UPPER TRARALGON CREEK

Mr. Alexander stressed that we must preserve the history of the area NOW or due to settlements disappearing and the planting of timber, it may become too late and then we really would be "up the creek".   He acknowledged that most of his information about the early settlers came from Laura McCormack's "History" of the area published a few years ago.

Much of the history - specific facts - may still be available but it is imperative that human achievements, the sufferings, the lifestyles and the tales of the early settlers are recorded.  The human elements of history are what make the statistics of history interesting for future generations.

Early settlements along the Traralgon Creek, close to Traralgon, began in 1876 but it was another 25 years before land was developed as far away as Balook and the Grand Ridge Road.  Most of the land in this area was settled by 1901.  The area was released in 2 distinct periods - the late 1880's to 1890 and the next stage in 1901.

The attraction of the area to early settlers was the very fertile land, large stands of timber together with rich river flats indicating good soil - and at that time there were no rabbits, no ragwort, no blackberries. A farmer's dream !!!

The whole area was known in the early 1900's as Upper Traralgon Creek but with the second stage of development, further up the Creek, there were 2 Upper Traralgon Creeks.  So, in 1914, it was decided to change the name of the area closer to Traralgon to Koornalla.  Eight names were suggested but at a public meeting 14 out of 18 voted for Koornalla.

The naming of Le Roy area commenced in October 1914 when John Hogg approached Council saying that "Myola" had been adopted by the Hall and district, and seeking approval of the Council.  This was subsequently changed due to its use in another area, and a request for "Leeroy" to be adopted was made in May 1915.   Finally it appears in Council records as "Le Roy" in April 1917.   The Le Roy community of that time generally described itself as being the area of hill country south of Premier Farm which was settled by J. Downie in the 1880's and is located  on the east side of the Traralgon Creek, approximately 2 miles south of the Koornalla Reserve.

Early Settlers:
Between Koornalla and Le Roy some of the early settlers on the east side of the Creek were Downie (Blacks, 1905), Downie Jnr., Guntzler, Howells, and Johnson.  On the western side were Mapleson, Pentland, Wilson, McLachlan (then O'Meara about 1905 or 1906), Downie, Howell, Beaton, Alford, Hooley, Dawson, and Hogg.  A 1903 map showed no further settlement until right at the top was Drysdale's.

Other early settlers beyond Hoggs Bridge were Whelan, Andrews, Pattinson, Hansford, Taylor, McEwan, Cook, Butler, Moorfield, Deal and Drysdale.   Other early settlers who replaced original selectors in the area included the Lees, McKenzies, Howletts, Ingles, Neilsons, and Spencers.

Postal Services:
Post Offices were at Traralgon South (McCormack's), Koornalla (Lade's), Le Roy (Hogg's), Callignee (Gilmour's).   Mr. Tom Cook had the mail contract in 1917 for the Traralgon Creek-Yarram Mail Service.  Tom's assistant was Arthur Fisher and they were always complaining to Council about the poor roads.   The service left Traralgon at 8.30 a.m., Koornalla at 10.30, Le Roy 11.55, Tarra Valley 2.30 p.m., Devon North 4.30, and reached Yarram 5.15.  It ran about 3 days a week.

In 1928 Tom Cook and Arthur Fisher stepped down after losing the mail contract, and Tom McKenzie and Stares started.  Tom held the long service badge for 14 years, through mud and slush, but always on time.

Schools:
The Traralgon Creek School No. 3513 was opened on May 12, 1906, in the Upper Traralgon Creek Hall. A new school was built and completed in 1915, on a 1 acre allotment donated by Mr. J. Black, adjacent to the Strzelecki Monument.  With the move, the school was renamed the Koornalla School.  The school closed in the early 1940's and the building was removed to Hazelwood.  In 1985 the Shire purchased this allotment from the Education Department to retain this part of the Creek's heritage.

The Le Roy School, No. 3874, opened on September 21st, 1914, in the Le Roy hall.   It had a somewhat chequered career, due to a lack of numbers, destruction by fire, and a final closure on May 13th., 1960.

