An information flyer regarding the accommodation and facilities at the Tower Motel in Marysville. The Tower Motel was one of the few buildings in Marysville that survived the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires.An information flyer regarding the accommodation and facilities at the Tower Motel in Marysville.marysville, victoria, australia, tower motel, accommodation, flyer, 2009 black saturday bushfires

A business card from the Tower Motel in Marysville. The Tower Motel was one of the few buildings in Marysville that survived the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires.A business card from the Tower Motel in Marysville.marysville, victoria, australia, tower motel, accommodation, business card, 2009 black saturday bushfires

A receipt for payment for accommodation and breakfast at the Tower Motel in Marysville. The receipt dates from 11th March, 1988. The Tower Motel was one of the few buildings in Marysville to survive the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires.A receipt for payment for accommodation and breakfast at the Tower Motel in Marysville. The receipt dates from 11th March, 1988.marysville, victoria, australia, tower motel, accommodation, receipt, 2009 black saturday bushfires

A colour postcard from the Tower Motel in Marysville. The postcard was published by Nucolorvue as a souvenir of Marysville. The Tower Motel was one of the few buildings in Marysville that survived the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires.A colour postcard from the Tower Motel in Marysville. The postcard was published by Nucolorvue as a souvenir of Marysville.A/ NU-COLOR-VUE/ OF/ AUSTRALIA PLACE/ STAMP/ HERE POST CARD Product of Australia RP66 NUCOLORVUE PRODUCTIONS PTY. LTD./ COPYRIGHT TOWER MOTEL/ Murchison St., Marysville, Vic./ Phone (059) 63 3225 New luxury Motel, 100 km north/ east of Melbourne in the heart of/ the big timber country - just a/ short drive from the magnificent/ floodlit Steavenson's Falls - the/ tallest in Victoria. Units equipped with all modern/ facilities, including colour T.V. and/ air conditioning.marysville, victoria, australia, tower motel, accommodation, postcard, souvenir, nucolorvue productions pty. ltd., 2009 black saturday bushfires

A colour postcard from the Tower Motel in Marysville. The postcard was published by Nucolorvue as a souvenir of Marysville. The Tower Motel was one of the few buildings in Marysville that survived the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires.A colour postcard from the Tower Motel in Marysville. The postcard was published by Nucolorvue as a souvenir of Marysville.A/ NU-COLOR-VUE/ OF/ AUSTRALIA PLACE/ STAMP/ HERE POST CARD Product of Australia RP66 NUCOLORVUE PRODUCTIONS PTY. LTD./ COPYRIGHT TOWER MOTEL/ Murchison St., Marysville, Vic./ Phone (059) 63 3225 New luxury Motel, 100 km north/ east of Melbourne in the heart of/ the big timber country - just a/ short drive from the magnificent/ floodlit Steavenson's Falls - the/ tallest in Victoria. Units equipped with all modern/ facilities, including colour T.V. and/ air conditioning.marysville, victoria, australia, tower motel, accommodation, postcard, souvenir, nucolorvue productions pty. ltd., 2009 black saturday bushfires

An information flyer regarding the accommodation and facilities available at the Tower Motel in Marysville. The Tower Motel was one of the few buildings in Marysville that survived the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires.An information flyer regarding the accommodation and facilities available at the Tower Motel in Marysville.marysville, victoria, australia, tower motel, accommodation, flyer, 2009 black saturday bushfires

An information flyer regarding the accommodation and facilities available at the Tower Motel in Marysville. The Tower Motel was one of the few buildings in Marysville that survived the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires.An information flyer regarding the accommodation and facilities available at the Tower Motel in Marysville.marysville, victoria, australia, tower motel, accommodation, flyer, 2009 black saturday bushfires

An information flyer regarding the accommodation and facilities available at The Tower Motel in Marysville. The Tower Motel was one of the few buildings in Marysville that survived the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires.An information flyer regarding the accommodation and facilities available at The Tower Motel in Marysville.marysville, victoria, australia, tower motel, accommodation, flyer, 2009 black saturday bushfires

