Alan Marshall Discovery Trail

Alan Marshall Discovery Trail

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Posted 2022-06-06 by Neil Follettfollow
Alan Marshall, the author of I Can Jump Puddles, was born and bred in the tiny Victorian hamlet of Noorat.




There are many memorial plaques for Alan around the hamlet, including a map showing the Alan Marshall Discovery Trail. The map depicts 16 sites in the hamlet and its surrounds that had an influence on his early life.


1. Noorat Public Hall. Alan Marshall's father, William, used this building as a grain store while operating the nearby Bee Hive Store.


2. Bee Hive Store. Alan Marshall's birthplace and childhood home.

3. Commemorative Boulder & Plaque. Unveiled by Alan Marshall in 1979.


4. Eucalyptus Viminalis & Memorial plaque to Alan Marshal. Tree was planted and plaque unveiled by Cathy McCallum, Alan Marshall's daughter, at the first Alan Marshall Festival in 1996.


5. Horse Trough. One of many erected nationwide through the generosity of Annis and George Bills, providing fresh water for working horses.


6. Noorat Primary School. Alan Marshall attended school here and relates events of his early school day memories and the people he met in his book, I Can Jump Puddles.


7. Lake Lolly. Site of a pond called Lake Lolly by the local children. Alan Marshall and his best friend used to sail salmon tins across the pond with ants for crew and try to sink them by throwing stones.



8. Niel Black Memorial Presbyterian Church. Built in memory of Niel Black. (1804 -1880) The Marshall family attended church here and Alan Marshall the Sunday School.



9. The Old Manse. Two Presbyterian ministers who lived at the manse were notable mentors of the young Alan Marshall.

10. Noorat Recreation Reserve. Alan Marshall loved country shows and travelled to many as a fortune teller and palm reader.



11. Black's Gates. Noorat's history is linked to the settlement of the area by the Black family, after Niel Black took up the Glenormiston run in 1839. "Mt. Noorat" is a portion of the "Glenormiston" property still operated by family members. The Carruthers family in I Can Jump Puddles is based loosely on the Black family.



12. Glenormiston College & Former Trufood Factory. Alan Marshall worked in the office of the Trufood Factory in 1923. The factory is now an indoor equestrian centre at Glenormiston College, formerly the property "Glenormiston" owned by the Black family.



13. Mount Noorat & The Alan Marshall Walking Track. Traditional meeting and bartering place for Aboriginal tribes of the district. It is one of the best-preserved dormant volcanoes in Victoria. The crater is 159m deep and 400m wide. The walking track leads from Carroopook Street to the crater rim.





14. Former Glenormiston Butter Factory. The Glenormiston Butter and Cheese Factory was an integral part of the economic, social and cultural history of the Noorat – Glenormiston District. Originally established in 1895 on the site of the bluestone woolshed at Glenormiston, production was transferred to Noorat in 1910. After a series of amalgamations, it ultimately became part of Boniac Foods Ltd. The factory ceased operation in 1970 and Bonlac Foods sold the buildings in 1998.


15. Lake Keilambete. Alan Marshall learnt to swim at Lake Keilambete.


16. A conspicuous water course through the district and a favoured spot for fishing for eels by Alan Marshall and his friends.


Noorat is a small hamlet on the Terang to Mortlake Road, 211 kms west of Melbourne. The 2016 census recorded 333 residents.

If Australian literature and authors are your interests, this would be an educational and enjoyable exercise.

#free
#literary
#outdoor
#victoria
#walks
%wnmelbourne
181870 - 2023-06-16 01:51:49

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