What A Year!

Well, it’s a bit over a year now since I’ve been “back in Yack” and nearly a year since my last post… oops!

Entrance to Yack from the Beechworth/Wodonga road end.

OK, so life got in the way of the blog a bit and I have had to think a lot about how much to reveal about myself and my experiences.

Living in a small town is a lot like working in a large organisation.  You have to be careful what you say and who you say it about, because these things have a way of finding their way back to you!  Of course there is also the rumour mill that, lets face it, we all put up with on one level or another, however in a small town the rumours can of course spread faster and affect your place in the community much more quickly.

With that in mind, I recently left my new found work place here in Yack, having found myself in a business of questionable reputation.  (Just reading back over that sentence makes it sound much worse than it was, however!)

Haha, anyway I assure you reader, that it was not all that terrible.  To be honest, I knew the reputation before I began work there but I like a challenge!  It all became became too large once I realised that the owner of the business had no desire to change their ways (or no ability perhaps).  And so I find myself with time to blog once more!

Autumn, 2011

Autumn is fast approaching after a very wet and cooler than average Summer.  The weather has in fact been not unlike that of the Queensland wet season!  Very unusual for this far South.  The kids have enjoyed the local pool almost every day of the Summer, it is easy to walk to and a great meeting place for the local children.  I am very pleased, that little pool is where I first learned how to swim and dive. Now my daughters have become quite adept in the water just because of the frequency of their visits! They have never been strong swimmers before we came to Yack, something I was a little ashamed of (me being an ex squad swimmer who trained every day), but it was always too hard to regularly get them to a pool when we had to drive them and stay on site for the duration. It helps now, of course, that my children are old enough to go on their own as well.

As Summer fades, the festival season begins here in the North East of Victoria. Last weekend was the Bright Rockabilly Festival (Bright is a beautiful town about 40 minutes drive from here, at the base of the Victorian snow fields) and in less than a month it is the most major date on the Yackandandah calendar, the Yackandandah Folk Festival.  Our town transforms from a sleepy population of 8 to 9 hundred, to a huge party of around ten thousand!

A spontaneous jam session involving local and non local musicians. Yack's Pete Denehy on fiddle.

There are about 4 official sites around the town that have musical acts from all over the world playing all weekend from the 23rd to the 25th of March.  The main street is cordoned off for the duration and a market takes over the space.  It really is a wonderful sight and after only about 9 years of running, the festival is a  huge success!  Local businesses take full advantage and most say the festival is the biggest trade of the year by far for them.

I do believe it is the best time of the year to see Yackandandah show her true colours.  The local talent is on display wherever you look, and rightly so.  Local musicians already get together and play every Wednesday night, all year round, at the ‘top pub’ and now the festival has become the day that they get to entertain with their brilliance to a larger, outside audience.

Pete leading the Street Parade made up of kids from Yack, Wooragee and Osborne's Flat schools.

Peter Denehy, our local “famous person”, who won a Golden Guitar last year in Tamworth, is also a huge part of the festival.  He usually takes the head at the street parade (a parade of all the local kids in costume, some on unicycles, held up and down the main street to kick off the weekend) and you will see him pop up all over town, including of course his official shows which leave you in tears of laughter and gob smacked with awe at his musical talent.

Here are some more photos I took at last year’s Yackandandah Folk Festival (2011);

Well, here’s to ringing in March and Festivals and Autumn

Until next time, thanks for reading!

I was wrong :(

It seems that the houses I found were not in fact the remains of Hillsborough, just three houses built during that same era on the way out of Stanley.

The mystery of Hillsborough is becoming an exciting adventure though, with more and more locals joining the search for information and stories of it’s whereabouts!

The staff at the Yackandandah museum are our next point of call, I say “our” because my new found friend here in Yack is joining me in my search and a lovely lady, who lives in a home built in 1875 just next to the ruins in the photos from last blog post, also has a renewed interest in finding out more.

So watch this space!

At a dam on Old Stanley Road. Taken around midday 9 March, 2011 with very little breeze, the reflections show up beautifully. Shot with an 18-55mm lens.

I Found Hillsborough (and that’s not all)!

An abandoned miners cottage a the site of an abandoned town, "Hillsborough", in the hills above Yackandandah.

A slight increase in the "Fill Light" of this shot inside the above house, reveals a strange anomaly in the fireplace - anyone heard of ghost fire??

Interior of Hillsborough house, looking through to second (and only other) room.

Wallpaper detail from second room.

The interior of the other remaining house at 1800's Hillsborough mining town site - this is the only room.

An old tree looms over the remains of a home.

