Postcards from the Limestone Coast: Tintinara

I had rather be on my farm than be emperor of the world. ~George Washington

"We are staying on a real farm, aren't we Mummy!" Ess commented excitedly as we wandered about our new surroundings at O'Dea's Cottage, near Tintinara.

To say we enjoyed our time in Tintinara would be an understatement. I must tell you about it, as Tintinara is an unlikely place along the highway to enjoy yourself - some would say. It is only a couple of hours to Adelaide, and perhaps many drivers would be keen to continue towards home with so few kilometres to drive. Yet we stayed...and extended our stay.

Upon our arrival we were greeted by the cows in the front paddocks.

We wandered down the back...

to feed the chooks, collect their eggs...

and have a swing.

By evening, we settled in, by a warm fire, to watch the sun set.

The next morning our host took us on the back of the ute (which was such an exciting novelty for Ess) to see the cows and search for elusive kangaroos. I think it was too near the middle of the day for the dawn and dusk loving creatures.

Ess had the chance to stroke, pat and feed the old mare who has been put to pasture here.

After having spent the morning viewing the historic Tintinara woolshed, we were delighted to have the opportunity to participate in a working woolshed.

How serendipitous that our hosts were shearing on the weekend of our visit.

Ess even had the opportunity to be a 'wool press' for a while, tramping down the shorn scraps of wool. Lots of fun!

For me this was a trip down memory lane. While I had never visited this particular shed, I often spent time at our farm while our shearing shed was in action. I remember the sights and smells well. The busyness of numerous workers, shearing and sorting, herding and directing. The sense of open space in contrast to the pens and runs where the sheep were held for shearing and for dipping. I remember climbing up on fences, finding wildflowers such as yellow billy buttons, which I never imagined could look so beautiful, and running free. I remember my Granny's lamingtons, consumed ravenously on picnics up the paddock with family and friends.

I am so grateful to have been able to share some of my memories with my family as a result of this experience.

Postcards from the Limestone Coast: Tintinara Woolshed

We all grow up with the weight of history on us. Our ancestors dwell in the attics of our brains as they do in the spiraling chains of knowledge hidden in every cell of our bodies. ~Shirley Abbott

This magnificent historic 16 stand shearing shed was built in 1865 on land near the present day Tintinara, South Australia.

It was built by pioneers William Harding and George Bunn who followed the first settlers to the area, namely, The Boothby Bros.

The shed was built at the site of the Tintinara Homestead. The Boothby Bros. had purchased a lease of 165 square miles and formed a station known as Tintinara - a name derived from their Aboriginal workman, Tin Tin, a member of the Coorong tribe. Both the shed and the homestead are classified by the National Trust.

The shed features 80cm thick limestone walls and supporting Oregon timbers, almost 11 metres long, which were carted from Kingston by bullock drays.

Below is an extract taken from Shut Six Gates: A History of Tintinara, Culburra and District by Elizabeth Nicholls.

William Harding and George Bunn took over the 'Tintinarra Run' and proceeded to build the stone homestead and the 16 stand shearing shed in 1865. The imported Oregon timbers for the woolshed branded 'H & B' were carted inland from Kingston on the coast. The timbers measured 7 inches x 3 inches and 35 feet long and were apparently brought out in kit form, as each junction of the main frame had roman numerals stamped in the timber for matching during construction. Sheep pen fittings and gratings were made from sawn red gum carted by bullock teams from Bordertown.

Take a close look at some of the stonework here above the door. These supporting beams have no doubt been put in in more recent times.

Come on in! Take a wander around inside with me.

The old table used for wool classing and sorting.

The wool press and other old machinery.

The stamped 'H&B' mentioned in the extract above.

An heritage rose growing around the exterior walls. It has been identified but I am yet to source further information on that.

