Braidwood
By http://www.abc.net.au/tv/paintingaustralia/stories/braidwood.htm
In
March 2006, Braidwood became the first town in its entirety on the east coast
of Australia to be listed on the NSW Heritage register. Braidwood is located
300kms south-west of Sydney and halfway between Canberra and Batemans Bay, on
the south eastern edge of the Southern Tablelands.
19th century buildings abound in the main street, while 1950's workers'
cottages are scattered throughout the surrounding streets and villages. Since
the 1960s, the town has increasingly been called home by a growing group of
artists, from writers, quilters, potters, ceramicists, weavers, painters,
metalworkers, etc.
Cattle and sheep properties developed in the area in the 1820s and 1830s. In
the 1850s, Braidwood's population exploded as ‘gold fever’ hit the surrounding
region (over £11 million worth of gold was found in nearby Araluen, which was
known as the richest alluvial goldfield in Australia); but, as the gold ran
out, the numbers declined and today, Braidwood is listed by the National Trust
as an historic town with a population of 1,100.
The rural countryside of the area as well as the township of Braidwood has been
used in a number of films such as Robbery
under Arms (1921), Ned Kelly
(1969), The Year My Voice Broke
(1987) and On Our Selection (1994).
Norman Hardy in the 1890s painted a number of romantic Colonial scenes set in
the area.
Artists who have lived and worked in the region include Brett Whiteley and
Arthur Boyd. The Australian poet, Judith Wright wrote many of her later poems
near Braidwood.
Tallaganda State Forest
By http://www.forestrycorporation.com.au/visiting/forests/tallaganda
Fern Gulley Walking
Trail
The
Fern Gully Walk winds its way down to Lowden Creek and allows visitors to
identify some of the local tree species like brown barrel, (Eucalyptus
fastigata), messmate stringybark, (E. obliquia) ribbon gum (E. viminalis) and
narrow leaved peppermint (E. radiata).
Lowden Forest Park
Well
worth the drive from Braidwood or Canberra, historical relics more than 170
years old are scattered throughout this park, including a waterwheel originally
used to generate electricity. The park was the location of a logging camp
during the 1830s, the evidence of which can still be seen today. The
surrounding native bush of Tallaganda State Forest includes majestic stands of
brown barrel, making bushwalking, four-wheel-drive tours and mountain bike
riding a favourite in the area. Bird watching is also popular, with the rare
olive whistler a possible sighting.
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