Tramways to Timboon

The rails and resource of the Heytesbury Forest

By Peter Evans

Early-bird Pricing. After October 4 the price will be $66.00 ($49.50 for members)

Published by the LRRSA
ISBN 978-0-9093-406-3-6

Hard cover, 180 pages on art paper, A4 size, 61 maps and diagrams, 200 other illustrations, with bibliography, references, and index

The Heytesbury forest once occupied huge swathes of south-west Victoria, stretching
from Warrnambool in the west to Lake Corangamite in the east, and south to
the infamous shipwreck coast. A heavily-timbered land, but with occasional open
areas of grasstree plain and swampland, swarming with leeches in winter, snake infested
in summer, and where not only the first settlers, but their children and grand
children were pioneers.

This book recounts the history of the Camperdown to Timboon broad-gauge
branch line of the Victorian Railways, opened in 1892, and describes all the known
tramways served by it. It includes the history of over 100 individual sawmills; as
well as that of numerous lime works and quarry operations, many of which used
tramways as an integral part of their operation.

This book outlines the processes and policies that used land selection and sawmills
to clear the forest, and establish dairy farms and the other industries that followed
the railway.