November 2014 4.6Mb

Free Copy In This Edition: Page Page Geelong’s Bird Breakout! 2 Russia—Fast Facts 22 Cobb & Co. 3 Hair Growth 23 Charles Kernot 6 Mountain Pygmy Possum 24 Mary Ann Bugg—Bushranger 8 Self Harm in Youths 25 Death Masks 10 Elle Macpherson 26 The Black Bull Hotel 12 Recipe—Greek Donuts 28 Otway National Park 14 Word Search— A-Z of Sports 29 Corio-The Early Days Part 11 16 Banknotes: Clunies Ross 30 Origins of Knitting 18 150 Years Ago 31 My Generation 20 Then… & Now 32 One hundred and fifty-four years ago the peacefulness of Geelong’s streets were disrupted by a wild chase that divided the town—those who saw it as an opportunity for a little harmless fun, and a bit of sport, opposed by those who feared for the well-being of the emu and were annoyed at the loss of sereni- ty. We’ll let the Geelong Advertiser tell you the story: “Yesterday forenoon, as many idlers on foot or horseback as had nothing better to do, treated themselves to the novel sport of hunting an emu through nearly every street in the town. The unfortunate bird, it appears, escaped from the yard at the rear of Mr Rice’s Black Bull stables, and went pacing timidly along little Ryrie-street, as if frightened at its unwonted liberty. Instead of capturing it quietly by the neck, and so leading it home, some persons thought proper to give it chase, and – as business was somewhat dull – it is not to be wondered at that there were plenty of other persons ready to join in the sport. The “quarry” immediately recovered as much of its fleetness as had not been tamed away, and off it went, striding along with head erected to the full height, and with a posse of horsemen, small boys, and street curs close in the rear. This ridiculous piece of cruelty was kept up for upwards of half an hour – the bird every now and then turning round and gazing about him, as if wondering at the absurd fit which had taken hold of the human creation. Ryrie-street, Moorabool-street, Myers- street, the Market-square, Ryrie-street (again), the Queenscliff road, past the Botanical Gardens, Corio-street, Market-square (again), - were all traversed in this nonsensical chase, and it was not until the poor bird was well nigh run off its legs that the proper mode of capturing him was resorted to, and he was at length returned dead beat into Mr Rice’s possession.” Geelong Advertiser. Saturday, June 30, 1860 p.2 2 Foot traffic quickly scattered from the road as the rumbling sound of horses hooves were heard approaching from the west. Then all held their breath to keep out the choking dust as the vehicle thundered past. The Cobb & Co. coach had arrived in Geelong! The Leviathan coach—The largest horse-drawn coach in Australia carried up to 90 passengers between Geelong and Ballarat. Famous The first attempted coach driver “Cabbage Tree Ned” held the reigns to 12 fine grey horses. service between Geelong and The coach is pictured here outside the Cobb & Co. office in Malop Melbourne was in 1839, with Street Geelong, two doors down from the Black Bull Hotel. a coach being imported from Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) at that time. However, the absence of made roads defeated the project, and the principal means of communication between the two towns continued to be by water. It was not until the opening of the goldfields in 1851 that coaching days really began in Victoria. By December 1853 an early coach service between Geelong and Ballarat saw two teams running back and forth each day. But it was not long before a group of enterprising Americans invaded the field of Victorian passenger conveyance. Freeman Cobb was born on October 10, 1830, a native of Massachusetts, USA. Cobb had his early training with the Adam's Express Company of New York, transferring his services later to Wells, Fargo, and Co. He is said to have been sent to Australia by his employers for the purpose of forming a branch establishment here. But in late 1852, in conjunction with three other young Americans, John Murray Peck, James Swanton and John Lamber, Cobb launched out on his own. Initially they ran a shuttle service on the short, but busy road between Mel- bourne and Port Melbourne. However, the ambitious men soon expanded their business, as the following advertisement in The Argus newspaper (January 30, 1854) reports— “AMERICAN TELEGRAPH LINE OF COACHES. Daily communication between Melbourne, Forest Creek Freeman Cobb— (Castlemaine) and Bendigo. Founder of the Cobb & Co. transportation Cobb and Co. beg to announce to the public that they have company. determined to run a line of well-appointed coaches