Nestled deep in the
valley in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales lies the once thriving but
now largely forgotten ghost town of Joadja.
During the years 1870
to 1911 this magnificent place was home to as many as 1200 people.
Joadja was originally developed as a
secondary industrial town (as opposed to primary industrial such as wool and
gold), by the Australian Kerosene Oil and Mineral Company.
The township lived off
the back of the large coal and shale deposits in the surrounding area,
manufacturing candles, kerosene and even growing and distributing fruit to the
markets in Sydney.
It was manned largely
by Scottish immigrant labour, the majority of men seconded from Scotland were already
experienced in shale oil extraction and their wages at 3 pounds per week were
double what they were being paid back home.
Most of the equipment
was also brought in from Scotland and the company even paid the workers passage
to Australia, though it was deducted from their wages at about 5 shilling per
week.
By the early 1900's
American Oil companies began to infiltrate the Australian market with cheaper
alternatives, helped along by the Government that removed import duties on kerosene
and, by 1911 Joadja was shut down, succumbing to the ever increasing
competition of imported goods.
In a hundred years,
not much has changed...
Joadja is, to visit,
an amazing place, it's now privately owned, however we were fortunate to be
able to spend a day investigating the abandoned settlement thanks to the
kindness and generosity of Val & Elisa who live onsite in the original Orchard
Managers cottage built c1878.
The site itself is
quite large, covering many acres of land, fortunately we were able to drive
around the town using a map of bush tracks that Val kindly provided to us.
It is one of the most
well preserved historic sites I've seen, in such original condition, you can
almost feel yourself in the time, and some say, if you linger long enough in
the ruins of the houses you may well feel another presence from that time.
Looking down from the Orchard
Managers cottage at the head of the property you gaze over 60 acres of orchard ;
pears, apples, cherries and blackberry still grow amongst the flats.
Orchard
Managers Cottage
Just off to the east is
the School of Arts building c1886, from where you can see the ruins of the railway bridge that spanned the
creek. A narrow gauge railroad was constructed here by the company, all the way
to Mittagong, some 35kms away to solve some of the transport problems of
negotiating the steep trip into and out of the valley.
Once you cross the
creek, further to the east is the main street of the town, originally called
Brick Row, after the many brick houses built along it to accommodate the
working managers. Each house had two rooms out the front with a washroom and privy
toilet out the back at a 'respectable distance'.
House on Brick Row
The name of the street
was changed to Carrington Row after the then Governor of NSW, Lord Carrington took
a 'leisurely stroll' on one of his many visits to Joadja.
Further again to the
east following the creek, you come across a large clearing, called nursery
flats, an area that was used for family picnics and kids playground.
Back tracking along
Carrington Row and up to the north is the old Pub, boarding house and stables,
if you keep going north at this point you will eventually join the road to
Wombeyan Caves.
Significantly, the Pub
was built right in the middle of the town, with easy access by the managers
residing on Carrington 'Brick' Row in the east, and the workers who lived on
Stringy Bark Row in the far west of the town.
Stringy Bark Row was
so named because the houses were made of slab bark rather than the flashy
bricks allowed the managers.
Again, in a hundred
years, not much has changed in our society.
To the northwest are
the old Retorts, now on the World Heritage List, these masterpieces of design
lay in two rows about 100 yards long, and were used to fire the shale to 400
degrees, releasing oil saturated vapours that were then piped to a water cooled
condenser unit. The raw shale oil was then piped down to the refinery area and
distilled into kerosene.
Old Retorts
The smell of kerosene
at the Retorts is still in the air even after a hundred years of abandonment.
It is a ghostly reminder of a time gone by as you walk among the ruins.
The Refinery area is
just to the south of the Retorts and immediately to the east of the workers
houses on Stringy Bark Row.
Standing on the
refinery area today you can just imagine the conditions in the nearby houses,
the whole area is black with ash, coal dust and burnt coal. Nothing like the
nice oak, elm and sycamore trees lining Carrington Row.
From the Refinery you
can cross the creek at the western most end, which brings you back around the
western boundary of the vast orchard, and to the Mine Managers residence.
It was here Lord
Carrington stayed and, standing on the front steps remarked to the Mine Manager
on the beauty of the orchard and the 'splendid views to the valley below'.
Just to the south of
the Mine Managers residence is the bottom of "The Incline".
It's a steep hill
where the original railway track into the town was built to haul goods up the
mountain for transport to Sydney and to bring travellers in to town.
With a grade of 1 in 2 and 600feet in
length, it's said many a traveller had repented his sins on the trip down the
hill in the carriage.
Standing at the bottom
and looking up, you can see why.
The Incline
Before the Incline
railway was built the only way into town was by pack horse and cart down the
mountainside near where the road to Mittagong is today.
You could also walk in
via the old Chinaman's Track, a steep path near The Incline, suitable only for
foot traffic.
It's said the Chinese
travellers would pass this way with their baskets on poles to sell their goods
to the towns people.
At the time, Town and
Country Journal described it as follows :
"Chinaman's track is only for foot travel
and has a turnstile to stop animals from passing. The road zig zags
in every direction down the mountain and at each point the artist or
poet would find a charming picture and food for his poetic imagination".
Just outside the main
township is the School, built in 1883, which accommodated over 100 children. As
it was some distance from the town (about a mile) children had to cross the
often fast flowing creek reach it.
There were only a few
ways to cross the creek, the railway bridge, creek bed stepping stones or
fallen trees. Children were not able to use the railway bridge as the sleepers
were over a foot apart, leaving no option but to chance the slippery stones or
unstable trees.
The NSW Government
eventually provided funding for a footbridge, but it was still not close enough
to the school and children continued to risk their lives crossing the swollen
creek.
At least two children
were killed when the creek was flooded and they slipped off the logs.
Further out along the
road to Mittagong is the cemetery, which is also on private property, however
the public have 'right of passage'. Unfortunately it is quite difficult to
find, not really viewable from the road, and given my penchant for such things
(not), we didn't stop there.
However from the
records I have read, it seems Joadja was spared the tyranny of disease that so
riddled other communities such as nearby Berrima and Bowral.
It's isolation is
reported to have protected the community form outbreaks of cholera, diphtheria,
typhoid and influenza that affected other settlements.
Nevertheless the
standard of medical care in the settlement was less than desirable, with the
general view of the people being to "get better or pass on"...
We finished our tour of
Joadja back where we started, at the old Orchard Managers residence, and I took
the opportunity to snap a shot of Val and Elisa sitting on the front porch in
the same manner as the original owners 100 years earlier.
Val
& Elisa
People say the town is
haunted now, a ghost town, relics of the past untouched for a century.
It may be true ... though
for us, it was hauntingly beautiful. We'll be back there again.
Joadja Contacts :
Val and Elisa conduct
tours of the town by appointment only .
Contact - (02)
48785129.
Thanks also to Leonie Knapman
and her wonderful book, "Joadja Creek" without which much of my
understanding of this fascinating place would be but nought !
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