An information flyer regarding the accommodation and facilities available at The Tower Motel in Marysville. The Tower Motel was one of the few buildings in Marysville that survived the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires.An information flyer regarding the accommodation and facilities available at The Tower Motel in Marysville.marysville, victoria, australia, tower motel, accommodation, flyer, 2009 black saturday bushfires

The Washington Winch sits deep in the forest east of Swifts Creek and is the last one of its particular type left in Australia. It was made by the Washington Iron Works company in Seattle. This unique winch was one of two machines imported in 1920 to operate in the Karri forests of WA. Both machines were later purchased by the Forests Commission after the 1939 bushfires for salvage logging at Toorongo to drive elaborate "high lead" cable systems. This particular machine was later sold to Jack Ezard from Swifts Creek in 1959 where it operated on its current site until about 1961. The fate of the second machine is unknown. It was possibly cannibalised for parts. The Ezards were innovative sawmillers who introduced high lead logging into Victoria. They had owned and operated sawmills in the Warburton area from 1907, before shifting to Erica in Gippsland in 1932. Bulldozers and powerful logging trucks eventually made steam and the Washington Winch redundant. The winch is listed on the State Heritage Register. Only one of its kindBrass identification plate recovered from the Washington Winch near Swifts Creek 21 cm in diameter11 x 14 refers to the double drums The serial number is assumed to be 3832forest harvesting

Bushfire behaviour is influenced by many things including temperature, relative humidity, forest type, fuel quantity and fuel dryness, topography and even slope. Wind has a dominant effect on the Rate of Spread (ROS), and also bushfire size, shape and direction. Fuel arrangement is as important as fuel quantity (tonnes/ha). Fibrous and ribbon bark, together with elevated and near-surface scrub fuels act as ladders which lead flames into the tree canopy. But the availability of fuel to burn depends largely on its moisture content. When it exceeds 20-25% not much will burn, whereas 12-15% is generally ideal for fuel reduction burning, but if the moisture content drops as low as 7-10% virtually everything will ignite, and fire behaviour becomes extreme. During the afternoon of the Ash Wednesday bushfires on 16 February 1983 fuel moisture contents were recorded at Stawell as low as 2.7%. Fine fuels like leaves and bark can rapidly absorb moisture after a shower of rain, or from the air when the Relative Humidity (RH) is high, and the temperature is low. Conversely, they can also dry out very quickly. So even though the overall fuel quantity in the forest doesn’t change, the fine fuel availability can increase rapidly from zero after rain to many tonnes per hectare as the fuel dries out. This can happen over a few hours on hot and windy days. Heavy fuels like logs on the ground take longer to dry out. Since the 1930s foresters, firefighters and researchers have been working to develop quick and reliable techniques for measuring fuel moisture content. One of the most accurate methods is slowly drying a sample of fuel in a conventional oven for 24-48 hours to remove all the moisture and measuring the weight difference, but this takes time and is not practical in the field when rapid measurements are needed. But oven drying is often used as a benchmark to compare other methods. Microwave ovens are faster but can cause uneven drying and even char the fuel. They are also not very practical for use in the field. Some mathematical models rely on weather records such as rainfall, wind speed, evaporation, cloud cover, shading, relative humidity, slope, aspect and season of the year to predict soil and fuel moisture. The Keetch-Byram Drought Index of soil dryness is the most common. But complex fuels with leaves, twigs, grass etc make the predictive models often inadequate for fine fuels. The most common technique in Victorian forests until recently was the trusty Speedy Moisture Meter. Originally developed in England during the 1920s for measuring moisture in wheat and other grains it was adapted for Australian forest fuels in the 1950s (I think). Fuel was first ground using a Spong mincer, often attached to the bullbar of a vehicle, and a small sample placed into the Speedy together with a measure of calcium carbide and then sealed. A chemical reaction created gas pressure which was read on the external dial. There were important techniques with cleaning, mincing and using the chemicals with the Speedy to give reliable readings, but it was quick, inexpensive, robust, portable and practical in the field. It was used routinely before igniting a fuel reduction burn or measuring fuel moisture differentials on slash burns. But in about 1996, Karen Chatto and Kevin Tolhurst from the Department’s Creswick Research Station developed the Wiltronics Fuel Moisture meter which measured electrical resistance. Wiltronics is an Australian owned company operating from Ballarat. The final result was a kit that was portable, accurate and could reliably measure fuel moisture contents between 3% and 200%. Although expensive, it is now widely used by fire agencies around the world which has virtually relegated the Speedy to the back cupboard.Prototype Fuel moisture meterT-H Fine Fuel Meterforests commission victoria (fcv), bushfire, forest measurement

