We were teased with promises of picturesque farmland, steep ‘rolling hills’ and vistas only available to the select few….and it didn’t disappoint!
Not only did Rob and Frithjof deliver on their promise but surprised us with many other highlights. We were treated to: majestic rolling emerald green hills, accessible only by those in the know; eagles in flight, their nest and hints of their eaglets; a historical overview of some of the original ‘selectors’; tall stories of the birthing feats of the hardy pioneers and; much more
What really surprised was the hidden beauty of the region known by the somewhat dubious name of the ‘Wild Dog Valley’, and no, we didn’t see any!!! One can only imagine why the valley was so named when it is surrounded by regions with such picturesque names such as: Arawata, Fairbank, Mount Eccles, Ruby, Ranceby, Strzelecki, and Trida?
The area is steeped in history and as is the case in other regions, many roads and landmarks have been named after local identities such as the likes of the McNaughton's and Rasmussen's
Apparently a number of the original selector’s claimed their land in this region. The term Selection was derived from the "free selection before survey" of crown land. In Victoria, the Duffy Act of 1862 offered settlers land within defined agricultural areas. The settlers paid for half of an allotment on selection at a uniform price of £1 per acre and paid rent on the other half for usually 7 years. By the end of the period, to obtain title to the land, settlers would have had to pay the balance of the purchase price and have made certain improvements to the land
During our walk, Frithjof performed an act of bravery by saving one of the local inhabitants from an unforgiving fence.
We spent much of our time on the property of Sean Curtis, to whom we thank and ended up lunching at Lancey’s Lookout - so named by the family of Thomas and Susan Lancey, who were pioneers of the district. Thomas and his brother George ‘selected’ 320 acres (130 hectares) of land below and beyond the lookout site in 1882
The site overlooks the Western, Hyland and No’s 1 & 2 water catchment reservoirs of the local area and beyond we could clearly make out Mt Latrobe, the highest peak on the Prom.
It was a most enjoyable and entertaining day, ably led by Rob and expertly supported by Frithjof – thank you both and thanks to all the other participants: Wendy and Ed Page, Gayle McHarg, Steve and Paula Horton, Elizabeth Pearce and Ian and Sue Mayer
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