THE FRIENDS OF CORNISH HILL
On March 30th 1994, well before the public announcement that appeared in The Daylesford Advocate on October 19th 1994, it became known that the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources was planning to sell the former gold mining area known as Argus Hill or Cornish Hill.
Locals were concerned, so to show there was local interest in the site a small group began working bees to start to clear away pest plants and improve the degraded site.
The announcement of the proposed sale having now been made, the Hepburn Shire Council called an open meeting on December 8th, 1994 to discuss the future of the historical mining precinct.
The meeting was well attended and very lively. In January 1995 the ‘Friends of Cornish Hill’ volunteer group was formed – the Department of Finance had decided not to sell the land but to reserve it for passive recreation.
The Council organised a public meeting for December 14th, 1998 to elect a Community based Committee Of Management. A Conservation Management Plan had been drawn up by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
The Committee was elected and met for the first time in January 1999. Some years after the formation of the Friends group they went through the process of becoming an incorporated association in order to be able to apply for grants.
The money was needed to buy tools, weed management equipment, weed sprays and tube stock and tree guards to plant local native species. A container was also purchased by the Committee of Management so both groups could safety store their equipment.
Originally much of the weed clearance and restoration work was concentrated in the area around Thomas’ Lookout and the southern end of Queensberry Street where there are fewer large trees and more open space. A wild flower area was intensively weeded which allowed for the growth of a great many wild flowers including several varieties of orchids, tetratheca and many local native pea and daisy varieties.
In later years the Friends worked intensively in the riparian zone along Smiths Creek
removing gorse, blackberries and broom and planting native grasses and tube stock which has created a very pleasant walk from the southern end of Grenville Street down to the picnic area which can be reached by following the road from the end of Macadam Street.
In April 1997 the Friends group uncovered gold mining relics which had been engulfed by weeds. They revealed the foundations of a winding engine and winding gear at a shaft near Thomas’ Lookout.
Over the years the Friends group has been led by many dedicated people organising
working bees, applying for grants, engaging contractors and liaising with local schools. Joan Endacott was one of the first, later Julie Begg took over and she negotiated an agreement with David Endacott for the Friends to concentrate their work on the Smiths Creek corridor.
Margie Thomas took over from Julie in 2012 and carried on until January 2022. Kath Anderson is the latest to take on that role.
Margie Thomas initiated educational programs for both primary school and secondary school students. These programs sowed the seed of curiosity, nurtured a sense of connectedness and stewardship between young people and the natural environment.
Schools included Daylesford Secondary College, Wesley Campus Clunes, Yandoit,
Daylesford, Bullarto and St Michaels primary schools.
Funding enabled presentations by such groups as Black Snake Productions, Bug Blitz, Leigh Valley Hawk and Owl, Fungi Map and BirdLife Australia.
Environmental Educator Nicole Howie’s specialty was water testing and birds. Ceramicist Ann Ferguson assisted students to make insects from seed pods, frogs, lizards and other creatures from clay, with local artist Miriam Porter curating exhibitions of their work at the local Bendigo Bank.
The NCCMA River Detective program proved popular with the Dharma School whose students visited the hill regularly to test Smiths Creek water for salinity, turbidity, PH levels, and also checking on insect life. Their grade 5 and 6 students as ‘kids teaching kids’ took the lead for these sessions on several occasions.
All of these events were very popular with the students. It was a chance to get out of the classroom, to meet students from other schools, to enjoy nature and discover the local flora and fauna.
Many trees were planted on Cornish Hill by students. The Daylesford Primary School planted trees in 2010 funded by the Bendigo Bank, the Daylesford College created a map of Smith’s Creek identifying features, carried out Water Testing and created nesting boxes with the help of the local Men’s Shed.
For three years the College’s ‘Getting Dirty’ program worked on the hill three times a year planting 100 trees and 200 grasses each time. Their ‘Hands on Learning’ program also helped out with planting.
Wesley College Clunes Campus took part in planting as did Federation University, Ballarat.
It is estimated that 90% of the trees and grasses were planted by students.
Friends’ tireless member Ivon Watt did all the preparation for the school planting sessions, preparing holes, laying out plant guards and sticks and organising the watering of the tube stock.
None of this work could have taken place without funding. Some of the funding bodies are listed here:
- The Daylesford Bendigo Bank
- The North Central Catchment Funding Management Authority (NCCMA)
- The Foundation for Regional and Rural Renewal
- Hepburn Shire Council
- Daylesford Rotary
- The Daylesford Community Op Shop
- The Federal Government’s Community Engagement Scheme
- The Department of Environment in all its iterations (the latest being DEECA)
For more information check out: https://www.cornishhilldaylesford.com.au/school-involvement/
The Friends Of Cornish Hill were also responsible for erecting an information sign at the former Trout Hatchery, situated in Grant Street entering from East Street.
Records show that the Daylesford Anglers Club was hatching trout as early as 1926-27. In 1952-53 the club built this hatchery – the remnants of which can still be seen.
The building is weatherboard and housed five hatching boxes. There were 3 earthen ponds, one circular pond, a 16 feet diameter concrete pond and one large dam.
Water came from natural springs plus town supply.
The nearby McCain Food factory used caustic chemicals to clean their potatoes and in 1975 the hatchery was forced to close after run-off from the factory polluted the spring water and killed all the fingerlings.
McCain Foods was approached on several occasions to make a contribution to the erection of an information sign. Initially they agreed to assist but never came up with any cash.
During the COVID-19 pandemic the Friends took on the task, funded by Rotary. The
Hepburn Shire Council supplied and installed the posts and the map, wording and photos were provided by the Friends with the help of many community members. Dan O’Toole printed the final signage.
For several years the Friends also organised bird watching walks, run by BirdLife Australia, along Smiths Creek during the ChillOut Festival.
The work involved in the upkeep and management of the whole Cornish Hill area is very much a work in progress. If you would like to contribute, contact the Friends via Facebook or email friendsofcornishhill@gmail.com