Living on the Tolmie Plateau
A compilation of personal stories of the families of Tolmie and surrounding communities since 1879 to present and the historic of the township over those years.
Respected businessman, Ewen Tolmie and his second wife Colina, took up pastoral leases of Dueran and Holland Creek when he returned to Australia from his homeland in Scotland in 1859.
Ewen Tolmie became a very well regarded farmer and community member in the Wombat and Mansfield region until his death in 1883. During these years, the so-called bushranger element had become an increasing problem in the Wombat Ranges, culminating in the shooting of three policemen at Stringybark Creek by the Kelly Gang in 1878. In order to rid the area of the bushrangers, the government of the time opened up the ranges for selection. Only those who passed a strict examination were granted land. The rich, deep, volcanic soil was suitable for growing a range of crops despite the cold climate and the abundance of rainfall proved attractive to many, particularly those from the dry western districts and the Mallee. Parcels of land selected were typically 320 acres. Ewen Tolmie himself took up some of the selections. So by the early 1880s the township of Wombat had been established in the heart of the Wombat Ranges.
152 pages A4 soft copy
300mmx 21mm x 13mm