All of these shots, with the exception of the following one, have been edited in Lightroom2 – a program by Adobe Photoshop.  I tried to share the atmosphere a little with adjustments from the original photo to colour, contrasts and clarity to show details.  None of the shots are HDR (I get asked that occasionally with certain photos).

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Our time in Yack has been busy lately, earlier tonight I took my daughters to watch a bunch of locals get out their guitars, banjos, flutes, violins, a piano accordion, a Bodhran (Irish drum), a set of bongos and a tin whistle for the Wednesday night regular Celtic music jam. Fantastic stuff!  Peter Denahy, who is a golden guitar winner, is one of our locals and makes a great addition to the group, but everyone is invited and even Pete can’t always keep up!  It’s every Wednesday at the Star Hotel (blatant plug cos I like it there).

One last pic, this is a WWII army helmet I found while fossicking around those old abandonments;

WII army helmet I found, the MK111 with "1941" indented on the inside

A Weekend Drive

Finally another instalment on the BackToYack blog!  It’s been a bit of a wait and for that I apologise, earlier this week there was a huge earthquake in my husband’s home town in New Zealand – as if you hadn’t heard.  We have many family members affected but luckily no one hurt physically.  Certainly it has been frustrating and stressful being so far from the people we love who are in the middle of all that confusion and sorrow.

However, this blog is about Yackandandah isn’t it!  Well we went for a weekend drive around the famous Lake Hume just 20 mins or so from Yack.  I took some photos but mostly just to show you the Lake – I am looking forward to getting back there at sunset or sunrise when I can really capture the magic of the place.

We drove North East from Yack to the town of Tangambalanga – yes it is an even LONGER name!  The Kiwi is having trouble pronouncing this one so my plan was to immerse him in it by passing through the little township itself.

From there we headed to Tallangatta along the Murray Valley Highway.  Tallangatta is a relocated town, the original town site was flooded when the Hume Weir was built.  It was discussed beforehand, they knew it was coming.  The site of Old Tallangatta is under the water right next to where these next two shots were taken;

Leaving this site, we travelled around the bottom end of the Lake and came up the other side which is all farmland until you reach the holiday town of Bellbridge on the border of Victoria and New South Wales.

Our day finished at  the Hume Weir.  The Hume Weir was constructed by a workforce of thousands and took 12 years to complete from 1919 to 1931.  Designed to carry vehicular traffic, the dam wall is 51 metres high and 1,616 metres long, and at 100% capacity (which it is at right now) can hold 3,000,000 megalitres of water. Water is retained nearly 40 kilometres up both the Murray and Hume river valleys.

Lake Hume holds approximately 5 times the volume of Sydney Harbour!  (source, Wikipedia).

My apologies for not getting a fantastic photo of the Dam wall itself, it was a very hot day with such strong light that there was not a lot of options for a more distinctive shot.  As I mentioned earlier, I will have to go back at a lower light which will allow me to get a bit more creative!

 

After having a wander around the wall and surrounds (and grabbing some icecreams), we took the quick drive home through the beautiful regional city of Albury.

That’s it for this week, our trip to the Aboriginal Rock paintings hasn’t happened yet, however there is something I have learned about them that will certainly challenge what you thought you knew about Australian wildlife!

View Larger Map

A crack in Yack! (Apologies!)

 

 

One of the down sides of living in a regional area is that when a telephone line goes down, it takes EVEN LONGER for someone to come and fix it!  So, with no internet since the weekend, and only intermittent access for a bit longer yet we will have to be patient a little longer before I can post some more photos and  stories.

 

Just quickly though, the annual Yackandandah Folk Festival is coming up in March.  Here is a link to the site about this major (and very successful) event!

http://folkfestival.yackandandah.com/

Accommodation is filling up very quickly, try looking in Wodonga (only 20 min drive away) or close by somewhere would be my advice.  This is an event that kids, teens, young and old can all enjoy, don’t miss it!

Yacks Gone By

Built in 1859-60, the "Old Stone Bridge" crosses Commissioner's Creek where the main route from Melbourne to Sydney was planned. Those plans changed, but the bridge remains and is now in the National Trust, the Victorian Heritage Register and the National Estate.

My daughter started getting the willies (strange feeling in back of your neck) the other day, when she claims to have seen a small face poking out from a fence and looking at her while she was swimming at the Gorge (photos to come later of that old mining area).  I assured her that even if it was a ghost like she thought, it couldn’t hurt her and perhaps it was just curious.

It got me thinking though, so I went on a mission to visit some of the oldest sites around town like the Old Stone Bridge above (yes it’s a very imaginative name, isn’t it).  Of course, the oldest locals I could visit were at the fascinating Yackandandah cemetery.

