Headed to the National Storytelling Summit in Fremont California in July, but had a bit of a hiccup on the way. Because I had travelled to Iran in 2013 I had to attend the American Embassy for an interview. They wanted to know why I'd been there. After waiting waiting, passport and visa finally arrived. Reposting my Iranian adventure. it had me thinking on similarities rather than differences.

"East Timor Independence Day is celebrated on the 20th of May every year. This important day marks the independence won by Timor Leste from Indonesian rule in 2002. 
Reposting my stories from 2013 visit as I think back to my visit with the Alma Nuns and the wonderful  compassion, kindness and sense of sacred they live with everyday.

Singing, stories and love. You could feel it in the air

The translator and I worked seamlessly and they students kept looking from one to the other. A satisfying sigh, followed the time lapse of listening to the translation of the final sentence. Much joy for me.

I love when the chiefs hold hands as they sing welcome and our journey to Balibo.

Aboriginal Water Grants program sees funding for Bendigo Creek continue
​Aunty Marilyne Nicholls has been involved as a water projects officer, and as a Dja Dja Wurrung person working with Dja Dja Wurrung Enterprises and engaging members.
Water is life, and holds huge significance for the Dja Dja Wurrung people as a place to live, and part of traditional ceremonies, Aunty Marilyne said.
Now, they want to reclaim agency in the system of water ownership, for the good of the land and for future generations.
“Everybody needs to play their part for the future of better water for country as well as people, and the impact it plays on that bigger biodiversity of life,” she said.
“Because it’s not just about us as peoples, it’s about the future, it’s about what we leave for our kids for the future.”
When the work began, the site was a disaster zone.
The project has changed her mind about how Aboriginal people can work to heal waterways.
“When I first was asked if I’d like to be involved in a Bendigo Creek project, I said, no,” Aunty Marilyne said.
“I teach traditional weaving with sedge grasses, and I thought no, I’m not going to take any of my people down to that waterway to get sick while they’re harvesting grasses, we’re not going anywhere near it.
“To see something like this, and to be engaged and work on this process of how it’s been developed has changed my mind about how we can work to start healing that water.” To read the entire article, go here
https://www.bendigoadvertiser.com.au/story/5486874/dja-dja-wurrung-receive-funds-to-continue-healing-waterway-work/

by Hayley Elg                                                                                         JULY 11 2018 - 7:30AM

To celebrate this year’s NAIDOC Week theme, ‘Because of Her, We Can’ three women are joining forces to tell women’s stories from different perspectives. 
Local storyteller Anne E Stewart will host the storytelling event, which will be led by multi clan indigenous elder, Aunty Marilyne Nicholls. Social ecologist Laurel Freeland will share stories of women’s connection with Mother Earth.
The day is intended to celebrate Mother Earth as well as the women who have told the stories and passed on the traditional practices that keep culture and connection to the land alive.
It will open with a Dja Dja Wurrung Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony, followed by a day of stories, ceremony and healing. 
Participants will be immersed in traditional aboriginal and contemporary stories of women, earth healing practices, rituals and will work with the elements. 
Our Connection with Mother Earth: Stories and Workshop will be held at the Story House and Garden in Daylesford on July 12 from 10am-3.30pm. To register, visit www.storyhouseandgarden.com/events

Who was Ellen?
Ellen was a Dja Dja Wurrung woman who was born at the Loddon Aboriginal Protectorate in 1849, the daughter of Yerrebulluk (Dicky) and Brebie (Eliza). She was taught to read, write and do needlework at the Aboriginal school.

When the Prince of Wales and Queen Victoria married in 1863 the Dja Dja Wurrung people sent the Queen two letters written by Ellen and a collar she had crocheted.
The Queen replied with her thanks, particularly asking Ellen to make it known to her people that she was concerned for their welfare. The Queen’s concern was warranted. Twenty-five years of contact with white people had already led, directly and indirectly, to the death of large numbers of the Dja Dja Wurrung people across central Victoria.
Ellen was removed, with six other Aboriginal children and five adults (including her mother, Eliza) when the Aboriginal Station at Franklinford closed, to the new reserve at Coranderrk, near present day Healesville, in April 1864. Ellen herself died in 1874 at the age of 35, following the deaths of her three children from tuberculosis.
Ellen’s life as well the lives of her parents is illustrative of many of the tumultuous changes that occurred to the Dja Dja Wurrung Nation and peoples in the three decades following first contact with Major Mitchell in 1836.
Walk participants will receive more information about the history of the area and the Protectorate during the walk.
Reconciliation
Ellen’s Walk for Reconciliation is a joint initiative of the Shire of Hepburn, the Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation and the Great Dividing Trail Association. It forms one of many positive community initiatives being undertaken locally from 2018 as part of the Hepburn Shire’s Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). 
 
