Coal Creek is perhaps 25 kms from us at Korumburra. It has had a difficult recent history, with management disputes and lack of money being the most damaging.
It nestles into the hillside on the outskirts of town, and carries many refurbished old buildings, including 100 plus year old houses, a school, church, and shops. Most have been moved from elsewhere and rebuilt. Sadly, the lack of money is now showing in the peeling paint, and rusting machinery.
Finally, a decision has been made to clear out a lot of the more unproductive collection, and restore what is left. I'm not sure where these items will go, and it seems a shame to lose all that history, but letting it rot is just as bad.
In its heyday, there were demonstrations of farriers, spinners, wood lathers, and numerous other dying skills. The day we were there for my photography, there were still children in costume in the class rooms, and having a great time in the gardens looking the old trains, etc. There was an old geezer giving an historic talk on his days at the old coal mine. Periodically, there would be a staged gas explosion from deep in the mine, giving us all a fright.
When I heard it might close down totally, we rushed there to document how it was, hence my painting subjects, and we are relieved that now the decision has been made to re-open in 2008.
I will possibly time my solo to coincide with the re-opening, We'll see............
".... if you didn't know history, you didn't know anything. You were a leaf that didn't know it was part of a tree. "
...........Michael Crichton, Timeline
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