Category Archives: Forests

The firestorm tore trees from the ground and scattered them like matchsticks across the landscape. The devastation of the 1939 bushfires was unprecedented. Several towns were entirely obliterated leaving 71 people dead including four FCV staff, 69 sawmills were lost and over 3700 buildings destroyed. Nearly two million hectares of Victoria’s State forests were burned.Continue reading “Mundic Wier – Toorongo Plateau.”

In the post war period, the State Government put a strong emphasis on buying British 4WD vehicles such as Series 1 Land Rovers. They were light weight but pretty primitive and very prone to breakdown. The files in the Public Record Office are thick with warranty claims by the Forests Commission about the reliability ofContinue reading “Toyota Land Cruisers.”

A Victorian Search and Rescue committee was established in 1954 after the earlier successful rescue of a young couple, Kirk McLeod and Jennifer Laycock, at Mt Donna Buang near Warburton. The committee was led by the Police, and included the Federation of Victorian Bushwalking Clubs, the Board of Works, the Forests Commission, the Country FireContinue reading “Search and Rescue.”

The magnificent Bilston Tree near Brimboal in far western Victoria was a big part of the local consciousness in the late 1950s. The massive river red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) was scheduled to felled for railway sleepers on 12 June 1961 but was saved by local community action led by Bill Flentje, the District Forester atContinue reading “Bilston Tree – remeasured.”

There are three distinct species of redwoods commonly planted in Victoria. And while all three species of redwood are breathtaking to behold, the Coast redwoods are something special. There are some significant individual specimens in both private and public gardens in Victoria. One of the most notable is outside the Bright Golf Clubhouse which wasContinue reading “Coast redwoods.”

Ever wondered about Chains, Links, Yards, Furlongs, Miles, Acres, Roods and Perches? Before metrication was introduced into Australia during the 1970s, distance on parish plans was shown in chains and links while area was in acres, roods and perches. Gunter’s chain was used for measuring distance in surveying. It was designed and introduced in 1620Continue reading “Gunter’s Chain.”

The first “road” to be built in Victoria by European settlers was on Phillip Island, more than two centuries ago. The “project manager” was the Commander of HM Brig Lady Nelson – John Murray – who was surveying the Bass Strait area in 1801 on behalf of Victoria’s first road authority – the Government ofContinue reading “Country Roads Board (CRB).”

Even before the gold rush of the 1850s, timber splitters invaded Victoria’s eastern forests including the Dandenong Ranges which were close to the city. Mr. J. W. Beilby established a sawmill at Ferntree Gully in about 1850 and a small township sprang up around it. He later claimed that his was the first sawmill establishedContinue reading “The Dandenong Ranges Timber Reserve – 1867.”

Cubs, Scouts, Brownies and Guides all provide great outdoor adventure and leadership opportunities for young people. Major-General Robert Baden-Powell started the movement in 1907 at a time when explorers were reaching the north and south poles, the Wright brothers were taking off at Kitty Hawk, and the first Model T Fords were rolling off theContinue reading “Giddy… Giddy… Gouts…”

Milk comes from cartons and water comes out of a tap… doesn’t it? I wonder how many people stop to think about where their water comes from? The MMBW catchments supply Melbourne, but State forests have always been an important source of clean water for rural communities. One of the more innovative and unusual waterContinue reading “Rural Water Supplies.”

The Australian Seasoned Timber Company (ASTC) operated in the Mount Disappointment State forest, 37 miles north of Melbourne, between 1880 and 1902. It was said to be the largest sawmilling and timber processing company in the southern hemisphere at the time. It owned several sawmills, along with an extensive network of tramlines supplying timber directlyContinue reading “Australian Seasoned Timber Company – Mount Disappointment.”

The Otway Ranges is characterised by steep terrain, wet weather and thick forest. An early but unsuccessful attempt was made between 1854 and 1861 to bring Blue Gum (Eucalyptus globulus) railway sleepers to Melbourne in small coastal ships from the Otway Ranges. The voyage was perilous because there were no suitable harbours, and relics ofContinue reading “Henry’s sawmills – Otway Ranges.”

The battle of Lone Pine at Gallipoli is deeply etched in the psyche of Australians, New Zealanders and the Turks. It took place between 6 and 10 August 1915 with tragic losses of over 2,000 ANZACs and a further 7,000 Turkish soldiers. Over the decades the battle became increasingly symbolic and many memorial parks inContinue reading “Lone Pine tree – Victorian School of Forestry (VSF).”

The austral grasstree (Xanthorrhoea australis) is commonly found growing in heathlands on poor sandy soils along the east coastal strip from NSW to SA, as well as Tasmania. They are highly susceptible to the soil-borne disease Phytophthora cinnamomi. In 1882, the Victorian Inspector of Forests William Ferguson made a field survey of the Heytesbury ForestContinue reading “Grass trees.”

Just about every Forest District had one… the State forest drive. Most people enjoy a leisurely drive in the country, or through the bush, which includes a scenic spot for short walk or a picnic. Staff have always taken pride in their patch of forest and were keen to make the bush available to localsContinue reading “Forest Drives.”

The timber industry in Victoria was arguably very lopsided with the Forests Commission, as a large government-owned monopoly, controlling forest licencing, allocation and supply of timber to sawmillers. In most cases the relationship between sawmillers and the local District Forester were cordial and business like, but it was clearly an uneven one at times. It’sContinue reading “Julia Hale – an extraordinary sawmiller.”

Imagine a machine that uses solar energy to remove carbon from the air and turns it into a beautiful, strong and sustainable building material. Oh wait… that’s what trees are… Today is World Forestry Day and what better way to celebrate than to acknowledge this magnificent Sugar Gum (Eucalyptus cladocalyx) which grows in front ofContinue reading “World Forestry Day.”