BOOK HERE

1. Beginning : Old Fire Station / Historical Museum : Acknowledgement of Dja Dja Wurrung Country / History of Fire Station and fires in the area and Placename

​You are now entering the land of the Dja Dja Wurrung people who lived gently on the lands bounded by the Loddon and Avoca Rivers and on towards the Bendigo area, for thousands of years. Also known as the Jaara people, they believed the souls of their ancestors lived in the birds and you may sense this, feel their presence, as you drive around the region and become aware the story of Daylesford starts with these first nation people.
(View here a clip I made about the Dja Dja Wurrung clan and their crew on country.)

The tour starts here at the old fire station, now they Visitor information Centre where you can gather lots of other information about things to do and see in the region
The building was completed in 1906 after relocating from Bridport Street which is now the site of the Daylesford kindergarten. 

​Bush fires have long been part of the region’s history, from the first recorded back on Black Thursday, Feb 6th 1851 when John Egan lost all his sheep; to the fires of February 2009 when fires circled the town heading towards Coomoora and Glenlyon. 
Our first fire brigade was formed in 1861 when 29 volunteers put up their hands to help, supported by the local Police magistrate and Gold Commissioner.  
In 1865 the Daylesford brigade moved from Bridport street, on the site of the present kindergarten, to Vincent street. The brick engine house was built in 1906. Recently the Fire Station has moved back to a new site in Bridport street.  
​

Back from the wall you’ll see the old toilet block and spectator steps for the swimming pool that once occupied this site, grass now grows in the children’s wadding area and a fence enclosed the adult pool. A swimming club was founded in 1930 and the lake Daylesford Classic still occurs once a year for the brave hearted.
           
But I think one of the highlights for me was when local resident and Australian playwrite Rebecca Lister staged a production, Calling All Angels down on the grassed area with characters arriving across the Lakes in Boats. It was a group of teenagers and volunteers and was quite spectacular. The Sun set, the cresecent moon came up and candles lined the stage.
 I don’t know how she pulled it off. 
Swimming in summer is divine but it’s not advised in winter, cold currents and old mine shafts mean these waters are pretty treacherous. Sadly there have been several deaths in the Lake.
Now back to the carpark and across to your left and you’ll see the Bookbarn.  It’s worth a visit,  a interesting range of books, great coffee and the best views of the lake from out on the deck.  (Watch this space A.S)
Directions
Walk around the Lake for views of Lake House or drive passed on your way to Lake Jubilee.

1. The Lakehouse

Thomas Edison said that genius is 10 percent inspiration and 90 percent perspiration. This applies to Daylesford’s Lakehouse and the visionaries who created it,  Alla and Alan Wolf-Tasker. Nestled by the shores of the Lake, this award winning small luxury hotel is one of the Daylesford institutions that put us on the map.
For all the hotel’s grace and charm, there is a long arduous journey that saw it come to fruition.
But I need to take you back a little to the culture and heritage that influenced Alla and shaped the goals for her fine dining country restaurant. 
Her parents, Anatolie and Katya Wolf left Russia with baby Alla in the 1950’s and after the many warn torn years took great delight and comfort in sharing food, wine, conversation and singing with other Russian immigrants to Melbourne. She remembers they acquired a “dacha’ or summerhouse in Daylesford during her teenage years, “it was set beautifully high on Wombat Hill with enchanting views over the valley and its lake. ... Australian outside with ...double-gabled miner’s cottage roof, requisite ‘thunder box’ and resident tiger snake out the back, inside it bore portraits of Pushkin and Chekov, family religious icon and reproductions of famous Russian Paintings. 
She remembers that every weekend the Ruskies came bearing pickled herrings, smoked eels and marinated mushrooms. Her mum and dad were both wonderful cooks and entertainers and Alla believes that her passion for hospitality stemmed from these times.
People thought Alla either was a mad woman or a visionary for her idea to bring fine dining to country Victoria. 
Her husband explains the first time they saw the block by the lake known to the locals as the swamp, ‘I was a trifle gobsmacked. A horse met us at the fence and tracked after us through the gorse, blackberry and sparse native grass, traversing around the seven redback infested car wrecks and the single but dying eucalypt to the edge of the steep slope that fell to the murky waters of the swamp below. 
Within an hour the ex-mine site was ours … a piece of earth that had been turned completely inside out in the search for that precious metal …. gold.”
The hard work began, scraping and levelling the building site and planting out a garden on what Allan describes as “the most useless agricultural offering of all times”. 
If you were to walk the gardens now with Alla, she would show you the plants that originated from her mother’s garden maybe you’d sit under the white birch trees they planted together when she was heavily pregnant with her daughter Larrisa. She would tell you of her Chekovian flights of fantasy for cherry orchards and her dream of creating a restaurant that had a strong sense of place.
Years of full time jobs, shared baby sitting, the chef, the cook, driver, bottle wash, preserver, baker, they did it all. Long hard hours have gone into this labour of love since it opened its doors in 1984
As Rita Erlich called it in an early review– “Enchanting Lake House.” It is that and more
Alla has succeeded in creating a sense of place and a visit to the Lakehouse always feels like a very special occasion. If you would like to learn more about Allan and Alla’s journey you could purchase their book “Lake House  - A Culinary Journey in Country Australia” by Alla Wolf-Tasker 