Public Halls:
Upper Traralgon Creek (Koornalla) Hall was erected by residents on land donated by W. O'Meara (1905), on the west side of the Creek, just past the Koornalla Reserve.   There was a suspension footbridge over the creek to the hall, about 30 ft above the water.  Otherwise it was a matter of fording the creek.  The Hall was relocated in the 1920's, to the bend in the creek, north of Koornalla Reserve, adjacent to the bridge (still west of the creek).  The new hall was burnt down before it had hardly been used, and it was never replaced.

In about 1930, the area came to a standstill, with the onset of depression, rabbits, ragwort, and the increasing age of the settlers.

The Le Roy Hall was also erected by residents, on land donated by J. Hogg, prior to 1914.  It was demolished by the 1944 fires, rebuilt, and re-opened in 1947.  When the school closed in 1960, the building was shifted to another district.  The site was sold by Council to Monash University, to establish a research station, in 1964.  This did not eventuate, and within 9 months the University had sold the land to A.P.M. Forests.  It is part of the land currently proposed as a land exchange between Council and A.P.M.

Both of these Halls were centres of community life in the hill country.  They were in continuous use for schooling, dances, entertainment, roller skating, euchre parties, etc.

Snippets from the Past
George Downie was reputed to be the first person to shoot a rabbit in the district and Mr. Black reported his father poisoning 1000 rabbits in one night in his paddock.

At the junction of Jeeralang and Traralgon Creeks, Maplesons had a cheese factory, the remnants still lying there today among the pines.  Also the remains of Hooley's Le Roy guest house are still visible.  It was burnt down.  Council approached the owner of the site with a view to purchase, but it had already been sold.  The bullock teams of those days have now been replaced by timber trucks.

In 1968 a drought was recorded for the first time in the history of Traralgon Creek and the Creek stopped flowing.  Once the Jeeralang Falls were easily accessible but it is now very difficult to get to them.  The Goombala Road is not shown on the 1903 land map.  There was once a mill just past Snake Gully, opposite Yerrang Park; also, horse yards were adjacent to the Mill, close to the Creek.

Future
Council is trying to get control of the Creek frontages and reserves along the Traralgon Creek from Calder Junction to the Koornalla monument.  At present, it is in the hands of the Department of Conservation, Forests, and Lands.  The left-hand branch of the Creek has no creek frontage, and is mostly owned by A.P.M. Forests.   Council is now in the process of formulating a package for exchanging part of Chester Park with A.P.M. owned property along the Traralgon Creek.  It is Council's intention to retain a small portion of the old Chester Park run, being the avenue of trees and the site of the old homestead, approximately 12 acres, and to plant the area with native trees.

The land is zoned A1 (required immediately) and B Coal Area (required in 30 - 60 years). No development is allowed; the property has no buildings on it and is surrounded by S.E.C. and pines, with private ownership on the southern side.

Chester Park was given to the Shire by the late James Holden for recreational purposes, but proposals by the Council to improve the property for these pursuits have been rejected by the S.E.C., Brown Coal Development, Latrobe Regional Commission and the Department of Minerals and Energy.  The Government's view is that any improvement would only increase compensation payable.

The areas of land that Council is looking to obtain from A.P.M. are:

• The area between the Traralgon South Township and Shingle Creek
• A small parcel near O'Meara's Bridge where Guntzler's house used to be, at the end of the bitumen, on the left.  This would be developed in the long term as part of an overall recreation facility between Koornalla Bridge and O'Meara's Bridge.
• Approximately 150 acres, incorporating land adjacent to the LeRoy Reserve, Hogg's Bridge, and the creek frontage along the eastern branch of Traralgon Creek.  This includes the waterfalls in Johnson's-Lee's-Drysdale's old property, to which Council has made an access track.
• Approximately 100 acres surrounding Yerrang Park, as an extension to the public reserve.   This area was destroyed by the 1952 floods but was recently opened up by the Shire as part of its Australian Bicentennial celebration.The current efforts by the Shire to increase and develop its public reserves are being made with a view to providing natural bushland for the public to enjoy and take pride in, and if they are successful, the people of Traralgon and surrounding districts will enjoy a recreational area for years to come.