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Home , Berriwillock, Chinkapook, Cowangie, Culgoa, Mallee (Victoria), Manangatang

THE A journey through north-west

ADAM McNICOL | ANDREW CHAPMAN | JAIME MURCIA | MELANIE FAITH DOVE NOEL BUTCHER | ERIN JONASSON | PHIL CAMPBELL Contents Foreword 8 An ode to the Mallee 10 Contributors 12 Where is the Mallee? 14 A short history of the Mallee 16

Chapter 1 Rainbow to 42 Chapter 2 Morton Plains to Murrayville 100 Chapter 3 to Kulwin 156 Chapter 4 Quambatook to 202

References/Further reading 230 120 Victoria Street, Index of towns and localities 230 East Victoria 3350 Acknowledgements 231 tenbagpress.com.au

First published 2020

Text © Adam McNicol 2020 Photographs © Adam McNicol, Andrew Chapman, Jaime Murcia, Melanie Faith Dove, Noel Butcher, Erin Jonasson and Phil Campbell 2020

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form, by any means, without the prior permission of the copyright owner.

ISBN: 978-0-646-82244-0

Cover: Sunrise at a property between Hopetoun and Patchewollock AC

Cover, internal design and typesetting by Philip Campbell Design Previous pages: A flock of ewes and Printed in , Australia by Adams Print lambs near the Curyo silos AC

The photograph on page 17 is courtesy Robby Wirramanda. The photographs Right: A classic Mallee scene near on pages 21 and 27 are courtesy Museums Victoria. The photographs on Rainbow AC pages 23, 29 and 31 are courtesy State Library of Victoria. The photograph on Following pages: A haystack near Beulah; page 33 is courtesy Des and Maree Ryan. The photographs on page 34 are Sunrise at the Manangatang (Lulla) Flora courtesy Terry McNicol and Fauna Reserve AC

5 our journey through the mallee Where is The Mallee?

Tiega Kulwin Manangatang The part of Victoria known as the Mallee is best defined as Communicating among ourselves the exact location of Galah Cocamba Nunga the area where the species of eucalypts known as ‘mallees’ this southern boundary was a challenge in itself. Jaime and Mi yack Linga Torrita grow. These incredibly drought-tolerant trees are notable Andrew produced a beautiful collection of photographs of Tutye Boinka Bronzewing for having not a single trunk but rather many stems that rise Brim, which featured the town’s very popular painted silos, Murrayville Pier Millan Chillingollah Gypsum from a large bulbous woody structure called a lignotuber only for our subsequent research to confirm that Brim Pine Plains Danyo Nandaly or mallee root. The was named by European settlers was most certainly in the . Nevertheless, this gives Patchewollock Tempy Waitchie who heard Aboriginal people from the Wemba Wemba group, us a starting point for a project about the Wimmera down Nyarrin Speed Gowanford based along the , use the word ‘mali’ to describe the track! Ninda Willah Turriff Ultima the distinctive trees. The current spelling was settled upon Such was our fascination with the railway map and its Yarto after it appeared on a map published in 1846. list of stations like Galah, Boinka, Chillingollah and Boigbeat, VICTORIA Gamma Boigbeat Meatian It can get confusing at times. The word can be used as an we soon agreed that following the railway lines that traverse Da uck Lascelles adjective to describe mallee country, which exists in north- (or once traversed) the Mallee was a great way to give the Burroin Lalbert west Victoria, southern New South Wales and the book a sense of journey. For the first chapter, we followed­ Hopetoun of , along the Great Australian Bight and in the line from Rainbow to and then travelled from Yaapeet Watchupga Cannie southern Western Australia. Only in Victoria, however, is there Beulah to Patchewollock; for the second, we started at Goyura Warne Albacutya Curyo a region named with the capitalised form, the Mallee (though Morton Plains near Birchip, travelled north to Ouyen, then Rosebery Quambatook Kinnabulla there is a part of South Australia called the ). headed west to Murrayville; for the third, we began at Pella Rainbow Dumosa Given there is no actual agreed border between the Wycheproof and finished at Kulwin; and for the fourth and Beulah Birchip Mallee and its surrounding , we have done our best to last chapter, we started at Quambatook and ended our jour- estimate how far out from the centre we should go with this ney at Manangatang. Wycheproof book. The project began with an old Victorian railway map, Before we begin this photographical tour, however, it’s Morton Plains SOUTH upon which we drew a rough line around the area we wanted time for a history lesson. AUSTRALIA to cover. Our aim was to focus on the small towns in the heart of the Mallee and to stay to the west of the Murray River and to the south of the Hattah-Kulkyne National Park. We agreed 25 Kilometres that we needed to go all the way to the South Australian border and to the south until we reached the Wimmera. Original rail line Dimboola Victoria Station Other towns

