A Slice Of History Left High And Dry
The Age
Friday April 30, 1999
The receding waters of drought-affected Lake Eildon have revealed, possibly for the last time, what remains of one of central Victoria's original farming selections.
The tip of the Glen Hope homestead, built by an Italian gold prospector, Mr John Merlo, in the 1860s, began showing last year as the water level in the lake fell.
With the dry summer, the water has now fallen to a near record low leaving the homestead high and dry.
The descendants of the Coller farming family, which purchased the property in 1924, and Eildon residents believe this year may be the last time the structure emerges from the water intact.
``It may come out again in another drought, but the air at the moment is doing a pretty good job of rusting out the bolts and nails holding the place together," said Mr Andrew Coller, whose great-great-grandfather purchased the homestead from Mr Merlo.
``If the water rises and then falls again, I don't know what will be left."
The homestead was first submerged in 1955 when the Victorian Government expanded the Eildon weir.
Ironically, the Collers had purchased the property to escape the rising waters of the original dam.
The owner of the Eildon bait and tackle store, Mr Ivor Bumbers, said the remains of the homestead had emerged for the first time in 1983 when the water level in Lake Eildon plummeted.
``Regrettably the site deteriorates quickly when it is out of the water. It is preserved when it is underwater because there is no air," Mr Bumbers said.
The site includes the original Merlo family homestead and two other structures built by the Collers. Several of the property's fences are intact and the dirt road leading into the area is also clearly visible.
A line of dead cypress pines planted by Mr Merlo has also emerged from the water.
Mr John Merlo moved to Australia in 1861 to join the gold rush. He found enough of the precious metal to move with his new family to the Alexandra area in 1867, where he continued to prospect and develop a vineyard near his self-built home.
He died in 1912 and his widow, Mary, continued to run the farm. It was purchased by Mr Herbert Coller who turned the property into a corriedale sheep stud and merino farm.
The site is located in the Lake Eildon National Park at the end of UT Creek Road.
© 1999 The Age
