Maps

1939 Fires

This map has been derived from an FCV map produced in 1939. The map provides an indication of the extent of the fires across the State during the 1938/39 fire season. Given the scale and the limitations that would have been inherent in producing the original map, DO NOT expect this map's boundaries to be accurate enough to use at a local level.

See also: The 1939 Fires.

Tramlines & Sawmills

Erica, Tyers, Thomson Tramlines and Sawmills (1910 -1950)

This map is based solely on information generously provided by Mike McCarthy, who is a member of the Light Rail Research Society of Australia and the author of several books related to Victoria’s history of sawmilling, and the use of tramlines to move sawlogs to mills and sawn timber to market. It has been prepared by digitizing four maps provided by Mike. All of the maps overlap to some extent, and the image below shows the areas of each map from which data have been extracted.

There are about 61 sawmill sites and approximately 420 km of tramline shown on this map as a whole. The map by map breakdown is:

Erica - 28 sawmills & 318 km of tramline - of which the FCV owned 25 km, sawmillers 164 km, and those associated with mining and Walhalla and the adjoining settlements total 129 km.
Gould - 13 sawmills & 43 km of tramline.
Tanjil Bren - 16 sawmills & 30 km of tramline of which the FCV owned, but did not operate, about 5.5 km. The remaining lines were owned by sawmillers.
Thomson - 4 sawmills & 29 km of tramline of which the FCV owned about 20 km.

West Gippsland Plus - Tramlines & Sawmills late 1800's to mid 1900's

... at one point in the 1920s it was theoretically possible to travel between Warburton, Powelltown, Gembrook, Noojee, Longwarry and Gembrook by tramway! A couple of gauge changes would have meant hopping off one tram onto another but you could do it." M McCarthy (July 2020)

This map is based solely on information generously provided by Mike McCarthy, who is a member of the Light Rail Research Society of Australia and the author of several books related to Victoria’s history of sawmilling, and the use of tramlines to move sawlogs to mills and sawn timber to market. It has been prepared by digitizing eight maps provided by Mike. The maps overlap to some extent and the image below shows the areas of each map from which data have largely been extracted.

There are about 446 sawmill sites and approximately 1247 km of tramline shown on this map as a whole. The map by map breakdown is:

Gembrook - 88 sawmills & 200 km of tramline.
Longwarry - 40 sawmills & 120 km of tramline.
Neerim - 29 sawmills & 102 km of trmaline.
Noojee - 36 sawmills & 118 km of tramline.
Powelltown - 131 sawmills & 395 km of tramline.
Warbuton - 52 sawmills & 169 km of tramline.
Warragul/Hillend - 70 sawmills & 143 km of tramline

See also:

Powelltown Forests
A Walk into History

The McIvor Tramlines

There are two maps in the pdf that is available. One is on an Open Street Map base and the other on a Google Hybrid base. Both have been prepared, with permission, from information contained in:

The McIvor Timber & Firewood Company
Tooborac, Victoria
by
Frank Stamford
2014

This book is available for purchase at the LRRSA Site.

The Penrose & Oddy tramline was about 7.5 km in length. The McIvor Tramlines cover a total distance of about 80.5 km.

"The Mclvor Timber & Firewood Company operated from its headquarters at Tooborac, central Victoria from 1906 to 1927. Its main purpose was to supply firewood to the Bendigo and Melbourne markets. The firewood was mostly obtained from private properties north-east and north of Tooborac. These properties were being cleared of their trees to enable their use for grazing." (Stamford, 2014)

... but it also transported mining timbers and thousands of poles and sleepers cut in State Forest.

The Murrundindi Sawmills & Tramlines

This map has been prepared, with permission, from information contained in:
Timber mountain : a sawmilling history of the Murrindindi forest,
1885-1950
by N. Houghton

The locations of 88 sawmills are shown on the map, and the length of tramline is about 315 km.

See also: The Murrundindi Forest

The Wombat Sawmills & Tramlines

This map has been prepared, with permission, from information contained in:
Wombat Woodsmen
Sawmills and timber tramways of the Wombat State Forest
1853 to 2008
N Houghton

The sites of 193 sawmills are shown on the map, and an estimate is that about 75% of these sites were occupied in the period from 1853 until about 1910. The length of tramline is about 163 km.

West Gippsland Plus - Sawmill Sites Through Time

This map combines Mike McCarthy's data from the above Erica, Tyers etc. map and the West Gippsland Plus map. Where dates are available, the five year periods within which a sawmill existed on a given site have been used to classify sawmill locations through time. A sawmill that existed for one year only will still be shown as present in the relevant five year period.

Mt Disappointment Tramlines & Sawmills

This map is based upon tramline data prepared by Colin Harvey, and other locations from a 1970 FCV Map prepared by M Wade. Have confidence in the tramline routes, but the sawmill location information needs to be checked. It is however, useful as an indicator of the extent of timber harvesting in the late 1800's and early 1900's.

See also: Mount Disappointment Forest

Forestry Locations

Forest Nurseries

With a lot of assistance from many FCRPA Members, the map below shows the location, as best we know them, of Victoria's forest nurseries from 1872 onwards.

See also: Forest Nurseries

Firebombing Bases

With a lot of assistance from Bryan Rees, the map below shows the location of past and present firebombing bases.

See also: Firebombing

Other Locations

You will find an excellent site about Fire Towers here

This map is intended to show historic forestry locations (camps, towers,roads, offices etc) with popup photos, but it is still in development. The firebombing bases in this map do not reflect the latest information in the map above. New location information will be added as it is prepared.

FCV Districts, Reserved Forest & Forest Types
1928

This map is based a map that was included in the Victorian Handbook prepared by the FCV for the Empire forestry Conference, 1928.

McKinty & Heyfield

Timber Reconnaissance - Heyfield
JA McKinty, 1940 and 1941

This map is based upon the original maps and notes of JA McKinty, and it covers his reconnaissance work of 1940 and 1941 in what would become the FCV's Heyfield District.

See also: Jim McKinty - Forest Assessor

Heyfield - Timber Town

This map is connected with this story about Heyfield from the 1940s onwards.

FCV Recreation/Touring

FCV Maps for the Public

The FCV produced a number of maps that were designed to be used by the general public. These maps included:

Barmah -

Central Highlands 1965 -

Gembrook 1979 -

Grampians 1981 -

Macalister River Watershed 1959 -

Toolangi 1980 -

Whipstick 1979 -

Forest Types

Victorian Native Forest Types

This map is based upon a data set provided by Data Vic.

"This dataset provides an overview of Victorian forest types and has been used for broad scale planning in forest management and Land Conservation Council Victoria (LCC) evaluations."

Vic Forest Types -

The map is not useful at a scale larger than 1:500000.
See also: About the Map

Victorian Box Ironbark Forest
Then and Now

This map is based upon data sets provided by Data Vic.

They show the distribution of Ecological Vegetation Classes (EVC) 61 & 20 as at 2005, and the projected extent of the same EVCs as at 1750.

There are pockets of Box-Ironbark near Anglesea, Mt Taylor and Mt Raymond that do not appear on this map.

The map is based on a lot of data and may take some time to load - be patient.

Box Ironbark Forest -

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