Showing posts with label Mount Buffalo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mount Buffalo. Show all posts

Saturday, May 8, 2021

Above the clouds - Trout fishing in Lake Catani

Carlo was responsible for opening some of Victoria's most scenic tourist areas, of which Mount Buffalo is the best-known. The road between Porepunkah and Mount Buffalo was engineered by Carlo and officially opened by the Victorian Premier, Thomas Bent, in October 1908. The Mount Buffalo Chalet, was opened around August 1910 and provided accommodation for the tourists (1).  

One of the attractions of the area was a lake, formed by the construction of  a weir across Eurobin Creek. The lake was 23 hectares (56 acres) in size. In January 1911, The Age reported that Acting on the suggestion of the Bright Shire Council, the Government has decided that the picturesque lake on the top of Mount Buffalo shall be named Lake Catani. This is considered to be a well-deserved recognition of the work done by Mr. Catani, chief engineer of the Public Works Department, in connection with the opening up of Mount Buffalo as a tourist resort. The construction of the lake was suggested and carried out by Mr Catani (2).


Lake Catani, Mt. Buffalo. Photographer: Alice Manfield.
State Library of Victoria Image H2003.97/5

Lake Catani was stocked with trout, and in January 1913 a 4lb trout was caught just below the weir, the largest trout that has yet been obtained, as Carlo was informed (3).  It's interesting that not only was Carlo informed of the catch, but it was reported in the newspapers (see below). There would be very few senior public servants today who are as well known or as respected.


A 4lb trout is caught in Lake Catani

There was another report of a record trout being caught in Lake Catani, a month later. This trout was caught when Carlo accompanied the Premier of Queensland, Mr Digby Denham (4) and his wife, Alice to Mount Buffalo.  The Denham's were on a trip to the southern States - From Adelaide, a visit was paid to the Buffalo, which was reached by motor. Mr. and Mrs. Denham were accompanied by Signor Catani, who is known as the "father of the Buffalo," and after whom the lake is called. In Lake Catani, the party caught a trout, weighing about 5lbs., which is remarkable, in that it was the first trout in
those parts to be taken by a hook. 


Carlo accompanies the Queensland Premier and Mrs Denham to Mount Buffalo
 and a record trout is caught.

A year later, in February 1914, The Argus (5) published a enthusiastic account of trout fishing in Lake Catani. I am sure if Carlo had read this, he would have been very happy to know that his work in creating a tourist resort was appreciated. The article is transcribed here and provides an interesting look at the resort on Mount Buffalo only a few years after its establishment

ABOVE THE CLOUDS - TROUT FISHING IN LAKE CATANI By J.O.S.

A few years ago a little splashing gurgling creek meandered across a plain on the top of Mount Buffalo and then threaded its course between the walls of a deep and rugged gorge and eventually found its way to the foot of the mount. What became of it afterwards is of small moment, but it doubtless made its way per the medium of deeper and wider streams to the sea. With the establishment of the comfortable  and commodious Government chalet on the Buffalo Plateau the idea occurred to somebody that it would be possible by the simple expedient of throwing a wall across a narrow part of the gorge to transform the somewhat unlovely marsh plain into a beautiful mountain lake and as a result Lake Catani is there to-day to gladden the eye of the tourist with its broad expanse of glittering sapphire water and to enhance the interest as well as the beauty of that wonderful region which has well earned its poetic title "The Garden of the Gods."

It seems incredible when one stands on the sloping shore of this beautiful sheet of water watching its rippling wavelets, rejoicing in the glory of its sixty broad acres that the hand of man had had anything to do with its creation. There are capes and promontories, bays and inlets, grass grown hanks spangled with wild flowers and where the sides of the gorge rise precipitously from the water, great snow gums thrive and throw their shadows over the deep and silent pools. When one stands on the top of the Monolith rock that huge and wonderful boulder 40ft in height balanced on the edge of a mighty granite outcrop-and gazes down into the shimmering blue depths immediately below, he is reminded of pictures he has seen of some beautiful Swiss like scene, and he wonders if the colouring is not too blue to be natural.


