One of this column's longest running debates has finally been put to bed. At least I hope it has. When, several years ago, this column published photographs of the wooden treehouse like structure partially obscured by trees on the side of the M31 near Campbelltown, and asked readers its origins, it was besieged with suggestions. Some seemed quite plausible, such as it being a slaughterhouse or a raised sleeping quarters, while others were more fanciful, like it being a guard tower for a World War II internment camp or part of an extravagant and since abandoned theme park. One reader was even convinced it was a summerhouse built for a French winemaker.
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After some digging, in 2012 this column revealed the original purpose of the striking structure was a tank stand. A flood of readers subsequently responded, disappointed its origins weren't more exotic and a number of readers even downright refused to accept this column's explanation.
I'm confident this flow of correspondence, (the tally of emails is currently at 421) will dry up now that Camden historian Annette Macarthur-Onslow has published a special issue of the Journal of the Camden Historical Society Inc which includes details of the original purpose of the elaborate wooden structure.
Hot off the press, the journal focuses on the life and times of Lieutenant Colonel Astley John Onslow Thompson whose role was pivotal in the construction of the tank.
Macarthur-Onslow confirms that during the great drought of 1901-1902, Onslow Thompson had the tank built to pump water from the Nepean River to the Menangle Butter Factory and to adjoining Gilbulla property.
"Gilbulla was built on land owned by Camden Park Estate [managed by Onslow Thompson], so, foreseeing the capabilities of a joint effort, Onslow Thompson purchased Gilbulla's boiler and pump and set about designing and building an overhead 8000 gallon tank on high ground near the river," reveals the astute historian.
"With the combined skill of several workmen and master builder James English, Onslow Thompson had the project completed within weeks, delivering water by gravity through pipes and channels to both the butter factory and Gilbulla," further explains the Camden historian.
Unfortunately, the network of pipes and open wooden troughs have been destroyed over time.
Despite the publication of the journal, I imagine speculation as to the wooden structure's origins will continue to be rife, due to its prominent position beside one of the busiest highways in Australia.
Lieutenant Colonel Astley Onslow Thompson enlisted in the Australian Army in 1914 and was killed in Gallipoli in 1915. Perhaps to mark the 100th anniversary of his death, authorities could consider developing a roadside rest area near the tank that outlines its original purpose along with the crucial role Onslow Thompson played in the development of Australia's dairy industry. I can think of at least 421 Canberrans who'd stop there.
Fact file:
Check it out: If you haven't seen it before, the curious tank stand is nestled among trees on the eastern side of the southbound lane of the M31 between the Menangle Bridge over the Nepean River and Moreton Park Road. It is on private property and there is no access so is best viewed while driving past.
Read all about it: The special issue of the Journal of the Camden Historical Society Inc (Volume 3, Number 9) which features the life of Astley John Onslow Thompson and the history of the tank stand is available for purchase from secretary@camdenhistory.org.au. Cost $6 + postage.
BEST WEEKEND
Festival fun
Tomorrow, Sunday 3 May (from 10am) is this column's favourite annual festival – the Collector Village Pumpkin Festival – and the folk at the commuter village just to the north of Canberra have been busy preparing for festivities. This year, the traditional hay sculpture to welcome festival-goers at the northern entry to the village is a Cobb & Co stage coach with a load of Collector gold pumpkins being "baled-up" by a bushranger. More: facebook.com/CollectorVillagePumpkinFestival
If you prefer your fresh produce to be red and plucked from trees rather than orange and lifted off the ground, then alternatively beat a path to the equally whacky Tallong Apple Festival. Also on tomorrow, Sunday 3 May (9am-3pm), it promises to be fun for all the family. Don't miss the apple pie eating competition. Tallong is a 45-minute drive north of Collector via Marulan. More: tallong.com.au
SIMULACRA CORNER
Potato Man
Not to be outdone by Cid Riley who recently won top gong at the Tarago Show for his odd-looking parsnip (Spotted, 14 March 2015), 12-year-old Patrick Lewis of Dunlop has submitted this impressive image of his own eye-catching vegetable.
The budding green thumb who tends to his family's spud patch with his six-year-old sister, Cathy, reports that "when we dug this one up, we just thought it was lucky, so we named it Mr Mash",explains Patrick.
Unfortunately it's not possible for Mr Mash to pose for any more photos as he lived up to his name at a recent Lewis family dinner. Ouch.
MAILBAG
The case of the disappearing pool(s)
The weather might be cooling but this column continues to receive a constant flow of correspondence regarding the south coast ocean pools.
In fact, this column's recent obsession with the sea pools prompted Lorraine Crawley of Chapman and her sister to travel down Brown Mountain to Tathra in search of a rock pool they remembered from their childhood.
"We walked from the wharf southward along a disused road above the water's edge," reports Lorraine, who adds, "just below a viewing spot at the top of the ridge we found an old path - now disjointed remnants of weathered concrete – that led to the cliff edge and a rusted ladder." Despite their best efforts the sisters couldn't see any other signs of the pool, which Lorraine says "definitely existed in the late 1950s".
Meanwhile, Mike Fogarty reports Bermagui has not one, not two, but three ocean pools, at least it did when he was a kid. While the virtues of the seaside village's Blue Pool and Bruce Steer Memorial Pool have been well covered in recent columns (March 7, 14 and 28), it's Zane Grey Pool, named after an American author whose 1930-1940 writings helped to promote Bermagui as a game fishing mecca, that remains firmly entrenched in Mike's childhood memory.
"My brother and I swam at Zane Grey Pool which is located near Michael Lerner's Lookout (south of the Blue Pool), about 60 years ago and we remember a steep climb down a rocky path (unsure if stepped or chain guided) to a small natural tidal beach pool fringed with thin strips of sand," recalls Mike, whose brother, Andrew, adds, "we thought when we left the car that it would be an easy stroll, but it was quite a struggle to get there."
The trip down memory lane prompted Mike to dig up some black and white photos of his family frolicking at the pool. It seems that in the relative privacy of the uncrowded pool surrounds the young brothers preferred to paddle sans swimmers, so in the interest of their modesty (and the fact this is a family newspaper), I'll spare you the photos.
Christine from the Bermagui Visitor Centre provides some insights as to why the Zane Grey Pool is much less-known than Bermagui's other two ocean pools. "Unfortunately significant cliff erosion along the coastline around the lookout has made any downward traversing to sea level extremely precarious and dangerous, so for safety reasons it is not recommended to visitors to explore."
T-Bar
Jim Holmes' photo of a large log precariously placed atop a tree in a Snowy Mountains dam, supposedly well above the flood-line (Spotted, November 14, 2014), prompted a flood of suggestions as to how it may have got there, some equally as fanciful as some of the theories as to the origins of the striking structure beside the Hume Highway at Menangle.
Lynda McPadden of Hackett jokes it "may have been placed there by the karate kid" while Kateena Clarke suggests "it could be the result of a local's log tossing competition."
Regardless of how the log got there, to add further intrigue to this case, Jim Holmes, who originally reported the oddity, reports the log has now vanished. Strange indeed.
WHERE IN CANBERRA?
Cyptic Clue: Near place of many dances.
Degree of difficulty: Easy – medium
Last week: Congratulations to Steve Hill, of Kambah, who correctly identified last week's photo (inset) as a scene from the Institute of Anatomy, which from 1931-1984 was housed in the art deco building in Acton, now home to the National Film and Sound Archive. The photo was sent in by Neal Gowen and is from the collection of his late father, Jim.
How to enter: Email your guess along with your name and address to timtheyowieman@bigpond.com. The first email sent after 10am on Saturday with the correct answer wins.
