The Flock is a kinetic sculpture made up of 11 parts. It celebrates a local migratory bird, the ibis. The sculpture comprises tall steel poles with a steel ibis balanced on the top of each pole by its beak. Balanced on a spherical joint to allow fluid movement in all directions, each element of the Flock is designed to look like a bird in flight. The kinetic wind-powered elements of the artwork were inspired by the nearby Waubra Wind Farm.The artwork is of aesthetic and social significance to the people of BallaratEleven white and black birds on poles with moving partsibis, friends of learmonth, learmonth

Travelling salesmen (hawkers) regularly journeyed from farm to farm selling useful household items like needles, thread, clothing, even cooking pots. Mr T Saker was a salesman selling drapery. He was based in Warrnambool and had a regular route to Lake Bolac and through the Western district.lake bolac, hawkers, drapery, warrnambool, western district

Private Louis (Joe) Murdoch Murray, 8th Light Horse Regiment, WW1. Joe enlisted 15/01/1915 and embarked for overseas on 07/05/1915. He served at Gallipoli and in France where he was badly wounded at the battle of Ypres in 1917. After returning from the war he took up farming on land donated to him by the Austin family. However, he never fully recovered either physically or mentally from his war service and lost his farm in the Depression. He spent his final years in an Old Soldiers Home in Frankston. He is buried in Melbourne.murray, 8th light horse regiment, ww1, gallipoli, ypres, austin, old soldiers home - frankston, melbourne.

Edward and MaryAnn Rowley were pioneer settlers at Lake Bolac, taking up land in 1862. Their children were Sarah, Elizabeth, Maryanne, Deborah, Emily, Ellen, Eliza, Emma, Martha and Edward. The change-over station for stage coaches, including Cobb and C., and paddocks for resting horses, were on their property. The farm was later bought by J.T. Murray. The family are interred in the Lake Bolac Cemetery.lake bolac, rowley, pioneer settlers, 1862, murray, cobb and co.

Swagman, travelling through the Lake Bolac district. These 'swaggies' often had regular, seasonal 'runs' which they would follow, returning to the same hamlets and farms at the same time every year to ask for minor chores in order to earn a meal or to obtain some flour, tea and sugar. After both wars, the numbers of swaggies increased as returned soldiers, who couldn't settle to (or couldn't find) regular employment, took to the roads.lake bolac, swagman

Made by internee camp 3 Tatura. Used by the children as part of a model farm yard scene.Handmade wooden model of a dog, painted black & white, base painted green.model dog, toys, k beck