Lake Catani from the Monolith. Photographer: Alice Manfield.
State Library of Victoria Image H2003.95/99

Perhaps Lake Catani with all its fresh novelty and with all its beauties would possess but scanty charms for the tourist who is also something of an angler were it not plentifully stocked with English trout.  That beneficient Government that has done everything connected with the tourist's comfort and convenience on this wonderful mountain so well has attended to the business of stocking this lake in a manner quite on a par with its splendid work in other departments. To stand near the water on a balmy summer evening and see the surface agitated as far as one can see with leaping fish, one realises that the lake is literally teeming with trout. That they thrive well in this region there is no question. It is said that during the past four years the Government has liberated fifteen hundred yearling trout each season. It is on record properly authenticated that fish have already been taken over five pounds in weight. During the past three weeks I have caught dozens of trout in the lake, several weighing between two and three pounds, and scarely any under a pound and a half. These fish are lusty and full of fight and afford the best of sport. They rise readily to a grasshopper whipped on the surface (particularly in the evening) and they will take any ordinary ground bait such as worm, white grub or frog at any hour of the day. The best plan for frog bait fishing during the bright sunny hours is to cast well out from the bank for your trout is a shy, suspicious creature and if he sees you he forgets that he is hungry. As the shadows deepen and the water loses its transparency it is quite common to hook a good fish quite close to the waters edge.


Sunset, Lake Catani. Photographer: Alice Manfield.
State Library of Victoria Image H2003.97/50

It is only a pleasant quarter of an hour's walk from the Chalet to the lake and all the good fishing spots can be easily reached for there are a couple of excellent boats placed there for the convenience of visitors and a short pull will take you to any given point. From my impressions of a most enjoyable holiday just spent on the Buffalo, I am of opinion that this spot will soon attract great numbers of trout fishers who will be able to indulge in their favourite sport under the most favourable conditions. For in addition to the fishing ground being so close to the base thus obviating the usual necessity of exhausting tramps through miles of scrubby undergrowth, the Chalet itself offers all the comforts of a luxurious home and even a tired trout angler can appreciate the joys of a hot plunge and a cold shower after a busy day. Splendidly managed and capably staffed the comfortably built residence on the edge of the gorge is always a good place to come home to, and I know of nothing better than to drop into an easy posture on "Bent's Look-out" as the shades of evening deepen into purple, light a fragrant pipe, gaze over the miles of rolling hills and valleys that stretch below, and reflect that another heavy basket has gone round to the kitchen to be dealt with in due course by that very important member of the entourage - the chef.


I wonder if this is one of the excellent boats placed for the convenience of visitors, as referred to above. This photo also shows the weir, the construction of which, on the Eurobin Creek, formed Lake Catani.
Lake Catani, Mount Buffalo, c. 1911. Photographer: Herbert Percival Bennett.
State Library of Victoria Image H88.24/2. This photo was on a stereocard and has been cropped.

Three of the photographs on this page were taken by Alice Manfield (1878 - 1960).  Alice was born in 1878 to James Samuel Manfield and Jane Douglas Simpson, she was the eighth of their ten children (6). Alice married a cousin, John Edmund Manfield on December 1, 1917 at the Cecil Street Methodist Church in South Melbourne. They had a daughter, Genevieve, on June 3, 1919. Alice died July 14, 1960 (7).  Alice's father had acted as a guide to tourists on Mount Buffalo and in the late 1890s the Manfields built a Chalet or Hospice to accommodate guests (8). Alice acted as a guide, in fact, she was known as 'Guide Alice'.  So well known was she by this name that she used it in birth announcement of her daughter, Genevieve.


Birth announcement of Genevieve - love the use of 'Guide Alice' as her 'nee' name!

Alice was also a noted photographer and naturalist.  In 1924, she wrote a book The Lyre-Birds of Mount Buffalo. The introduction describes her as a fine horsewoman as well as a daring and skillful climber. It's a delightful book, only 22 pages long with her photographs of the lyre-bird from a chick to adulthood. The State Library of Victoria have it digitised, here. They also have hundreds of her photographs digitised - www.slv.vic.gov.au.  


