It wasn’t all plain sailing for Brian!
…sometimes the Council did have a word to say even then. Just what the outcome was to this letter we don’t know? What we do know is the Subdivision went ahead despite these protestations from the Metcalfe Council.”
The end of an era for the Chewton Bushlands
Brian Parsons (1933-2014) Entrepreneur, Businessman, Real Estate Developer, Bon Vivant, Visionary. The death of Brian Parsons in January of this year marked the ending of a chapter in the history of the Chewton Bushlands. When referring to the Chewton Bushlands I mean that subdivision developed by Brian Parsons in the early 1970’s, and not the […]
Culling the creeper
Last February 23, 2014 a big push by a group of us really set back the invasion of Bluebell Creeper (Solly heterophylla) taking place in the North/East Bushlands. A further onslaught in November 2014 is planned and details will be posted here.
Snakes alive!
Summer usually sees the presence of a few snakes in particular locations around the Bushlands. Most are brown snakes but quite often a tiger snake or two joins the fray. In most instances they can be left to move off to other places but occasionally some may invade buildings and hence require removal. We are […]
“He had a dream” — How Brian Parsons did it
In 1966 Brian Parsons was living with his wife Merle in Harcourt. He’d come from Kooringal in Wagga Wagga filled with a desire to return to the Maldon, Bendigo and Castlemaine region where he had spent much of his childhood. He was an accountant and he started out working with the orchardists of Harcourt who […]
Creative bushlanders
There is much in the realm of creativity, performance and artistic talent that has emerged in the Bushlands during the four decades since subdivision. A quick reflection reveals many who, either as professionals or amateurs, have a career or maybe just dabbled as a: patchwork quilter, spinner, weaver, painter, sculptor, musician, singer, builder, mason, photographer, […]
Creative: Antoinette Birkenbeil
My bushland idyll in the lovely mud brick home built by Charles and his family and friends, has given me an opportunity to return to photography as my first love, after finishing my manuscript for “From Bourbon Street to Bennetts Lane: A jazz journey”, which is now with Scholarly Publishing in Melbourne. One of the […]
Rita and Peter van Benthem and family
Lot 29 Chewton Bushlands (2 Mount View Road) Right: Rita and Peter in their courtyard at Essendon 2013 In 1977, not long after the subdivision of the Bushlands estate into its 42 lots, there were not many occupants, legal ones anyway, in the area. On offer were still four of six lots with stone cottages available […]
Controlled burn: Emails to DEPI
Dear Planned Burning at DEPI and Damien Drum, Re: Fire operations plan for the Murray Goldfields Fire District Proposed planned burning site: MGFCASO28 Chewton, Bushmans Road (12Ha) We live in Miners Hut Road at just under a kilometre due south of the proposed burn site. We acknowledge that controlled burns can play an important part in contributing to […]
Controlled burn: FOBIF email
Dear Friend of the Box Ironbark Forests, As we reported on www.fobif.org.au on July 19 and August 13, DEPI has released the latest modification on the fire operations plan for our region. Consultations are invited, preferably before August 31.We strongly urge you to show that the public is closely interested in this program by putting a submission […]
Welcome…
The Department of Environment and Primary Industry has included the 12 hectare parcel of public land “Chewton Bushmans Road MGF CAS028”, otherwise known as the Chewton Bushlands Reserve (starting at the corner of Commisioners Gully Road and Rankins Road) as one of it’s Proposed Planned Burning Sites for 2013/2014 (see map). While the formal submissions […]
Welcome to the Chewton Bushlands Association website
We hope this website can become a useful resource for bushlands residents… for conversations about life in the bush ( > Bushlanders, > The bush), as a record of the history of the subdivision ( > Bushlands history), as a point of exchange for offers to share, requests for help and other resident-only content ( […]
Water Carrier: Warrick Harwood, Harcourt
Warrick Harwood Water Mobile: 0417 036 059 (Recommended by Michael Gillies Smith) Great guy. Great service. He rang me back the same day and offered to bring the water the next day. $160 for 13,000 litres. Warrick’s is a 13,000 litre water truck, perfect for the Bushlands gravel roads and driveways. Most of […]
Olwyn and Glen
Olwyn Jones & Glen Harrison It’s said ‘you don’t choose a house, the house chooses you’ and there’s no better example of this than ‘Our House’. Towards the end of 2008 Glen and I were heading up the road on the way to see Steve (a long-time friend). Although tempted by the idea of buying […]
Ken
Ken Savage and the story of Lot 7 Bush Sanctuary Road, 20 Wattle Crescent, 20 Wattle Road, Chewton 3451 (being the same property) Lot 7, comprising 6 acres 19 perches, was first purchased by John & Robyn Cox in 1978. It, along with other lots, had the usual Bushlands’ package; a road in and a […]
Kim and Mark’s place
Kim Windsor and Mark Carter We’d been looking for a place in the country for a few years… from the Otways to the Strezlecki’s but without success. We even went to a workshop to learn about building a straw bale house. Luckily we found our place in the bushlands before those skills got road tested. […]
Early history
Prior to European settlement, the area now known as the Chewton Bushlands, was an abundant landscape, a rich source of food for the Djadja Wurrung people, who hunted game and harvested the roots of Yam daisies, Milkmaids and the many varieties of native orchids, which are still flourishing, even in the most inhospitable parts of […]
The Chewton Bushlands Association
Statement of Purpose The Association was incorporated in July, 2011 with the following Statement of Purpose: “The Chewton Bushlands Association Inc seeks to promote those aspects of community that are perceived to benefit residents as a whole, through activity and communication in the areas of: • sustainability and environmental protection of flora and fauna • […]
Creative: Ken Savage carpenter, builder
Teacher (1961–1977), School Principal (1978–1994), Builder (1994–2005), Hobby carpenter/renovator (since 1947). I have always been interested in carpentry and woodwork and was given my first carpentry tools at the age of seven and my initial project was to make a boat. Little children’s tools are not very efficient but I persisted and managed to saw […]
Explaining the website
The main navigation bar/menu labels match the current Categories and Sub-Categories we have created. Hopefully we can assign all content to one of these. As more content is added to the site we can create more Sub-Categories that will display as drop down menu items on the navigation bar beneath the main Categories (like the […]
Links to other useful and/or local websites
• Connecting Country Connecting Country is community-operated not-for-profit organisation working to restore and enhance biodiversity and improve the productive natural environment across the Mount Alexander region in central Victoria. • Trust for Nature Trust for Nature is a not-for-profit organisation that protects native plants and wildlife in Victoria (Australia) in cooperation with private landowners. • Natural Newstead Observations […]
Contact us
Contact the secretary of the Association, Antoinette Birkenbeil on m: 0414 802 738 or email contact@chewtonbushlandsassociation.org.au Our postal address is PO Box 60, Chewton, Victoria 3451 For website content management issues contact Mark Carter on 0419 034 567 or markcarter3@mac.com