This is the grave of Ellen Anderson and her family. Originally, Ellen (not the top one, the one further down) was the first to be buried at the Yackandandah Cemetary site in 1859. She died of 'convulsions' at 14 months poor thing.

There are some terrible stories, like little Ellen’s above, but also some fascinating tales of murder and odd deaths.  I can’t recount them here because I don’t know all the details, but I know who does!  Peter Ross of the Yackandandah Historical Society and Cemetery Committee has compiled an amazing amount of information, his passion for the town’s history is inspiring!  I will be visiting their Museum (The “Bank of Victoria Museum”) soon because the geek in me does love some juicy history stories!

One of the few remaining Chinese graves at the Cemetery. There were many Chinese who came to the Victorian Goldfields during Gold Rush times, most of their markers were made from timber however, which along with many other's wooden markers, have succumbed to the weather and probably white ants. If anyone can translate this one for me that would be wonderful!

The Kitchington's were one of the first three white families to settle in the Yackandandah area. Information about them and the other two first settlers (James Osborne and Elizabeth Mitchell) who arrived around 1837, can be found in this Sydney Morning Herald article -

http://www.smh.com.au/news/victoria/yackandandah/2005/02/17/1108500207664.html

The Yackandandah Visitor Information Centre also has more information on these people’s histories, Peter Ross and friends have made booklets available with detailed stories from all the information they have compiled by talking to families, studying records, etc.

I haven't found out the history of this young lady but from the inscription and name, I bet it's an interesting one!

Many of the graves have been restored and repaired by the Cemetery Committee and descendants of these families.

Most of the very old graves that have survived are in the Roman Catholic section from what I saw, many being from Irish and Scottish descent.

There aren't many stones that haven't been repaired but a few have still to be tended to. Donations can be made through the Historical Society and they are always looking for these people's families who may still be in Victoria or Australia somewhere.

Looking from behind the Chinese section, across Allans Flat and Osbornes Flat to the hills.

Well, there you have a very brief tour of some of the Yackandandah Cemetery,  It’s a lovely spot, and quite fascinating.  There is also a program there that aims to look after some of the original Native Flora from the area.

I haven’t been on a formal cemetery tour yet but I hear that 200 people attended the last one, such is the interest in this area’s history!

Next week, the local aboriginal history which extends far back to 3,500 years ago!

Hot and Wet

Like the title?  Sorry, just referring to the weather this Summer.

2011 will go down as a particularly wet Summer with stories from the Northern state of Queensland of serious floods and Cyclone Yasi destroying a couple of towns, not to mention Australia’s banana crops!

Here in Yack it has been relatively mild, a bonus of being in a small valley at higher altitude than most of the state is that all of the storm fronts go up one side of hills, skip over the top of us here and roll down the other side of hills.  Still, we have certainly got a good shower as the clouds behind the front set in!

Silver Birch branches reflected in the Yackandandah Summer rain.

I’ve been watching the comings and goings of the friendly Yackandandah Bowls Club this week.  The building that houses their club doubled as a Kindergarten way back when I was one of the little toddlers there, but a new Kindy was built by the community just as I moved into Primary School.  These days the bowls club serves as much as a social club as for the game itself.  Every day of the week the different groups have their turn.  Men’s, Women’s, mixed competition, and a very social and informal meet up of a Thursday evening where the games become “Closest to the Kitty with everyone bowling at once!” type of thing, usually with small entry fee to help raise money either for the club or something in the community.  Like most clubs it’s the retirees that make up the majority of the number, but there is also a younger element who enjoy the competition and beers!

Yackandandah Bowls Club on Railway Ave.

Now, although it has been a wet couple of days, earlier this week was a different story, with 42 degrees celcius on the Tuesday!  Rather a warm start for the Kiwi at his new job but thanks to his new boss, the Kiwi (hubby) made a memorable discovery in Rutherglen.

Trumpets sound… “PARKER’S PIES!!”  Well there’s a good plug for a private business in nearby town Rutherglen.

The Kiwi came home from a stop there after work exclaiming that they made the best pies in the world.  He also brought a sample home for dinner, and I have to say that it has been a long while since I ate a pie made with such obvious (and hand made) passion for the product!  Definitely a must for lunch if ever you find yourself in this pretty Indigo Shire area.

About 20 mins in the oven was enough to crisp and brown this beaut little package pie from Parker's Pies. They also have the more conventional shapes but with less conventional fillings to keep it interesting!

The pie above was a chunky steak pie, but there are also Kangaroo, King Prawn, Crocodile, Venison, Emu (marinated in Red Wine), Buffalo… all with delicious combinations of locally grown veggies, herbs and spices.  Needless to say, we’ll be back!