A Studio portrait of Guide Alice. She was noted for wearing 'mens clothing' i.e. trousers 
in her everyday life as a guide and naturalist. 
State Library of Victoria Image H2003.95/145

On March 28, 1965, the Harrietville Historical Society unveiled a bronze plaque in Alice's memory on the site of the Manfield Chalet, which overlooked a gorge near Bent's Look-out. The plaque features an engraving of a lyre bird, taken from the cover photo of Alice's book, The Lyre-Birds of Mount Buffalo  (9).


The Alice Manfield Memorial Plaque at Mount Buffalo. 
Image courtesy of  Addi Lautman-Wurt  (© Addi Lautman-Wurt)


The Alice Manfield Memorial Plaque at Mount Buffalo.
Image courtesy of  Addi Lautman-Wurt  (© Addi Lautman-Wurt)


Acknowledgment: I am extremely grateful to Addi Lautman-Wurt for taking photographs of Alice's plaque at Mount Buffalo for this post, and to my research colleague, Isaac Hermann,  for arranging for the photos to be taken.

Footnotes
(1) My colleague, Isaac Hermann, and I have written more about Carlo's work on Mount Buffalo in our Victorian Collections story on Carlo Catani, see it here,   https://victoriancollections.net.au/stories/carlo-catani-an-engineering-star-over-victoria/mount-buffalo
(2) The Argus, January 24, 1911, see here.
(3) The Herald, January 21 1913, see here
(4) Digby Denham, Premier of Queensland, read his Australian Dictionary of Biography entry, here.  
(5) The Argus, February 7, 1914, see here.
(6) Information about Alice Manfield and her siblings comes from the Victorian Indexes to the Births, Deaths and Marriages. 
(7) I was alerted to the fact that Alice married and had a daughter, Genevieve in an article by Mary Ryllis Clark in The Age March 1, 1988 - this was an interview with Genevieve. Genevieve married Eric Gustave Baumgarten in 1951. Eric died 1975 aged 59 and Genevieve died in 2003 at the age of 83. Alice's death date taken from her Probate papers at the Public Records Office of Victoria. John Edmund Manfield died February 10, 1949. Alice and Edmund and Alice's parents are buried at Bright Cemetery. There are photos on-line here  - http://www.ozgenonline.com/~nhm_cemeteries/Bright_Cemetery/index.html

Alice Manfield's marriage notice

Death notice of John Manfield

(8) Information about Manfield's Chalet came from The Mount Buffalo Story 1898-1998 by Danny Webb and Bob Adams (Melbourne University Press, 1998)
(9) The Age, March 29, 1965, p. 6. 

Friday, March 19, 2021

Paintings of Lake Catani

One of the paintings exhibited at the Victorian Artists' Society Annual Exhibition of Paintings in October 1911, was Lake Catani, Buffalo Mountains by John Ford Paterson (1).  Lake Catani was part of Carlo's vision to make Mount Buffalo a year round tourist resort. Work in the area began in January 1908 on the road, which was engineered by Carlo, linking Porepunkah and Mount Buffalo. The road was completed in the October. Carlo and the Public Works Department also created a 23 hectare lake, often referred to as a skating lake, through the damming of the Eurobin Creek and the construction of a  weir. In January 1911, this lake was named in honour of Carlo Catani at the suggestion of the Bright Shire Council in recognition of the work undertaken by Catani in opening up the mountain as a tourist resort. Other projects on Mt Buffalo included a golf course and more famously, the Chalet, which opened in August 1910.  You can read more about Carlo and Mount Buffalo in our (2) Victorian Collections, story, here.

There are many postcards and photographs of Lake Catani, but very few paintings, so I was interested to 'discover' John Ford Paterson's painting, which was acquired by the Queensland Art Galley in November 1912 (3). The Hobart Mercury reported on this acquisition  - Two years ago Mr. Paterson made many sketches of the district, and in his finished work conveys a fine impression of the lake. The scheme is grey, with the background of hills and gum forest reflected on the water. A group of cattle is shown in the middle distance. The whole composition and colour scheme are in harmony, and thoroughly characteristic of the painter's final methods. This picture has a special interest as being the last important work painted by him (4).


Lake Catani, Buffalo Mountains -  John Ford Paterson. 1911.

