Historical information

This is a camp of survey workers surveying the railway line . They were camped at Mossiface in 1907.
It has been sent as a postcard - "Dear Miss Ross, Just a card, hoping you are well etc, trust you have not forgotten our trip. I forgot to get the name of the street in Hobart of Mr Benjamin or Temple?????? Sufficient. Yours sincerely H.R. Gordon". It has been dated September 30th 1907.
There had been men surveying in East Gippsland from the late 19th century. Railway surveyors advocated two lines beyond Bairnsdale – one via Bruthen and the Tambo Valley to Omeo, the other via Swan Reach and Colquhoun to Orbost, then on to Bendoc and the border. With all the argument and feuding between the warring factions, by the end of 1891, the Parliamentary Railways Standing Committee gave up in despair of trying to reach any agreement and abandoned the idea altogether. Finally, with all problems solved, the first sod was turned at Mossiface on 9.1.1912, the government sticking to the original route in the 1890 survey .

Significance

This is a pictorial record of a surveyors' camp in the early 20th century. The Bairnsdale to Orbost Railway was a significant contributor to the economy of Orbost until it closed.

Physical description

A black / white photograph / postcard of a group of men at a campsite. In the background is a row of tents. on the right side is a clothes line with several sheets hung over it. Two men are studying a map or chart; one man is sitting with a cloth around his shoulders while another is standing behind him cutting his hair; one man is washing cloth in a tin tub; another appears to be stirring a pot; others are sitting reading or just observing.

Inscriptions & markings

on front - handwritten is " R.L.Y.S. SURVEY CAMP MOSSIFACE 27.7.07"
on back is a letter - "Dear Miss Ross.............yours sincerely ????? Gordon"