Boy with a Thorn Though the classical bronze that the figure was modeled has become known as Lo Spinario, both Stuart Rattle and Kevin O’Neill referred to it as The Boy with a Thorn. Information from the late Stuart Rattle and John Graham, the late Kevin O’Neill’s partner. The statue was bought by Kevin O’Neill from a South Yarra antique dealer in the 1980s. She had bought it in Europe. Stuart believed that it was cast in Berlin by Moritz Geiss who had pioneered the popular process of zinc casting of classical statues. Schinkel, the architect of early 19th Century Prussian public buildings used the process extensively. I assume that the decorations that can be seen in Berlin currently are copies of those copies, given the comprehensive destruction of the city in 1945. Unless there is a date stamped on the statue, and there might well be, there is no firm indication of its age, although Stuart and Kevin believed it was “turn of the century”. It was given to Stuart by John Graham after the death of Kevin O’Neill. Prior to its installation at Musk Farm, it was “by the dam” at Marnarnie, O’Neill’s property at Mt Macedon. It became a much photographed focal point in the sunken garden at Musk Farm. The statue is a gift from the Rattle family to The Friends of Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens who intend to give it, in turn, to Hepburn Shire to be placed in the Botanic Gardens. Both the family and the Friends see it as a memorial to Stuart’s tireless work to raise funds for the Gardens and to raise the profile of the Gardens so that their considerable significance could be more broadly acknowledged. The CMP notes that statuary has been a feature of most botanic gardens (and a notable feature of the Ballarat Botanical Gardens) and James Lowe, the head of Parks for the Shire has also commented that it is an area that could well be developed in the Gardens. This comes from his attendance at meetings of the BGANZ, the “peak professional body” for the development and maintenance of registered botanic gardens in Aus and NZ. Given the lack of funds that the Shire has been able to allocate to the Gardens, a donation of this calibre is a welcome addition to the cultural asset that the Gardens represent. A very large number of residents of the Shire are members of the Friends, have visited Musk Farm and are appreciative of the Gardens. There is a current feeling that the Gardens are undergoing a dynamic revival as a result of the success of the Café and also because of the extraordinary improvement and enhancement of the amenity that has been undertaken over the past two years by the Friends. The installation of the Boy with the Thorn is another move forward for the Gardens. The statue is cast zinc. It is sometimes referred to a white bronze. As can be seen in the photographs, it is in very good condition with no damage or apparent degeneration of the metal. The Smithsonian Institution has a lengthy document relating to the deterioration and repair of similar casts in the US where urban pollution has taken its toll but for the most part it deals with inappropriate repair rather than maintenance protocols. One of the properties of zinc that is appreciated in Australia is its ability to withstand the elements and given that the artwork has been either on Mt Macedon or at Musk for the last 30 years or more, its relocation to Wombat Hill seems to be an appropriate one. The Friends are prepared to organise and pay for the relocation of the statue. The issue of security from the point of view of theft, malicious damage and environmental impact will need to be addressed. The Ballarat Botanical Gardens have recently reinstalled statuary which has been damaged and which had been removed from the Gardens on account of this. They have used Rockworks Ballarat and Wilson’s Memorials to make plinths, secure artworks with steel pins and to provide especially robust fixings to ensure the safety of the various sculptures. The CMP (2007) makes a number of recommendations regarding security in the Gardens ranging from the installation of lighting to the locking of the gates overnight and the repair/reinstatement of appropriate fencing – not done as yet to my knowledge. Paul Bangay has also agreed to act as a consultant in the process of installing the Boy. John Graham estimates its value at $20,000 The preferred location for the work would be at the entrance to the Fernery from the lawn. The paths form an intersection at that point that could be modified to fit the statue. But this is currently a suggested location only. The statue is a gift from the Rattle family to The Friends of Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens who have gifted it to the Hepburn Shire to be placed in the Botanic Gardens. Both the family and the Friends of the Wombat Hill Botanical Gardens Daylesford see it as a memorial to Stuart’s tireless work to raise funds for the Gardens and to raise the profile of the Gardens so that their considerable significance could be more broadly acknowledged. Lo Spinario (Boy with a thorn) c. 1900 copy after the Greco-Roman Hellenistic antique bronze in Rome. c. 1900 copy after the Greco-Roman Hellenistic antique bronze in Rome (Palazzo dei Conservatori, Musei Capitolini, Rome) Manufacturer M. Geiss, Berlin Nonedaylesford, wombat hill botanical gardens, stuart rattle, kevin o'neill, john graham, boy with a thorn, lo spinario, classical sculpture, zinc, classical nude, hepburn shire, public art, sculpture, art

A black and white photograph of a group of men working a threshing machine and building a haystack during hay making in 1922.cullinan, uraina, eileen, bayview farm, diggers rest, harvesting, haystacks, machinery, agricultural machinery, farm and garden equipment, hay bales, 1920s, george evans collection

A black and white photograph three horses harnessed and working with four men during harvest.on back: GROUP / DIGGERS RESTcullinan, uraina, eileen, bayview farm, diggers rest, harvesting, hay bales, horses, horse drawn vehicles, george evans collection

A black and white photograph of four men gathering hay to make hay stooks in a paddock.on back: STOOKING / DIGGERS RESTcullinan, uraina, eileen, bayview farm, diggers rest, harvesting, hay bales, horse drawn vehicles, george evans collection

A black and white photograph of two females sitting in a horse drawn buggy in front of a timber and corrugated iron shed. One female has been identified on the back of the photograph as Uraina Cullinan. The other is not known.on back: wrtten in pen; "The morning drive" / Uraina Cullinan - ? / DIGGERS RESTcullinan, uraina, eileen, bayview farm, diggers rest, hay bales, horse drawn vehicles, george evans collection

A black and white photograph of a weatherboard house and garden known as Bayview Farm at Diggers Rest. It is the home of Uraina and Eileen Cullinan situated at 111 Davis Road, Diggers Rest.on back: BAYVIEW / 111 DAVIS ROAD / DIGGERS RESTcullinan, uraina, eileen, diggers rest, bayview farm, chris, davis road, george evans collection