John Ford Paterson was born in Dundee in Scotland in 1851 and studied at the Royal Scottish Academy Schools in Edinburgh. He came to Melbourne in 1872, returned to Scotland three years later, where he remained until 1884; when he then came back to Melbourne. He died suddenly at the age of 62, in July 1912 (5). In 1929, the Brisbane Courier wrote this about John Ford Paterson - There was one thing which Mr. Paterson perhaps suggested better than any other of our artists, and that was the mystery of the bush. He has a definite place among those who have worthily interpreted the character of the landscape (6).

In November 1932, the Grosvenor Gallery in Melbourne held a memorial exhibition of John Ford Paterson's paintings. Arthur Streeton reviewed it for The Argus and he described the Lake Catani painting as another rare expression of his gems (7). I am not sure if the word should have been genius and not gems and it was a misprint by the paper, either way, it is high praise from Arthur Streeton.

John was the brother of Charles Stewart Paterson of the firm Paterson Bros, which later monopolized the decoration of wealthy homes and such public buildings as Government House, Melbourne Town Hall, the Parliamentary Library and the Prahran Public Library. Another brother was the artist, Hugh Paterson, who was the father of Esther Ford and Betty Ford, who were also artists. His sister, Mary, was the mother of Louis Esson, the poet and dramatist (8).

I have found three other newspaper reports of paintings of Lake Catani - Lake Catani, Mount Buffalo, Victoria a water colour by Mrs W. G. Torr, exhibited at her solo show at the Society of Arts Gallery in Adelaide in June 1921 (9)Frost and Snow on Lake Catani, by water colourist and printmaker, Elsie Barlow, exhibited with the Victorian Artists' Society in April 1926 (10) and oil painting, Lake Catani,  by William Rowell, exhibited in 1945 (11)

Mrs W. G. Torr was Mary Frances Torr.  Mary was born in Brighton in Melbourne in 1857 to John and Ann (nee Creswell) Walter. She married David Buchan in 1886, who died in 1891.  In 1912 she married William George Torr (12) who had established Old Oxford House in Adelaide in 1909 as a Methodist Training College. He was also a noted collector of shells (13).  A report of the 1921 exhibition, where the Lake Catani painting was displayed said that the list [of sold paintings] is a sufficient indication of Mrs. Torr's versatility, and of the attractive nature of her pictures. She is well known as an exhibitor at the annual displays of the Society of Arts, a good colourist with an unfailing eye for the picturesque (14). Mary exhibited at the Society of Arts show in September 1925 and the Adelaide Register reported that Mrs. W. G. Torr's exhibits constitute an agreeable show, and her watercolours reveal an intimate communion with Nature out of doors (15) In 1928 she donated two paintings to decorate Old Oxford House or as it was reported they were given two choice paintings from Mrs. W. G. Torr.  Mrs. Torr is well to the front among artists, consequently her contributions are worthy of a place in the best art gallery in the State (16).  I can't find any references to Mary practising as an artist as Mary Walter or Mary Buchan. Mary died in Brighton in Adelaide at the age of 80 in 1937 (17)

Elsie Frederica Barlow was born in Emerald Hill (South Melbourne) in 1876 to  Sidney and Charlotte (nee Hemsley) Hake. She attended Faireleight Girls School (18) in St Kilda where she was taught art by Jane Sutherland (19).  Elsie later attended School of Design at the National Gallery in Melbourne (20) and she was a member of the Melbourne Society of Women Painters and Sculptors (21). Elsie was instrumental in establishing the Castlemaine Art Gallery in 1913. She was living in Castlemaine as her husband, Arthur, was the police magistrate in the area and after exhibiting some of her work, she formed the committee to establish a permanent gallery in the town (22).  Elsie died in 1948 in Mentone.

William Rowell was the acting head of the National Gallery art school in Melbourne and died in 1946, aged 48 (23).

Where are these three paintings now? Mary Torr's painting was one of the works sold at her 1921 exhibiton, but that is all I can tell you. 

Trove list - I have created a list of articles on Trove connected to  John Ford Paterson's Lake Catani and the works by Mary Torr, Elsie Barlow and William Rowell. Access the list, here.

