From Dimb to Basalt Knob

A retired railway carriage from Dimboola has ended up in the mountains of the Victorian High Country.

The T 101 icewagon railway carriage hut aka Basalt Knob Hut, was built in 1894 at the Pinder & Kelly Newport workshops for the Victorian Railways and de-registered in 1978. In the early 1980s a Dargo timber mill purchased the rolling stock from the Dimboola line for forestry workers accommodation and trucked them to Dargo. 
The carriage was in a Dargo mill when it was bought by Ken Scott from David Coates, who sold it to David Eddy from Deeandal & Sons logging company. 

A logging road was constructed, and a loggers' camp erected at Basalt Knob in 1982. The T 101 icewagon was carted it up to its location up above Talbotville near Blue Rag. When the logging finished all the other carriages forming the logging camp were removed by the mill, but they never got around to removing the T 101 carriage, so T 101 now ‘The Basalt Knob Hut’ is still there offering emergency shelter in the Victorian High Country, at Basalt Knob near the junction of Brewery Creek Track & Ritchie Rd which can be accessed via the Dargo High Plains Rd.

Story and photos from the Victorian High Country Huts Association Facebook page. 

 Hauled by steam diesel powered locomotives, the ‘T’ insulated ice van carriages had an ice bunker running along the middle of the ceiling that was filled with ice from hatches in the roof. Used to transport refrigerated meat carcasses or other goods that required a cool temperature, their walls were between 4 & 6 inches thick for insulation. The vertical channel at the end was a drain for the ice bunker. All T's in this number group had lever type handbrakes. This series of T vans had a 12 ton capacity. A relic from a bygone age they lasted to the late 70's in "refrigerated" service. (from Victorian Railways Net)

An update: a photo of T 101 while still on the rails in 1978, possibly in Dimboola, from rail-fan Geoff Winkler who took photos in the Wimmera in the 70s.

A further update: unfortunately T 101/Basalt Knob Hut was lost in the January 2020 bushfires.

Photo: Brendan Brooker, from VHCHA Facebook page

Hamilton descendants

Via its Facebook page 'Pioneering Days Western Victoria', the call has gone out to all the Hamilton descendants of J.C. Hamilton and his brother Tom Hamilton. The invitation is extended to all residents of the Western District, including the Bringalbert and Ozenkadnook sites. 

Lake Bringalbert

There will be a reprint of J.C. Hamilton's book ("Pioneering days of Western Victoria"), with added feature of Tom's association with the Aboriginal Cricket Team of 1868 including his inclusion into the Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame.

J.C. (Joseph Charles) Hamilton was born in Ormiston in Scotland on 11th April 1836. He and his family arrived in Melbourne in 1841, and with J.C.'s uncle Thomas Gibson established Bringalbert and Ozenkadnook pastoral properties. J.C. died at Apsley in 1927, not long after publication of his manuscript "Pioneering days in Western Victoria : a narrative of early station life".
The Group is looking for any direct descendants of J.C.'s younger brother - Thomas Gibson Hamilton was born at Kilmore in May 1844, and died in 1875. His headstone in the Melbourne Central Cemetery reads. "Late of the Bringalbert Station near Apsley who died on the 2nd April 1875. Aged 30 years. His death certificate states he died from Peritonitis after suffering a fever for 3 weeks. He had a son Thomas Gibson Hamilton II was born posthumously in August 1875 and died in 1953. Tom Jnr's mother was Mary Grace Cross (1855-1934).
An earlier series of posts  'Overland' detail Thomas Gibson Hamilton's overland trek to Darwin as told by his nephew.

The flat practice ground in front of the Bringalbert woolshed

The book launch will take place in Edenhope on the shores of Lake Wallace where Tom bought his Aboriginal team from Bringalbert Station to practice with the Edenhope Cricket Club in 1865/1866.