1. Heading to Jubilee Lake, Honey, Old Saw Mill

Directions to Jubilee Lake Road
As you head out of town along Jubilee Lake Road you’ll come to the old tram line that used to service the sawmill at Specimen Hill, one of many mills that operated in the Wombat Forest to service the Gold Rush need for mining timbers. 1878 was the peak year for output from combined mills and over 60,000,000 super feet of sawn timber(18,288,000  metres) was produced. In 1887 a correspondent in the Ballarat Star noted that “the heavier timber has long gone through the saw”, and in 1899 a Royal Commission into the management of State Forests and Timber Reserves called it “the Ruined Forest.” If you drive far enough along the road you’ll see signs of timber cutting still taking place today.
But back to the road, a kilometre or so along Lake Jubilee Road you’ll come to O’Toole’s Honey Stall. It is a family business with Des and Debbie  O’Toole at the helm and it has been operating since 1980.
They have their apiaries throughout the Central Highlands and have been known to produce eight different varieties of high quality honeys, including, Orange Blossom, Clover and Salvation Jane produced in spring. Summer sees Yellow Box, Red Box, Peppermint, Messmate and Red Gum honey’s  and Autumn brings Stringy Bark, Grey Box and Ironbark while in winter there's Desert Banksia, Mallee, Ti Tree, Melaleuca and Manuka honeys.
The O’Tooles reckon that the bees of the Wombat Forest are spoilt for choice when it comes to blossoms.
Denise Robinson Update
The O'Tooles of honey fame are related to Australian championship axemen -
another branch of the same family working the forest

On we go, to Lake Jubilee.
It was built in 1857 to supply the town with water and was originally known as Daylesford Spring’s Reservoir.  A few hundred metres upstream past a grand old stand of Elm trees is the spring that gave the reservoir its name. The retaining wall has washed away twice and in the early 1900’s the reservoir  was renamed Jubilee Lake in honour of Queen Victoria’s recent Jubilee. It is now a favourite spot for campers and a place for swimming, canoeing and fishing.  And if you’re so inclined, and have your laptop with you, there is even wireless internet.

1. Back to town- The Main Street History

Since I arrived in the town nearly twenty years ago the main street has undergone many changes. Businesses have come and gone, many have transformed and new shops have opened along Vincent Street, extended around the corner into Albert and Howe Street and on most weekends Daylesford is a busy hub of visitors.  When you come to the first roundabout you’ll see the post office on your left dating back to 1867, across the road from that is Jimmy and Cath Triggers Antique store was established in 1973 and is worth a look. Diagonally across from Triggers, there is another Daylesford Institution, Frangos and Frangos. When I arrived in the town it was the Belvedere Hotel known to the local’s as the “Swinging Arms” for the tendency of patrons to settle any dispute with their fists. But now the Frangos family have opened an eclectic range of eateries, shops and spaces for hire.
A.S. Update, of course Travis is now operating Kouklas on the corner
Denise Robinson
I'm sure you know the Belvedere Hotel used to be the original Cobb and Co
staging post


Continuing on you, have the Daylesford Town Hall on your left, it was built in two stages, the front Muncipal offices were completed in 1884 and the hall behind finished in 1886. In a book commissioned to celebrate its centenary R.D Patterson writes “it represented the community focus of the town. In the twenties it pulsated to weekly jazz dancing.... in wartime soldiers were their farewell there, for some a welcome home, and for one out of three, a eulogy.  It has been a ballroom for romance and court of disputes for the broken hearted. In an enterprising period, it was a venue for roller skating, and even the pugilists left their blood on the mat in boxing and wrestling tournaments.
Across the road the Spanish/deco style Rex Cinema was built in 1928 and was the first theatre in town “wired for talkies” and the first to show Mickey Mouse. It didn’t last for long and has had various other guises over the years including supermarket, two dollar shop and it’s latest incarnation as a shopping mall. At the time of writing about half the shops in the arcade have been filled but if you take a look you can see all the features of the old cinema. 


A.S The Shire Offices along with the Cinema and Library will soon be operating from The Rex Buidling
​

Check here for more information about plans for the Rex ​

Directions
At the bottom roundabout you are going to do a right hand turn and then another hard right immediately after. You’ll notice the Sculptural piece in the middle of the grassed area it is called Going Home and was sculpted by the legendary and local sculptor Stanley Hammond

1. Stanley Hammond - Going Home by C.J Denis

Stanley was born In Trentham in 1913 and did his studies at the Daylesford Technical School, in his day housed in the Daylesford Historic Museum. He went onto further studies and then produced 100’s of bronze statues including those of John Batman in Collins Street, Captain James Cook in Cooktown and the 125 tonne basalt “Fallen Warrior” at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne. Next time your in Bendigo, check out the impressive Sacred Heart Cathedral, Bendigo, the gargoyles on the top of the church were sculpted by Hammond and thought to ward off evil spirits. He was awarded an MBE in 1974 and in 19?? he was commissioned to sculpt his piece Going Home.