Footnotes
(1) The Age October 14, 1911, see here.
(2) The Victorian Collections story Carlo Catani: An engineering star over Victoria was resarched and written by myself and my fellow historian, Isaac Hermann.
(3) Leader November 30, 1912, see here.
(4) Hobart Mercury, December 2, 1912, see here.
(5) John Ford Paterson entry in the  Australian Dictionary of Biography, by Marjorie Tipping   https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/paterson-john-ford-4372
(6) Brisbane Courier, August 10 1929, see here.
(7) The Argus, November 10, 1932, see here.
(8) Information and the quote is from the Australian Dictionary of Biography (ADB) entry, see footnote  5. There is information about Esther Paterson in the ADB entry of her husband, George Gill, here. Louis Esson's ADB entry is here.
(9) Adelaide Register, June 16 1921, see here.
(10) The Herald, April 26, 1926 see here. William Rowell and Esther Paterson, John Ford Paterson's niece, also had work in the same exhibition.
(11) The Age, July 31, 1945, see here.
(12) Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages. I was helped by the information provided in William Torr's ADB entry, see next footnote. 
(13) William George Torr (1853-1939) See his Australian Dictionary of Biography entry, written by Arnold D, Hunt, here. There is  a history ot Old Oxford House in the Adelaide Advertiser of July 13, 1937, here, written on the occasion of its conversion to a Methodist Babies Home.
(14) Adelaide Register, June 16 1921, see here.
(15) Adelaide Register, September 16 1925, see here.
(16) Australian Christian Commonwealth, July 6, 1928, see here.
(17) Genealogy SA www.genealogysa.org.au
(18) Faireleight School,  established in 1870. When Isabella Henderson took over in 1910 she changed the name to Clyde. In 1920, Miss Henderson then opened a boarding school in Woodend, called it Clyde and thus the St Kilda school reverted back to the name of Faireleight. It closed in 1923. It was located at what is now 134 Alma Road, East St Kilda.
(19) Jane Sutherland (1853 - 1928) See her entry in the  Australian Dictionary of Biography, written by Frances Lindsay, here.
(20) Information about Elsie Barlow is from https://www.australian-art-gallery.com/australian-artists/Elsie-Frederica-Barlow-A375.htm This site incorrectly states that she was born in South Australia, she was actually born in Emerald Hill (South Melbourne). She had at least three other sisters born in Victoria -  Rose, Dora and Ruby. Dora, whose married name was Serle, was also an artist and  a member of the Melbourne Society of Women Painters and Sculptors (see next footnote).
(21) Peers, Juliet More than just Gumtrees: a personal, social and artistic history of the Melbourne Society of Women Painters and Sculptors (MSWPS, 1993). There are four references to Elsie in the book.
(22) There are various articles regarding Elsie Barlow and her role in establishing the Castlemaine Art Gallery - Mount Alexander Mail, August 16, 1913, see here; Young Daily Witness March 26, 1924, see hereBrisbane Courier August 28, 1926, see hereThe Age, April 27, 1940, see here
(23) William Rowell's obituary The Age , August 22 1946, see here and the report of his retirment from the National Gallery due to ill health in The Argus, July 1, 1946, see here.

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Carlo makes a road to the Garden of the Gods - Mount Buffalo

This is how the Herald newspaper of January 19, 1908 started a report about the new road to Mount Buffalo - One of Mr Bent's favorite expressions is that Victoria is "God's own country." Mr Catani, the Engineer for Roads and Bridges, has now discovered where the Garden of the Gods is situated. It is in the Buffalo Mountains, and if his anticipations are realised, it will be easy of invasion by mere mortals before next winter. 

The report continues with  Last session the State Parliament approved of a sum of L5000 being expended in making a road from Porepunkah to Buffalo, and yesterday tenders were received for the construction of the first three miles. It is intended to call for tenders for an additional two miles each week, until the distance, some twelve miles is completed. The steepest grade will be 1 in 17, and, to use Mr Catani's words, it ''will be fit for the most beautiful motor car in Australia."

