of Australia's on-line digitization system.

I have always maintained a strong and continuing interest in the Reservoir and its nearby areas, from my first trip there in October 1957.

The Maroondah Forest Park has also been a good location for HF radio monitoring in recent years.

I have included several images of that first visit scanned from my original 35 mm colored slides.

The project is arranged in these Chapters:

• Historical Timeline
• The First Weirs 1878-1891
• Construction 1915 to 1929
• The Yarra Track
• The Blacks' Spur
• Heritage Pictures 1872 to 1926
• Images of 1957
• Gallery of 2011
• Interesting Features
• Maroondah Reservoir Park
• Walking Tracks
• Present day Maps
• Old Maps
• References and Bibliography

I would welcome your feedback and reactions on this Project - there is a Guest Book at the site.

I hope you enjoy your tour through time of the Reservoir since its beginnings way back in 1865 - now one of Victoria's most famous tourist attractions within a short distance of Melbourne.

Tonimbuk - West Gippsland

These pictures were taken on April 25, 2011.

They show the scenery and countryside on a trip in the Tonimbuk area, 70 km east of Melbourne, in West Gippdland.

My journey was along the Monash Freeway, then on to the Tonimbuk-Gembrook Rd, through the Bunyip State Park, on to the Tynong North-Gembrook Rd, and back to the Monash Freeway.

There was a short hike between Steering Wheel Track and the junction of the Diamond Creek, then a stop to inspect the historical Charcoal Kiln.

There was also a visit to the old aqueduct near the Tonimbuk Rd.

Really excellent views to the Black Snake Range, and across the Park.

A drama on the Tynong North Rd, where a mob of kangas decided to hop along the road, for about 500 m - at least they kept in the left lane! These animals have problems in hopping along sealed roads, as there is no grip for their claws and they keep falling over!

See all of the Photos of my visit!

O'Shannassy Aqueduct Trail - Dee River

Now part of the Yarra Ranges National Park, the O'Shannassy Aqueduct Trail is a long, step-on, step-off 27 km walking/cycling/horse route starting at Don Rd, Launching Place, and ending at the O'Shannassy Reservoir, about 80 km east of Melbourne, past the town of Warburton.

The Aqueduct was constructed between 1911 and 1915, and decommissioned in 1997. The maintenance track, known as Road 18, has been opened up progressively for walkers, horse-riders and cyclists, following transfer of land ownership from Melbourne Water to Parks Victoria.

The Trail passes through magnificent Mountain Ash forest, past fern gullies, with excellent views across the Yarra Valley towards Mt Little Joe and the mountains near Big Pats Creek. It winds its way around the base of Mt Donna Buang, Mt Victoria and Ben Cairn, passing many aqueduct engineering works, bridges, syphons, huts, distance marker posts and old maintenance sheds.

New access gates for management vehicles and walkers have been built at various locations along the route.

Sadly, there has been massive encroachment of vegetation, fallen trees, branches, and weeds in sections of the Aqueduct.

I have completed the 23 km of the Trail which is open to walkers - 46 km return, in several trips!

On Sunday April 24, 2011,I reviewed a section of the Trail, starting at the access point at the newly constructed car-park and picnic ground at the end of Dee Rd, West Warburton.

There is an informative display board and map at the picnic ground.

My exploration took me east over the old trestle bridge, then on to the abandoned Outlet Valve No. 1 at the creek. This was my turnaround point - the distance was about 4 km overall.

See the Parks Victoria site for full details and maps:

www.parkweb.vic.gov.au/resources05/05_1751.pdf

See all of the Photos of my visit!

Woori Yallock and Yarra Valley

These pictures were taken on April 23, 2011.

They show the scenery in the Woori Yallock region, 40 km east of Melbourne.

The trip followed the Maroondah Highway to Healesville, then along the Healesville-Koo Wee Rup Rd, past the Badger Creek Reserve and Warramate Hills, reaching the town of Woori Yallock, and the Warburton Highway.

A side hike of about 2km return was made along part of the Warburton Trail.

See all of my Photos of thjis excursion!

Maroondah Aqueduct - Kangaroo Ground

These pictures were taken on Good Friday, April 22 2011.

They show the Memorial Tower at Kangaraoo Ground, 30 km NE of Melbourne, views from the Tower, panoramas from the Yarra Glen-Eltham Rd, and some images of the former disused Maroondah open channel Aqueduct, at the nearby heritage bridge on Nicholas Lane.

The Aqueduct was commissioned on 1891, and carried water from the original Maroondah Weir in the Watt's River Valley, east of Healesville.

This early weir was ultimately submerged beneath the big Maroondah Reservoir in 1927.

The Aqueduct consisted of 41 km of open-channel concrete, and 25 km of tunnels, pipes, and syphons, taking water to the Preston storage reservoir, 61 km distant.

