Timbertown

Timbertown is one of Australia’s finest Heritage Parks set amongst 87 acres of natural forest. It is about 22 km east of Port Macquarie. An entire village, re-created to demonstrate our pioneers’ struggles and achievements. This is not a Disney replica; it’s an authentic heritage township where the horse and carriage still runs, timber is a prominent feature, and the bullock team still hauls its heavy load. You’ll smell the distinctive aroma from the steam engines, the smell of sawn timber and the perfume of home-style cooked meals.

The village, run by a council ‘committee’ gradually became run-down, to the point where even the steam train stopped running. Alison and David Waite are energetic entrepreneurs from Sydney who could see the value and economic sense in restoring it to its former glory days.

We went to the village thinking we would be there-n-gone within an hour. How wrong! Three hours later, we still hadn’t seen everything.

Sawmill

I was taken with the steam-run sawmill seen above and in the video below. The equipment originated from the Allyn River at the foothills of the Barrington Tops.

The mill opened in 1943 to process timber close to its source and ceased operating in December 1970. Timbertown purchased the equipment and reassembled it in the park in 1977. The building is typical of mill structures, a common site around this area until the 1970s. Wauchope, at one time during the 1950s, was home to 36 licensed mills.

The mill onsite is the only remaining mill in Wauchope today. The reassembled Timbertown mill has all working equipment above ground. Initially, the work floor, main drive shaft, belt races and driving gear for the frame saw would have been located underground or set into the side of a hill. The boiler runs several steam engines, driving a variety of equipment.

The loading ramp to the framesaw would have been level for rolling logs from the bullock team or steam drogher. “…it contained a blacksmith’s shop and other facilities to keep the equipment in good repair. Sawn timber was stacked on the riverbank wharf ready for the drogher* to carry. The mill owned two droghers capable of moving the sawn timber and bringing back available logs.” From “Echoes of the Axe” by Charles Fenning, referring to a sawmill in Kendall.

*A drogher is a specially built vessel with shallow drafts to negotiate the river.

Steam Train

For various reasons, the Steam Train contractor gave the Wauchope Council notice in April 2009 that they were ceasing operations. For the last 12 months, the train has sat. Bronze becoming tarnished and the train is only available as a static display. With about 1.5 kilometres of track, including bridges, the train is a fabulous experience within the Park, and we all look forward to it resuming its puffing trips.

Because the train is run in NSW, it must comply with standards set by the Independent Transport Safety & Reliability Regulator (ITSRR). The Rail Safety Act of 2008 and related Regulations force the Timbertown train to comply with the same standards a Sydney suburban train or the XPT would have to comply with. Fortunately, the train driver who decommissioned the steam train has all the detail, and the new owners have planned for the train to be operative by Christmas 2011.

Fortified Wines

Another highlight for me was the specialist winery inside the complex. It combines contemporary wines and retailing with an appealing rustic style that draws you in. The ports are all made and fermented on the premises.

I stopped and sampled a few different ports. There was even a ‘breakfast’ port. I moved on but later returned and purchased a 12-year-old Old Loggers Port. A lovely drop!

Timbertown Wines and fortified are part of the Bago Vineyard brand. Bago Vineyard is located in the Hastings River region. Established in 1985 by Jim and Kay Mobbs. While tasting the wares, you can browse the barrel storage and other locally made products. Another great vineyard in the area is Cassegrain Wines. 

Timbertown Furniture

Ceri soon got chatting with Alex Rullis, a designer and maker of quality furniture in the village. She had been looking for a large breadboard, and this was the ideal place. After selecting a piece of Camphor Wood, Alex gave it a few finishing sanding strokes before handing it to Ceri. Both the board and the price delighted her.

Wallace’s Store is a walk down memory lane. It has the delightful smells of confectionery. Handmade boiled sweets, specialty English candy and traditional Australian favourites. (musks and aniseed pencils, jaffas and caramel kisses).

Other activities in the area are Whale Watching and the Scenic Eco tour or even Paintball!