New life for property
Is Wyuna East’s historic property Killamont about to become a tourist attraction — or even a sheep farm?
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John Lilford of selling agent Hinchliffe and Greed confirmed an Indian entrepreneur was looking at purchasing the property with a possible view of turning it into a tourist attraction.
The potential buyer was due to inspect the property this week to check out the feasibility of his intentions.
John also said a South Australian sheep farmer was also a potential buyer because he wanted his business enterprise closer to abattoirs.
‘‘Apparently, there are only two sheep abattoirs in South Australia, and he wants to be near where accessing abattoirs would be a lot easier,’’ John said.
Killamont is being offered on account of the Mercuri brothers, whose large tomato-growing enterprise at Lancaster has now been taken over by Lomanos.
Killamont has been on the market since late last year.
Flying off the shelves
Author, historian and former Rushworthite Alan McLean says his latest book Rushing to Whroo, 1853-1880, the story of the boom years of the now-deserted gold town in the forest near Rushworth, has attracted a lot of interest.
People have long debated how many people lived at Whroo at its peak, with one distant writer claiming 50,000 and a local on the record claiming 20,000.
As Alan explains in the book, even allowing each person just one litre of water a day, where would 20,000 litres have come from daily?
Not from Whroo’s couple of small dams. Not from Rushworth, previously named Dry Diggings. Not from the Waranga diggings lagoon, which became Waranga Basin. Not from the Goulburn River at Murchison.
Having trawled through all early Victorian census data, Alan has pointed out that Goulburn Diggings Gold Commissioner Richard Horne, who named Rushworth, wrote that the peak figure in late 1853 to early 1854, was an estimated 9000 people for all of Rushworth, Whroo and the diggings at Waranga. Numbers fell from that time on.
Alan has pegged the top figure for Whroo at between 4000 and 5000, and just for a few months. When the essential matter of water is factored in, that number seems far more plausible.
Copies of Alan’s latest book are just $25 and are available from the Rushworth Community Centre.
A sales agent in Kyabram can be reached on 0439 378 902.
Record finally tumbles
One of the features at the Deniliquin show each year is a contest to discover the heaviest giant Atlantic pumpkin.
A 105kg whopper grown by Ken Allitt and shown at the 2016 show has been fending off challengers since.
Well, until this year’s recent show when a bloke from Colleamally, known only to the stewards at the time as Wombat but since identified as Robert Heritage, rocked up and produced a 131.2kg monster to shatter the previous record.
It has given future entrants a lot to think about if they have ambitions of winning the competition.
Festival is back
The Balaa Creek Festival returns to Numurkah this weekend.
It is on Saturday between 11.30am and 9pm and has been organised by Numurkah Love Our Lifestyle group.
The group’s mission is to support local businesses and lure tourists to the area.
With a focus on family, this year’s version will include a giant jumping castle and slide, a bucking bull, a 10m rock climbing tower, soft archery, face painting and an animal patting area.
There will also be live entertainment from local artists, food stalls to suit all palates and a licensed bar.
Cast a line
Anyone considering getting hooked on fishing can get some valuable insight to the pastime at an open day at Arcadia on April 6.
It will be the first open day hosted by the Arcadia native fish hatchery and visitor centre at the venue on the Goulburn River.
The open day will provide the chance to explore native fish production and first nations fishing history.
It is taking place in the last weekend of term one school activities and will be educational for all ages.
For more information and to book a spot in the popular kids’ fishing clinic visit Vfa.vic.gov.au/arcadiaopenday
Runway facelift
Echuca airport’s multi-million dollar upgrade started with work on a new helipad and main runway last week.
The project is being financed by a $2.35 million funding from the Federal Government with Campaspe Shire kicking in with $2.45 million.
Campaspe Shire Mayor Rob Amos said the upgrade would enable the contribution of vital medical access to regional cross border communities by providing a fit-for-purpose, safe and accessible airstrip and helicopter landing pad.
Did you know
● The record jump recorded by a kangaroo is a whopping 9m (30 feet) in a single leap.
● Platypuses and echidnas are native Aussie animals, and the only two mammals in the world that lay eggs to give birth.
● Koalas sleep for around 20 hours a day.
● Tasmanian devils may look small, but they have the strongest bite per body mass of any mammal on earth.
Square Dinkum
G’day
Paddy took two old stuffed dogs, which he had found in his uncle’s attic, to the Antiques Roadshow.
‘‘Wow,’’ said the antiques expert, ‘‘These are a particularly rare breed, do you have any idea what they would fetch if they were in good condition?’’
Paddy replied ... ‘‘Sticks.’’
Hooroo!!!
Sports reporter