Right and Right again at the roundabout. The Court House Heritage Victoria states that “the Daylesford Police Reserve, courthouse, police quarters and lock-up are collectively of historical, architectural and aesthetic significance.”
In its prime position at the end of the Ballarat road, perched half way up Wombat Hill, when it was built it 1862 it would have cast an imposing presence over the goldfields. If you wander inside you can see that the courthouse retains much of the original features. The Judges bench is there, the prisoner’s dock, witness box and juror’s box and upstairs the gallery. One can only wonder at the scenes that would have taken place here.
The former Daylesford police quarters and cell block are located uphill from the courthouse, the single-storey quarters are one of only two surviving examples of a combined office and single man’s quarters and in 1994 a Arts Victoria grant restored the quarters for use as further classroom space. 
Past the police quarters was the Lock-up. It consisted of three cells and the graffiti that covers the inside walls of these cells pay testimony to a parade of characters that ‘did time.
Convenient then we are also in the ecclesiastical centre of the town, so that these ‘sinners’ could be prayed for. 

1. Walk the Churches, the Manse and the Albert Hotel

Heading south along the road you’ll pass the Manse that was once residence to the Presbyterian minister from St Andrew’s Church next door. The manse is now luxury accommodation and when it was purchased there also were plans to develop the church next door into a series of apartments and townhouses. The plans were incredibly grandiose but the developers must have lost interst, or run out of money for it never did eventuate. Now the old Church has been abandoned again and is overgrown and deteriorating. Interesting note though, if you ever watched the Television series Bellbird it was the distinctive tower of St Andrews that could be spied in the opening credits.
On the other side of the road, ???? and further down on the corner is St Peter’s Catholic Chuch The foundation stone was laid on November 29th 1863 and the church was blessed and opened on May 14th 1865.
Central Springs road, that crosses at the Southern end of camp street road at the end we also have the Uniting Church and the Anglican Christ church and Stanbridge Hall.


Left to the Botanical Gardens, then watch for the left turn into the gardens and circle the gardens and turn into the carpark

1. Left to the Botanical Gardens. Significant trees, the Pioneer Memorial, and water storage and plans for the future.

As you drive through the magnificent sweep of trees that line the road into the Botanical Gardens bear in mind it was designed to cater in a bygone era when carriages and its occupants would visit for picnics. The road is wide and circles the garden, taking in 360 degree views of Daylesford and surrounds. In fact I remember a girlfriend’s brother and I tying white ribbon to every second tree on this path leading family and friends to her wedding. They were set aside in 1854 and as is usual for the time Victorian Government Botanist Baron Von Mueller donated many of the trees. Unusually though, so did many of the locals donate plants to the gardens. Cuttings were called for much to the dismay of many of the purists.  Another curious thing about our gardens is they were created on an extinct volcano.
Stop at the car park and take a stroll through the gardens. Check out the information board for the sight of the significant trees and other features. The Pioneer’s Memorial tower to the right of the boards was built in 1938 and a plaque marks the occasion, a climb to the top is a must for the view across the gardens and to the distant landscape of rolling Hills. During the war years it was aircraft observation tower and has also been used as a fire spotting station.
You can see the water storage basin, which surprisingly, is feed by gravity from the Bullarto reservoir, 10 kilometres to the east which is just 30 metres higher than the Wombat Hill.
There is a friends of Wombat Hills Botanic Gardens group and spokesperson Gael Shannon said they “are  lobbying hard to establish a secure water supply for the gardens, to ensure their survival in the face of drought and climate change. 
"We want these gardens to be thriving and enjoyed by many generations to come." 
The group is preparing for their 150th anniversary in 2013. 
Another development in the pipeline is that Alla Wolf Tasker from the Lakehouse, is coming to the Gardens. There are plans for a big redevelopment. 


Denise Robinson Updates
The Friends of Wombat Hill Gardens, President is now Ray Robinson and there's a booklet that we have in theInfo Centre celebrating the 150 years of the gardens $5 story, plans andpictures, Wombat Hill House now in its 5th year or so.  You might make
mention of the Friends Growing group with plants for sale on Thursdays - we
weeded this morning volunteering probably 30 hours between us and potted
over 200 plants - fabulous co-operating with the head gardener and Shire these days.
And of course the fabulous Kiosk is open A.S.

