Water reserves

Green Lake near Horsham will again become an operational reservoir, in an attempt to improve the water quality of its neighbouring downstream waterway Taylors Lake. 
Green Lake is one of the Boga (with Dock and Pine Lakes) group of lakes, southeast of Horsham. It was named by Major Mitchell in 1836. The first embankment on the northern outlet was constructed in 1889, it collapsed in 1911 and was reconstructed in 1915. It was made into a storage of the Wimmera-Mallee Reservoir System in 1933.

Green Lake at sunset

 Recreational water allocations will be increased for Lake Marma, at Murtoa, and Walkers Lake (Avon Plains) near Marnoo, and Rocklands Reservoir will also be benefiting from the recommendations of the state government's regional water-sharing review.

Walkers Lake, from the Avon Plains school

Water previously diverted to Lake Batyo Catyo will resume its natural course along the Richardson River to Walkers Lake which will replace Batyo Catyo as Donald & St Arnaud's recreational lake.

The Wimmera in the frame

A team has been scouting the Wimmera for locations to film the movie version of 'The dressmaker' by Rosalie Ham.

The novel's story is set in the 1950s in the town of Dungatar in the wheat fields of the Wimmera-Mallee. So now movie scouts are checking out towns in the district to feature.

Rosalie's plot follows the bittersweet story of a femme fatale who returns to her small hometown to right some wrongs from her past.

Oscar winner Kate Winslet will play the lead as exotic and glamorous Tilly Dunnage, a talented and beautiful misfit, who as a child accused of murder, fled the the small Victorian town of Dungatar. Now she returns from Europe to nurse and reconcile with her mad but ailing old mother. Her reappearance after 20 years is met with suspicion and malice from the eccentric locals until they discover her startling dressmaking skills. Among the most appreciative is the policeman, an enthusiastic seamstress himself. Gradually, she wins over the town with her fabulous creations. Then she falls in love and things start to go terribly wrong. It's a stylish drama with comic undertones about love, revenge and haute couture.

Other stars are Australians Liam Hemsworth (Hunger Games), Judy Davis (heaps of films, including 'My brilliant career') and Isla Fisher (the new "Great Gatsby') will feature in the film.

According to the film's producer Sue Maslin (who should recognise the Wimmera as she was also the producer for 'The road to Nhill'), filming is scheduled to begin in October this year, she and Rosalie have been looking at small towns around the region, specifically places which have grain silos and a railway..well there's an abundance of Wimmera sites with railway lines (operational and not), and even more silos (operational and not).

After finding the correct location the producers will be looking to cast extras, an opportunity for local budding film stars, around August.

More information at the film's website.

'Lost!' author

As the event leading up to the 150th anniversary of the 'Lost in the Bush' commemoration, the Library will be hosting three sessions with Lost! author Stephanie Owen Reeder.

Lost! tells the story of the three Duff children Isaac (9), Jane (7), and Frank (3½) who were lost in the Nurcoung scrub for 9 days and 8 eights in August 1864. The children were finally found by a large search party, with the help of Aboriginal trackers.

Stephanie published Lost! a true tale from the bush in 2009, and it was short-listed for the Eve Pownall Award for information books, in the Australian Book of the Year Awards in 2010.
She was inspired by William Strutt's Cooey, or, The Trackers of Glenferry - a version of the story and illustrated with beautiful watercolours and sketches, and her book features many of his illustrations. What makes Stephanie's retelling of the story different is that she has finished each chapter with an informative section on how children lived in the 1860s, much of it illustrated with works from the National Library's Picture Collection.
Stephanie will be in the area on Thursday 7th August, and is speaking at: 

Goroke Library (30 Main St, Ph 5386 1360) at 10:15am

Nhill Library (5 Clarence St, Ph 5391 1684) at 1:30pm

Horsham Library (Gateway Centre, Wilson St, Ph 5382 5707) at 7:30pm

There will be copies of Lost! and Stephanie's other titles available for sale. Bookings are essential for each session.

Trees falling in the forest

Zumsteins Picnic Ground was one of the locations that were affected by the Grampians bushfire in January this year.

A spruce prior to the fires

Now the National Parks people have confirmed that rangers will remove 80 pine trees, 27 of them at Zumsteins. The trees, nearly 100 years old bore the brunt of the fires which swept through the area. Planted in the 1920s they are part of the heritage of Walter Zumstein. Between 1934-35 Walter & Jean Zumstein built pise (rammed earth/clay) cottages using local earth and stone, and second-hand building materials. Walter was sympathetic to the environment and planted 100s of both rare native and exotic trees.

Radiata pines at the picnic ground

National Parks plan to replant with ornamental species which reflect the historic nature of the area.
Zumsteins Picnic Area and McKenzie Falls are both still closed to the public after the fire damage. Other sections of the National Park have been reopened, with Parks staff monitoring conditions during the wet months.