14 15 RAINBOW

Town established: 1900 Rainbow was originally named Rainbow Rise, after a nearby Peak population: 1303 (1911) crescent-shaped ridge, which was often covered with wildflowers Population at 2016 census: 683 and said to resemble a rainbow. Situated between and Lake Albacutya, which are fed by the but have rarely seen water in recent decades, Rainbow was Yaapeet a boom town in the early 20th century. The first town blocks were sold in 1901, and by 1911 the town was home to more than 1300 people. This led to Rainbow being dubbed the ‘Mallee Albacutya Metropolis’. At its peak, Rainbow had three pubs, an oyster saloon, its own newspaper, a butter factory, a cinema, a Federal Stores Pella emporium, a Magistrates Court, various car dealers and farm Rainbow equipment suppliers, along with numerous sporting clubs and community groups. A large number of the early settlers were immigrants from Germany who brought surnames like Strauss, Petschel, Fischer, Schumann, Schulz, Kruger and Heinrich to the district. You can still see some of these names on the team sheets if you look up the scores of the Jeparit-Rainbow Football-Netball Club. Today’s Rainbow is a far cry from the town of a century ago, but the locals are making a great fist of reinventing the place, with a thriving arts and culture scene developing in recent years. Meanwhile, the development of a multi-million-dollar brewery promises to put the town on the tourist trail. Rainbow has also benefited from the multi-million-dollar project that united its primary and secondary schools in

one location. Opposite: Sunrise in Federal Street, Rainbow EJ

46 47 Opposite: Mick Frazer and Rodney Clarke in Mick’s Shopfronts in Rainbow AC garage in the centre of Rainbow JM

48 49 Originally from Hyderabad in southern India, Dirya and Santhosh Kumar migrated to Australia and bought the only service station in Rainbow six months later. They say they are very happy and have found A newsagency and general store that doubles as a museum in the main the locals welcoming and friendly JM street of Rainbow EJ & JM

50 51 patchewollock

Town established: 1919 Built as a service centre for post–First World War soldier settlers, Peak population: 338 (1933) Patchewollock has the feel of a place on the edge of the Never Population at 2016 census: 133 Never. It is situated in sandy country not far from the northern edge of the . The surrounding land was once covered in a tough native grass that the early European Patchewollock explorers named porcupine grass. The name Patchewollock comes from an Indigenous word used to describe the grass. Willah The last football and netball matches were played in the town in the late 1990s after the local team, the Tempy-Gorya- Yarto Patchewollock Tigers, merged with the Ouyen Rovers. Then the last Easter Sports Meeting, an event that had been held since Dauck 1918, took place in 2001. When the primary school closed in 2006, Patchewollock seemed locked into a slow decline that would eventually wipe it from the map. Yet the tiny bush outpost has been revived by tourism in recent years. The painting of the silos, as part of the Silo Art Trail, has dragged in thousands of visitors, many of whom stop off for a cold one at the legendary Patchewollock Hotel. Meanwhile, a music festival held to celebrate the Year of the Farmer in 2012 was so successful that it has turned into an annual event, bringing household names like Eric Bogle, Neil Murray and Mick Thomas into the heart of the Mallee.