1. Back to the Roundabout, turn right for Hepburn. 

1. Macaroni Factory, 

In 2009 the Macaroni Factory Celebrated its 150th anniversary. Maria Viola and her children, descendents of pioneers Pietro  and Giacomo Lucini, presented a night on the Goldfields as a part of a weekend of festivities. 
As with many of the early settlers to the Hepburn area, the Lucini brothers came from Switzerland’s Ticino and Italy’s Lombardy regions leaving behind them hard times and political unrest when they arrived on the goldfields of the Hepburn shire.
What they also brought with them were their culinary and gardening skills, local historian Clare Gervasoni in her book Bullboar, Macaroni and Mineral Water  states that ‘food became an important part of life on the Jim Crow Diggings” and that ‘stories of chestnuts, cheesemaking, Italian sausage making and wine abound with the history of our districts early settlers.” The Macaroni factory became a real focal point for the community
The brothers had a market for their pasta, in fact in 1881 Lucini was awarded a prize for his macaroni at the Melbourne International Exhibition. Superior wheat and the added boost of health giving mineral water were commented on.
On the weekends the pasta cafe is open and Maria cooks and tells stories and leads the singing celebrating the life and times of her ancestors. If you’re lucky enough to be there when tours are on, you’ll be impressed by the frescos painted on the ceilings by Giacomo Lucini. I remember there’s a scene from Verdi’s ‘Il Trovatore’ depicted and like a snapshot in time Giacomo’s political allegiance’s


Denise Robinson: Update
I don't think the Old Mararoni Factory is open for anything these days sadly

1. The Savoia,

Opposite the Macaroni Factory is the Savoia Hotel, in the 1860’s it housed the Italian Lending Library and the first meeting to protect the mineral waters was held here with many Italian settlers amongst the group gathered.

1. The Bellizona 

On your right, “The Bellizona” named for Battista Borsa’s hometown in the Ticino. It has always been a popular guest house but sadly has burnt to the ground twice, one in the early 1900’s and again in 2003. 

1. Peppers

Peppers Springs retreat was a grand old guest house when it was built in the 1930’s and it has gone on to win many awards for its hospitality and spa packages. The deco style and interior have been transformed into a luxurious retreat

1. Villa Parma 

When Parma House was built in 1864 for the Swiss-Italian Fabrizzio Crippa it was like transporting an image of Italy to our countryside.  It added a sense of permanency to the emerging village. 

1. The Springs: Taking the Waters / Bathhouse

They say 80% of Australia’s naturally occurring mineral springs are in the Hepburn Shire and as you drive down to the Bathhouse and reserve you can largely thank the early Swiss Italian immigrants to the region for their preservation, of in particular the area around the mineral springs reserve and bathhouse. It was they who petitioned for ‘some land ... to be proclaimed a reserve.’ They also argued for the health and therapeutic benefits of water and pathed  the way for “Taking the Waters’ to once again be a tourism boon for the region.
A newly renovated bathhouse opened its doors again in 2008 and to honour the occasion local artist Petrus Spronk was commissioned to create a work of art. Known as  “Memory of Place” it links the old with new directions for the bathhouse. The Chair and its shadow and a series of boulders tell the story of the reserve.
Many community events have taken place in the reserve, local kindergartens used it for years as place for family picnics and the 1st welcoming event of the year and annually the Swiss Italian parade winds down though the bush to arrive here. A highlight was the year local performers the Fratellini brothers kept a large crowd spell bound for over an hour. They were hugely entertaining. If you’ve brought some empty bottles you can get some mineral water from the springs.
Coming out of the reserve area your on the back Hepburn Road and head out to the Midland Highway. Your turning right and heading towards Castlemaine

1. Jackson’s Lookout

A short way along this road, on your right you’ll see the signs to Jacksons Lookout. There is an old tower to climb where you can get stunning views over the Wombat forest. Rumour has it ........that this is a spot frequented by young love birds.
Just to remind you, at the Midland Highway you are going to turn left.Heading towards Castlemaine watch for the Chocolate Mill on your left

1. Heading to the Chocolate Mill

The Chocolate Mill may be one of the newcomers to Hepburn’s attractions but has been making its mark since it opened in doors in 2003. The recipient of many awards the chocolate mill prides itself on  its environmentally friendly business, it’s a straw bale building and they insist on using the finest of quality ingredients for their chocolates. Owners Jennifer Gregory & Chris Weippert say they have been overwhelmed by the number of true chocoholics that have passed through the doors and if you fall into this category I suggest you stop for a while and stock up.


Denise Robineson
The Chocolate Mill has been sold by Chris Whipert - new owners upholding the
tradition.


Now where heading to Mt Franklin and the tour is going to take you inside the old extinct volcano

1. Onto to Mt Franklin, Lalgambook to the Traditional Owners, Jim Crow and The Last Corroboree, The Franklins

The first European settlers called it Jim Crow Hill but Mt Franklin was re-named for Sir John Franklin, the Lieutenant  Governor of Tasmania from 1837 to 1843 when he visited the region and climbed to the rim of the mountain. Where he crossed the Jim Crow Creek his name was given to his crossing place, Franklinford. But to the local aboriginal people the mountain was known as Lalgambook.
There is some dispute about the age of the volcanoes and when they actually might have last erupted. Some say 5 million years ago but there is  a local story told by Djarra people that talks of this area as The Smoking Grounds and tells of a time when Mt Lalgambook threw fire rocks at Mt Tarrengower. Which would mean, that maybe they were active within the last ten thousand years.


