29-APR-2018
A close-up of the Butcher's Cart
When I moved in close to the cart I could read that it once belonged to a
Butcher who may have delivered meat to the residents of the old ruin. Those
were the days eh! I must confess that I can remember when milk, bread, ice
and rabbit meat were delivered by horse and cart & guess who was out on the
road afterwards with a bucket and spade to collect the droppings for the garden!
29-APR-2018
Timing device
We sat in a lecture about how sundials are made, and this was one of the
devices on display... can anyone put a name to it?
29-APR-2018
Tour Group awaits
This was our group - there were 3 groups each with a tour leader. As you can
see, it was a beautiful autumn day, perfect for being out of doors and enjoying
the balmy sunshine.
29-APR-2018
A guided tour
Following on from yesterday's photo, the butcher's cart features again here
but this time one of the guided tour groups are included. We were divided
into 3 groups, this was one of the three... not our group. The tour leader
took us around the property ending up with the view of the ruins which are
now in a state of partly being restored, all paid for by the new owners.
Following the tour was a pleasant afternoon tea shared by all 3 groups.
29-APR-2018
The Butcher's Cart
I don't know why it was displayed here, but it certainly took my eye!
29-APR-2018
View of surrounding area
Standing at the top of Marble Hill looking down towards the distant hills
one can see why this place is a bad spot for bushfires... on days of 40+
and strong winds, a fire would leap up the hill at a pace taking all the
gum (eucalyptus) trees with it, throwing out burning embers ahead of
the fire front. Gum trees are oily and explode during
bushfires... they don't have a cool shade like a deciduous tree. The ruins
are thickly surrounded by these trees... there would be a lot of
restrictions to abide by repairing these old ruins.
29-APR-2018
Marble Hill Ruins
The building and surrounding area were burnt during a bush fire 62 years ago
and as recent as 2009 new owners have been gradually repairing and restoring
the ruins and surrounding outhouses, some of which are back in use already.
We spent the afternoon here when the owners shared their home taking tours
through the area combined with talks by some of the people involved in the
reparation. Of special interest was a talk by a couple involved in building
a sundial - a must involved task!
