These bold and intuitive works explore and portray some of the relationships or not, (distances) between mainly elderly, traditional, farming couples - their reaction, or not, of each individual to the other as well as individually toward the environment in which they find themselves. Robert's paintings are rich in the application of the paint and vibrant colours and gestural marks of his linocuts echo the brushstrokes of his paintings.
LOCAL HISTORICAL SITES & HERITAGE TRAILS
Pioneers and Shipwrecks
The first Europeans to see the Lakes & Wilderness region were those travelling with Captain James Cook on the Endeavour in 1770.
Cooks' first lieutenant, Zachary Hicks, sighted a rocky promontory which was subsequently called Point Hicks, but it wasnt until the 1830s and early 1840s that pastoral runs were first taken up in the Monaro, Bendoc, Mallacoota, Genoa and Buchan districts. Gold seekers tried their luck in the 1860s and some made small fortunes around Bendoc and Mallacoota. With the growing colonies dependant on shipping for transport of people and produce, shipwrecks along this coastline were inevitable, particularly in the treacherous waters between Cape Howe and Mallacoota Inlet. Some 21 ships were wrecked here between 1852 and 1930.
Timber was first felled during the mining years for the construction of mines and associated settlements. Harvesting of the forest on a large scale began with the extension of the railway to Nowa Nowa in 1914 and Orbost in 1916. After the loss of vast areas of forest in the 1939 bushfires in other parts of the State, East Gippsland became one of Victorias primary sources of hardwood timber. Calls for parts of East Gippsland to be protected came early this century. Mallacoota Inlet and Wingan Inlet National Parks, now both part of Croajingolong, were first reserved in 1909 and nearby Lind and Afred National Parks in 1925. In recent years there has been a considerable increase in the number of both national parks and small conservation reserves.
Australia’s Coastal Wilderness National Landscape was launched by the Federal Minister for Tourism, the Hon Martin Ferguson AM MP last Friday 1 August in Torquay in association with the launch of the Great Ocean Road National Landscape.
The Launch was attended by a number of East Gippslanders including Chair of the Australia’s Coastal Wilderness Steering Committee Phil Rickards who is also the Tourism Coordinator for the East Gippsland Shire.
In his address, Minister Ferguson acknowledged that whilst he would have liked very much to have launched each of the eight individual landscapes in each region, due to time constraints that had not been possible. However, he said he hoped to be able to visit the Australia’s Coastal Wilderness region at some stage in the future.
The Minister acknowledged the work of the Steering Committees in getting their respective landscapes accepted into the program.
“I would particularly like to welcome members of the landscapes steering committees who I know are passionately enthused about this project. Enthusiasm in a service-oriented industry such as tourism is critical. So is innovation and I believe the National Landscapes Program will provide the impetus for Australia as a nation to view the relationship between tourism and our natural landscapes in an innovative light.
“Much like the members of the Steering Committees, I am passionately enthused by the natural beauty of Australia. I do believe the landscapes which surround us are unparalleled in their beauty. In the fiercely competitive world of tourism they present us with enormous opportunity and point of difference.
Who would not want to visit those National Landscapes already launched, they being The Australian Alps, Australia’s Red Centre, The Flinders Ranges, Australia’s Green Cauldron and the Greater Blue Mountains? I am pleased today to add the Great Ocean Road and Australia’s Coastal Wilderness to the list of regions included in the National Landscapes Program
“To qualify as a National Landscape the location must be a world-class landscape of natural, cultural and spiritual assets, distinctive to Australia.
“Australia’s Coastal Wilderness has a significance which has long been internationally recognized. It is a site of more than national significance and includes Croajingolong National Park which was in 1977 proclaimed a World Biosphere Region by UNESCO.”
“The landscapes I am announcing today have been included in this unique program because they are more than just a group of appealing destinations. They are regions, which as a whole, are much greater than just the sum of their parts. They are distinctively Australian natural and cultural environments. And they will appeal to Tourism Australia’s target market, experience seekers; travelers of all ages who wish to experience new adventures and destinations which enable them to engage with a local culture.
“I congratulate the steering committees for the Great Ocean Road and Australia’s Coastal Wilderness on achieving National Landscape status for these wonderful regions”, concluded Minister Ferguson.
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