Photographing A Ghost Town
There's nothing better in my book than packing a picnic, grabbing the dog and heading out on an epic road-trip. Recently, I did just that, intent on photographing one of my favourite regional-Victorian towns, Steiglitz.
Way back in 1863, Steiglitz was a boom-town. Home to 2,000 people, it had four hotels, a newspaper, three schools and an undertaker. Most of the town’s residents were hoping to strike it rich in the Victorian Gold Rush, a period of growth and prosperity that occurred between the 1850’s and late 1860’s. Sadly, as the gold mining dried up, so did the town and today - the population of Steiglitz has dwindled to just 61 remaining residents. The town’s once busy buildings have been left empty as monuments to its more active past.
Determined to capture the magic of the area, I broke out my brand new Pentax 645N, some Lomography 800, Portra 400 and Ilford HP5.
After spending at least twenty minutes figuring out the take a reel, leave a reel re-loading process of the 645N, I stopped at the Steiglitz Courthouse. Once a place of law and justice, the building now stands as a museum, showcasing the town’s old photographs and relics.
If you stand still enough at the entrance, you’ll hear the sound of chattering galahs in the treetops above.
I was happy to discover on the day I arrived, I was the only visitor to Steiglitz. One of the few permanent residents was tending to his garden, his children playing tag nearby. I wandered the quiet roads, paddocks and fields trying to avoid the smattering of cube-shaped wombat droppings and the odd snake sun-baking in the long grass.
I dropped into my favourite property, Sugg’s Cottage to sit, eat and watch parrots play above the creek that runs past the homestead. The cottage was constructed in the late 1890’s and was occupied by blacksmiths, ending with James Sugg. According to a sign near the entrance, it is currently being restored to its former appearance by a group of dedicated volunteers.
Steiglitz is to me, a wonderful town stuck in time. It’s only thanks to the passionate volunteers who dedicate their time to restoring and maintaining the town that it continues to survive and some might say - thrive.
I can’t wait to visit again.