I can't help but see this building as a working shearing shed, imagining it as it would once have been a hundred years ago and more. However in recent times it has been used for parties and gatherings. It would be magnificent to see life in here again in whatever form. Perhaps someone will restore and use it. Could it be a B&B? A tourist location? The shearer's quarters and kitchen are nearby.

So why am I telling you all this? Because William Harding was my great great Grandfather. I am just a teency bit proud of him and what he achieved in his life of only 50 years. His wife Mary must also have been a very strong woman. She remained in England with her young children while her husband sailed to the other side of the world in search of something "greener" I imagine. After William's death, she packed up most of her family (including my great grandfather Joseph) and headed north from Tintinara. She left South Australia and headed for Queensland, only she stopped on the way and made her family a home near Moree, New South Wales which is where I grew up and my mother still resides to this day. Mary's daughter, Emma, married a Hack and resided in Naracoorte from where she wrote many letters to her family in New South Wales. So this journey was one of tracing my ancestors footsteps, with good intent.

The Tasmanian Blue Gum seen beside the grave of William Harding about was planted by William in the year that he died, 1874.

Harding is known in the community of Tintinara as being one of the pioneers of the town. It was great to talk with local shearers and hear that one or two of them were in the 'Harding' team for their local school sports. There they were barracking for my great great Grandfather, or so it might be construed ;)

Postcards from the Limestone Coast: Naracoorte

The desire to fly is an idea handed down to us by our ancestors who, in their grueling travels across trackless lands in prehistoric times, looked enviously on the birds soaring freely through space, at full speed, above all obstacles, on the infinite highway of the air. ~Wilbur Wright

Hacks Lagoon

Visiting Hacks Lagoon, adjoining the main basin of Bool Lagoon at Naracoorte, was very special for me. Apart from the fact that we saw hundreds and hundreds of migratory birds which had flown south for the winter, at a beautiful time of the evening, the Hack family name is significant to me.

Emma Hack lived in Naracoorte in the late 1800's. She had moved there after marrying and leaving her family in Tintinara. Her father was my great great Grandfather and her brother, my great Grandfather. I have been on a journey walking in the footsteps of my ancestors - more about that soon.

Had it not been for our Cave Tour Guide mentioning Hacks Lagoon, upon hearing me talk of ancestral names which may be written on the walls of the caves decades ago, we would not have known about it, nor visited Hacks and Bool Lagoons.

The lagoons are absolutely beautiful and definitely worth popping in to see (especially after all the rain we have had this season). Yet there are by no means filled!

Photos simply cannot do justice to the World Heritage Caves at Naracoorte.

You simply must come and see them for yourself to experience the awe and majesty of these unique places under this seemingly inconspicuous terrain.

Once again the flora was spectacular. This native orchid was quickly picked in an attempt to calm a very whingey tired little two year old. Later we realised that it is likely to be very rare and we should have left it alone. It is rather beautiful in its simplicity you must agree.

This gum blossom took my breath away. It is enormous - perhaps 5-7cm in diameter.

This is such a unique and delicate blossom. It is no wonder the fairies call them home in the Australian bush. It is indeed pretty and intriguing with many a hidey hole for illusive little beings.

Seeing the critically endangered Bent-wing bats fly from their cave for a night-time hunt for food was a very privileged act we enjoyed as a family just on dusk.

Postcards from the Limestone Coast: Penola/Coonawarra

I used to visit and revisit it a dozen times a day, and stand in deep contemplation over my vegetable progeny with a love that nobody could share or conceive of who had never taken part in the process of creation. It was one of the most bewitching sights in the world to observe a hill of beans thrusting aside the soil, or a rose of early peas just peeping forth sufficiently to trace a line of delicate green. ~Nathaniel Hawthorne, Mosses from an Old Manse

We stayed in Naracoorte in this delightful cottage, yet we would have rathered stay in Penola. The cottage was beautiful, very restful with a room for each of us, the fire already set for us to light, toys for the children to enjoy. I very much enjoyed 'playing house' in this cottage of yesteryear but there were delights awaiting us in Penola which we had had to drive past half an hour earlier in the day.

