Family History

Pictured here are my Grandfather and Grandmother (left hand side picture), with my very suave Great Grandfather. This shot, I am advised, was taken at Fawkner Cemetry.

This lovely image is of my Grandparent's wedding. My Grandmother had the full rainbow of colours in her bridal party. I just love her bouquet.

Finally, this image was taken in the 1930's. My Grandmother and Grandfather were at Luna Park here in Melbourne at the time.

I love the way my Grandparents dressed. Well, my grandfather still dresses lovely to this day. My Grandmother, she also dressed very well up until she passed away. Also, every time we went out she would have the nicest shoes on, and the best pressed pleat skirt with blouse..and of course a matching bag to go with those shoes. Some people could really take a leaf out of her book these days you know.

The reason my Grandmother dressed stems from her Great-Grandfather William Pepper who came to Australia from Northern Ireland on the ship named the "British Trident" in 1854. They landed in Williamstown in Port Phillip. After some time the Peppers moved to Sydney for business. The Peppers were in the linen trade and were tailors aswell. There was a business in Oxford Street Darlinghurst, Sydney called "Buckingham and Pepper". Buckingham and Pepper had a disagreement and so Buckingham bought out Mr Pepper and he subsequently moved to Wauchope on the North Coast of NSW and ran a business on the Hastings River.
My Grandma's Dad was born in 1888 in Paddington NSW. I have to speak a bit more to my Pop, and get some more information on my Nan's side of the family.

Family History...

Above is an image my Grandfather obtained from the Portland Maritime Museum. In it you can see quite a few Dusting's. This is my Grandfather's Mother's maiden name. Here is also another list of the rescuers of the shipwreck SS Admella..the men pictured above and below.

The SS Admella collided with rocks at Carpenter Rocks, 6 August 1859. 89 lives were lost, including 14 children. There were 24 survivors, thanks to the courageous men on this lifeboat (named Lady Bird). Perilous seas thwarted attempts to rescue the injured passengers of the vessel. It is amazing that anyone survived.

I have a full story, or account of what occured in a small booklet. I might scan it when I have a day off of work and publish it here. It is the account by Bridget Ledwith, the only female survivor from the SS Admella.

The Lighthouse Keeper...

OK people, this is how the story goes.... pictured above is John Eastman. Not only was he the Lighthouse Keeper that I have spoken about in a post prior..he is my Great Great Great Grandfather on my Grandpa's Mum's side. (Phew)

The story goes like this. John Eastman's father was an Innkeeper in Bremen, Germany. His name was Herman Ostman, which had been changed to "Eastman" on his arrival to Australia.

John Eastman obtained work as a boatman on Port Phillip Bay, rowing out to ships and taking the new settlers and their possessions ashore. In 1848 he ferried a woman to the shore of Williamston. Her name was Elizabeth Rich (born in Rio Dejanero 1930). It was love at first sight and so they got married.

They made the long journey to Portland by bullock wagon when Eastman was appointed light-house keeper in 1859. Together they raised a large family, including two sets of twins (and I thought I had my work cut out for me here with four kids..yeah). One of their children was named Adeline, she was born in 1876.

Adeline, John Eastman's daughter, met a young man named Peter Dusting. Peter and Adeline married and had a daughter named Loreen, who is my Pop's Nanna. Loreen married a Hartmann and so became my Grandad's family name of Hartmann. They had Arthur, Graham and my Poppy Max.

There are many more stories I have to tell.. and well, there is so much information it will take me days to go through. Plenty of images too.

Wyperfeld National Park..Part 2.

This is "Rabbiter' Camp", or more aptly, what is left of it. It is situated on Racecourse Road. The rabbit plague devastated plants and animals of the Mallee, changing people's lives and the landscape forever. A severe rabbit plague gripped the district in 1873- and so a slaughter was on!

The rabbit plague then seen farmers turn from their crops that were ravaged and their sheep that were starved to making money from culling of rabbits. Numerous ramshackle huts like the one in this image were erected and dotted along the Mallee landscape.

The sign reads .."Wonga Hut", a welcome shelter!

This hut was built in 1834 by the Committe Management to provideshelter for visitors to the Southern End of the Wyperfeld National Park, named "Wonga Lake Station". Until 1968, the only water available was that which was collected via the pipes on the roof of this hut, which was collected into a rain water tank.

Early houses of the region were built with logs and a bark roof. Later on, they were constructed out of corrugated galvanised iron as you see here. Presently there are some wonderful facilities here at the Wonga Lake area for visitors to the park. There is also an extensive collection of history to be seen in the visitors centre.

Wyperfeld National Park, Victoria, Australia

Wyperfeld National Park is in Victoria's Mallee Region. It was declared a National Park in 1921. Wyprefeld lies 450km North West of Melbourne. It is a place that early settlers came to from different areas of the World. One of them being Germany, for which the name Wyperfeld originates.

This Mallee Area is extremely hot in the Summer months. So just how did the early settlers respond to the heat of the Summer months in the Mallee region? Pioneers needed to use what they had at hand. Resourceful settlers only needed an axe and local native pines to build a solid fence without nails or wire. (The style of fence was called "Chock and Log") But, how did they survive the Summer's heat without running water ? The answer lies in the diagram depicted below..

