wasting away

 

many winters of wear

only memories of use

a forgotten craft

This nineteenth century post and rail fence at Koroit stands as a memorial to earlier farming techniques. Local timber was used to create a complete fence before wire became a standard fencing material replacing the rails. During the second half of the nineteenth century European settlers  rapidly cleared this area in Western Victoria of  natural trees to be used for houses, sheds, fences and firewood . The locality around Koroit and Belfast (Port Fairy), incredibly rich in volcanic soil, was intensively farmed in small holdings by immigrant Irish . A strong Irish culture is still evident in place names, the architecture of buildings,   and the names of many local families and potato farming. Until the later twentieth century there also seemed to be a Catholic church in every small settlement.