Australia Day

Australia Day celebrations in Sir Isaac Isaacs Park

This is a post I wrote on the 25th of Jan, 2011 but I had to write it by hand because our internet hadn’t been turned on yet;

Having arrived just before Australia Day (a national holiday to commemorate the Federation of Australia’s states) provided us with a fantastic opportunity to join in the festivities and meet some of our new neighbours.  Before we even left for the party, the neighbour next door was around to let us know about it.  The chickens (our daughters) and I had already found out but we thanked him and said we’d see him there.  This neighbour is an older man who vaguely new my father from back when my family lived here.

Off we went with our cooler bag and picnic rug in hand (and my camera!).  I slipped a couple of beer bottles in just in case too, but aware that usually in a public park, alcohol is not permitted.  We approached the sprawled out families and oldies in their chairs with a little bit of apprehension, very aware that we were about the only ones there who didn’t know anyone else.  Looking around the lovely, green grass people were chatting, shaking hands looking comfortable and happy under the shady English trees.  Kids were running off to the playground and creek with their friends.  The Lions Club had a BBQ in full swing with drinks and cold salads that looked incredibly inviting on the hot day!

We found a spot amongst the people and again I was feeling very aware that we knew noone.  That in itself seemed to make us stick out a bit but I assured myself that I was probably being a bit paranoid.  My eyes wandered back to the BBQ as the chickens enjoyed the cool tunes of the Reedy Creek Jazz Band with their double bass, flute, clarinet and guitar. Damn it, I hadn’t brought any money for the Barbie!  Well, the walk back to the house wasn’t far, only 200 metres or so.  The chickens were happy there so off I went.

3/4 of theReedy Creek Jazz Band, the lady who played flute went missing as I took this shot. They were very cool, the Double Bass player sang with a Louis Armstrong sound!

On the way I ran into the next door neighbour again who was on his way to meet his wife at the park.  He asked where I was off to so I gave the explanation.

“Oh!  I’ll lend you some money! You can pay me back tomorrow.” He exclaims.

Now, having lived the last 20 years in larger towns and cities, this statement from a man I had barely spoken to took me a little off guard.  I mean, how many of you have next door neighbours that offer you money?  OK, a few of you, but neighbours that you just met!?  I humbly and as graciously as possible declined his kind offer, even as he insisted a second time.  And so, my first lesson in small town etiquette came.  The man shrugged his shoulders and left me to it.  I had offended him.  I wished the Kiwi (hubby) was here, he would make it all OK with his secret blokey language.

Anyway I got back to the Australia Day party and we enjoyed our yummy BBQ meal.  All went well, the chickens went off to the playground and met new friends, I met some locals and ended up somehow recruited to the local theatre group!

More adventures to come….

PS.  Everyone over 18 was ‘beer in hand’ haha!

High Street, Yackandandah

Yack in the evening. I like to play around a bit with colouring to set a mood sometimes, this was one of those times...

Intro To Yackandandah

All my life I’ve longed to be back one day in the little town of my earliest and most adventurous memories.  A couple of weeks ago that dream came true!

Yackandandah (or “Yack”, as the locals call it) is tucked away in the foothills of the Snowy Mountains, up in the North East part of Victoria.  Victoria is a Southern State of Australia.  Yack was founded around 1852 when “Gold Rush” towns were springing up all over the state.  Prospectors flocked from around Australia, California, China and England, panning the two little creeks in this valley and fossicking through the hills surrounding.  A small mine was started which can be toured today, it unfortunately didn’t yeild as much as it’s poor miners from Cornwall in England would have liked (although rumours were that gold was smuggled back to England in a coffin to avoid taxes) and was shut down after about 17 years of digging.

Painted on the side of a workshop wall years ago, this map shows the streets of the little township of Yackandandah.

Nevertheless, a small township sprang up in the heritage style of California at the time and that style has been preserved over the last hundred and fifty odd years.  The main street here in Yack has 37 National Heritage Trust listed buildings and as you wander from one end to the other, it’s not hard to imagine time gone by.

Here is a link to the website Unique Yackandandah, set up by the Yackandandah Tourist Information Centre;

http://www.uniqueyackandandah.com.au/

It shows some lovely photos and has more information on this beautiful part of the Victorian countryside.

Many of the residential homes in Yack have also been built in that late 1800′s style.  With a backdrop of green and purple hills and mountains covered in forest, Yack is a very pretty town by anyone’s yardstick!

As a child, Yackandandah was a magical place full of mystery and adventure.  In fact, as a grown up it still is!  Yack fills me with inspiration to write, explore and take photos which is why this blog had to begin.  I hope some of what makes this little town with the big name so special can be shared here so that you can also feel a bit of Yackandandah magic.