The Heritage Victoria Site explains that Mount Franklin and the surrounding area
appears to have been a place of considerable religious significance to Aboriginal people.
Both ethnographical and archaeological evidence indicates that frequent large
ceremonial gatherings took place in the area. In fact as you head back down the hill listen to the story of one of these corroborees. 


You can drive right into the crater and lots of people like to camp in here. The road to the summit is quite rough. Directions for the turn to Franklinford    

1. Franklinford and Laynebarramul Sanctuary 1965. History of the Aboriginal Protectorate

I found a fantastic bit of writing in Edgar Morrisons The Loddon Aborigines. It is taken from the local paper of time, the advocate and is attributed to any anonymous old timer. It is a first- hand account of the last corroboree at Franklinford
“It was in the month of November, 1843, that I first had the pleasure of witnessing an Aboriginal Corroboree held on a large scale in what is now called the township of Franklinford. I had witnessed corroborees in Sydney, Adelaide and Queensland and I can safely say that it equalled anything that I ever saw
Franklinford was an insignificant place then as far as houses and European population were concerned. Blacks came from all quarters so as to make the sight more imposing. Making our way to the camp, which was close to the Station, we were attracted by the lights and the barking of dogs of which there were about 300. On nearing the camp we found it pitched in a circle of about 70 yards circumference, (more probably diameter. 
A large and very good likeness of a sea serpent about 20ft long made of bark so as to resemble one in every degree, near top one side of the circle.Having arrived some minutes before the Corroboree commenced we could see dark forms skipping about, some with fire sticks and spears flashing them before the serpent with the velocity of lightning, while further in the background in the dark a wild unearthly concentrated scream of about a 1000 voices would make your blood curdle, and the scream would be answered immediately in the opposite direction by a similar series of yells, the beating of nulla-nullas and boomerangs as an accompaniment formed the orchestra, while the lighting of a large fire near the serpent served for the raising of the curtain.
When the fire burnt up brightly enough we could see in the distance a row of most hideous looking women and giorls that you could gaze on. They were painted in the most grotesque and ridiculous manner and were all sitting on a long  pole which was held up with long forked sticks.
After a while the females old and young in alternative rows, sidled over to where the musicians were and sat down and all raised their voices in chorus. At this time the fire was burning firecrecly , and peering away in the darkness we saw emerging from the trees a procession of painted savages in a single file, each armed with a spear. About every 10 yards thaey all gave a yell similar to that at the commencement.
They continued until the whole of them were in view in a sort of half circle but keeping clear of the serpent. The shouting and beating of the nullah-nullahs and the gins young and old keeping up the chant and beating time on their old “blankets” (probably posuum skin rugs) made a singular pandemonium. This was the very best view we had of the performers in their paint and feathers. Many of them had their hair all stuck with parrot and cockatoo feathers. No two of them were painted exactly alike and, and in some instances they were most artistically done up. In their mouths they had pieces of white or red stuff to resemble flowers. In this manner they all proceeded round to where there was a sapling laid across tow sticks and against this were laid up two long poles on which the foremost began to ascend, coing down near the nearest side on his back – the whole of the procession following suit to the most excruciating scrams. This ended act 1 and it was on again.
Coming in to the light of the performers has and entirely new step which chiefly consisted of stamping as if to discover how far they could put their feet through the earth; they kept excellent time. On nearing the the serpent this time they, for the first time, appeared to be aware of its presence and pretended to be awfully frightened running backwards and forwards but  growing bolder each time until at last they touched it, when an unearthly scream around the whole lot burst on the midnight air. The followe such tests of agility and somersaults backwards and forward as I seldom ever saw equalled. This cintined for some time until at last one more daring than the rest got astride of the serpent and another put his hand on the mouth, and then everyone in the crowd ventured to touch it.
Just as the moon appeared on the Eastern horizon she shed a glow of bright light on the serpent, when all at once you could see the dark form of a savage coming out form undernearth. At this sudden apparition the whole lot bounded away and before they got five yards a loud noise was heard like the shot of a gun and you could see a sheet of clear red fire leaping upward in heavy coils from the serpent. An immense fountain of sparks was hurled up which filled the air whith spangles that floated gently away upon the smoke and in a short time the whole of the serpent was consumed. We shall never again see such a sight as that which I and a few others atill alive witnessed in 1843 at Franklinford.


