ARGUS.
2 7 t h A p r i l 1893.
I p o s i t i v e l a s s e r t t h a t t h e l i n e of c o u n t r y p r o p o s e d t o b e
o c c u p i e d i s t o t a l l y u n s u i t a b l e f o r t h e p u r p o s e of a V i l l a g e
S e t t l e m e n t , i t b e i n g a s e r i e s of h e v i l y t i m b e r
and a b r u p t g o r o g e s , v e r y b e a u t i f u l and g r a n d t o l o o k
and wonder
at but unfirt
f o r needy
settleFS.
T h e r e i s n o t a p a t c h of i t c o u l d be opened f o r l e s s t h e n
£30 an a c r e and I t r u l y b e l i e v e t h e r e i s n o t
f o r whom t h i s i s thrown open woule erer p e r m a n e n t l y s e t t l e t h e r e ,
and my a d v i c e i s n o t t o w a s t e t h e i r e n g e i y June or c a p i t a l on
t h i s U t o o i a n scheme i n i t s p r e s e n t f o r a .
I t o c c u r s t o me t h a t i t
is not t k e i r f u t u r e advantage t h a t i s being considered byt o i l y
their
present importunities.
T h e r e i s not a p r a c t i c a l r o a d i n t h e n e i g h b o u r h o o d , t h o s e
s u r v e y e d c a n L t be t r a v e r s e d w i t h 100 l b w e i g h t onz
a oackhorseT The l o w e s t bed of t h e S a s s . i s about 1200 f t . above
sea l e v e l and i s hennned i n w i t h m o u n t a i n s 500 « 600 f t
over t h a t .
What a l o v e l y a s p e c t and p r o s p e c t d u r i n g t h e c ming w i n t e r ,
i t r u s t t h e Min s t e r w i l l be c o u r t e o u s enough t o h o l d h i s hand u n t i l
some p u b l i c e x p r e s s i o n of o p i n i o n h a s b e e n t a k e n .
I do n o t presume
t o ^ q u e s t i o n t h e h o n o u r a b l e g e n t l e m a n ' s l e g a l « r i g h t or i n t e n t i o n of
p u r p o s e t o a l i e n e e what i s i n t e n d e d t o be a r e s e r v e .
a l r e a d y
toLBTM*ra, i w i t h my CO l e a g u e s
of t h e F.T.Gr.S.O
as
g u a r d i a n s of t h e p e o p l e ' s p r g j ^ r t y t h i s d i s t r i c t r c l a i m t h e
r i g h t t o have a say on t h e s u b j e c t of r e c k l e s s l y and u s e l e s s l y
d e s t r o y i n g t h i s b e a u t y s p o t of V i c t o r i a , u s e f u l f o r r e c r e a t i o n
p u r p o s e s and none o t h e r .
For many months p a s t C o u n c i l h a s b e e n I n c o r r e s p o n d e n c e w i t h
t h e Lands Dept. t o open a b l o c k of s u i t a b l e c o u n t r y o n l y a l i t t l e
s o u t h of t h e s i t e i n t e n d e d and t o which a c c e s s i s c o m p a r a t i v e l y
e a s y by r o a d s made and m a i n t a i n e d by t h e S h i r e , b u t t h i s was
r e f u s e d i n c o n s e q u e n c e of an i m p r e s s i o n t h a t i t was » » " t e d f o r
a w a t e r scheme. T h i s i s now found t o be an e r r o r and t h e l a n d
is s t i l l
available.
more t h a n
Now, a s t h e s u b j e c t i s of i « * x x * a x l o c a l « « t a x i n t e r e s t and
c o n c e r n s t h o s e who t o i l and a r e t i e d up i n t o w n s , t o them I now
a p p e a l t o a t once come f o r w a r d and a s s i s t t o p r o t e c t
exceptional heritage, the great National Park, with i t s giant
s a s s a f r a s and f e r n g u l l i e s or i f n d t , f o r e v e r h o l d t h e i r
p e a c e on m a t t e r of t h i s k i n d .