Creswick Woollen Mills & Jubilee Lake

My stay in Hepburn Springs aligned auspiciously with the Ballarat Heritage Festival where the Creswick Woollen Mills led free daily tours of the factory where Australia’s blankets, throw and picnic rugs were once made.

Originally from Poland, Paul Ryzowy fled his country after the war broke out. Several incremental pauses later, working in Japan, Shanghai, London and other locations, he heard the call to go to Australia. Seemingly, in the middle of nowhere, he saw the need for a woollen mill and despite knowing nothing about how to establish one, followed his dream. His bio can be read here.

It was Paul’s pioneering spirit, that lead the way to recycling end-of-life textiles, reimagined and reformed into durable and soft fabrics for blankets and rugs.

Many of the senior folk who I walked with on the tour throughout the factory recognised the old tartan coloured fabrics used to make electric blankets. Somewhere in the recess of my memory, I thought I recognised them too.

What stood out to me was Paul’s commitment to community and his ingenuity to provide people with what they needed, diverting more than 2 million kilograms of end of life textiles from landfill and establishing an Annual Blanket Drive that began in 1996 to supply warmth and comfort for the homeless.

While the blankets and rugs are now made in Tasmania, the wonderful women who once used the machinery now hem the blankets on overlockers at the factory in Creswick, even though they would rather be out the back doing what they loved to do!

Jubilee Lake

Lovely neighbour, Lee, next to where I care for Luna and the house invited me to walk with the local U3A group… If you’ve not heard of U3A that stands for University of the Third Age. Curiously, U3A began in France in 1973 and was founded by Pierre Vellas.

U3A landed in Australia in 1984… hmm, that would be the year I finished high school! The group was designed to encourage people in their senior years to share their knowledge, skills and interests. While anyone 50+ can join the majority are 65+.

I wonder why something so enjoyable such as socialising with those in our communities costs money. Might it be a whole lot simpler? Curiously, I could only find an old annual report from 2018 that sort of says where the memberhips money goes.

The walk was most enjoyable. One of the seniors who accompanied us shared his knowledge of the ley of the land from days of the gold rush he had read widely about.

Jubilee Lake ~ Where the water recedes

Walking beneath late Autumn falling leaves

Across another bridge

A fallen leaf lands

Our walk concludes through a corridor of old Elm Trees

On our group walk we did a figure eight through bushland and old excavation sites before commencing around the actual lake itself.

Back at the car the gift of a feather awaited me at my feet…

Elvis and Priscilla (aka 2 peacocks) live in the area

An extra tidbit…

Once known as the Hepburn Goldfields Reservoir, Jubilee Lake was built to supply water to the local gold mines during the 1860s as well as to the townsfolk of Hepburn and Daylesford. In 1861 a flood washed the reservoir away and two years later it was made bigger. In 1887 it was rebuilt and renamed Jubilee Lake in honour of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee. By 1890 the water was deemed unfit for human consumption, although by 1900 its water quality had improved and picnic areas were established.

Next week Luna and I set out to walk from Twin Bridges to Tipperary Springs and back. The elevation from this one is awe-inspiring!

Thank you so much for journeying with me. Soon I will be joining my mum and sister on another Outback Spirit Tour, this time to Arnhem Land, where Aboriginal culture, breathtaking scenery and rare wildlife stretches over 97,000 square kilometres… it is hugged by the rugged coastline of the Arafura Sea.

Love’s Harmonies,

Leanda Michelle ✍🏼📚

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