Interlude at Elgin Vale by Peter Olds

Log barge Lass O'Gowrie at the Wilson Hart and Company wharf with tug alongside, Maryborough.Original photograph Maryborough Wide Bay & Burnett Historical Society. Wilson Hart was the parent mill of the little country mill.

Peter Olds has written a story about giving the Elgin Vale engine a new lease of life. The Elgin Vale sawmill was built on a slope running down to a creek in the early 1900's. The name is taken from the nearby grazing property. This story is how Peter Olds managed to get the mill's steam engine operating. He replaced a valve and he says "the old Robinson with her new valve comes to life again" when the caretakers fire her up. The Kilkivian Shire Council has preserved the little country mill. "The mixture of smells from the steam and hot oil and the burning pine boiler furnace" are very noticeable around the boiler and take you on a nostalgic trip to the steam era.
Books can be bought from the Bonds Store for $12 each.
Published with consent of Peter Olds
#mill #elginvale #steam #engine