A Fishing Trip to Metcalfe Ponds 1890's

 

Six men holding fishing rods, standing beside a river winding through country landscape, George Levi Carter, State Library (between 1870 and 1910)

Of all the local historic photos to be found on the State Library website this must be one of the most charming.  A bunch of blokes on a fishing expedition. Quite why they're lined up like this only adds to the charm. The State Library gives this location as Fryerstown but this is highly unlikely when you look at this delightful series in total.

    We know that the photographer George Levi Carter was a well known and respected identity in Fryerstown. He owned the boot making factory which still stands today on the corner of High Street and Castlemaine Street, Fryerstown and lived until 1923, dying at the ripe old age of 95. Apparently, even at 90 he thought nothing of walking from Fryerstown to Chewton. And at a good clip as well!  One thing for sure, for all his other considerable talents, George Carter showed great skill as a photographer.

    Let's see if we can narrow down the date of the fishing trip beyond the 1870 to 1910 time-frame estimated by the State Library. And where exactly did they go fishing?

    If we look at the series in total I think it's possible to reconstruct their path. A label on one photograph states that their starting point was Fryerstown, so it seems this party of at least six men started off there (surely a seventh is operating the camera!). We know one of their stopping points because in this photo we see some of them outside the Red Gum Hotel in Metcalfe. Was this on their way out or their way home? The fact that the horses are facing down towards the Coliban river and the bridge, might indicate that they're on the journey north towards their favourite fishing hole. It seems members of the party have stopped for an ale or else stayed their first night here. I'm prepared to guess they've travelled over 20 km to reach Metcalfe. Most likely it would have been hard going because the most direct route from Fryerstown is over the Fryers Ranges via Taradale, very much minor roads these days and probably little better back then.

 Horse  drawn buggies outside the Red Gum Hotel, Metcalfe, Victoria, G.L.Carter

     If we zoom in on the sign above the door we can see that the licensee is William Wilson. A search of newspaper articles on Trove shows that W. Wilson was the licensee of the Red Gum Hotel between 1893 and 1902.

    The next photograph shows them outside the Junction Hotel at North Redesdale, which means they've now travelled a further 15 km northwards. 

Men, horses and buggies outside the Junction Hotel, North Redesdale. G.L. Carter

    The sign above the corner door allows us to narrow down the date even further. Newspaper reports reveal that in July 1892, John Quain become the licensee of the Junction Hotel. Furthermore the hotel was burnt to the ground in September 1897. So it seemed the fishing party set out some time after 1893 and before 1897. By the way, although the building was uninsured it was quickly replaced. The rebuilt building still stands on the corner of the North Redesdale Road (once called Junction Rd) and Lyall Road. So why was the road once called Junction Rd? Perhaps because it leads to the confluence of two major rivers, the Coliban and the Campaspe.

Rebuilt Junction Hotel (after 1897). Note differences to the pre 1897 hotel, e.g. a new roof line

    So it seems the party is heading north to what one photo describes as 'Metcalfe Ponds' (confusingly, because it's a long way from Metcalfe). Many years later the area was flooded to create Lake Eppalock and so it's unclear exactly where the six fishermen were standing in the photo at the top. A connection to the old name still remains as this arm of Lake Eppalock is now called Metcalfe Pool and there is a Metcalfe Pool Holiday Park at the end of the road.

    Back in the 1890's such a journey would have required some serious off road driving skills. 

Men and horse drawn vehicles in countryside, G. L. Carter

    Below is an excerpt from a 1945 aerial map of the confluence of the two rivers, the Coliban River is coming in from the left (west) and the Campaspe from the right (southeast), the combined rivers flowing northeast (top of page). If you look closely at the first photo it may well show the men standing on the west side of the Campapse River with the Coliban River coming in left of photo. It must have been an excellent fishing spot. The red lines show a suggested angle of view.

    We know that within the likely years of this expedition George Levi Carter would have been in his late '60's. Perhaps this photo is a self portrait because the rest of the party seem considerably younger.

Fishing Trip Fryerstown to Metcalfe Ponds, G.L. Carter

    There is one last photo in the series which shows them watering their hard working horses, perhaps readying them for their journey home after what we hope was a fruitful fishing expedition.  Now I wonder how they kept their catch from spoiling?