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The hermit of Cumberland, the sitka spruce at Cambarville and the Chester and Locke Golden Secret gold mine

6/27/2018

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Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), Friday 23 May 1941, page 8

OBITUARY


"Hermit of Cumberland Valley"

The death is announced of Mr. George Locke, who was known to thousands of tourists as "the hermit of Cumberland Valley." He lived In a humpy near the famous plantation of mountain ash, which is believed to contain the tallest hardwood trees In the world. Mr. Locke would not leave Cumberland, even during the bush fires of two years ago, and he had not been in Marysville for over 14 years. A keen prospector at Cumberland Valley until his health began to fall a few years ago, Mr. Locke in earlier years was actively interested in the Golden Secret mine at Cumberland and the wolfram mine near Marysville. Aged 81 years, he was the lone inhabitant of Cumberland Valley, and spent his last days In a Forests Commission patrol hut, which was built next to his old humpy when It started to fall to pieces.
 
Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), Friday 21 October 1898, page 7

NEW GOLD FIELD.
HEALESVILLE, Thursday.
At the Golden Secret mine, Yarra Track, near Chester and Locke's rich find, stone is being got out for crushing. South of this lease the Yarra Track syndicate have a fair body of stone, bearing good gold. A cyanide plant Is being erected at the Mount. Morgan mine.

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Sitka top centre Lat / Lon 37.55790°S, 145.87880°E     Carpark bottom left ​Lat / Lon 37.55943°S, 145.87817°E
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Phantom the swamp wallaby enjoying some winter sunshine yesterday.

6/27/2018

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The little known gold mine known as Bear or Bears creek in the Upper Yarra water catchment

6/27/2018

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Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 - 1954), Saturday 20 May 1922, page 68

Amateur Athletics


WALKING PARTY'S TRIP

By "All Round"

A journey or 66 miles In four days even though done on foot and with "bluey up." sounds easily possible but the twenty members of the Melbourne Walking Club who did it at Easter from Marysville to Noojee, found-what is so generally true of bush tracks— that there is sometimes more than distance to reckon with on a country walk. The party reached Healesville by train and Marysville by motor, camping in the Marysville Hall on the Thursday night. An early start on tha Friday took them over the 11 miles to the Cumberland Flails by midday The swags followed by waggon. The party divided on this stage, the majority going via the Talbot Drive and Cameron Cascades. They had rather a tougher proposition than they expected. Sight-seeing at the Cora Lynn and Cumberland occupied the afternoon, then camp was made in the open near the old splitters' hut on a once grassy sward, bush leaches proving the only disturbing element. Vehicular traffic on this Woods Point road ceases at the Cumberland. The bridge across the river had been obstructed by a fallen giant of a gum tree, and the metalled way forward is grass grown. A clearing party was at work removing fallen timber and renovating generally. The turn-off to McVeigh's (Walsh's Creek) is indicated by a newly-erected finger-post at a point four miles along the road. A pencilled legend adds that it is "a h.... of a track." The Walking Club party agreed that the writer had not overstated the case. A couple of miles down the narrow pad is the abandoned Golden Bower gold mine, where a water-wheel used to work a five-head battery to crush the stone taken from the hillside. Well-grown fruit trees surround the deserted houses of the little settlement, as they do at Bear Creek, another worked-out mining village a little further on. Old official papers scattered about indicated that one hut had been the Bear Creek post-office. Neither settlement would have voted for prohibition, judging by the number of "empties" lying about. The bridle track was hard to follow owing to its overgrown state, and the amount of timber across it. A wrong turning, too, wasted time, and the day's journey of twenty miles was not through until about 8.30 p.m., when the lights of McVeigh's were sighted. Next day (Sunday) the prescribed nine miles to Petschacks looked an easy thing, and the first three to Alderman's  Creek, on the Baw Baw track, were done in good time. But from there it was a hard climb through dry country to the old homestead, and late in the afternoon before it was reached. Water for the evening meal could only be obtained with difficulty, so breakfast next morning was had by pushing on a couple of miles to the Loch River at a beautiful spot called The Bower, where luxuriant ferns grew under spreading beeches. The following six miles followed a track recently cleared through the virgin forest. It proved one of the finest portions or the trip. Thence to the railway at Noojee was past recurring settlement. A dip in the Latrobe River preluded the final meal of the trip on the Monday. The train was caught for the city.
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Two contrails of jets heading to New Zealand and a swamp wallaby enjoying the sun and still air

6/21/2018

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Magpie Lark in the field today. Don't see them much here.

