Well done to Jan Harper, author or Three Stops on the Line: A History of Kernot, Almurta and Woodleigh (2003).
If you are driving along the Bass Highway and go through Grantville, these locales are hiding between the coast and the foothills in the distance.
They are not destination towns.
These are farming areas with scattered populations. It is not uncommon to find farms here that have been in the same family for generations.
Neigbours are well-known to each other. Communities are tight-knit.
Jan’s book gives a reader a clear picture about life on the land in this part of Australia.
The book is divided thematically and deals with all aspects of life – from daily chores to community events.
The book’s power is probably that it documents everyday life. It takes normally mundane activities and practices and records them for posterity.
Many aspects of early settler life have either disappeared, are in the process of disappearing or are evolving into new forms.
Ever since these parts were settled by European immigrants, life has centered around farming.
Life in the paddocks tended to be a male domain – but not exclusively. Women did help out with milking as well attending to domestic duties.
Life in Kernot, Almurta and Woodleigh was isolated by today’s standards. And it could be a lonely existence. There were families scattered about here and there. The family unit reigned supreme on the farm. Men would be out during the day – milking, mending fences, clearing trees or scrub and a million other little chores.
Women’s work often centered around the home – looking after the children, cooking, and cleaning. Women often felt rather isolated from other women.
In the early modern period of this region land was selected, trees were felled, and fences were erected. Houses needed to be built from scratch. Furniture was rudimentary. Early on, hessian bags slung between a frame sufficed for a bed. Dirt floors were common.
In the very early days, there were no sealed roads. No, there were pack horse trails instead. Everything that came in from the outside world was either carried by man or beast over these trails. And because of this, the size of the objects that could be transported was limited.
Apparently some pianos made their way to the area. It reminds me of photos from the American wagon trails. Homesteaders would place all of their furniture (including the piano) outside their house and the whole family would stand around for a photo to be taken. The photo would then be sent to relatives back East to show how well the family was doing in their new surroundings.
There was the tallboy. No, this was not a lad of above-average height. It was a kind of cupboard with a wire screen that would prevent flies getting to food stored inside. There was no way to procure ice in the area. The days of refrigeration were still a long way off. Therefore, it was difficult to store meat. Livestock tended to be killed and butchered, and the meat had to be consumed within a short period of time. Sometimes meat was salted or smoked.
The issue was how to preserve things. Gardens produced vegetables, but there tended to be a lot of one thing all at once. Onions were pickled. Tomatoes were turned into tomato sauce so that they would last longer. Some fruits were dried. Making jams was all the rage then. It was done out of necessity rather than as a novelty – unlike today.
Excess and shortage. Supply and demand. This was a problem. How to get rid of the things that were excess to you family’s needs and get what you don’t have easy access to. The solution was to pool resources at the community level. Food swapping was a great way to deal with the problem. It also cut down on wastage and cemented community ties. It reinforced the practice of working together and helping one another out. Jan says these exercises lasted to about the 1930s or 40s.1
Because fetching water was an issue, bathing tended to be weekly rather than daily.
Food preparation was more involved than nowadays. Butter was churned and bread was baked on site. The supermarket tended to be the backyard. Growing your own vegetables was the norm.
Staples included flour, sugar and salt.
When did electricity arrive? Not until the 1950s.
It was not uncommon for clothes to be made rather than purchased ready-to-wear.
Although rarely seen these days except in antique stores, Singer sowing machines were wide-spread and well-used.
Women were self-sufficient. They learnt by their successes and failures. They had to try their hand at most things. They had to “make do” and find ingenious solutions to problems.
The Country Women’s Association may seem old-fashioned these days, but at heart it was a forum in which rural women could come together, relieve their isolation and loneliness, share information and learn.
Families tended to be bigger. There more children. More mouths to feed, but after a few years, more hands to help out. Older siblings often helped out looking after younger siblings.
Town stores became focal points for these communities.
Many settlers arrived in the area via Grantville. That is where they “stepped off the boat”.
Town stores also often served as post offices. The store at Woodleigh closed in 1980.
Jan nominates Dandenong as key destination for shopping. Settlers also frequented Wonthaggi or Loch.
Later on, bread was baked at a central location and dispersed via local networks.
Mail initially came via Hastings and Grantville. When the railway came through, mail was delivered via the three stations.
Post offices often also hosted the telephone exchanges. Phone numbers consisted of a single digit. You couldn’t make a call between 1 and 2 pm however as the operator was on their lunch break.
Medical care was far away. One had to be careful to not get bitten by a snake, fall off a horse, or get charged by a bull.
Expectant mothers relied on midwives.
Jan notes some suicides.2
There was a police station at Grantville.
The foothills were a dark place at night. First there were candles, then lamps and finally electrification in the 1950s. Electrification was a big deal at the time. There were “Lighting-up Balls” to mark the occasion. This may seem quaint today, bit electrification really was a big deal that changed life for people in these communities in so many ways.
Presbyterianism was a strong influence given the number of settlers from Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Sometimes religious gatherings were held in homes, until a church could be built.
Churches were sometimes also used for schooling.
There were Country Women’s Associations at Woodleigh and Glen Forbes with around 30 members each in the 1950s.3
Sport was a social glue that held the community together.
Shooting was a popular pastime in the early days. There were rifle ranges. One was established at Grantville in 1884. There was a national defense element to rifle clubs.
Horse racing was also popular.
Popular days to hold horse races included Easter, the Queen’s Birthday and New Year. As most things were dictated by the dairy industry and milking schedules, races were usually wrapped up by 1pm so that farmers could be back for the afternoon milking.
Wood chopping was popular. Today, it is largely a relic of a bygone era.
Local man, Peter McLaren travelled to Britain in 1907 where he competed. He wrote back that he easily dispatched the English and the Welsh in competition. He also travelled to the U.S. where he rose to become World Champion and even joined a circus.
The twin Australian sports are football (in winter) and cricket (in summer).
Very early grounds were held on farms.
By 1910, there was already an established network of teams playing one other. Some players made it to the big smoke and played in the top competition – a tradition that continues to this day.
Cricket was also adopted early on. In 1899 the Bass Valley Cricket Club was established. By today’s standards, the games would start late and finish early. Play was conducted between 11 and 3:30. The reason? Once again, it came down to the milking roster.
Tennis was there. There even a golf course at Woodleigh.
Fishing in the Bass River was a popular pastime.
Attempts were made to limit fishing to part of the year in order to protect fish stocks. However, fish numbers did decline. A sudden disappearance of fish was attributed by some to pollution from a butter factory.4
Dancing was a popular social activity. Money was often raised at dances and the proceeds went towards churches, or the Red Cross during World War II. The importance of dancing to social connection probably can’t be overstated. Young people made friends and met future partners at dances. Dances became central hubs for information from across the district.
There were picnics too. When the railway came through, it made it easier access slightly more distant locations. Beaches were popular destinations for these picnics. So Kilcunder became a popular choice, as did San Remo.
Australia and the World Past and Present 
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