Overview of the timber industry
The Rushworth forest has been harvested for timber since colonial days. Initially, during the gold rush, the tree felling was uncontrolled by the fledgling Victorian government. As time went by it was realised that unless there were some controls the forests would be completely denuded. The government has progressively introduced controls over the decades until today when legal access to timber in the forest is minimal.
Forest timber has been used for many end-products including (but not limited to) timber used in the mining industry, railway sleepers, telegraph and power poles, farm fence posts, stays, rails and droppers, roadside posts and building materials. An incredible amount of timber has been removed from the forest for firewood for local markets but especially for transport to Melbourne and other large centres. The firewood trade expanded rapidly after railways extended into local areas, including the line to Rushworth by 1890, with later extensions to Colbo and Girgarre.
Working in the forest and at sawmills at various locations (especially the stations on the Murchison-Colbinabbin line) provided employment for a large number of local people. At times this workforce was supplemented with outside labour including discharged soldiers after the First World War, sustenance workers during the Great Depression of the 1930s, and prisoners (both POWs and internees) during Second World War.
Early days
There is no doubt that a lot of timber was wasted during the gold rush, in the diggers’ haste to get at the gold bearing soil and rock. When trees and understorey were removed there was the potential for erosion to be greatly accelerated, the effects of which can easily be seen in the forest gullies today.
Concern was already being expressed by the government in the mid-1860s about what was happening in box-ironbark forests amongst others in Victoria. A report stated that “rapid and unnecessary destruction of forest in the neighbourhood of the goldfields” had taken place. There was a need to ensure “a more economical use of native timber, and to conserve the forests.”1
Legislation followed which created two types of reserves. Timber reserves were set aside for use by miners and settlers, while State forests were established where the only timber that could be cut down was by licensed tree fellers and timber millers. By 1868, 32,000 acres (13000 hectares) had already been set aside close to Rushworth for the latter purpose. The government employed people to oversee what happened in the forests with the first staff working out of Rushworth from the late 1860s.
Further regulation
Later in the 19th century, more legislation was introduced, with the responsible government departments regularly changing their names along with the titles of the relevant government officials and their areas of responsibility. Sound familiar?
Into the 20th century three separate Forests Acts were passed which ultimately resulted in the establishment of the Forests Commission in 1919. The Commission was tasked with “the establishment, maintenance, improvement and renewal of natural forests.”2
The Forests Commission continued to oversee Victoria’s forests until 1983, when its responsibilities were taken over by the newly established Department of Conservation, Forests and Lands. Since then, there have been no fewer than eight more name changes, not to mention multiple changes in government,as well as Ministers and heads of department, many of whom have had different priorities and levels of funding available. Rushworth forest is currently under the custodianship of the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action. (DEECA)
Timber output
As stated in the opening paragraph, the timber industry has been shut out of the Rushworth forest over recent decades. There are many stories about the times when the industry was a significant economic player in the district, providing livelihoods for many people. Upcoming articles will highlight stories about those people and contributions are welcome from readers. Photographs from private collections would be welcome as the range of photos held by the historical society appears to be fairly limited. It would be wonderful to enhance this collection to enable future generations to gain a greater understanding of how important the industry was to the economic development of the Waranga area.
References – 1 Victorian Government, Report of the Advisableness of Establishing State Forests (1865); 2 Victorian Government, Forests Act 1918 Sec 15(b); 3 Lawrence, Ruth and Bellette, Marc, Gold, Timber, War and Parks: A History of the Rushworth Forest in Central Victoria (CSIRO Publishing 2010) Contact – Tony Ford [email protected]
