The Bogong Centre for Sound Culture is a remote-regional cultural initiative situated in the foothills of Victoria’s Alpine National Park. Established by Philip Samartzis and Madelynne Cornish the Centre supports projects focusing on the processes and impacts of sustainable energy production; effects of climate change in wilderness areas; ethnographic studies of remote communities; the chronicling of vanishing industrial procedures; and systems of representation used to render natural and built environments.
Additionally, the BCSC facilitates a broad cultural program comprising, festivals, exhibitions, publications, master classes and artists’ talks focusing on site-specific art practices. These programs establish a connection with place, its inhabitants, geographic space and memory. They engage a wide range of audiences, bringing together local, interstate and international artists across multiple disciplines and fields to realise ambitious works.
The BCSC is situated at the newly restored old school at Bogong Alpine Village located 350 kilometres from Melbourne in North East Victoria.
About Bogong Village
Bogong Alpine Village is 325 kilometres North-East of Melbourne situated at an altitude of 800 meters in the Alpine National Park between Mount Beauty and Falls Creek. The village was established in the late 1930s to service the first hydroelectric scheme in mainland Australia. More recently it has become a popular site for alpine sports, recreation and ecotourism. Click here for directions.
A Short History
Work on the Kiewa Scheme commenced in 1938 with the construction of a road from Tawonga to the High Plains. Previously the only access was by foot or horseback along tracks that had been forged by cattlemen of a bygone era. Bogong Village was established once the road from Junction Camp was trafficable (March 1939); this paved the way for the construction of permanent buildings. Prior to that life was tough; large canvas tents and flies were used for sleeping quarters and smaller tents were set up to house the kitchens. By 1940 Bogong Township had grown considerably with a general store, staff offices, recreational mess, police station, and a variety of accommodation such as single men’s quarters and residences for married staff and families.
Bogong State School
In 1941 the Primary School at Bogong Village enrolled its first intake of students comprising nine pupils. Initially the school consisted of a large classroom, storeroom and boys and girls toilets. Extensions were carried out in 1944, which expanded the capabilities of the school. A library, storeroom, pupil’s lunchroom and shelter shed were added and rock gardens were established. By 1947 the number of students had grown to 46 all of whom were children of local SEC workers. Over the years class sizes fluctuated and the building remained unchanged. In 1980 it ceased to operate as a school and sat idle, eventually falling into disrepair. In 2004 it was sold along with many other buildings in the village.
Madelynne Cornish and Philip Samartzis bought the Old School and set about restoring it to its former glory. The rotting weatherboards and floorboards, smashed windows and flaking paint are now a distant memory. The newly refurbished building occupies it’s original footprint and bares a strong resemblance to it’s former self. Although the internals have been modernized remnants of it’s past history remain. The Old School once played a significant role in the fabric of village life. It inspired the community and helped shape the minds of those who studied there. It is our intention as custodians that the School once again functions as a place of inspiration.
Reference: Kiewa Kids School Days at Bogong & Mount Beauty by Graham Gardner
Three young men yelling 'MELLOW' over and over again, in a sing song way,
finally a big dog comes running and they put it on a leash
Water has receded probably 30 metres or more
I can sit on the stump that was completely covered yesterday, all the lawn around seems untouched, unconcerned, like it was never submerged, maybe plants take longer to drown
The island is almost within mooring distance, bobbed up again, flanks reexposed
Wind is pushing lake ripples across my vision, the island starts to slide in the opposite direction, slug or tank-like, its bottom oozing along while the top stays still
Smells like the sea around here
The doldrums
S.W. says everything should happen without distinction but i'm not sure
Lip syncing to the mouthing of the water on the rocks
Idea:
Some kind of delicious BBQ on the island
invite everyone
But really it's a test
to see if it shrugs us off
Recording: 01:42
the sawing of wood
Attempt to get to the island in gumboots
Attempt to get to the island on stilts
Attempt to get to the island with a pole vault fashioned from a small tree
Recording: 07:56
the island to home in water-filled gumboots
aside: collection of local names
archibald
peacock
le blanc
white
cornish
duck
order of events: the island
the crossing
the ascension
the finding of a spot free of thistles
the laying of the picnic blanket
the coiling of the newspaper
the arranging of the dry wood
the striking of the matches
the coaxing of the fire
the discussing of the explanations to authorities
the toasting of the marshmallows
the rejecting of the marshmallows by persons who shall remain unnamed
the reading of the poem
the sitting on the whale
the drinking of the stout
the fading of the light
the pondering as to the best route down
the extinguishing
the descent
the stars
