Australia Day at Morgan’s Lookout
It’s Australia Day on Monday and Sharyn has given us something to celebrate it.
I want to take this opportunity to thank her and Elisa. My father died when the Obama inauguration was just beginning and I’m just catching up on all the changes in the world since then. This has been a very difficult few days for me and their guest posting has made a big difference.
What else would you like for Australia Day? Two days of old-fashioned Australian recipes? Let me know, otherwise I shall post my own thoughts and they might just include vegemite. I have discovered that you can make most North Americans hide under tables if you produce a big enough jar of vegemite, a knife, some butter and a piece of bread.
There is a romance to the word bushranger that the modern terms sociopath, or career criminal, just simply don’t evoke, and in the 1860s our sleepy little region had its own bushranger: ‘Mad Dog’ Morgan. By the time Dan Morgan got to this area he had been suspected of being involved in stock theft as a teenager, and had been sentenced to twelve years hard labour for highway robbery. He had served six years of his sentence, when he was released for good behaviour. He continued the good behaviour by not reporting to the Ovens police, and promptly absconding from the area.
Within three years he had been identified as being involved in several major crimes, including robber under arms, another term from the past that evokes a lot more romance than it’s modern equivalent of armed hold-up. In 1864, on three separate occasions he is known to have shot and killed three men, an overseer, and two police officers. Dan earned his Mad Dog nickname from his erratic behaviour; often appearing nervous, his mood could swing rapidly between an almost courtly manner, and violent rage.
Opposite Walla Walla Station, on top of a low hill is a striking rock formation. Huge white granite boulders, that were once the central core of a long extinct volcano. The Aboriginal people had used these rocks as a camp site before the settlers arrived. From the top you have a 360 degree view of the surrounding area. Dan used it to keep a lookout for the police, and a plaque at the site now, tells us that he used to get fresh supplies from the station owners. These supplies were, apparently, freely given, in modern terms one might look at it as a very practical health insurance.
Since Dan’s death in 1865 the rocks have been known as Morgan’s Lookout. And this year the Greater Hume Shire will be celebrating Australia Day there. A traditional Aussie bbq breakfast will kick off the day, and I thought I’d share my favourite herbed bbqed steak recipe, fondly referred to by my son as ’steak and green stuff’:
BBQ Steak and Herbs (aka green stuff)
4 - 6 thick porterhouse steaks
2 tbs oil
8 tbs mixed herbs, I usually use the Scarborough Fair herbs: parsley, sage, rosemary, & thyme
1 tbs salt
½ tbs freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Put two small bowls side by side, put oil in one, and herbs and seasoning in the other.
Wipe steaks dry with paper towelling, then dip the side edges into the oil, before rolling in the herb mixture.
Fry on a flat grill for several minutes each side, to your preference.
Leave a Reply