Before we look at this road the idea of  creating a tourist resort on Mount Buffalo was investigated Edward John Dunn (1844 - 1937), who conducted a geological survey of the mountain in 1906 for the Minister of Mines.  I believe that he was the first to use the term Garden of the Gods to describe the region.  His geological report, with 53 photographs, can be found on-line at the National Library of Australia, it was published in 1908 as Memoirs of the Geological Survey of Victoria, and you can access it, here. This report does not include any tourist references, but they were reported on in the newspapers. Read, for instance, the report in the Leader of December 1, 1906, here. You can read Edward Dunn's entry in the Australian Dictionary of Biography, here.


One of the impressive granite formations, photographed by Edward Dunn in his report on the Geology of Mount Buffalo.

Back to the Mount Buffalo road. On January 24, 1908 the first sod was turned by Mrs Mackey, wife of the Minister for Lands. Mrs Mackey performed this task with a suitably inscribed silver spade. This event took place at the foot of the foot of the Buffalo Falls, on the Eurobin Creek. Also present were William Davidson, Inspector- General of Public Works; Mr Reed - Surveyor General, some local and State politicians and, of course, Carlo Catani. (The Age, January 25, 1908).

The road construction created some controversy over the use (or non-use) of employed men to build the road. The Premier, Sir Thomas Bent, insisted that Carlo provide work for unemployed men from Melbourne on the construction of the Buffalo Road. In a  letter to the editor of The Argus, published February 7, 1908  Alfred Billson  wrote about this issue - I read with considerable surprise that Mr Bent had, in an imperious manner, directed Mr Catani to provide for the employment of a number of unemployed on the construction of the Buffalo-road. He then provided a number of  cogent arguments against using the unemployed, including providing jobs to city men at the expense of locals and that many lacked the required skills and he finished off with this question When is the interference by the Premier with responsible officers, who enjoy the confidence of the people, to cease?

The opening of the road to the Chalet, 1908. 
The Premier, Thomas Bent, is in front of the ribbon. Alice Manfield, is on the right, holding the ribbon. You will read more about her, below. 
State Library of Victoria Image H2003.96/84

There were further issues when some of the unemployed men complained to the newspapers about their conditions, lack of appropriate tools, rate of pay and the initial refusal of local stores to supply them with credit, before they were paid. Carlo disputed these issues. (The Age, March 7, 1908).  In spite of this rocky start, progress on the construction of the road continued. The road to the summit of Mount Buffalo was officially opened by the Premier on October 9, 1908. The Age of October 12 had  a detailed report of the opening and extravagant descriptions of the beauty of the scenery -  a region of awe-inspiring grandeur....... towering heights on the one hand and ever deepening abysses on the other, each turn in the road presented a grander panorama of space and distance.....  The official party stayed on the mountain overnight and the next morning standing on the great mass of granite on the edge of the gorge, looking away over the Eurobin Valley, the Buckland Valley and the Ovens Valley, far down in the distance, the morning light revealed the giant peaks of distant ranges capped with snow. These included the two highest mountains in Australia. Towering over intervening ranges, in the furthest distance, 90 miles away, could be seen the peaks of Kosciusko. This is the highest mountain in Australia, with an altitude of 7256 feet, and owing to the configuration of the country it is possible to see more of the earth's surface from the top of this mountain than from any other in the world. There also rose plainly to view in the breaking dawn the crest of Mount Bogong, one of the Australian Alps, which with an altitude of 6508 feet, is the second highest mountain in Australia and the highest in Victoria. (The Age October 12, 1908, see full report here)

The Age report mentioned that the Premier thanked Carlo for his organisation of the opening event, but The Argus quoted the Premier as saying  So far as the new road was concerned it was the finest piece of work of its kind he had seen in any part of the world, and great praise was due to Mr. Catani, who was in charge, and all those who assisted in its completion. (The Argus, October 12, 1908).