This section of the aqueduct which I visited is a surviving part of the open channel structure - public access is not permitted by Melbourne Water.

See all of my Photos of this trip!

Upper Yarra Reservoir Park

These pictures were taken on April 17, 2011, in the Upper Yarra Reservoir Park, 100 km east of Melbourne.

They show the scenery, the reservoir, the Ferny Gully Trail, the camping area, Mc Veigh's Water Wheel, Aqueduct 11A, the spillway, the lookouts, the commemorative stonework, the Brinbonga Track, and engineering features of the reservoir.

This reservoir was completed in 1957 and suppplies water to the Silvan Reservoir for distribution across Melbourne.

It has a capacity of 200,000 Megalitres, and a catchment area of 33,670 hectares.

It is located 23 km east of the town of Warburton, reached from the Wood's Point Road.

See all of the Photos of my visit!

Exploring Crunchie Point - Point Leo, Westernport Coast

These pictures were taken on April 17 2011 at Crunchie Point, on the Westernport Coast, 80 km south of Melbourne.

This location is within the Point Leo precinct.

The tide was low, exposing marvellous rock pools.

The views across the Bay towards Phillip Island were excellent.

My visit was a 3 km hike from the Point Leo Boating Club, then on to Crunchie Point, out to the the rockpools, up the stairway to the main walking track, past the camping ground, and back to the car.

See all of the Photos

Sawpit Creek - Healesville

These pictures were taken on April 15 2011, in the Healesville distrct, 65 km east of Melbourne.

They show the scenery and environment in the Maroondah Reservoir catchment area, on a 4 km hike along Management Road 17, starting at the Donnelley's Weir Rd, and continuing towards Mt Monda, adjacent to Sawpit Creek.

My hike included an exploration of the Echo Tunnel area, and inspections of the Maroondah Aqueduct, the historical Sawpit Creek Weir, and the site of the former picnic ground.

I have included some images looking across the Reservoir to Mt Monda and the Victorian Alps, taken from the nearby Sellover Lookout, and pictures of the Watt's River, at flood level.

See all of the Photos of my visit!

"The Silvan Reservoir Pictorial Heritage 1880-2011" editorial research project launched!

 

I am pleased to announce the publication of my "Silvan Reservoir Pictorial
Heritage 1880-2011" editorial research project.

This very comprehensive free on-line work may be viewed at:

http://bpadula.tripod.com/silvan

BACKGROUND
The Silvan Reservoir precinct, some 65 km east of central Melbourne, has
always fascinated me! I first visited the area in the 1950s, by bike, and in
the decades which followed, I have made countless car trips to the area, as
a starting point for many interesting hikes in the adjacent Silvan and
Olinda Forests.

These forests have also supported my professional interest in radio
communications monitoring, due to the relative absence of power-line
interference.

In 2010, I came across rusting steel and concrete infrastructure, partly
hidden in bushland next to the overflow car-park. This fascinated me, and my
research indicated that it is the remains of the original Aerial Ropeway
system which carried materials from the Mt Evelyn railway siding 8 km to the
construction site.

SECOND RESERVOIR Proposal
In 2010, I also discovered considerable documentation about the proposal in
1933 to build a Second Reservoir nearby. This was abandoned due to community
concerns - it would have inundated most of the forest along the Lyrebird
Creek Gully.

PROJECT EVOLUTION
Mainly for my own interest, I decided to document my research and findings
about the history and development of the Reservoir. Indeed, a lot of this is
readily available in fragmentary form in various old print publications and
monograms, on the Internet, and hidden away in historical societies.

The digitisation of old newspapers has opened up a huge new world for
heritage research, and I have used material gleaned from the Argus and Age
newspapers of the time.

I have brought together what I believe to be the salient points in a
chronological time sequence, accompanied by images, maps, explanations,
narratives, and a video.

Rather than allow my research work to be hidden from the outside world, I
decided to publish it on-line.

It is also held privately in digital media for future use!

I hope you find the Project informative and useful.

Your reactions and feedback would be appreciated!

Regards from Melbourne!
Bob Padula

CHAPTER HEADINGS

• About this Research Project
• Timeline 1880-2010
• Historical Background from 1917
• Construction 1926-1932
• Aerial Ropeway
• Aerial Cableway
• Steam Tramway
• Development after 1932
• Modern Era
• The abandoned Second Reservoir
• Silvan Forest
• Reservoir Park
• Stonyford Forest Nature Trail
• Maps
• Acknowledgements
• Contact the Author

Exploring the Ghost Town of Fernshaw

These images were taken on April 11, 2011, at the site of the former town of Fernshaw, deep in the Yarra Forest, about 80 km east of Melbourne.

The town was abandoned and sold by auction in the 1890s, after the collapse of the gold mining and timber cutting boom.

The original dirt road from Healesville was known as the Fernshaw Rd, and the town was the main stopping point for stage coaches travelling from Melbourne to the gold mining and timber cutting areas in the mountains further to the east.