Charles Wilson occupied Wonga Lake region during 1863- 1865. This was a period of severe drought. He built a structure called A "Whim". This structure draws water from a well and although salty, was suitable for stock to consume.

In use, a horse was harnessed to the end of long horizontal pole joined at its centre to a vertical pivot. This allowed the horse to move in a circular path. One end of a rope was fixed to the pole at the opposite end to the horse and guided over a pulley suspended from a frame built above the well. The other end of the rope was tied to a bucket that was lowered and raised as the horse moved around the path.

The Whim set up..

The Chock and Log Fence..

Spring time is apparently the best time to visit the National Park, the abundant wildflowers Spring into life, with approximately 450 species of native plants. River red gum and Blackbox woodlands cover the floodplains of Outlet Creek and its lakes, while Pine-Buloke grow on nearby sand dunes. Seeds that lay dormant for long periods of time come to life and colour the area brilliantly.
Nankeen Kestral Eagle...

Mallee Eucalypts cover the Eastern section of this 365,800 Ha Park. A bird watcher's delight, Wyperfeld is home to over 200 species of birdlife.

Indigenous people "The Wotjobaluk" travelled along Outlet Creek visiting lakes and swamps..eventualy taking the route to the South end of the National Park where Lake Hindmarsh can be found. Such a lovely sight it would be if we were not in drought today!

Kingston S.E, South Australia.

Kingston S.E is a lovely seaside town located 297 km south east of Adelaide. It is known as a substantial port which is famous for its lobsters. It also happens to be the home of the Big Lobster, one of those wonderfully quirky 'bigs' which Australians seem to love to build.

Before the arrival of Europeans this whole area was settled by the Ngarranjeri Aborigines who lived along the Coorong and extended across the Murray River to the present day site of Goolwa.

The first European to make contact with this stretch of coastline (except for the itinerant sealers who drifted along the coast from earliest times) was the French explorer Nicolas Baudin (pictured above) who discovered Lacepede Bay in 1802.
The district was the subject of a much publicised tragedy in 1840 when the Maria was wrecked off the coast. The Maria left Adelaide bound for Hobart on 7 June, 1840. About 28 June it was wrecked off the coast near Lacepede Bay but the crew and passengers managed to get to shore. It appears that the sailors began trying to take advantage of the local Aboriginal women. As a form of reprisal 25 of the 26 survivors were killed. One young girl survived and was looked after by the Ngarranjeri people until eventually handed over to Europeans.

The town of Kingston (it only became Kingston South East to distinguish it from Kingston-on-Murray) was established Archibald and James Cooke took up land near Maria Creek in 1856. The town was named after the government surveyor, George Strickland Kingston, (pictured below) by the Governor of South Australia, Governor McDonnell, in 1858.

The Cooke brothers saw the potential of the area and duly sublet some of their land and built the first jetty. They were largely responsible for the wool stores which were built in the town. It was formally proclaimed a port in 1866 and it was in that year that the town got both a police station and a post office.
Today Kingston South East is a charming coastal town which is an ideal holiday destination for people seeking somewhere which is quiet and peaceful.

The Cape Jaffa lighthouse(pictured above) was built in 1868-1872 on Margaret Brock Reef, 8 km from shore and 19 km south from here and rebuilt on this site 1975-76. It is open 2.00 p.m. - 4.30 p.m. on holidays. It is the first lighthouse on the Australian coast to be dismantled and brought to the mainland.

Below, a glorious image of the sunset from where we stayed at Kingston S.E. Quite amazing to see the sun go down into the water! It is such a lovely place,we shall return.

Umpherston Sinkhole, Mt Gambier..South Australia

James Umpherston involved was one of two men who was involved in establishing the South Australian Agricultural and Horticultural Society. He had arrived from Scotland in 1839 and became a successful farmer. In 1869 he purchased 250 acres at Beswicks Farm, near Mt Gambier. It included the cave, which bears the Umpherston name.

Umpherston Cave, just east of the city on the Princes Highway, is named after James Umpherston, who arrived in 1860, and was a foundation member of the Show Society and lived on a property nearby. An interesting display on the steps leading into the cave explains its colourful history, and a Mack logging truck and an old bull-dozer are among logging displays in the beautiful gardens surrounding it.

When James Umpherston first purchased the caves, it was described as an eyesore. He turned it into a tourist attraction, with ferns, shrubs and trees. A broad footpath was cut from the highest point to the bottom of the cave and a wooden staircase erected where previously there had been a dangerous descent. A 1/3rd of the bottom of the cave was covered with water and a boat was let visitors and friends view the grandeur of the cave. On a small island in the lake, at the bottom of the cave, a Robinson Crusoe type hut was erected to create a fairyland scene.

Wooden steps are now hidden behind cascading vines take you down into the centre of the sinkhole and its picturesque garden full of hydrangeas.

Today it is one of Mount Gambier's most popular tourist attractions. It is free to look around but to experience the real charm of this sunken treasure you will have to wait until night falls. At this time about 40 brush tail possums venture out to feed. Tourists are able to go down and feed them any night of the week.