Rell01

Up early after another bad night of sleep….

Had a shower washed the hair…loved their huge white wall tiles in the bathroom…very thick set tiles…about 12x12….

The morning bought with it lots of fog all through the Gums and across the water and up the river…it looked awesome…took shots then jumped in the car and off we speed….

Our first call was to Rochester Possum, Kingfisher and Platypus murals….Iddles Lane Mural.

Iddles Lane Mural

Find it on the south side of Gillies St, east of the Shamrock building

Officially opened – March 15th, 2020

Rochester’s Iddles Lane has come to life under the hand of artist Tim Bowtell who has painted the story of Rochester-born former homicide detective Ron Iddles OAM APM while recognising Ron’s twin brother, international chef Barry Iddles, as well as embracing other family members who were active for many years in the Rochester community.

Rochester Business Network (RBN) received funding for the project from the Australian Government through the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment under the Murray Darling Basin Economic Development Program.

RBN president Glenda Nichol, with the cooperation of the Iddles family, spent months researching for the content of the mural, determined to portray not only Ron’s career achievements, but to illustrate his outstanding character traits which has earnt him the respect of both victims and criminals. His serious “police’ face is his trademark, but we also wanted to show the relaxed, smiling family man and for visitors who have not heard of Ron Iddles, to read the wall and learn why he is known as Australia’s Greatest Detective.

The Artist – Tim Bowtell – Samaria, Victoria

Tim began painting in 2005 and went on to study Visual Arts at TAFE, holding his first solo exhibition at Benalla Art Gallery in 2011. He has won numerous awards and was chosen to participate in Benalla’s Wall to Wall Arts Festival multiple times.

The four-mural silo art work at St James was probably his best-known work before he commenced the Iddles Lane Mural.

Then onto Colbinabbin to see the massive Silos still in a tiny grain silo town all silos were in use…

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RAILWAY THE COLBINABBIN DISTRICT:

The original German settlers established farms along the Mount Camel Range, (the top of the hill to the west of the township) and built a school, a post office and a community hall to serve their families.

In August 1881 a Colbinabbin Railway League consisting of farmers agitated for a railway line to enable the transportation of produce and livestock to Melbourne, in 1913 construction of the line was completed.

It extended from Rushworth to Colbinabbin West of the Cornella Creek costing $42,970 for the 121⁄2 miles of track. It took sixty men to build 1 mile of railway line per week. The line was then extended to the current site of the silos.

The Colbinabbin West community realised that it would be impossible to run the train tracks up and over the hill to the town, so it was decided to establish the township in a more suitable location down on the plain, to be known as Colbinabbin East. Thus, Colbinabbin Village settlement was established in 1893 and by 1913, was a bustling township. This is the present site of our township.

The first trucks of grain left Colbinabbin Railway Station in February 1914.

There is a dedicated viewing area for this silo in Collins Street

Then onto Rushworth where it was a street of Heritage buildings….there was a really interesting tiled wall display near what was the old rail stn….we had morning tea at the local Bakery lots of little old shops here…some functioning some not….

Spent some time taking pics then off up the Hwy through lots of little towns all looked interesting…

Rushworth was established during the Victorian gold rush in 1853. It was named by poet and later local Goldfields Commissioner Richard Henry Horne in 1854. Its post office opened on 16 September 1857.

The goldfields became no longer viable due to the underground water table and were closed during the gold rush.

The Rushworth Magistrates' Court closed on 1 January 1990.

Rushworth is an old goldmining town which retains much of its original character through its many early buildings. It is located 166 km north of Melbourne via Murchison and 145 m above sea-level. Today there are about 1000 residents.

Rushworth became a stopping place in the early 1850s for those travelling between the Bendigo and Beechworth diggings. Gold was discovered near the future townsite in August 1853 when some diggers, camping overnight, were shown some 'pretty' stones by local Aborigines who then led them to their point of origin. The first settlement was established 1.5 km east of present-day Rushworth. It was known as 'Nuggetty', owing to the numerous large nuggets found. There were soon hundreds of tents and slab huts, stores, wine shanties, dams, puddling machines and crushing machines. Alluvial gold was then found in plentiful supply right throughout the area and underground shafts were sunk to a depth of 270 metres, locating gold reefs 2.5 metres thick. 26 mines were operating at its peak and there were allegedly 40 000 people living in the district.