between the 3 above places, starting from the Criterion Hotel, every morning (Sunday excepted), at 6 o'clock, and from Forest Creek, daily, at the same hour. The vehicles intended to run are the new American coaches, recently imported, and acknowledged to be the easiest conveyances in the colony. The first coach will start from the Criterion on Monday, January 30, and every attention will be given to ensure punctuality.” While the coach service got off to a promising start, it soon got bogged down— in the muddy tracks of wintertime. The light Concord coaches, round-bodied, and handsomely upholstered, were not suitable for early Victoria, and as winter set in the service had to be suspended until spring was well advanced. The Argus again reported: "Travellers to and from Castlemaine will be glad to find by the advertisement which appears in another column that Messrs. Cobb and Co., who last season won golden opinions from all sorts of people for the punctuality and speed which characterised their mode of conducting their business as proprietors of passenger conveyances between Melbourne and the diggings, have reappeared on the field of action." (October 12, 1854) Within the next 2 years Freeman Cobb became a wealthy young man, and decided to return to his homeland. He married a year or two after his return to America, and was for a time a State senator, before later drifting back to the express business in Boston. In 1871 he migrated to South Africa, and established a line of coaches from Port Elizabeth to Kimberley. He died at Port Elizabeth on May 24, 1878. A typical Cobb & Co. coach. This one is on display at Museum Victoria. It was The reputation which the young Americans had made in Geelong to carry up to 17 gained for punctuality and efficiency was taken passengers plus mail and luggage. advantage of in Geelong. Even when the railway from Melbourne to Geelong was opened in June 1857, Cobb and Co. at once found a ready market, booking passengers through to Ballarat by overland coach. The business of Cobb & Co. changed hands a number of times in quick succession, and a division of interests (ownership of coach routes) followed. Around 1860 competition on the Geelong to Ballarat route became so keen that the fare was reduced to five shillings! It was on this road that Cobb and Co.'s "Leviathan" coach made its first appearance in January 1860—a huge vehicle, carrying nearly a hundred passengers, and drawn by a team of up to 12 horses. Cobb & Co.’s greatest driver, Ned Divine, became famous for his ability to handle the awesome vehicle. (See box on opposite page) Eventually the growth of the railway system, which took place in the 1860-70s, along with the advent of the automobile early in the 20th century, contributed to the gradual disintegration of the coaching business. Main routes were 4 abandoned, and country lines shrank to the position of short feeders to the railway. By the First World War, Cobb & Co in Geelong ran services to nearby towns like Ocean Grove and Torquay, but by the early 1920s the office in Malop Street had to close its doors for the final time. The coach service prospered longer in Queensland than anywhere else in Australia, but their last horse-drawn coach service ceased in 1924. In 1986 the name Cobb & Co. was resurrected by the Bell Street Bus Company for its motorcoach charter business. Since 2001 it has operated services on behalf of Australian Pacific Tours, mainly in the Northern Territory and Queensland. But nothing sounds quite like the thunder of horses hooves, churning up the dust, to the sound of voices yelling out: “Get out of the way. Here comes the Cobb & Co coach!” ‘Cabbage Tree Ned’ Edward Devine was born on August 10, 1833 in Van Diemen's Land, the son of a free migrant who became a farmer at Cove Hill. Edward went to Victoria as a youth and in 1854 got the job of driving coaches on the Geelong-Ballarat Road. After Cobb & Co. acquired this route, Devine soon earned a reputation as their best-known driver. For a time he drove the 'Leviathan,' the largest coach to appear in Australia, and by 1862 he was earning the very high wage of £17 a week for his skills. In that year he was assigned to drive the first All-England cricket team to visit Australia, on their tour of Victoria. His spectacular handling of the coach, pulled by twelve magnificent light greys, won him widespread fame. Something of a showman, he even drove the cricketers right on to the oval at a match in Geelong. When the tour ended, the Englishmen presented him with a purse of 300 sovereigns* at a complimentary dinner.

Load more