With the opening of the new road, accommodation had to be provided for the tourists.  There were already two accommodation buildings on the mountain - Carlile's Hospice and Manfield's Chalet. Carlile's Hospice was operated by Ted and Mary Jane Carlile and Manfield's by James and Jane Manfield. Their daughter, Alice, was a noted naturalist, tour guide (she was known as Guide Alice) and photographer. You can read more about the Carlile and Manfield familes in the book, The Mount Buffalo Story, 1898-1998 by Dan Webb and Bob Adams.*

Alice Manfield, wrote of her memories of the day the Mount Buffalo Road was officially opened in a wonderful letter to The Argus, published May 25, 1940 - Guide Alice Manfield (formerly of Mt. Buffalo) writes:- Publication of the picture of the opening of the Mt. Buffalo road in "The Argus" Weekend Magazine on May 4 was particularly interesting. I well remember the opening of the road. Among many honours bestowed on me that eventful day was holding the ribbon at the opening. I was the first woman to drive a buggy and pair to the summit. Because of a heavy snowstorm, vehicles could not cross to the plateau, and the remainder of the journey had to be made on foot, each person having to carry his luggage to Manfield's Chalet for the banquet in honour of Sir Thomas Bent, the Premier and many other distinguished visitors. Because my parents were pioneers of the mountain, I was invited, and was the only woman guest. After the ceremony, I pulled the official party, including Sir Thomas Bent, Sir John Mackay, Mr. Billson, and Mr. Catani, to a selected position overlooking Echo Rocks, when they investigated the building of a chalet from Buffalo granite. Sir Thomas Bent died before this was done. (The Argus, May 25, 1940)


The Mount Buffalo Chalet, 1930s. The catalyst for the building of the Chalet was the opening up of Mount Buffalo by the construction of Carlo Catani's road and several scenic tracks.
State Library of Victoria Image H92.318/29

However, the Government decided to build a hospice and initial plans were drawn up by Mr G.H. B. Austin, of the Public Works Department. This was to be built of local granite, at an estimated cost of £10,000 but the building material was soon changed to weatherboard for financial reasons. The site for this new hospice had been surveyed by Carlo on September 19, 1908 (Yackandandah Times, September 24, 1908).  The Chalet was opened around August 1910, I believe, I cannot find the exact date (even though I like to know these things). The full history the Mount Buffalo Chalet can be read in The Mount Buffalo Story, 1898-1998 and there is a short history of the building on the Victorian Heritage Database, here.

The magnificent scenery was not the only attraction on Mount Buffalo. On Saturday, February 25, 1911 a  nine hole golf course was opened on the plateau near the Chalet. The idea for the course came from the Minister for Public Works, William Baillieu, according to a report in the Leader of March 4, 1911. It was Carlo's project to carry out this work and he engaged the professional golfer,  Richard 'Dick' Banks to advise as to the feasibility of the project reported favorably on the proposal...Banks, under Mr. Catani's direction, commenced about three months ago to lay out a nine-hole course.  (Leader, March 4, 1911)  Dick Banks, died in Melbourne in January 1930 at only 53 years of age. The fairway was sown down with alpine grass, imported from Italy.

Opening of the Mount Buffalo Golf-Links - Mr M'Kenzie (Minister for Lands) driving the first ball. Carlo Catani is second from right.
The Australasian, March 11, 1911

There was  a report in The Argus of February 28, 1911 about the opening of the golf course, and it was titled Mr Catani's enthusiasm and it is a great tribute to Carlo and his passion for the tourist potential of Mount Buffalo. While the others were playing golf the Minister for Lands was driven round in one of the State motor-cars. Mr Catani, who opened up the Buffalo to tourist traffic with his road up the Buffalo - an engineering feat which calls forth the admiration of all who see it - acted as guide, and with relentless enthusiasm insisted upon Mr. M'Kenzie leaving the car at frequent intervals and climbing up and down the slopes to inspect the various wonders of the mountain..... Wherever Mr Catani took the Minister he pointed out alluring schemes for further expenditure. About £300 would, he said, add 3ft. to the height of the weir, and make perfect the already magnificent artificial lake he has created. Less than £500 would make the golf links fit for champions. Twenty new bedrooms could be added to the chalet for £2,000. The road to the Horn could be taken almost to the top along a route already surveyed for no more than two or three hundred pounds. An additional circular road on the mount could join up several famous "attractions" for so-and-so. The suggestions were innumerable. Mr M'Kenzie, however, declined to commit himself to do more than "consider" these proposals. (The Argus, February 28, 1911, read full article, here)