Subtitled "The story of the mountain cattlemen of the Bogongs", this publication of 248 pages includes illustrations, photos, portraits, an index and maps on the end papers. The original edition was published in 1980 A history of the cattlemen of the Bogongs in the Victorian Alps, including their bushcraft, yarns, hut construction, dog and horse training. It looks at the issue of fire and cattle grazing and the struggle of the mountain cattlemen to retain their leases after the bushfires of 2003. This publication provides an enduring record of a special group of Australian pioneers whose lives and qualities of endurance have become part of Australian folklore.bogong high plains, cattlemen of the high plains, bogong high plains history

A colour photograph of the sign for the villa day spa at The Cumberland guest house in Marysville. The photograph was taken during a carers' retreat which took place from 16th to 19th January 2009, just before the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires in the February.A colour photograph of the sign for the villa day spa at The Cumberland guest house in Marysville. The photograph was taken during a carers' retreat which took place from 16th to 19th January 2009, just before the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires in the February.marysville, victoria, australia, the cumberland guest house, accommodation, carers' retreat, colour photograph, 2009 black saturday bushfires, ruby's restaurant, villa day spa

A colour photograph of the sign for Ruby's Restaurant at The Cumberland guest house in Marysville. The photograph was taken during a carers' retreat which took place from 16th to 19th January 2009, just before the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires in the February.A colour photograph of the sign for Ruby's Restaurant at The Cumberland guest house in Marysville. The photograph was taken during a carers' retreat which took place from 16th to 19th January 2009, just before the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires in the February.marysville, victoria, australia, the cumberland guest house, accommodation, carers' retreat, colour photograph, 2009 black saturday bushfires, ruby's restaurant

A colour photograph taken during a Carers' Retreat at The Cumberland guest house in Marysville. The retreat took place from 16th to 19th January 2009, just before the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires in the February.A colour photograph taken during a Carers' Retreat at The Cumberland guest house in Marysville. The retreat took place from 16th to 19th January 2009, just before the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires in the February.marysville, victoria, australia, the cumberland guest house, accommodation, carers' retreat, colour photograph, 2009 black saturday bushfires

A letter reflecting on the memories of a stay at The Cumberland guest house in Marysville in April 2002. The letter also enclosed an envelope from The Cumberland. The letter also mentions the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires which devestated Marysville and offers the writers best wishes to the people of Marysville.A letter reflecting on the memories of a stay at The Cumberland guest house in Marysville in April 2002. The letter also enclosed an envelope from The Cumberland. The letter also mentions the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires which devestated Marysville and offers the writers best wishes to the people of Marysville.marysville, victoria, australia, the cumberland guest house, accommodation, letter, envelope

A colour photograph of sign at the front entrance to The Cumberland guest house in Marysville. The photograph was taken during a carers' retreat which took place from 16th to 19th January 2009, just before the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires in the February.A colour photograph of sign at the front entrance to The Cumberland guest house in Marysville. The photograph was taken during a carers' retreat which took place from 16th to 19th January 2009, just before the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires in the February.marysville, victoria, australia, the cumberland guest house, accommodation, carers' retreat, colour photograph, 2009 black saturday bushfires

A colour photograph of the front entrance to The Cumberland guest house in Marysville. The photograph was taken during a carers' retreat which took place from 16th to 19th January 2009, just before the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires in the February.A colour photograph of the front entrance to The Cumberland guest house in Marysville. The photograph was taken during a carers' retreat which took place from 16th to 19th January 2009, just before the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires in the February.marysville, victoria, australia, the cumberland guest house, accommodation, carers' retreat, colour photograph, 2009 black saturday bushfires

