Orbost Water - 40,000yr ago to 2000AD - Orbost, Vic, Australia - Timelines on Waymarking.com

The right-hand side of this sign has quite an extensive Timeline, as transcribed below:

40000 years ago, Aborigines live in Victoria in a complex, environmentally sustainable society.
1770 Captain James Cook sighted and named Point Hicks.
1830-1840 European settlement and the establishment of pastoral runs, lead to conflict over water resources. Major land changes begin - native vegetation is cleared.
1844 Far East Gippsland was sparsely settled and was described as being covered with "an extraordinary large and impenetrable vine".
1861 Some gold in the lower Snowy was found by C.W. Nicholson's prospecting party.
~1870 Surveying the tributaries of the Snowy River took place.
1874 Wattlebark stripping commenced along the Snowy for tannery use. The tannin in this bark gives streams a tea-like colour.
1877 A Land Board met and granted the first freehold titles to the selectors on the Snowy flats. The manager of Clarke's Orbost Station warned the Land board that to allow the flats to be settled was to allow men to drown themselves. but the selectors stayed.
1883 A meeting was held to draft the formation of the Snowy River Shipping Company. The Company operated vessels, designed for crossing the bar at Marlo.
1884 A punt across the Snowy River at Orbost began operation. Prior to the punt, the river was crossed by boat and the horses were towed behind.
1885 The first irrigation pump begins operation in Victoria.
1890 The first bridge was constructed across the Snowy River.
1892 The Shire of Orbost was proclaimed and the Orbost Butter Factory began operation.
1895 An extremely high flood occurred on the Snowy flats and turned any settlers against living on the flats.
1908 The Snowy River was investigated to ascertain its potential as a supplier of hydro-power.
1917 The first meeting of the Orbost Waterworks Trust was held on the 6 February.
1918 The Young Creek reservoir was completed with the service basin completed in June 1919. Reticulated water became available in Orbost.
1929 A purification/filtration plant was completed following the issue of poor water quality being raised at Orbost Waterworks Trust meetings.
1942 Water from the new Rocky River scheme flowed to Orbost following low catchment yield and a major leak of the Youngs Creek reservoir wall.
1949 The Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Act was passed by the Commonwealth, the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Commission was established.
1961 European carp is introduced into Victoria's rivers and is declared a noxious pest in 1962.
1966 The Orbost Waterworks Trust approached government with regard to duplicating the water supply to Orbost via a pipeline from the Brodribb River.
1968 Orbost Sewerage Scheme was completed. Following a major upgrade to the Newmerella Waste Water Treatment Plant in 1992 the scheme was extended to Marlo.
1969 The Brodribb River pipeline and pump station was completed and reticulated water was extended to Marlo in 1970 and Newmerella in 1973.
1972 Land clearing has removed more than half of Victoria's natural forest cover.
1982-83 Severe drought throughout most of Victoria spurred water conservation programs being promoted.
1989 Native vegetation Retention controls are introduced in Victoria.
1995 Waterwatch Community Monitoring commences in Victoria.
1999 May The Orbost Water Treatment Plant opened amid a local "Save our Snowy" demonstration for increased environmental flow to the Snowy River.
2000 July East Gippsland Waterwatch extends community water quality monitoring to estuarine waters.
2000 Oct. Vic. and NSW governments agree to jointly fund a 10 year project to increase the environmental flow of the Snowy River to 28%.

The other part of this Interpretative Sign reads:
"In the past many rivers were regarded simply as drains, moving water away from the land as quickly as possible. We are now starting to understand that they are a natural part of the ecosystems that we rely on.

"As our population has grown we have put pressure on our creeks and rivers. Land clearing and dams have affected water quality and environmental flow. The community is now working to restore natural balances.

"Water Powered Crusher
"This six head crusher was used on the Combienbar River (north-east of Orbost) in the early 1900s to crush ore from the Rozynski gold mine.

"The crusher was quite unique from the normal crushing batteries with its ability to be driven by water power. According to the Mines Department, it was the only one of its type in East Gippsland and possibly the whole of Victoria.

"The volume of water in the river at the mine site was inadequate to drive the crusher and required a small dam to be built forty feet upstream. During the night the dam would fill and by using a wooden gate valve, release enough water to operate the crusher for several hours before emptying."

At the top left of of the sign is the following:
"We never realised that the time was drawing nearer and nearer when our old rambling freedom was to be arrested by the foundations of public-house and store, foundations which, by the way, they had the audacity to lay right in the heart of our fairyland, on the bosom of green moss which we had carefully guarded from even the desecration of our swift young feet. We went up bravely enough to see the ruins, but I can still remember my passionate dismay when the reality of a new order of things forced itself upon me and I understood that the echo of hammers and the sawing of planks was to drive away all the music and the poetry of the early times we should never know again." Jennings Carmichael, My Old Station Home (extract from the Centennial Magazine, February, 1890)

Visited: 1128, Saturday, 14 May, 2016

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