Following commissioning of the Maroondah Reservoirn 1927, the Fernshaw Rd was sealed as far as the Graceburn Weir.

In 1937, the Fernshaw Rd was rerouted at Fernshaw to create the Black's Spur Deviation Rd, and the new bridge was built.

The old road past Fernshaw is off-limits to the public, and is known as Melbourne Water Management Rd 13 - the access gate is directly opposite the picnic ground.

All that remains are very tall non-native trees, planted by the first settlers, after the Aboriginal tribes were forced out of the area.

The picnic ground was actually the site of the main street in the 1860s, which boasted several hotels, a school, houses, and shops.

The well-known "Morley's Track" starts at the picnic ground, which is a walking route 5.5 km up to the Dom Dom Saddle, and then onwards to Mt. Donna Buang.

Ths track was severely impacted in the 2009 bushfires and is currently closed to walkers.

Fernshaw is now a stopping point on the main highway which runs over the Black's Spur, to Alexandria, and linking with the main road to Marysville.

Note that there is no public access to the Melbourne Water catchment zone next to the Watt's River at Fernshaw. Remnants of the old tarred road into the town still exist, leading to a locked no-access gate on the south side of the river.

See all of the Photos of my visit, which include some heritage pictures, taken from my forthcoming internet-based Educational Research Project, "Fernshaw Pictorial Heritage".

The Kurth Kiln Track - Kurth Kiln Regional Park

This group of pictures was taken in the Kurth Kiln Regional Park, 65 km east of Melbourne, on April 11, 2011.

They show the environment on the Kurth Kiln Track, a 2 km return hike which started at the Kurth Kiln Picnic Ground.

Some nice early-autumn fungi had appeared!

Yes, the color of the land is very reddish.

See all of the Photos of my visit

Kurth Kiln 2011 Heritage Festival

The annual Kurth Kiln Heritage Festival was held on Sunday April 11, 2011, at the Kurth Kiln Picnic Ground, near the corner of Beenak and Soldiers Roads, Gembrook, 65 km east of Melbourne.

A highlight of the events at the historic charcoal-producing kiln precinct was a recreation of an armed hold-up on a stagecoach.

The festival helps raise money for the preservation of the remains of the kiln, workers’ huts and associated buildings.

The kiln was built during World War II to make charcoal for use in gas-producer units fitted to motor cars. The units produced a combustible gas as a substitute for petrol, which was heavily rationed until hostilities ceased.

Festival spokeswoman Ursula Klink said in the Pakenham-Cardinia Leader that the friends group urgently needed money to restore and preserve what remained of the kiln.

“It was a key part of our wartime transport history. In many instances, gas producers on vehicles made the difference between being able to use them and leaving them in the garage,” Ms Klink said.

“The fuel was nowhere near as user-friendly as petrol and its use was discontinued almost as soon as alternatives were available. But in its day, it was quite valuable to a lot of people.”

The Gembrook Singers and the Weathered Heads Bluegrass Band weere among the entertainers. For the mechanically minded, there were historic and heritage machinery displays and lectures on the operation of gas producers.

Craft stalls, environmental displays and sheep shearing attracted many visitors and there were games and face painting for youngsters.

And for the energetic, there were bush walks in the 3500ha park!

Refreshments were provided by Hoddles Creek Red Cross.

Despite the rainy and bleak weather, everyone had a good time!

Enjoy my Candid Camera :Photos!

Cookson Hill Track- Kinglake National Park

These pictures were taken on April 9, 2011.

They show the scenery and environment along the 2.5 km (return) Cookson Hill Track, Kinglake National Park. 65 km NE of Melbourne and some views in Kinglake town.

This signed track is reached by gates off the Kinglake-St Andrew's Rd.

Approximately 98 per cent of the park, including the office and most visitor facilities, were burnt by the Black Saturday bushfires in February 2009. Rehabilitation work and assessment of fire damage is continuing in the park and areas are being re-opened progressively.

There has been amazing vegetation regrowth in the forests, and rebuilding of homes and infrastructure destroyed in the fires is continuing.

See all of the Photos of my visit

Balnarring Coastal Hike, early autumn

These pictures were taken on April 6, 2011, showing the scenery and action on a 3 km return hike along the Balnarring Coast, 80 km, south of Melbourne, on Westernport Bay.

The tide was in!

See all of the Photos of my visit

Gilwell Track - Kurth Kiln Regional Park

These pictures were taken on April 7 2011 in the Kurth Kiln Regional Park, 60 km east of Melbourne.

They show the scenery and environment along the Gillwell Track, which runs betwen the Gembrook-Launching Place Rd and Soldiers Rd.

Many colorful Fungi had appeared for the autumn!

The track descends to the bottom of a gully, reaching a creek, passing through forest and the former logging area.

See all of the Photos of my visit!