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With the opening of the Gippsland railway to Sale, Victoria, in 1879 the dense forest in West Gippsland provided a valuable resource, which sawmillers were quick to exploit. There was an intense burst of timber production as farmers, seeking to clear their land, worked in partnership with sawmillers, to take advantage of a burgeoning demand for timber in Melbourne.

 

In time the process saw the clearing of West Gippsland to the state that we now know it, and the growth of dairy farms across what had previously been densely forested hills. Between 1875 and 1900 at least 130 sawmill sites were worked in this area, between Beaconsfield and Trafalgar. They were connected to the main towns and railway by tramways using mostly wooden rails. This network of trams, and their associated industries, provides the underlying framework of this book, which explores the relationship between the settlers and the sawmillers, which was so important in establishing agriculture in Gippsland.

 

Settlers and Sawmillers is a soft-cover reprint of the book first published in 1993.

Settlers & Sawmillers

$32.00Price
GST Included
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  • A History of West Gippsland Tramways and the Industries they Served 1875-1934 by Mike McCarthy.

    Soft cover, 168 pages, A4 size, 96 photographs – mostly nineteenth century gems, 17 maps and diagrams – including seven in two colours, 6 graphs, one locomotive diagram, and 37 cameo images from the turn of the century.

Upper Yarra Museum
Old Railway Station
2
415C Warburton Hwy
(next to Warburton Rail Trail)
Yarra Junction VIC 3797
 

Phone: 0448 706 714
Email: uyvhs.info@gmail.com
Mail: PO Box 211, Yarra Junction
VIC 3797

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Opening Hours

Wednesdays: 10 am - 4 pm

Sundays: 10 am – 4 pm

Open on most Public Holidays.

Other times open for groups by appointment.

Acknowledgement of Country

Upper Yarra Historical Society respectfully acknowledges the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation, as the traditional custodians of this land. We pay our deepest respects to all Aboriginal community Elders, past and present, who have resided in the area and have been an integral part of the history of the region. 

Admission

Family                $10 (2 adults, 2 kids)
Adult                  $5
Child (4 – 1
5y)   $1
Concession        $3

Concession applies for Carers card, Seniors, Pensioners, Students, Veterans.

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Website design - Leila Myllymaeki-Hay
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