Lake Catani, Mt Buffalo, c. 1914. Photographer: Rose Stereograph Co.
State Library of Victoria Image H93.456/24

There was also a lake for skating, fishing and water sports. This lake had been suggested by Edward Dunn in his report referred to above. The Leader of December 1, 1906  quoted Mr Dunn -The boldest and grandest mass of granite in Victoria.....is comprised in the Buffalo Range, which rises as a great dome to an elevation of over 5000 feet above sea level.....either a road for wheeled traffic, or an electric tram line, is required to render the mountain available to all classes of tourists....At the top of the falls there is a large area of swampy ground that could be converted into a lake at small expense. This would do for skating on in winter and as a storage for water to feed the falls in summer. As a source of electric energy these falls, with 700 feet of "head," should supply motive force enough to work an  electric tramway up the mountain, and also all the electric lights required.

The Eurobin Creek was dammed and the lake of 58 acres (23 hectares) was created. In June 1908, George Clowser, who was the paymaster at the Public Works Department, visited the men working on the road, in order to pay them and there was an interview published in the Herald of June 6 1908, about his experiences and amongst other things he was quoted as saying I am 15st. 6lb., and when I walked on the ice pond - or skating rink which Mr Catani, our engineer, has prepared near the hospice as an additional attraction to tourists, I made no impression on it - so thick is the ice. In June 1911, it was reported that the ice was five inches thick.


Lake Catani. Photographer: Alice Manfield. 
The inscription reads: Lake Catani. Guide Alice.
State Library of Victoria Image H2003.97/5

In January 1911, this lake was named in honour of Carlo. The Argus of January 24 had this report Acting on the suggestion of the Bright Shire Council, the Government has decided that the picturesque lake on the top of Mount Buffalo shall be named Lake Catani. This is considered to be a well-deserved recognition of the work done by Mr. Catani, chief engineer of the Public Works Department, in connection with the opening up of Mount Buffalo as a tourist resort. 

As well as having a Lake named after him, Carlo and his contribution to the development of Mount Buffalo as a tourist resort, was marked by the unveiling of  a plaque, mounted a a large granite rock with the inscription Carlo Catani, Chief Engineer of Public Works, 1910-1917  Ye who seek his memorial look around. The plaque  was unveiled by the Minister of Public Works, Mr Jones, on October 25, 1930. The Age of October 27, 1930 reported on the occasion and the tribute which was paid to Carlo The Minister, before unveiling the tablet, referred to the great public service that had been rendered by the late Mr. Catani, particularly in the development of tourist resorts, and stated that probably to no other individual was so much credit due for the opening up and development of such tourist resorts as Mt. Buffalo, the Grampians, Mt. Donna Buang, and the Warburton, Healesville and Marysville districts. To his energy and enthusiasm were also due the improvements to the St. Kilda foreshore and Alexandra-avenue. (The Age of October 27, 1930, read full article, here)


The Catani Memorial tablet, Mount Buffalo
Photo: Martin Wurt - Working Photos (courtesy of Isaac Hermann)


The Catani Memorial on the granite rock
Photo: Martin Wurt - Working Photos (courtesy of Isaac Hermann)


We will end this post with this wonderful tribute to Carlo and his contribution to making Mount Buffalo a tourist destination. It was written by Donald MacDonald and published in The Argus of December 2, 1922 And satisfied with a first view of Buffalo as a tourists' home and pleasure place, one should turn a thought to the man who largely created it, and whose enthusiasms were never chilled by red tape or routine - the late Mr. Catani. The mountain lake has been named in his honour, but the whole place is the memorial of the kindly, lovable, Italian gentleman who was, above all things, the man of vision and of action. (The Argus  December 2, 1922, read the full article, here.)



* The Mount Buffalo Story, 1898-1998 by Dan Webb and Bob Adams (Miegunyah Press, Melbourne University Press, 1998)

I have created a list of articles on Carlo Catani and his involvement with Mount Buffalo, you can access the list, here, on Trove. All the articles referred to in this post are on the list.