Sepia Saturday: Row, row, row your boat

This lovely little photo was in the Phelan family's album but I have no idea who the people are but they look like they're having fun

There are a few clues. The two men are wearing the uniform of the AIF, the Australian army. There is a headland on the horizon. The rowboat is made of wood and I can make out the letters X, H and W on the stern. The women are wearing hats with wide brims. It's probable that the photo was taken in England when my husband's grandfather, Roy Phelan, was on leave during World War 1.

I chose this photo in response to Sepia Saturday's theme of 'role reversal' or 'Leap Year' because the women are doing the rowing. There are only two oars visible but hopefully there are four so they don't row in circles.

Sepia Saturday: Just messing about in boats

Sepia Saturday's theme photo this week suggests space to think, rowboats, a single person rowing, a single woman, ocean ... *

I don't have a family photo of this spot but various branches of the family certainly spent a lot of time in the area. The Sims family had a holiday house, called Mitiamo House, in the spa town of Hepburn Springs in central Victoria. The Alford family stayed in a guest house when they holidayed there. Daylesford is nearby. The towns were originally established because of gold mining but the spa springs took over as the main attraction. Both towns are still very popular. Jubilee Lake was constructed in 1860 as a water supply.

 Jubilee Lake, Daylesford, Australia (Old Postcard folder)

And I'm including this photo just because it matches the theme and I have it in my collection. It appears to be some sort of water-based festival at Largs in Scotland. 

Largs, Scotland (Postcard folder)

And something out of left field. I have an album of tiny photos taken by an Australian soldier during World War 2.** I'm not sure who the soldier was as yet but he was stationed on Morotai and then Tarakan after the islands were taken back from the Japanese. Both are small islands in the Indonesian group. Coincidentally my father, Angus Wyllie, was also on Morotai during WW2 with the AIF's 'Z Special' reconnaissance unit. 

'Swimming Beach', Morotai Island, Indonesia, WW2

Tarakan Island, WW2

* Sail on over to Sepia Saturday to see some other interpretations of the theme.

** You can see more photos from this album in my Flickr photostream.

Henley on Weeroona, Bendigo

I found these photos in a family album and decided to find out what they were about. I think I'm on the right track with my conclusions but am happy to be corrected.

Lake Weeroona, Bendigo (c1930s)

Lake Weeroona, Bendigo (c1930s)

Lake Weeroona, Bendigo (c1930s)

Lake Weeroona is an artificial lake on old mining land in Bendigo, central Victoria. It was made in the 1870s and has been very successful on the the whole, popular with residents and visitors alike. Apart from the times when there have been silting problems, low water supply, weeds, smelly water and other environmental issues. But today it has a cafe and restaurant, a walking/bike track, picnic facilities and a rowing club so it's a pleasant place to visit. The track around it is about one and a half kilometres long.

In the past (at least in the 1930s and I found one report from 1924) it appears they used to hold rowing regattas on the lake, called Henley on Weeroona, that included decorated craft (boat) competitions and I think that is what these photos are. I found several newspaper reports that mention the competition prize winners, none of whom are my family unfortunately. I suspect that these photos were taken in the 1920s rather than the 1930s but maybe someone more knowledgeable than me can recognise the hat styles.

The Argus, 5 Dec 1932

The Argus, 11 Dec 1933

The Argus, 26 Nov 1934