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Brisbane Ranges
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The Brisbane Ranges
lie a short distance to the west of Melbourne,
at the eastern edge of the flat coastal plain that
meets Port Philip bay.
They can be approached from Werribee on the Princes Highway by turning east,
from Bacchus Marsh on the Western Highway by turning south, or
from Ballarat or Geelong
along the Midland Highway, turning east at Meredith, say.
If coming from the east or south east,
dry-stone walls (right) are a feature of the
flat stony country.
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- 4wd.sofcom.com/Places/Au/Au.html
Aeroplane Road.
Jimny:
most 4WD tracks in the Brisbane Ranges National Park
are now closed and are for walkers only / MVO.
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Sapling Creek picnic area.
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Main dirt roads are suitable for the family sedan (with care).
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Grass trees often survive bush-fire (left),
but not always (above).
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Stony Creek reservoir to the east of the Brisbane Ranges,
here as empty as empty (Aug' 1999).
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Once someone's garden.
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Gold was found in the area in 1851,
and then in 1855 at Sutherlands Creek,
Steiglitz*;
for a time the town had a population of over 1000 miners.
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Now only a handful of buildings remain in Steiglitz,
the most imposing being the court house
which was finished in 1875 at about the start of the town's decline,
although there was a brief resurgence at the close of the 19th century.
Note that some land in the township is private property.
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Out of gas.
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One building that is well worth visiting
is the Peppercorn Place Cafe (prop' Philip Dickson)
on the main north-south road.
It provides not only sustenance, but also a wealth
of information about the history of the area.
The Dicksons also organise walks, tours, gold panning, etc.
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Right: The grave of Thomas Judd d.1862 aged 28.
The first to be buried in the (new) local cemetery,
was M.A.White Cooper from Kent,
killed in a mining accident in 1859.
Nearby the grave of the children of John and Ann Smith,
Sarah Ann 31/1/1862 (2 days) and
William Stephen 27/10/1862 (17 months),
attests to conditions on the gold-fields.
- L.A11ison
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Go to the
Victoria
pages
* R. Sumner. Steiglitz, Memories of Gold.
National Parks Service, Victoria, 1982.
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