William Ogden

Wombat Hill Sawmills Invoice, 1942, Private Collection.

See also

Trentham

Wombat Hill Sawmills

Notes

HISTORY OF TRENTHAM.

The following history of Trentham, written by Jack Sleeman, of Trentham State School, gained first prize offered at the Castlemaine Exhibition in De cember last for competition in Trentham district:

In 1856 some wood splitters and pit sawyers, who were the first settlers in the Trentham district, commenced their work among the timber in the ranges, where they lived in huts. These men, when they cut the timber, sent it to Kyneton to be sold. The forest known as "Clowes' Forest," proved to have immense quantities of valuable timber in it. This forest kept many sawmills working continuously for over forty years. The tim ber was very useful for building houses and bridges, making fences, and was also good fuel. The first steam sawmill in the district was erected by Mr. J. B. Enders in 1857. subsequently followed by sawmills erected by Messrs. McPherson Bros., Mr. Lyons, Laver Bros., Christian Bros., and others. Gold was first discovered in March, 1S59, at the site of the Trentham township, and although considerable quantities have been obtained over several miles of country no rich finds have been discovered. Newbury, Garlick's Lead, Barry's Reef, and Blackwood are mining dis tricts adjoining Trentham, and south of the Dividing Range. The township is situated on the River Trent, a tribu tary of the Coliban, on which are the Trentham Falls. The water going over the falls has a descent of 100 feet. The scenery at the Falls is very fine, it being a place of much natural beauty and also a popular holiday re sort, visitors from all parts of the State coming to see it. The district contains a considerable quantity of rich volcanic soil suitable for agricultural purposes, which has been the chief industry since 1860; the principal crops being potatoes, wheat, oats, rye, maize, and hay. The first farmers to come to Trentham were Messrs. Ogden, Bikley, Middlemiss, Glenn, Pearson, and Watson. Sheep raising and dairying are also caried on. The Carlsruhe to Daylesford railway, which goes through Trentham, was completed in 1880. and the first passenger train passed through Trentham on the 17th March, 1880.

External links

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--Clare K.Gervasoni 12:06, 17 August 2015 (AEST)