Yarra Ranges Council, in consultation with local groups, has provided information boards on the history and the environment at several of Mt Evelyn’s trails and reserves.
There are four signs at Quinn Reserve, located at the various entrances. They deal with the history of the Reserve; the bush environment; the platypus, which is found in Olinda Creek; and work of the the Friends of Water Race and Quinn Reserve (FWRQR), a volunteer group that cares for the Reserve.
The Friends also care for the Water Race, which provided Lilydale’s first water supply. Opened in 1905, the Water Race skirts the gully at Quinn Reserve and continues to the Puddle Dam on Birmingham Road. Another sign there gives the history of the Water Race and the Dam.
Near the Hereford Road crossing on the Warburton Rail Trail, there is a sign with the history of the nearby First Aid Post, where Railway First Aiders from all over Victoria held their annual competitions. There are two recently installed signs on the Rail Trail between Monbulk Road and the Bailey Road bridge. One deals with the Stringybark tree and its many uses for Aboriginal people. The other is a beautiful panel of the Birds of Mt Evelyn. These last two signs even have audio, powered by miniature solar panels. Press the buttons to hear bird names and a chant in the Woi Wurrung language of the Wurundjeri people.
Two further signs are located on the Olinda Creek Trail between Swansea Road and Olinda Creek (now within the Lilydale postcode area, but formerly part of Mt Evelyn). One sign deals with Aboriginal scar trees, of which there are a number in the Olinda Creek valley, and the technique of making bark canoes.
The other sign is on the site of Walden Hut, where a group of young amateur naturalists camped to study the local bird life in the early years of the 20th century. Mt Evelyn History Group’s publication The Woodlanders of Walden Hut by Janice Newton was launched on 16 September. We are grateful to Yarra Ranges Council staff for their efforts in getting the sign installed in time for us to visit it as part of our book launch.
The historical and environmental signage adds to the enjoyment of our trails and reserves, which we’re so fortunate to have in Mt Evelyn.