Poet Richard Horne, a friend of Charles Dickens, was made one of the two gold commissioners overseeing the rush and he gave the town its name. One theory is that he took the English idea of ending a town's name with '-worth' and jokingly coined the term 'Rushworth' (i.e., a worth-while rush) or that he named it after two fellow passengers from the ship that brought him to Australia. Horne and fellow-commissioner Willoughby successfully quelled potential riots over the expensive miner's licence.

The area which is now High St (the main road) began developing in 1853. A survey of the site was conducted in 1854 and by 1858 there was a police camp, a wooden courthouse, five hotels, two breweries, a school, seven large stores, 20 tradesmen's shops and two banks; all at the southern end of High St. The first local newspaper, the Waranga Echo, started in 1868 although the mining began to wind down in the 1870s. However, the town continued to prosper as timbergetting became a major local industry with at least seven sawmills operating at one stage. Now only Risstroms Sawmill remains.

The town declined during the Great Depression but has survived. Mixed farming is now carried on under irrigation.

21 km west of town is the locality of Colbinabbin where novelist Joseph Furphy had a selection from 1868 to 1873, although he later described it as 'the worst selection in Rodney Shire' and soon headed off to the Riverina area of NSW.

High Street Heritage Walk
In 1983 High St (the main thoroughfare) and its adjacent streets were declared an Urban Conservation Area by the National Trust. High St began its life in 1853, at the outset of the goldrush. Until the railway arrived in 1890, the southern end of the street was the focal point of local business and so many of the older buildings are clustered there.

Start your investigation of High St at the Hyde St intersection. On the south-eastern corner is an old steam traction engine whistle post (1906). This sign warned steam engines which were hauling logs from Rushworth Forest to the local sawmill to sound their whistle. On the hill is St Paul's Anglican Church, a Gothic Revival structure built in 1869-70. Diagonally opposite the whistle post is the town's second courthouse (1870s). Head north along High St. At the Horne St corner is the Waranga Shire Hall (1869). Turn left into Horne St and on the left is the old fire brigade hall (1890s).

Return to High St, continuing northwards. On the right-hand side is the town's oldest building - the Imperial Hotel which has recently been turned into a bed and breakfast. It started its life in 1854 as the Imperial Hotel and has taken the new owners five years to restore this famous building to its full Victorian charm. Just past it are the first CBC Bank, the second CBC Bank (1883) and Cracknell's Bakery - all now private residences. On the other side of the road is the Criterion Hotel (1856). The first school was established on its south side in 1858.

Continue along High St. To the left is the Glasgow Building (1858). In the middle of High St, in the central plantation, are the band rotunda (1888) with the base added to store fire equipment in 1901. The Rushworth Brass Band have been operating locally since 1874 and they are still in action. The Fire Tower dates from 1900 and the RSL Memorial Clock from 1923. There are picnic-barbecue facilities and an information stand.

On the western side of High St, between Wigg and Parker Sts, are a series of old shops. At High and Parker is the former office of the Chronicle newspaper (1888).

We passed heaps of different Gums (Red Gums, Stringy Bark, Box Gums) along the way, vineyard after vineyard…heaps of Cellar doors zipping by them all….

We stopped for our own lunch at a football ground by a river in Yarra Glen…yes it was cold but we sat in the sun…I finished my salmon bagel 🥯, John had a ham sandwich a cuppa then off we get going making a decision to head to the Storer’s….

A long trip getting there after dark at 6pm….We did stop at Yarragon for a cuppa...they had their public toilets all done with Art looked great…

Saw about 10-12 foxes hanging on one of the fences going through one of the tiny communities…

Vic had dinner already for us Pumpkin Soup, A fantastic Chicken pie…funny when we had morning tea I had noticed all these big pies 🥧 for sale at Rushworth Bakery and noticed the chicken pie and nearly bought one…lucky I didn’t Vic had one for us for dinner…

Warm inside good not to be in the camper…Read more