Do Not Read This Title

For your reference, Google Maps, which, depending on the zoom, should show all of today's post or you have to pan right.


To start with, Cascade Brewery, which takes its water from the rivulet, is the oldest (or oldest continuing ooperating?) brewery in Australia and was established in 1824, except it wasn't. 1824 was when Degraves got his land grant and built a sawmill. Then he got gaoled for debt and, the story goes, it was while he was imprisoned that he got the idea to build a brewery.

Over to the ADB for the next bit of the story:

In 1832 Degraves laid down a brewery on his property. It soon flourished, and when a second sawmill, flour-mill, and bakehouses were added he employed more than fifty hands. On the mainland his beer brewed from cool mountain water was considered superior to other beers and sold well; with his sawn timber, flour, bread and biscuits, he was said to earn nearly £100,000 a year. However, he had much trouble over the water which passed through the brewery into his reservoir and thence to the town rivulet. Soon after 1833 its flow decreased in volume and citizens complained that he was exceeding his water concessions. The government retaliated by building a dam above his reservoir, but this gave only temporary improvement, and the town water supply remained a contentious subject.

The squabbling over water and various schemes to deal with the problem went on, but if you want to read, you can go to the page.

The building in the my photo is the usual image you see of the brewery (the 1927 date is when that building was constructed, in case you wondered) so I thought I'd find one a bit different (if the link works). Apparently they had to bring beer down from Boags to maintain a supply (!).

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