The first settlers came to this area after 1817 although hunters had penetrated this far years earlier. As most of the farmers were from Scotland, the town was named Bothwell and the river flowing through, the Clyde. The next town, just 32Km south is called Hamilton. As it happens, I was born in Hamilton, Scotland and the town just across the Clyde River from my birthplace is Bothwell. It’s almost like coming home.
The weather looked promising when we awoke so we decided we would stay another day, leave the ‘van in Bothwell and drive up to Derwent Bridge to visit a well-known attraction, the Wall in the Wilderness
A woodcarver, Greg Duncan, has this vision of carving a wall depicting the history of the region. When it is finished, he expects it will be 100m long. He reached the half-way point late last year and already the display building is being extended to accommodate the next stage.
On display are panels depicting two of the region’s industries: hydro-electricity generation and forestry, as well as others on local fauna, etc. The display shows each stage of the process from the drawings, roughing out and the various stages of detailing. They are stunning. There are also others pieces of work by Greg, his son, Daniel and his sister. What a talented family!
Our plans are to pack up tomorrow and head for the Mt Field National Park.
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