6/20/2018

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Black spur road Fernshaw

6/14/2018

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Yarra river Warburton

6/10/2018

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Yarra river Warburton 1909

6/10/2018

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Fishing on the Yarra river at Warburton 1908

6/10/2018

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Mount Gregory Telstra tower Yarra Ranges National Park

6/9/2018

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Lat / Lon 3Lat / Lon 3737.69130°S, 146.13215°E.69130°S, 146.13217°E7.69130°S, 146.13217°E
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McVeigh's fire lookout Upper Yarra Dam

6/8/2018

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Maroondah dam flyover. I bet Melbourne Water would like to make this trespass too

6/8/2018

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Ride up Mount Donna Buang

6/8/2018

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The nice fresh air of the Upper Yarra Valley this morning

6/8/2018

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Baw Baw track map 1925 Warburton to Walhalla via Yarra Falls

6/6/2018

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bawbawtrackmap-rotated.pdf
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Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 - 1954), Saturday 21 February 1925, page 77

Among The Amateur Athletes
A Strenuous Walk
By " ALL ROUND" .
From Walsh's Creek (Mc'Veighs), on the Yarra Valley, to Walhalla, on the other side of the Divide, is no more than a round 50 miles — nothing outrageous, in point of distance, for a walker to undertake as a four or five days' outing. But the absence of settlement- between the two points makes it necessary to carry all the tucker required oil the jqurney, and that, with blankets or sleeping bag, and adds considerably to the difficulties of the way. Moreover, there is an astonishing amount of uphill going, so the pedestrian feels, as he nears his journey's end, that he has completed a fairly strenuous trip. Four of the older members of the Melbourne Walking Club broke away from the programme a week ago to traverse this so-called Baw Baw track. They went to Warburton by train and to M'Veigh's by motor, had lunch at that picturesque resort, and with swags up, set out on the bridle track on foot about 2 o'clock. The gradient was very gently upward, there is a good green forest to tramp through, and the Yarra was never out of sight, so the seven miles to Contention Gully were agreeably passed. A second dip in the river, and camp was pitched under the stars. Next day was devoted to the eight miles from Contention Gully to the first shelter-house. There are two huts here, both serviceable, and both provided by a paternal Government with wire stretchers, enamelled mugs and plates, a table, some forms, an axe, a broom, and a number of billies.
The dip this time was in Falls Creek, along the right hank of which is a track leading to the Yarra Falls, one large and five smaller cascades of considerable beauty. Now the land began to rise in earnest. A zigzag pull of over a mile tested the wind and strength of the party, and landed it on the top of the ridge between the sources of the Yarra and the Thomson rivers. Beech groves and flowering mintbush were notable features, and the gum-trees were huge specimens of mountain ash. A second hut, placed in a desolate and exposed -position oh Mount Whitelaw, came into view at nightfall — 14 miles for the day. Here the well-known runner and walker, Jack Lewis (East Melbourne Harriers), was in camp for the night. He is patrolman for the Forests Commission and does all his journeys on foot. "When the area he has to cover and the tracks he must take are considered it is readily seen where he gets the stamina which enabled him to win a Marathon race and the twenty-five mile walking championship of Victoria. He met the walkers with, a welcome which was greatly appreciated, and the party left him and his two mates next day. with genuine regret. Shelter Welcomed .Sunday, the fourth day out, was wet, and the views were obscured by fog and cloud. Marshy spots disfigured the pad; altogether the eight miles to the third hut, perched high on Talbot Peak, were found quite sufficient, and there was for once no question as to whether sleeping under shelter or sleeping outside was the more advisable. A rift in the clouds revealed a magnificent prospect of deep valleys and high mountains, and before this hut was departed from, some wonderful views were obtained. On the way out on Monday, opportunity was taken to cross the top of Mount Erica (5000 feet) and observe a still wider panorama. Immediately afterward began the descent, a slide of 3500 feet in about three miles, and then easy gradients to the river level. A variation from the customary route was made in taking a timber track to Knott, and next day inspecting the Lime Kilns at Platina before marching in to Walhalla. The afternoon afforded time to examine the remains of that , fast-disappearing township, one of the quaintest in Victoria, and on Wednesday, the seventh day after leaving the city, the morning train was caught to Melbourne. The time could, of course, have been greatly shortened had there been any need to cut it down.
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Upper Yarra Dam under construction

6/2/2018

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Yarra Falls hut 1925

6/2/2018

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Some World class mountain bike tracks including a vertical K drop and other tracks are being planned for all around the bush camp in multi million dollar projects

6/2/2018

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