When you come to the two churches at the fork in the road you’ll see a memorial cairn to Edward Stone Parker who was appointed Aboriginal Protector for the Loddon Aborigines. He arrived in 1839 and had been directed to safeguard aborigines from "encroachments on their property, and from acts of cruelty, of oppression or injustice" and with the longer term goal of "civilising" the natives.
 This area around Franklinford became known as the Loddon Aboriginal Protectorate Station but to the Djarra people it was known as Larne-ne-barramul or the habitat of the emu. You can see the sign behind Parkers cairn, Larnebarramul Sanctuary, a small reminder of the traditional owners. Quite a few artifacts were collected from the site and you can see them at the Daylesford museum.
Directions to get to Clarke’s road and the Yandoit Cemetery 

1. Left into Clarkes Road and the cemetery and its History (Yandoit Hills)

The Franklinford cemetery at Yandoit is like a road map of the history of this district,  Edward Stone Parker is buried in the top right hand corner and a list of old family names like Henderson, Sartori and Tinetti are dotted through. Sadly in my time I have attended burial ceremonies here and you can see the influence of artists arriving in the district in the bottom left hand corner. 
There is a Chinese section opposite Parker’s and I’ve been told that aboriginal people were buried throughout the cemetery and not segregated. I know of no such graves or names.
Directions, if your car is up to it you could drive out to Yandoit and see some of the Italian stone houses, I believe several are registered with Victoria Heritage. Otherwise we’re heading back towards Hepburn Either way there was a strong Swiss Italian influence in this area

1. Heading back to Town, crossing the Jim Crow Creek and the Swiss Italian Settlement

By the 1860’s 2500 Italian speakers had immigrated to the region around the Jim Crow Creek as it flows through Shepherd’s flat and surrounds. They were used to working amongst the steep hills and gullies of their homelands and they were young and skilled and hard working. They had a huge influence on the area and their names are dotted through years of local newspapers and official records chronicling their input into the town.
The landscape around here would have been turned over and completely changed within a few decades of the goldrush commencing in the early 1850’s. At first the gold was looked for in creeks and river beds but then huge earthworks and redirecting of waterways would have huge scars on the land.
But it was the Swiss Italian who stayed on and used the waterways for their gardens. Vines were planted, and gardens and chestnut trees. The Italians were renowned green thums and used tocool climate gardening.
Nothing was wasted pork and beef were made into the legendary and local bullboar sausages, it’s said recipes were guarded jealously. Fruit was preserved and cheese and butter became a profitable business. Out on “Elevezia” at Yandoit 40 people were employed in the 1880’s.
The houses and dry stone walls are indication of the Italians adapting to their surrounds and their prudent natures. Cellars were dug and and the stones used to build the house above and paddocks were cleared for farming and the stones used to build the fences.
Those early permaculturalists thrived throughout these hills and plains.
Directions to Cricket Willow

1. Cricket Willow

At Shepherd’s Flat you’ll come to Cricket Willow, it’s worth a look. Stop for a drink and a snack, sit on the wide veranda and you’ll get the best views in the district of Mt Franklin. You’ll also overlook one of the most picturesque and pristine cricket ovals around and it’s always an occasion and worth trying to catch a game.
Five generations of Tinetti’s have lived here and Ian and Trish Tinetti and their children have revived the areas early connections with cricket. The say the odd cricket game had taken place on Tinetti Hill since the Goldrush days but ‘the cricketing connection was firmly entrenched by the Crockett family just after the turn of the century” After the 1902 test match between England and Australia. Test umpire Robert Crockett and English captain Archie MacLaren were casually chatting during a break in play. MacLaren was surprised that Australia did not cultivate its own bat willow and Crockett idly suggested that MacLaren should send some cuttings to Australia upon his return to the mother country.
Cuttings were sent from England but only one survived which went on to be propagated into thousand s of cricket willow trees and bats. Years later circumstance saw these trees felled, ‘except for a handful along the banks of the Jim Crow Creek that were saved by Aquilino Tinetti.’  
As I said Trish and Ian have worked hard to fullfill Aquilino’s dream of the industry being revived. There is pool tables, bocce, a bunk house that would sleep a large family group and a great museum/workshop where Ian will show how the bats are cut and made. Recently the museum also acquired a fantastic exhibition from the Immigration Museum in Melbourne. It is called Wine, Water & Stone: The Swiss and Italians of Hepburn.
Quiet achievers, unsung hero’s they are the stuff that make local legends.
You might be interested in this video I made about Cricket Willow

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Directions to Lavandula

1. Lavandula Swiss Italian Farm

After 150 years the Tinetti family were ready to sell a portion of their land and we are lucky that it fell into the very capable hands of Carol White. A city girl needing a tree change and somewhere to raise her sons she saw the auction sign nailed out the front of the property. As Carol relates “in those days Shepdale (as it was known ) consisted of three Italian-built golden stone buildings that suggested to her that she could live in rural Australia but it would feel like Europe!” And so the hard work began, “she planted a European kitchen garden and trialled lavender” and some twenty years later this hard working woman has produced another iconic Hepburn business .
Like Alla and Tina, the extraordinary vision has been supported by painstaking and relentless work. She has restored the buildings to their former glory, the cobblestone courtyard is shady and reminiscent of far off lands and the licensed cafe, La Trattoria serves farm fresh and locally produced food.
Carol holds several festivals over the year including the lavender harvest in summer. It’s a beautiful sight watching the team gather bunches of lavender in the purple fields and then hang it out for drying.  Check out Carol’s website for details of other events but I can assure you if you stop by for a visit when you enter the driveway lined with Lombardy poplars and enter Lavandula Swiss Italian farm  you will feel like you have entered another world. Stay a while, relax and if you’re really feeling like indulging yourself you can hire a secluded little cottage that looks out onto the winter creek.

