Lake Goldsmith steam rally.

[Barry]

Some photos from the Lake Goldsmith steam rally. The weather wasn't very kind it rained most of the day (Saturday) I was there so it wasn't very well attended by modellers or the public. The month just finished turned out to be the wettest October since October 1975. There was however a good turn out of paddlers. The big three, Oscar W, Pevensey and Ulonga,  belonging to Andrew from Ballarat. The little Ulonga belonging a young fellow who was very proud of it and had sailed it on the Murray River. The other boat is David Bucknall's model of the Curlip, the original sailed on the Snowy River over in Gippsland.

[Eddy Matthews]

Thanks for the photos Barry, some interesting models.....

I really shouldn't view these things when I'm still half asleep, at first I wondered why the upperworks were all coated in epoxy giving them a high gloss finish - Then I realised the models were soaking wet with the rain!

Eddy

[Barry]

Yes it was rather wet, some parts of the state got the monthly rain fall in one day. At home we had 36 mm. Unfortunately for us the shelter we were under didn't stop the wind from blowing the rain in.  In hind sight a good day to stay home.

[Roderick Smith]

Thanks Barry,
It was time pressure rather than weather which stopped me from going (I have all the right gear for survival).  My first Lake Goldsmith was a May meeting (late 1960s), with pervading scotch mist.  A railway club ran a special train to Ararat, with buses connecting from Beaufort to the rally.  There were no model boats then.  Luckily, I have seen many of those paddlesteamer models at other rallies.  I liked the final photo, giving a good impression of the site.  There was a lot more behind Barry's camera: many more club sheds, and probably lots of smaller machineray exhibits.  The parade ground is used not only for a major parade, but for novelty events: tug of war, balancing on a see saw.  The water tank in the foreground is from a railway loco-depot, and there is an old railway six-wheel brakevan in the distance.  There is also the real lake, down the slope to the left.  In many ways, a Lake Goldsmith rally is like the one in south-west England, but on a smaller scale.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[Barry]

An aerial photo of the rally site (taken from the program). The model boat pool is to the right of shed no 46. The 'real lake' you refer to, marked as Dam on the map is fenced off as is out of bounds. The local council and the OHS boys and girls have descended on the sites organisers and are demanding all sorts of things be done. We had to organise our own insurance so we could exhibit this year.
Lake Goldsmith which is a kilometer or so to the west of the rally site actually had water in it. First time I've every seen it like that.

Next rally there is the 97th Rally on Apr 30 & May 1 2011 
http://www.lakegoldsmithsteamrally.org.au/