A black and white photograph of a man shearing a sheep with shears in a farmyard with water tanks in the background with a stack of feed bags. The property if Bayview Farm, Davis Road, Diggers Rest.on back: BAYVIEW / DAVIS ROAD / DIGGERS RESTcullinan, uraina, eileen, diggers rest, bayview farm, chris, davis road, farmers, shearers, george evans collection

A black and white photograph of two horses harnessed up to a cultivator. A young girl and a man are standing behind it.on back: DIGGERS RESTcullinan, uraina, eileen, chris, cultivators, horses, farm and garden equipment, agricultural implements, george evans collection

A black and white image of twelve turkeys in a farm yard. In the background on the LH side there is a tree and a picket fence next to the farm gate and shed with a wire fence and tree.on back: Melton Shire Council Meeting / Diggers Restcullinan, uraina, eileen, chris, farming, turkeys, farms, bayview farm, george evans collection

A black and white image of Miss Uraina Cullinan kneeling on the ground holding a sheep at her farm "Bayview" in Diggers Rest.on back: Uraina Cullinan / Diggers Restcullinan, uraina, eileen, chris, farming, farms, bayview farm, george evans collection

A black and white image of Miss Uraina Cullinan and William Clark drenching sheep in a yard at her farm "Bayview" in Diggers Rest.on back: Wm Clark / Uraina Cullinancullinan, uraina, eileen, chris, farming, farms, bayview farm, clark, william, sheep, drenching, george evans collection

A black and white image of Eileen Cullinan with her two dogs 'Lassie' and 'Bobby' on her farm "Bayview" in Diggers Rest.on back: Eileen Cullinan / Lassie / Bobbycullinan, uraina, eileen, chris, dogs, farming, farms, bayview farm, clark, william, sheep, drenching, george evans collection

A black and white image of Uraina Cullinan and William Clark with dog 'Bobby' in a sheepyard on her farm "Bayview" in Diggers Rest.on back: Uraina Cullinan / Bobby / Wm Clarkcullinan, uraina, eileen, chris, dogs, farming, farms, bayview farm, clark, william, sheep, drenching, george evans collection

A black and white image of a group of people at a dance in the Diggers Rest Hall. This venue was used by the people of the district for many years.on back: E & U / Cullinan / Diggers Rest / OLD HALLcullinan, uraina, eileen, chris, farming, farms, bayview farm, diggers rest, diggers rest hall, george evans collection

prisoner of war obviously had an association with Ms CullinanA black and white image of a group of seventeen men in uniform standing in front of a building with iron bars on the windows. It was sent to Miss E. Cullinan by D. Duggan from Stalag XVIII.on back in ink: to Miss E. Cullinan / Diggers Rest / Victoria / Australia / From D. Duggan / 3617 / 10029 / G. W. STALAG XVIIIA Arb. Kdo / 0.029 / GWworld war 2, cullinan, uraina, eileen, chris, duggan, d., bayview farm, uniforms, clothing and dress, george evans collection

A black and white photograph of thirty-one children taken at the Diggers Rest State School on 18 August 1924. There are seventeen boys and fourteen girls. Two girls are Eileen and Uraina Cullinan of Bayview Farm.on back in ink: E & U CULLINANcullinan, uraina, eileen, chris, bayview farm, diggers rest, farms, farming, clothing and dress, harvesting, schools, diggers rest state school, haystacks, george evans collection

A black and white photograph of a group of school children and their teacher taken at the Diggers Rest State School No.2479. Eileen and Uraina Cullinan are amongst this group but not identified.on back in ink: E & U CULLINANcullinan, uraina, eileen, chris, bayview farm, diggers rest, farms, farming, clothing and dress, harvesting, schools, diggers rest state school, education, george evans collection

On 4th August 1978 the construction of the Goonawarra Estate commenced. The estate was formerly known as the Goonawarra Farm and overlooked the Sunbury Township and the Jacksons Creek Valley. Plans for the development included a golf course, houses and community and recreational facilities. The golf course opened in 1980 and the housing construction continued throughout the last two decades of the twentieth century and into the twenty first century.A coloured photograph of the clubhouse at Goonawarra Golf Course as seen from the 10th green. A small white van is parked ouitside the building. There is a line of trees behind the clubhouse.goonawarra golf club, goonawarra farm, goonawarra housing estate, housing developments, sharkey, robert b., kilkenny homes, australian ideas homes pty.ltd., glamor homes, craftsmen homes., villa bella homes, george evans collection