So we returned!

Taking country roads

The vines of the famous Coonawarra wine region

Honeyeater and bottlebrush, enjoying Spring!

Day be day we drove from Naracoorte to Penola to help little Eee fall asleep in the car for her afternoon nap. At least that was our excuse, we wanted to enjoy lunch in Penola (among other things).

Dining at diVine Café and Gourmet Delicatessan was wonderful. It was the first time we had an option of eating gluten free while on our trip. At last, I could order sandwiches for the girls without worrying they were consuming too much wheat. They enjoyed them so very much. I ordered a pasta salad which I have not eaten in ages. I loved the way the menu was written - it didn't have a gluten free listing from which your choice was limited, my salad was a menu item which was noted to have a gluten free option available - wonderful!

I wanted to return to Petticoat Lane to visit Sharam's Cottages and Garden. These treasures were built in 1850, reputedly the first in Penola. Granny Sharam died in the cottage around 1910. I am not sure what the family did with them directly afterwards, but since the 1960s they have been cared for by the National Trust and are open to wander through... take a look at these eye opening pictures of a cottage of yesteryear.

Look at this adorable baby's cradle.

Now the pièce de résistance, the Herb and Vegetable Garden, also maintained by the National Trust.

This is my dream garden, lovingly cared for after being built over 150 years ago to take care of a family. Over a century later, our family wandered through and delighted in being able to pick, smell and take home for tea. We enjoyed the Rainbow Chard left in the basket for visitors. I'd so love someone to be walking through my garden next century and enjoying its produce.

The last peek of Sharam's Cottage for you is of this ancient doll found underneath floorboards. I was awe-inspired to see the handwork of a lady of so long ago and wander what games the girls got up to with this treasure. Was she beloved and taken to bed religiously each night? What she placed on the shelf with other doll friends? Was she carried out to the garden to tend it with her owner and mother? How long did it take to make her? Was she a gift to the owner by her mother, aunt, grandma, sister? Was she playing hide and seek when she slipped and fell through a hole in the floorboards, unable to climb out again, unable to cry for help, unable to make a little searching girl hear her call for help? There she remained, as floorboards were repaired, covering any evidence of her fall, until they were pulled up again years later. Was she ever recognised by family members grown up, with girls and dolls of their own now?

I wonder if one of the dolls I have made for my treasured pair will be discovered in years to come!

Hope you enjoyed Penola too.

Postcards from the Limestone Coast: Dartmoor, Victoria

The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next best time is now. ~Chinese Proverb

Carved Cypress Tree in the Village Green

We darted across the South Australian border towards Dartmoor as soon as we heard of the Nursery Rhyme/Fairy Tale Cypress Tree. There are 38 characters carved in the old tree planted before World War II.

The carvings have been made by Kevin Gilders, a professional chainsaw carver/artist.

I'm sure you'll recognise many of them, as we did.

After a quick visit to the Village Dunny we left the Village Green and headed towards the main street of Dartmoor.

There is an avenue of trees which has been carved as a memorial to soldiers of the local area. Do have a read about the Avenue of Honour. I found it a wonderful opportunity to share with Ess about the times of war as we wandered along the avenue. She was particularly interested and asked many questions. It was somewhat of a paradox, we came to Dartmoor to enjoy seeing nursery rhymes and fairytales in carvings yet found ourselves immersed in conversation about some important real life issues.

Why were the trees not left alone you might be asking? As I did. It seems that arborists recommended the trees be cut down. They had been planted to commemorate those who had gone to war from the community around Dartmoor. Each tree was planted recognising the direction in which their home lay. I guess if a tree needs to be chopped down then this is a special way for the commemoration of these important people to continue.

Now tell me, which characters from which rhymes and tales did you see carved in the old cypress tree?