Central Victoria

Central Victoria. Macedon Ranges, Kyneton, Cobaw, Heathcote … places with long – for Australia! – and interesting histories ..

Joe Mortelliti‘s life long love, from when he was first given a Brownie camera as a boy, was photography. It was the focus of his work life for many years. He loved to travel with his wife Marion to as many parts of Australia as he could. He had the ability to ‘see’ the beauty of our land in such a way that he could photograph it for the delight of others. These photos are a legacy that he has left us. Used by permission and with appreciation.

The old town of Blackwood has many wonderful historic buildings.

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Mist and rain roll across the ranges toward Blackwood. This historic town has many old interesting buildings.

For the first time I photographed a cemetery as I felt Blackwood Cemetery’s location on top of the hill, with it’s old headstones and ranges for a back drop was a fine combination.

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The morning fog hangs low at the foot of the Cobaw Range. 

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Rugged old fencing and rocky granite outcrops are a feature of this area of the Cobaw in the Macedon Ranges.

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This range in the Macedon area is extremely rocky with granite outcrops everywhere.

We recently spent a day traveling many of the 4wd tracks through this range. Some tracks have very steep rough climbs and descents making them challenging to travel. 

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The early morning light skims across the hills, picking up highlights on the power lines running along Gooch’s Lane at Pipers Creek.

Wind farms applications recently lodged are threatening to cover the ridge lines of this beautiful country area with turbines standing 32 metres high. 

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 This old farm gate way is looking a little tired, but adding charmingly to the rural atmosphere in the early morning fog. 

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Just loved this old fence with it’s man made shaped holes leading off into the fog. 

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Heavy fog at Pipers Creek, near Kyneton. Staying on local farm I was able to be up and out early to photograph in these interesting conditions. 

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I have been on the look out to capture a windmill for a very long time, but generally have not found features surrounding them suitable to make a good image. The fog and cows made this windmill into an image that I find very pleasing.

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Old water tanks sitting upon rustic timber poles in a long abandoned farm. This charming scene was only recently saved from summer fires by being water bombed from a helicopter. 

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This hill is also earmarked for wind farm turbines, along with the ridge line beyond.

Local communities are being split, adjoining property owners to where turbine development is planned are concerned with noise, views and now property values falling up to 40%. Wind farms at Toora in South Gippsland confirm people walking away from homes due to noise, illness and falling property values. 

I don’t know whether this wind farm development has gone ahead since Joe wrote these words in 2004. I share his concerns that the visual and noise pollution, and the destruction of many large birds, including eagles, that are hit by the blades as they turn, of these taxpayer subsidised machines are bringing to some pristine areas of the world, for very questionable returns.

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Wispy trees, and a still morning fog made for an eerie morning atmosphere.

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Watching the last rays of sunlight from the top of Mt Macedon. The sunlight skims across hanging rock and the evening is heavy with rain clouds and mist over Cobaw and across the Macedon Ranges

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I met John Howard, a local farmer who lives on this property and is fighting to stop the ridge lines above him from being covered with turbines for a wind farm. Noise from turbines is a real issue for these people living near by and the industrialisation of these rural landscapes is vandalism.

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Drought has made conditions very harsh in the country. Located in the region of the Bendigo gold fields in Victoria. I felt this scene represented an Australian shearing shed well. 

Now it is 2022 and the rains are back! There is significant flooding on the eastern seaboard, and even here in Victoria there have been floods. Australia truly is a ‘…land of droughts and flooding rains.’.

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Known as the Mia Mia Bridge. The road drops down steeply into a valley and this unusual bridge that is separated into two lanes. Built in 1867, though completed in 1868, it’s height is restricted to smaller vehicles as large trucks cannot fit under the steel arches. The river below has dried out due to many years of drought. 

The Mia Mia Bridge is a wrought iron and timber structure with bluestone abutments, located over the Campaspe River near the town of Redesdale.

More info on the Mia Mia bridge at Wikipedia

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As the song ‘My Country’ puts it, Australia is a land of droughts and flooding rains, and has always been so.

Right now, in January 2016, less than 100 kilometres away near the Great Ocean Road, there are bushfires that have already destroyed the town of Wye River. There are bushfires in Western Australia and South Australia. But there are floods in Sydney and in Queensland.

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