This photograph was taken in the Mount Pilot Chiltern National Park. This park is located near Chiltern in Victoria. It's most notable landmarks include Mt Pilot and Woolshed Falls. It also has many mines from the Gold Rush in the late 1800s. It is home to much flora and fauna, including the tiger quoll. The tiger quoll, also known as the spotted-tail quoll, is a marsupial that gives in the Mount Pilot Chiltern National Park. It is also main land Australia's largest carnivorous marsupial. It can weigh up too four kilograms and looks similar to either a possum or a spotted cat. It has red and brown fur with distinct spots. The tiger quoll is found along the Great Dividing Range, which includes Victoria, New South Wales and also near the border of Queensland. It lives in forests, rainforests and coastal heathlands and woodlands. In 2004 a team of volunteers from the Wooragee Landcare group as well as some of the Department of Sustainability and Environment staff set out to find the tiger quoll following the 2003 bushfires. Since the bushfires, concern had arisen for it because it hadn't been seen since the bushfires. They attempted to find traces of the quoll through finding and identifying their droppings as well as DNA testing. This photograph was taken during this search. This photograph represents the work that goes into protecting a important species like the tiger quoll. The tiger quoll is a significant species because it is main land Australia's largest carnivorous marsupial. As a result of this, there has been much work done to preserve and protect it. This photograph was taken when the Wooragee Landcare group went to ensure the survival of this species, highlighting how the tiger quoll is being protected. This photograph also demonstrates the impacts of the 2003 bushfires in the Mount Pilot Chiltern National Park. This is seen through the burnt trees featured in the picture. Landscape coloured photograph printed on gloss paperReverse: WAN NA 0ANA0N0 NNN 0 1636 / [PRINTED] (No.7) / 921quoll, mount pilot chiltern national park, national park, 2003 bushfires, search, endangered, beechworth, wooragee landcare group, wooragee landcare, wooragee, possum, australia, victoria, department of sustainability and environment, photograph, 2004, spotted-tailed quoll, great dividing range, spots, fur, forests, rainforests, woodlands, coastal heathlands, spotted quoll, spotted quoll habitat

A book of 224 pages including maps, illustrations and photographic images, both black and white and colour. It includes a bibliography.The lives of the mountain cattlemen of Victoria's alpine country revolve around the annual muster held before the first snowfall of autumn, when they bring their cattle down to lower pastures for winter feeding, or consign them for auction at the annual calf sales in Omeo or Myrtleford. The close-knit communities of cattlemen share the common hazards of this mountainous region, enduring the snow and freezing conditions of winter and the threat of ravaging bushfires in summer, finding shelter from the harshness of the environment in little huts which they built from the rough materials available. But the dangers of steep slopes and rocky terrain, in which more than one drover has lost his life, hold no terrors for them. These tough and resourceful cattlemen are self-sufficient and skilful in everything they do, whether it is bushmanship, horse-riding, or telling tall tales. In this book their yarns and reminiscences about their mates, their horses and Hereford cattle, and their indispensable dogs, reveal a characteristic courage and endurance, and an indomitable sense of humour. This book provides an enduring record of a vanishing breed of Australians, folk heroes in their own right, whose lives form the basis of verse and legend.mountain cattlemen, cattle breeders victoria, australian cattlemen, bogong high plains history

This photograph was taken at Wooragee Hall on the 28th of April, 2004, during an general information event titled "Questions About Quolls." The event was hosted by Andy Murray, then president of the South East Forests Spot-Tailed Quoll Working Group. Information provided included quoll characteristics, habitats, and how to find them. This event was partially prompted by a desire to find out if quolls still lived in Mount Pilot-Chiltern National Park, as there had been no confirmed sightings since the 2003 bushfires. Andy Murray helped lead the efforts to find them. Currently, landcare group efforts have found evidence of a small but present spot-tailed quoll population in the park. Reasons for the decrease in population include fox populations in the area and destruction of habitat. The man pictured in the photograph is Owen Gemmill(?) The spotted-tailed quoll, also called the Tiger Quoll, is an endangered Australian animal. It is the largest carnivorous mammal in Australia, and is native to Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, and Tasmania. Slightly larger than a cat, the animals fur is normally brown, with black marking and white spots. Currently, there are approximately 14,000 spotted-tailed quolls in the wild. This photograph is significant as an example of events used by the Wooragee Landcare Group to inform the public on local environmental issues, and for its link to the hunt for the spotted-tailed quoll. Portrait colour photograph printed on gloss paper. Reverse: WAN NA 0ANA0N0 NN2+ 1 1636 quoll, south east forest spotted-tailed quoll working group, spotted-tailed quoll, tiger, mt pilot, andrew murray quolls, andy murray quolls, andrew murray, mount pilot chiltern national park, foxes, endangered quoll, queries about quolls, quoll species, wooragee, wooragee hall, wooragee landcare, wooragee landcare group, owen gemmill

