Author Archives: Peter McHugh

This massive tree was named after King Edward V11 (1841 – 1910). It was in the Cumberland Valley on the south side of the Marysville-Cumberland Track near the Cora Lyn Falls. Its girth at ground level was 112 feet. At a height of 6 feet above ground it was 88 feet. It then tapered toContinue reading “King Edward VII.”

Foresters, naturalists and the public have always remained fascinated by Victoria’s tall trees and magnificent wet forests. But by the late 1800s, most of the giant trees reported by Government Botanist Baron von Mueller, and many others, were being rapidly lost to bushfires, timber splitters and land clearing. The magnificent stands of mountain ash at theContinue reading “Cumberland Reserve Dispute.”

In preparation for the visit of the British Empire Forestry Conference in 1928, the Forests Commission cleared an acre of dense undergrowth from a stand of tall mountain ash forest in the Cumberland Valley east of Marysville, which it then suitably labelled the “Sample Acre”. FCV tree expert Alfred Douglas Hardy wrote in March 1935Continue reading “Sample Acre – Cumberland Valley.”

The east branch of the Plenty River, Silver Creek and Wallaby Creek catchments were permanently reserved for water supply purposes in 1872. Together with the 5,700-acre Yan Yean, which was completed in 1857, the catchments were part of the first system of reservoirs and aqueducts suppling water to Melbourne. The Toorourrong Reservoir was added inContinue reading “Wallaby Creek Catchment – The Cascades.”

Water-borne diseases were killers in all major cities throughout the nineteenth century. There was shocking news about the outbreak of cholera in Britain in the late 1840s. Such diseases were caused by a lack of clean drinking water, together with unhygienic wastewater and sewage disposal. Melbourne grew rapidly after the 1851 gold rush and theContinue reading “Melbourne’s Closed Water Catchments.”

By the time of the formation of an independent Forests Commission in 1918, the area of Victoria’s Reserved forest estate had stabilised at about 4 million acres. All forest experts and enquiries said this figure was far too low for Victoria’s future timber needs and it was claimed that a minimum of 5.6 million acresContinue reading “Soldier Settlement Schemes.”

“One of the grandest public estates in the Colony”. Conservator George Perrin – 1894. The European settlement of the Red Gum forests along the Murray River, like many other places, followed the initial routes of early explorers such as Hume and Hovell, Charles Sturt and Major Mitchell. Despite attempts by the NSW Governor to restrictContinue reading “Barmah Forest Timber Reserve.”

A large chunk of the Otways State forest between Apollo Bay and Hordern Vale was the focus of a bitter dispute in the early 1920s. It was only saved from clearing and sale for agriculture by the determined efforts of foresters, sawmillers, the media and the community. The land is now part of the GreatContinue reading “Trouble in the Otways.”

Charles Edward Lane-Poole was born in England in 1885 into an intellectual and widely travelled family. He began studying engineering in Dublin but lost his left hand in a shooting accident when he was 19, and felt he could not continue as an engineer so turned to study forestry at the prestigious National Forestry SchoolContinue reading “Charles Lane-Poole.”

Following Federation in 1901, the States retained control of forests within their borders. But within a decade, the heads of the various State forestry authorities were expressing interest in developing national policies and were given political approval and encouragement to meet and discuss them. The first of what were to become regular interstate forestry conferencesContinue reading “Towards a national forest policy.”

It was primarily a small band of foresters that fought hard behind the scenes to save Victoria’s remaining native forests from settlement and clearing and they were often publicly criticised as opponents of development. The foresters maintained a low public profile, partly because they often worked within the Public Service which forced them to remainContinue reading “The Gum Tree – 1917.”

Owen Jones was an Empire forester, wartime aviator, foundation Chairman of the Forests Commission Victoria, conservationist and political casualty. A worldwide search began in January 1919 for a candidate for the important new role of FCV Chairman with a salary of £1,000 per year and over 100 applications were received. Owen Jones was born inContinue reading “Owen Jones – Empire Forester.”

In a lengthy policy speech to Parliament on 27 June 1918, the Premier Harry Lawson, detailed his government’s commitment create a separate and independent Forests Commission Victoria (FCV). Lawson noted that the virtual cessation of timber imports during the war years had forced a major revaluation of Victoria’s forests and the importance of fostering aContinue reading “Forests Commission Victoria – 1918.”

The Forest Act (1907) contained some important definitions. State Forest, or Forest, included both Reserved Forest and Protected Forest. Reserved Forest[1] was land over which the Forests Department essentially had full administrative control. It had two major components – Protected Forest was virtually all the remaining balance of the Unoccupied Crown lands of the StateContinue reading “State Forest Definitions.”

A major recommendation in the 14th report of the Royal Commission in 1901 was a detailed proposal for new forest legislation. The political and social upheavals associated with the formation of the Australian Federation in 1901 probably interfered to some degree, but the forces of opposition within State Parliament from agricultural and grazing interests wereContinue reading “State Forests Department – 1907.”

John Johnstone was born in Scotland and initially trained in large-scale landscaping and plantation forestry at the magnificent Gordon Castle. After migrating to Australia and first working on an estate in South Australia, he became the curator of Maddingley Park at Bacchus Marsh in 1887 and stayed for 10 years. In 1898, Johnstone was recruitedContinue reading “John Johnstone.”

Devasting and uncontrolled bushfires swept the forests and rural farmlands in the Colony of Victoria during the 1800s. Many of these bushfires are recorded in newspapers from the time and feature in colonial artwork. Bushfires have undoubtedly always been a feature of Australian summers. In an average year, more than 600-1000 bushfires occur in Victoria’sContinue reading “Bushfires in Victoria – 1800s.”

Early colonial art provides some insights into the nature and structure of the pre-European forests and woodlands. While painters arrived on the first fleet, it was the famous professional artists like Eugene von Guerard who probably best depicted Victoria’s forests and landscapes. Surveyors like Robert Hoddle and explorers such as Major Mitchell also provided valuableContinue reading “Colonial forests – 1800s.”