Fire, wind and pests relentlessly test old farm roofs. Originally, many of the roofs were made from hand-split wooden shingles nailed to battens. Some that survived to federation had the shingles replaced with corrugated iron or slate.
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| Kyamma, Crookwell |
Wind is taking its toll on an old farmhouse, Kyamma, near Crookwell. A 2008
picture shows the roof largely intact. I took these pictures in light rain this week. Strangely, it is in this final act of disintegration that the hand of the builder, the material and method of construction become clear.
The shingles were chips from local gums. Highly flammable, they were a cause of many house fires (see now close they are to the chimney).
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| North of Crookwell |
Further north, towards Binda, just the chimney remains.
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| Wrens Nest Creek - Binda to Tuena |
The green rolling countryside is very different to the parched earth from a couple of weeks earlier. My grandparents would shake their heads. They called this a green drought. Unless the country sees more rain and some heat before winter sets in, it might be soft on the eye but there will be little pasture for the winter.
Peter Quinton
Palerang March 2014
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