Stringy Bark & Paddle Steamers - Orbost, Victoria
S 37° 42.510 E 148° 27.250
55H E 628179 N 5825531
This history sign is beside Nicholson Street, in 'lower' Orbost, just north of Forest Park, and describes the early history of Orbost.
Waymark Code: WMWR7F
Location: Victoria, Australia
Date Posted: 10/05/2017
Views: 1
This 'caramel' coloured sign, with a couple of photos is mounted on a steel post, in view of the Slab Hut that is now used for the local Visitors Information Centre. The sign reads:
"String bark and paddle steamers
" Take a drive around the Snowy River floodplain and follow the river out to Marlo and you will see the attraction for both the Gunai/Kurnai who lived here for thousands of years and for farmers arriving in the mid 1870s. Geography and climate combined to produce a place both beautiful and bountiful.
" The river was friend and foe, unleashing mighty floods and depositing rich alluvial soil. It was also the transport route. A small 'mosquito fleet' of paddle steamers and barges moved up and down the river. Prior to the railway coming to Newmerella/Orbost in 1916, the river was the lifeline and Orbost had a landing where boats could be unloaded.
" New settlers lived in simple huts of bush timber and stringy bark. The Slab Hut was built in 1872 by settlers living upstream from Orbost. It was reconstructed in Orbost in 1987 using the original slabs and building techniques.
" 'Orbost' has a Scottish heritage, derived from the name of the large pastoral run selected by squatter Archibald Macleod in the 1840s. The town of Orbost developed from 1881 as the population increased with many new settlers coming to clear, drain and farm the rich floodplain."
The two photos to the right of the text, show the "Read's" slab and bark house at Goongerah [now relocated/rebuilt as the Information Centre], and the Paddle Steamer PS Curlin, unloading at Orbost in 1897, with the original Snowy River bridge seen in the background.
Visited: 1550, Thursday, 12 may, 2016
Age/Event Date: 1840s, 1870s, 1916, 1987
Type of Historic Marker: Plaque only
Type of Historic Marker if other: Text and photos
Historic Resources.:
The Orbost Visitors Information Centre
Related Website: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
Please submit your visiting log with a picture of the object. Also include some interesting information about your visit.