Christmas 1952 slides – Kallista, Port Davey Track?

[guyburns]

In 1952, the Launceston Walking Club had a Christmas Trip from Butlers Gorge to Kallista (start of the Port Davey Track, near Maydena), via The Spires, Prince of Wales Range, and Gordonvale. A magnificent trip, documented in 150 slides by Lindsay Crawford. I may turn it into an AV at some stage.

What intrigues me are the last two slides. All slides in the series are labelled "Xmas 1952", as are the two below, but they seem out of place because they show buildings. But they are definitely labelled Xmas 1952. The only place I thought they might have been taken was at Kallista, at the start of the Port Davey Track. Ryletts Hut was there at the time, and I imagined maybe there were other buildings nearby.

Any suggestions as to where these two slides were taken?

The first slide shows people washing clothes in a creek, people whom appear in other slides in the series. I assume the creek is somewhere near Kallista or Maydena.

The second slide shows what looks like a town. The building on the right has a sign that says "Waratah". The lettering won't be clear on the image below, but is clearly discernible on the original.

[stepbystep]

Hey Guy,

The mountain in the background of slide 2 is Tyenna Peak behind present day Maydena. Also shows what looks like the recent result of a big fire.

Cool photos.

[guyburns]

Thanks, stepbystep. You must know the Maydena area pretty well to recognise that slide. Because of the sign, I had convinced myself the slide was mis-labelled and was taken at Waratah.

[tas-man]

Hello Guy, I have done a bit of research via Google Earth and ListMap to come up with what I suggest are the locations for these two photos. By aligning the ridge features from Lindsay's photo of Tyenna Peak with a matching view point in Google Earth, I believe that the peak photo was taken from the roadside of the Junee road heading out of Maydeena, just after it crosses the Tyenna River. There is an obvious flat or depressed area in the ListMap air photo that gives me confidence that this is the spot. The buildings on the slope in the middle ground seem to match the current buildings that are disappearing into the regrowth. I am thinking that Lindsay's group camped next to the river on this trip and the photo of them washing clothes in the river with buildings behind is probable on the northern bank of the Tyenna River just to the west of the road bridge.

[guyburns]

Thanks tas-man, you've saved me a bit of work. I had indexed those two slides as "taken from the Maydena area looking NW towards Tyenna Peak", but now I've got the exact location.

Let me know if you come across diaries/log books/notes about that trip.

[tas-man]

Let me know if you come across diaries/log books/notes about that trip.

There is most likely a trip report in the Launceston Walking Club Log Books Nos. 1 or 2, but this will not now be accessible until the QVMAG reopens for the public. I will have a look for it then for you.

[Mechanic-AL]

Neat bit of detective work there Tas-man.
I wouldn't want to be trying to hide from you !!!