This photograph was taken at Wooragee Landcare workshop (Quoll), field day in Mt Pilot park on Bush Recovery: After the Fires. This is part of the Biodiversity Month on September 2004. The Bush Recovery workshop was held on Sunday 12th September 2-4pm with Christine Watson, Sue Berwick and Natasha Schedvin, and another workshop on Wednesday, 15th September, 9am to 12 noon with local biologist Glen Johnson and botanists Gill Earl and Christine Watson. The topics involved in the training involved what species have returned, what species haven't, what recovery studies are being carried out, how are the barking owls and phascogales faring, and why is Mt Pilot important. The photograph shows L-R: Colin Payne; Jerry Alexander; Geoff Galbraith. Bush fires are common in Australia due to several reasons. One is due to the geographic spread of fire's seasons, secondly, the absence of El Nino conditions are also linked to fires. Climate change also affected Australia's hot and dry seasons. Australia's climate began warming since the 1970s. Human-induced fires also contributed to this increase in temperatures across the nation. Bush fires happened in Mt Pilot in 2003 but it has recovered well since. This makes Mt Pilot an important site to understand bushfire recovery. This photograph contributes to the scientific and historical records on bushfire recovery in Victoria. It creates a picture of Victorian community activities and efforts on biodiversity, climate change, and environmental care.Landscape coloured photograph printed on gloss paperReverse: WAN NA 0A2A0N0 NN2 0 163 / (No. 2)wooragee, wooragee landcare group, wooragee landcare, bush fires, bush recover, mt pilot, biodiversity month, botany, botanists, bush recovery, quoll, foxy, fox, forest, environment, climate change, bushfire recovery, bushfires, 2004 bushfire, field work, after the fires, fire, biodiversity

This photograph was taken in April 2004, on the field day in Mount Pilot-Chiltern National Park as part of a workshop on quolls, led by Andrew Murray, then president of the South East Forests Spot-Tailed Quoll Working Group. IThis event was prompted by a desire to find out if quolls still lived in Mount Pilot-Chiltern National Park, as there had been no confirmed sightings since the 2003 bushfires. Andy Murray helped lead the efforts to find them. Currently, landcare group efforts have found evidence of a small but present spot-tailed quoll population in the park. Reasons for the decrease in population include fox populations in the area and destruction of habitat. Pictured, L-R: unknown, Andy Murray, unknown, Jerry Alexander, Geoff Galbraith, Mary Prowse The spotted-tailed quoll, also called the Tiger Quoll, is an endangered Australian animal. It is the largest carnivorous mammal in Australia, and is native to Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, and Tasmania. Slightly larger than a cat, the animals fur is normally brown, with black marking and white spots. Currently, there are approximately 14,000 spotted-tailed quolls in the wild.This photograph is significant as an example of events used by the Wooragee Landcare Group to inform the public on local environmental issues, and for its link to the hunt for the spotted-tailed quoll.Landscape colour photgraph printed on gloss paper. Reverse (partial) WAN quoll, south east forest spotted-tailed quoll working group, spotted-tailed quoll, tiger, mt pilot, andrew murray quolls, andy murray quolls, andrew murray, mount pilot chiltern national park, foxes, endangered quoll, queries about quolls, quoll species, wooragee, wooragee landcare, wooragee landcare group, jerry alexander, geoff galbraith, mary prowse, bushfire, chiltern