Forgotten Days, Bonnie Doon VIC

Bonnie Doon, Victoria, Australia

Product ID : CMDP0022 / Edition Size : 300

The fabric of old country towns is infused with a romantic nostalgia, allowing the stories and characters of a bygone era to linger briefly, before their place in history fades into the twilight. For Bonnie Doon, its story, like many other Victorian towns begins with the travels of Hume and Hovel as they passed through the area in 1824, followed by graziers during the 1830's and the discovery of gold in 1851. The population of the small village, named Doon in 1868 continued to grow and by 1891 was renamed Bonnie Doon. Sadly much of the original town flooded in the 1950's with the expansion of the Sugarloaf Reservoir, now known as Lake Eildon. Resting on the outskirts of modern day Bonnie Doon, this beautiful old cottage resists the ravages of time, connecting the past with the present, leaving one to ponder the stories of its forgotten days.

For years I have passed through Bonnie Doon, along the Maroondah Highway on my way to Melbourne or home again. On each trip as this little cottage attracted my attention, I found myself promising that some day, when I had the time, I would stay the night and photograph it at sunrise. I wish I could say this photograph was the result of intentionally keeping that promise, it is however the result of happenstance which leads a photographer to an image they would otherwise have missed.

It was late autumn and as I neared Mansfield, I could see the clouds rolling in across the distant hills. I had planned to spend the night camping in the cool mountain air near the iconic Craig's Hut, however I could sense the following sunrise would be lost in a vast grey emptiness. It was time to spend the night in Mansfield and finally capture the image I had for so long relegated 'some day', when I had the time.

Thick fog indeed settled overnight and as I set off into the bleak pre dawn light, it quickly became apparent that both driving and locating the cottage presented an interesting challenge. Very little was visible amongst the pea soup conditions and I would spend the next half hour stumbling along fence lines with my torch before I finally arrived at my destination. With the rising sun soon infusing life into the new day, familiar shapes slowly emerged from amongst the darkness. It was cold and although it had not rained overnight, a heavy dew ensured the landscape was thoroughly damp. As I set about capturing the scene, I wasn't where I had planned to be, yet I was where I was supposed to be. Isn't it funny how life sometimes, simply works out?

* Sizes Shown are in inches. Allow 2-3 weeks for delivery.