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• Bushlanders

Proposed burn in 2021

Proposed burn in 2021

Personal journeys

Personal journeys

In our history A dream realised – Chewton bushlands stories Chapter 7 Personal journeys (a 2.8 MB PDF) is devoted to the personal stories of 15 bushlanders.


Bushlanders tell their story

Bushlanders tell their story

… to the ABC.  


Lot 17: Robyn and Ian Robinson

We had been looking for a property in the country for some time and had become increasingly despondent. After viewing some houses near Castlemaine, on a wet and windy Friday, we visited Glenys Johnson at Waller Realty. Glenys said that she had one place that we might be interested in but that she couldn’t show […]


Almond Milk

Almond Milk

Hi All, I’m making my own raw almond milk, if you’d like a batch let me know … Michael


Steve Charman: 107 Miners Hut Road

Steve Charman: 107 Miners Hut Road

    It was such a joy in early 2005 to buy 107 Miners Hut Road (the 2 storey stone and cedar house near the top of Miners Hut Road) and to find that there was little I needed to do. Having spent too many of my previous years renovating houses it was a relief […]


Roland’s Realm: Lot 39, Lookout Ridge Road

Roland’s Realm: Lot 39, Lookout Ridge Road

The legendary Roland, knight-errant of Charlemagne’s time, rode a horse, carried an indestructible sword and battled giants. As well, he made himself heard by using an unbreakable horn. A horn is something our Roland does not need. He has made himself heard in Castlemaine through the work he does at the Mount Alexander Community Information […]


Creative bushlanders

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

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 […]


Lot 13, 119 Miners Hut Road: Ray’s Retreat

Lot 13, 119 Miners Hut Road: Ray’s Retreat

These days most of us would have a hard time living without the benefit of electricity but it doesn’t seem to bother Ray. He has solar panels on the roof of his house but he hasn’t had them connected up for years. He does have a landline phone, and gas for cooking, hot water and […]


Creative: Jan Palethorpe

Creative: Jan Palethorpe

Jan was born in Melbourne in 1956 and studied sculpture and printmaking at CIT from 1986-88 and the Victorian College of the Arts from 1983-84. Since 1978 she has exhibited in solo exhibitions at various venues including Powell Street Graphics, Leon Massoni at Tolarno Galleries, Art Space Footscray, Qdos Gallery Lorne, Gasworks Theatre, University of […]


Jenny and David: How we learned to love the Bushlands

Jenny and David: How we learned to love the Bushlands

David says… We have to thank Annie O’Shannessy. If she hadn’t invited us up to the Bushlands for afternoon tea — all right then, wine — we would never have been anywhere near Chewton. And if she hadn’t said “Let’s go for a bit of a walk” we would never have met Kath Clark in […]


My Bushlands story: Ann Quinton

My Bushlands story: Ann Quinton

My bushlands site has had various identifications since I bought it in 1985. I thought that no one had ever lived on it before. Now I have come to realise that the original people lived here for many generations, the Dja Dja Wurrung Peoples, when it was a gentle forested area with small creeks wandering […]


Welcome…

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 […]


Gary and Michael: 104 Miners Hut Road

Gary and Michael: 104 Miners Hut Road

In 1984 my then partner David Williams and I bought this unimproved block (then known as Lot 11 Wallaby Crescent) from its original owner Tim Crichton. Tim had recently become engaged, and his bride-to-be was not enthused about living so far from Melbourne; bear in mind that the Calder Freeway did not exist and the […]


The Cook’s Story: Tony and Laurie Cook

The Cook’s Story: Tony and Laurie Cook

BUSHLANDS PIONEERS! It all had to do with the desire for a ‘Bush Block’, something a bit rugged, natural and unspoilt. Tony had always loved the bush and knew he’d know that block when he saw it and sure enough there it was Lot 16, 81 Miners Hut Road. It had the view, it had […]


18 Wattle road: The big clean up

18 Wattle road: The big clean up

Francesca and Jill. Well here is our little bit of history, looked around for land for 3 months or so after deciding the coast was too expensive and there were no train stations nearby. I loathe driving so a train was a must. My sister has lived in Bendigo for 30 plus years and Jill […]


Olwyn and Glen

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

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 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. […]


Creative: Ken Savage carpenter, builder

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 […]