Kaya (hello) dear readers, as promised I am back with the next installment of my Across Australia series. Last time we explored the Wimmera/Mallee silos art trail, visited the amazing Stick Shed, Minyip home of the 1980s Flying Doctors TV series, and explored some of my family history.
Today we leave Warracknabeal in the Wimmera/Mallee and travel eastward across country to Mansfield in the foothills of the Victorian High Country and the next feature stopover of our trip. Here is the map following our tracker.
We had pre-booked months ago a spot in the Mansfield High Country Holiday Park for the Easter weekend and were so glad we did as Mansfield was also cazy busy with people everywhere and all business open to take advantage of the holiday crowds.
On the Saturday morning we went to the Easter markets held along a central park. Wow - over 180 stalls and thousands of people - huge!
After a stroll through the markets, and a few purchases, we visited the Mansfield Easter Art show which attracts artists from all over Australia - stunning.
We also went to the satirical Bald Archy Prize exhibition. The winner was a painting of Prime-Minister Albanese riding a kangaroo and flying the Australian flag. (The Archibald Prize is a prestigeous Australian annual portrature prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Australia). The Bald Archy is a little different!
We had a stroll through some of the shops and visited the Visitor Information Centre for some local information. And our son bought a bushman's hat.
Mansfield is the gateway to the Victorian high country snowfields of Mount Buller and Mount Stirling, and also is very much part of the culture of the Man From Snowy River movies, as they were filmed around here. I'll take you there in a minute.
Next day we drove down to Lake Eildon and the town of Jamieson. It was a very pretty drive through farmland with a background of mountains and trees starting their autumn colours.
Houses at Goughs Bay were nestled around the edge of Lake Eildon which is actually a man-made dam. There are opportunities for mountain bike riding and bushwalking.
Then continuing south along winding roads through Howqua to Jamieson. Watch out for the "wildlife high risk area" signs - in this case kangaroos and wombats - and "slippery when frosty" road signs - something new to us West Aussies.
Everywhere seems to be busy for Easter and Jamieson was no exception. This part of Victoria is an easy weekend location for people from Victoria's capital city of Melbourne
We went for a walk around town, admiring the autumn colours which were just starting and visited the museum. Jamieson has an amazing array of exotic imported trees which do well in the lower highlands climate. They were having their autumn festival in two weeks time and the museum lady said they were hoping that more trees would have turned autumn by then.
Jamieson has a rich history - a legacy of the 1850s gold rush - and many historic buildings.
Below from top left clockwise you can see st Johns Catholic church who were having their Easter Sunday service, St Peter's Anglican church where there was an art fair, the Jamieson museum, and along the bottom some autumn colour.
And we had our picnic lunch in a lovely park along the Jamieson River.
Some more birds from my husband - clockwise from top left - Eastern Rosella, adult Crimson Rosella (back view!), immature Crimson Rosella, female Superb Blue Wren, Purple Backed Wren, and the introduced male Blackbird.
On Monday we booked a Craig's Hut Tour with Steve from High Country Scenic Tours. If you have seen the Man From Snowy River movies you will know Craig's Hut in the high country. To visit the hut had been on my son's must visit movie location list for years (he loves going to movie locations), and we were finally going to see it.
Steve picked us up from the caravan park in his 4-Wheel Drive. We were rugged up as it was cold and had rained during the night. Steve was a great guide and had lots of background information about the movie as he lived here when it was filmed and a number of locals were used in the movie.
The 1982 Man From Snowy River movie was inspired by the iconic poem by Australian poet AB Banjo Paterson, and stared Tom Burlinson (Jim Craig), Sigrid Thornton (Jessica Harrison), Kirk Douglas (two parts - Harrison and his brother Spur), Jack Thompson (Clancy of the Overflow - another Banjo Paterson poem), David Bradshaw (Banjo Paterson).
First up we went to the location used in the movie for the Harrison homestead - now private property, named Harrison's View. The sign on the fence is very cleverly done, as it fits over the view if you stand in the right spot. The rearing horse is a lazer cut on the property.
Then it was up into the high country towards Mt Buller and Mt Stirling.
Steve told us that he brought a full Chamber Orchestra (minus piano) from Brigham Young University, Utah USA to the hut to play the Man From Snowy River movie theme. I have shared the link here. I defy anyone (well any Australian anyway) not to be moved by this piece of music written by Bruce Rowland. It is a truly iconic piece of Australian music, and I get a lump in my throat every time I hear it. In the film clip you can see the views we would have seen on a clear day, if it wasn't for the fog. Enjoy.
The basis of the Man From Snowy River movie came from the poem by iconic Australian poet AB "Banjo" Paterson first published on 26 April 1890 - The Institute of Australian Culture.
The poem tells the story of the Man From Snowy River who single handedly rounded up a mob of wild horses, and brought back the colt from Old Regret. Below is the first verse of the ballad -
There was movement at the station, for the word had passed around
That the colt from Old Regret had got away,
And had joined the wild bush horses — he was worth a thousand pound,
So all the cracks had gathered to the fray.
All the tried and noted riders from the stations near and far
Had mustered at the homestead overnight,
For the bushmen love hard riding where the wild bush horses are,
And the stock-horse snuffs the battle with delight.
Banjo also wrote the lyrics to the song Waltzing Matilda in 1895.
I just found this interesting little video - The Man From Snowy River - 10 Facts You Didn't Know -
A few facts from the movie -
They used trail horses, not brumbies.
The mountain men in the movie were locals, and told to come dressed just as they were. Absolutely authentic.
Jim Craig's ride down the hill was done in several takes and then melded together. The original rider broke his leg on the first run, and a young local guy stepped in to do the ride for the movie, and went on to do other movies.
Below is Razorback Hut where we had lunch. The hut was used until recently by local mountain country cattlemen during their annual cattle drives. Today it is a populatr spot for horse-riders, hikers and four wheel drivers.
More information -
Australian National Film & Sound Archives - Man From Snowy River movie
Man From Snowy River poem - The Institute of Australian Culture.
