"New Chum" pine trees

[Stephen Whiteside]

Today I went for quite a long walk in the Steiglitz Historic Reserve - bushland near the small historic town of Steiglitz, a tiny hamlet west of Melbourne (roughly halfway between Geelong and Ballarat).

To quote the guide book, "Melbourne's Western Gorges", by Glenn Tempest:

"During the 1860s, Steiglitz was a booming gold town of over 1500 people. Its busy streets were lined with dozens of buildings including four hotels, two banks, several schools, a public library and even a newspaper. Today, Steiglitz is home to a dozen residents who share their tranquil setting with a few tourists and lots of ghosts."

I was particularly taken by these massive pine trees. They were originally planted at either side of the gate that led to the teacher's residence at the New Chum School. New Chum was another nearby mining town. The school closed in 1874.

I have just noticed that what is asked for here is photographs of bush poetry events. Nobody seems to be putting much up of that nature, so I suppose a little bit of history is better than nothing.

[Shelley Hansen]

Stephen, just keep posting your fascinating photos and snippets of information. Who knows - they may be the inspiration for someone's poetry!!

[Stephen Whiteside]

No worries, Shelley! Sounds good.