1. Breakneck Gorge and the Panther Sightings
2. Back to Town, then onto Captains Creek and Smeaton House  

​Check out the history of Captains Creek Organic Farm and if you time your tour right, you'll be in time for wine tasting and fabulous tasting plates.  For all food and wine details, GO HERE

Written by Rowena McCracken
When asked what impacted her most during her ten days of silent meditation in Myanmar, Jess Farrelly pauses to think and starts to talk about happiness. She then stops, rethinks, and moves on to pain: “learning that physical pain is not something to be afraid of”.
“I felt a complete happiness in experiencing discomfort and pain which comes with eleven hours of meditation a day”.
 
The prolonged meditation, sitting through hunger and lack of sleep, taught her how to get through pain and not let it overpower her. “You realise that pain is a part of life that we can not only come through, but we can derive happiness from.”
 
Sleeping on a wooden slat bed under a mosquito net in a pagoda in Myanmar, Jess felt the happiest she had ever been in her life. Her experience with Vipassana meditation meant existing without attachments to family, friends and possessions, or access to the internet.
 
She loves Vipassana so much she has taught meditation to children at Brunswick Primary School in Melbourne and is planning a series of retreats for millennials.
 
Jess is concerned about the pressure millennials face and the consequences this has. A millennial herself, Jess wants to spread the word amongst her peers that using the strength in your mind to shift your focus from pain to enhanced self-awareness and mindfulness, leads to a way of living life with balance, peace and composure. “Many millennials don't use this inner strength because they are not aware they have it”, Jess says.
 
Research shows that millennials feel intense pressure to succeed. The competitive millennial is stressed about looking to what they can achieve in the future. In a generation where, more than any other, the smartphone is the medium of social approval and being socially accepted is measured, instantly, by the number of ‘likes’ you receive, it follows that your aim is to always look to find the most glamorous outcome from any situation you are in.  Being fashionable has always been important but these days it is amped up by the ease in which approval, gratification or disapproval can be instantly achieved. Compulsively. Millennials have never known life without the smartphone, without being connected through the internet. Posting the selfie immediately becomes more important than being present in the moment. Indeed, taking the selfie becomes the moment.
 
Competition and pressure to succeed often causes lack of focus, which, in turn, leads to insecurity and inability to observe and value input from other people in social situations. Jess says she has noticed that, rather than listen and respond to develop a conversation, her peers are distracted and jump from one topic to the next.  She is concerned that on a social level, people are unable to enjoy the ‘here and now’. Instead, they are stressed due to a competitive drive to look around and compare themselves with others, to focus on what might be around the corner so they can achieve more, rather than be present in the moment.
 
In addition, Jess sees her peers blaming the actions of others for their own state of mind instead of being aware that what is inside them is the root cause of their emotional response and wellbeing. She sees self-awareness as key to enjoying the moment. “I want to teach response rather than reaction - learning to respond to any situation from a point inside yourself, rather than reacting to someone else”. Why is this important? “Because you can hold the anger inside you so it affects your relationship with that person, so that the next time you see them you are still holding the stress inside you”.
 
Jess has tested her conviction by running retreats for Millennials. Workshops are hosted in Daylesford, Victoria by Story House and Garden. During workshops, Jess creates a safe and calming environment and speaks from the heart about her personal journey. The retreats include interactive workshops from Holly Inglis (AKA The Healthy Hunter) on food and the connection it has to the mind and body. Coming out of the workshops, participants have described their experience using terms such as ‘feeling more grounded’, and being equipped with ‘so many takeaways to bring back with me to my daily life’.  Written by Rowena McCracken.
 
Information can be accessed at www.essential-being.com and contact@essentialbeing.com.

His hair was long and dark, and it flowed out in the water around Him as He swam. Suddenly many fishes appeared and each fish took one strand of Baha'u'llah's hair in its mouth and followed Baha'u'llah as He kept swimming. 
The fish did not hurt Him, or slow Him down. When Bahil'u'llah turned one way, so did every fish. When He turned the other way, the fish followed that way. 
The fishes were following Baha'u'llah's light - the light of God in His heart. 
Baha'u'llah's father asked a wise man what his dream meant, and the wise man said that the ocean was like the world, and the fishes were the people. All the people would be attracted to the light of God in Baha'u'llah and would follow Him. They would attach their hearts to Him like the fishes in the dream attached themselves to His hair. The people would follow Baha'u'llah wherever He led them. 
Now we know that this wise man was talking about the Baha'is. We are the people who follow Baha'u'llah. Every day more people in the world find Baha'u'llah and follow Him. 
We can be like the fishes by following Baha'u'llah. If we do what Baha'u'llah teaches us, we will be full of God's light which He reflected on us.