Category Archives: Forests

James (Jim) Fry was born in 1852 and worked as a carrier bringing supplies over treacherous tracks to several gold mining companies in the remote mountains east of Mansfield during the early 1870s. The former manager’s house (c.1874) from the Great Rand Mine had been left abandoned and was shifted from nearby Martin’s Gap byContinue reading “Fry’s Hut – Howqua Valley.”

I have written before about Archie Hair and Blue Pool near Briagolong. But I recently ventured into the Public Record Office to uncover the old FCV file which gives more detailed insights into the arrangements Archie had over the site. In February 1940, William O’Regan, an invalid pensioner and gold prospector, who had lived alongContinue reading “Archie Hair – Blue Pool.”

Clarence (Clarrie) Gray Ward saw action as a gunner with the 2/7th Field Artillery Regiment around Tobruk in 1941 and during the first and second battles of El Alamein in 1942. He later landed at Tarakan in Borneo in May 1945. Clarrie was one of about ninety ex-servicemen recruited as overseers into the Forests CommissionContinue reading “FCV – Returned Servicemen .”

By Rob Youl – Reproduced from Victorian State Foresters Association (VSFA) Newsletter #38 April 1977. Almost 50 years later, the author apologises for his sexism, insensitivity and excess testosterone. Furthermore, he trusts his readers will discard their disgust and accept this as the zeitgeist[1] of the 1970s. But more embarrassingly, I ask myself now, whyContinue reading “A Bear Bum in Bourke Street.”

Philip King was born in the remote Glen Valley in far eastern Victoria on the 12 Feb 1933 where he attended the local primary school. It was cold in the mountains where it often snowed, and the Omeo Highway was regularly blocked during winter. Phil later attended high school at Richmond in Melbourne but soonContinue reading “Phil King – Nowa Nowa.”

The Helmut Kofler Hütte at Mt Buller was opened as a shelter for skiers by the Chairman of the Forests Commission, Alf Lawrence, on 28 June 1959. It replaced an earlier building and was named after one of Mt Buller’s most colourful characters. Helmut, a native of Austria, was the manager of the original MtContinue reading “Helmut Kofler Hütte.”

Sandie Jeffcoat was among a handful of non-Creswick foresters from the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra who were recruited into the Forests Commission Victoria (FCV) during the 1970s. Other ANU graduates included David Harvey, Ian McArthur, Jack Bains, Mal Tonkin and Paul Mainey. It was a very buoyant time for trained foresters with increasedContinue reading “Alexander (Sandie) Jeffcoat.”

Firstly… I have a confession to make… I just love old wooden boats… In 1944, the three Haldane brothers, Bill, Alan and Hughie, began building an 84-foot wooden clipper at Port Fairy in southwestern Victoria from plans provided by the Western Boat Building Company from Tacoma in Washington State, America. The Haldane brothers had previouslyContinue reading “The MFV Tacoma.”

The Forests Commission experimented with the distillation of sassafras oil during the war. The conically shaped, cool temperate rainforest species, southern sassafras (Atherosperma moschatum), was believed to have medicinal properties, including the prevention of malaria. The timber is prized for panelling, wood turning, musical instruments, and other specialty work. Southern sassafras is very different fromContinue reading “Sassafras Oil.”

In mid-1968, Sir William “Blackjack” McDonald, a pastoralist from western Victoria and the Minister for Lands, Soldier Settlement and Conservation, controversially announced a new rural settlement scheme which involved clearing of remnant mallee woodlands and then selling Crown Land in the Little Desert. Some two hundred thousand acres was slated for agricultural subdivision. The immediateContinue reading “Forest Parks and Reserves.”

Forest hydrology is a complex science but, put simply, water yield or stream flows from forested catchments depends on rainfall patterns, droughts, soil type, soil depth, forest type and forest age. Decades of pioneering research by the MMBW have shown that wet mountain ash forests consume nearly 70% of the rainfall leaving the remainder availableContinue reading “Forests, bushfires and water – the Kuczera curve.”

The 1st of September marks the official beginning of Spring in the southern hemisphere, and wattles are starting to flower in the bush and in gardens around the country. Wattles feature prominently in Australian ceremonies, literature, poetry, art and song from the 1830s to the early 1900s. Noted naturalist Archibald James Campbell established the VictorianContinue reading “Wattle Day – First Day of Spring.”

This new self-guided walking map has been prepared to tell some of the story of the Forestry School and the grounds at Creswick. Its based on the 2017 work by Gerry Fahey from the University of Melbourne. https://walkingmaps.com.au/walk/5969

This new self-guided walking map can be used around Sawpit Gully at Creswick. Its based on the commemorative John la Gerche trail established in 1998 by VSF lecturer Ron Hateley and students of University of Melbourne. https://walkingmaps.com.au/walk/5968

Deadly bushfires in the summer of 1943/44, killed 51 people, injured another 700 and destroyed over 650 buildings. In particular, the loss of 13 lives at Yallourn on February 14, 1944, and the impact on the State’s electricity supplies when the critical brown coal fields caught alight brought these bushfires into sharp focus. There wasContinue reading “The CFA Board – 1945.”

Australia had compulsory training in the Citizens Military Forces (CMF) at various times between 1910 and 1945, but after the Second World War it had two very different National Service schemes. The first began in 1951, coinciding with the Korean War, and ran until 1959 with a total of 227,000 men passing through the scheme,Continue reading “Vietnam Veterans Day – 18 August.”

There has been a cold snap recently and everyone knows that the costs of home heating this winter have risen sharply. Firewood has traditionally been a cheap fuel, particularly for country folk… but it’s getting expensive now and harder to source. But how does firewood compare with mains gas or reverse cycle aircon? Comparing applesContinue reading “Firewood – home heating cost comparison.”

Smokey Bear, the icon of the U.S. Forest Service, is the longest running wildfire prevention campaign in United States history. The character was authorised on August 9, 1944, a date now celebrated as his official birthday. He was originally drawn by Artist Albert Staehle complete with his trademark campaign hat and jeans. Three years later,Continue reading “Smokey Bear turns 80.”