Opposite: The Patchewollock General Store closed in 2004 AC

86 87 A passion for the Mallee No one is more passionate about the Mallee than Michael ‘Boozer’ Robertson. Although he spends quite a bit of time in these days, Robertson still runs his family farm at Tempy and has been at the heart of Patchewollock’s revival. Among the people responsible for getting the popular Patchewollock Music Festival off the ground, he delights in promoting the ‘magnificent Mallee’ to everyone he comes across. ‘Festivals and events are so important,’ he says. ’They give visitors an unforgettable Mallee experience while helping local businesses remain sustainable.’ A wise-cracking, yarn-spinning, ever-smiling bloke, Robertson loves a tall tale. He can sometimes be heard on ABC Mildura-Swan Hill, the radio station heard across the Mallee, and once gave a report that the fish were biting at Lake Agnes near Pine Plains. A few fishers towed their boats down the gravel road to the lake, anticipating a good catch, only to discover that the lake last saw water in 1918. Pictured here at the old Patchewollock Recreation Reserve, Robertson played in four senior premierships with Tempy-Gorya-Patchewollock, a club that dominated footy in the northern Mallee during the 1970s and ’80s. Dwindling numbers forced TGP into a merger with Ouyen United after the 1996 season. It’s now more than two decades since the last game was played at ‘Patche’.

Opposite: An old trailer once used for selling rabbits and hares AC Michael ‘Boozer’ Robertson MFD

88 89 Opposite: The painting of Nick ‘Noodle’ Hulland, Robin Yetman, a key figure in the establishment of the which adorns the old grain silos in Patchewollock, Patchewollock Music Festival, enjoys a beer in the Patchewollock MFD Opposite Patchewollock JM photographed at sunrise MFD front bar at the Patchewollock Hotel JM

90 91 Vietnam veteran and retired farmhand Col Mack holds court outside the Patchewollock Hotel. To his right is ‘Patche Pub’ staff member Opposite: Fourth-generation farmer Roger Young, whose Indigo Plaisted. To his left, Nick ‘Noodle’ Hulland, the bloke featured property is near Patchewollock, finishes a big day’s work on the silo, chats to Darren ‘Disco’ Smith MFD with a beer around a campfire JM Opposite and above: Patchewollock MFD

92 93 Above: Avid bird-watchers who love photography, art and the new tourism venture, Explore The Mallee, which is proving very popular outdoors, Michael Gooch and Louise Nicholas both grew up far from with nature-lovers, bird-watchers and budding photographers MFD the Mallee but have fallen in love with the region since buying a Opposite: A flock of galahs takes flight on the property owned by bush block near Patchewollock in 2018. The block adjoins Wyperfeld Michael Gooch and Louise Nicholas MFD National Park and is situated in an area rich in birdlife, including the notoriously shy malleefowl. Michael and Louise have established a

94 95 Pine Plains and Wyperfeld NP Much of the land now covered by Wyperfeld National Park, in the far north-west of the Mallee, was once part of the Pine Plains pastoral run. Established in 1847, Pine Plains was taken over by Hugh O’Sullivan in 1914. The O’Sullivan family had previously been based further south at Albacutya Station, where bushranger Mad Dog Morgan famously paid a visit in 1868. According to family legend, Morgan demanded breakfast from Mary O’Sullivan, then he ate his meal while entranced by a baby playing on the floor. The parts of the old Pine Plains pastoral run that remain in private ownership are still in the hands of the O’Sullivan family. These days, Jono and Genevieve O’Sullivan manage the property, which includes the impressive Pine Plains Lodge, built to accommodate tourists visiting the national park.

Opposite and right: Jono and Genevieve O’Sullivan and children Sylvia and Francesca at Pine Plains MFD

96 97 Wyperfeld National Park

A red and a grey kangaroo at Lake Agnes in Wyperfeld National Park. Water last flowed into Lake Agnes Opposite: A large sand dune near the Snow Drift in 1918 MFD Camping Area in Wyperfeld National Park MFD

98 99 sea lake Boigbeat Berriwillock

Culgoa Warne Town established: 1893 Located seven kilometres south of the shoreline of , Peak population: 1026 (1966) the town of Sea Lake began taking shape in the early 1890s. The Population at 2016 census: 574 railway line arrived in 1895 and was not extended further for 19 years. Being at the terminus of the line for so long was very beneficial for Sea Lake’s development, as it became a service Nyarrin centre for a large area. Just a decade after its establishment, Sea Lake was described Ninda in the 1903 edition of the Australian Handbook as having two Sea Lake pubs, an agency for the Commercial Bank, numerous churches, a state school and a court of petty sessions. By 1911, Sea Lake was Boigbeat home to more than 800 people, demonstrating quite remarkable early growth by the standards of Mallee towns. The population periodically rose and fell before reaching a Berriwillock peak of more than 1000 in 1966. Since then, however, it has fallen by more than 40 per cent. Sea Lake’s fortunes have risen in recent times thanks to the popularity of Lake Tyrrell and the town’s inclusion on the Silo147% Art Trail. The local silos were transformed into outdoor artworks by Brisbane-based duo Travis Vinson (DRAPL) and Joel Fergie (The Zookeeper). Their work captures the serenity of the and features a local girl sitting on a swing and looking across Lake Tyrrell. Sculptures by Indigenous artist Robby Wirramanda on the lake bed are also depicted, while another scene focuses on the night sky and the local Indigenous people’s deep knowledge Opposite: A brilliant cloud of astronomy. formation above Sea Lake’s painted silos AC

186 187 Royal Hotel restoration The people of Sea Lake had already used a co-operative model to ensure the viability of their supermarket and hardware store before they turned their attention to the hulking, boarded-up pub in their main street. John ‘Bull’ Clohesy and Alison McClelland were the driving forces behind a project that began with the formation of the Sea Lake Hotel Co-operative. Financial commitments were secured from 42 investors, enabling the co-operative to purchase the pub at auction. An extraordinary community effort followed, resulting in the 110-year-old building being meticulously restored. An experienced chef was lured north from to run the dining room, which now operates as The Juke restaurant, and the project culminated with a grand opening in mid-2019. The pub is the centrepiece of a revival that has well and truly put Sea Lake back on the map.

Above: Patrons enjoying themselves in the front bar of the Royal Hotel MFD A worker erects scaffolding during the restoration of Right: The Royal Hotel at dusk NB the Royal Hotel NB

188 189 Lynette Schodde in her classic farmhouse kitchen near Sea Lake AC The art-deco interior of a car repair shop in Sea Lake JM

190 191 Daniel Colombo, who runs Mallee Photographic Opposite: A painting on the Sea Lake silos, depicting Services and also manages the Skymirror Gallery in sculptures made by Indigenous artist Robby Sea Lake, standing next to a photograph of Lake Tyrrell Wirramanda arranged on the bed of Lake Tyrrell JM taken by Anne Morley MFD

192 193 Lake Tyrrell Julie Pringle has been at the forefront of the remarkable rise in Lake Tyrrell’s popularity. Pringle, who runs Sea Lake Tyrrell Tours, played a key role in attracting the initial wave of tourists to the lake by sharing photos of the place on social media. One of her photos ended up on the very popular Chinese platform, WeChat. Since then, Lake Tyrrell has become internationally renowned for the way the sky is reflected in its shallow waters. ‘I get excited every time I come to the lake,’ says Pringle. ‘It’s surreal, it’s beautiful, it’s stunning. I still can’t believe it’s in our backyard. I think previously people just thought it was nothing more than an old salt mine.’ And what does it all mean for the nearby town of Sea Lake? ‘We are going to become the new Daylesford,’ she says with a grin. ‘Sea Lake is going from a ghost town to a booming little tourist town.’

Opposite: Julie Pringle standing in the reflected clouds The sky beautifully mirrored in Lake Tyrrell’s shallow at Lake Tyrrell MFD waters AM

194 195 Tour guide Stanna Yuko grew up in Singapore, then moved with her A salty crust forms in areas of husband and children to Sea Lake to slow down and experience Lake Tyrrell where the water Australia’s wide open spaces. She takes in sunrise at Lake Tyrrell MFD has evaporated MFD

196 197 Above and opposite: Tourists pose for photos as the sun sets at Lake Tyrrell JM

198 199