Travel To World UK: Heritage of Europe

» Uriarra Forest The first European settlers in Uriarra were the McDonald family in 1838. Initially the Uriarra area was used for grazing. Much of the forest was cleared before acquisition by the Commonwealth. The land suffered serious soil erosion because of over-grazing by sheep and rabbits. The Cotter Dam was built in 1915 and its level raised in 1950. The dam served as Canberra 's only domestic water supply until 1967 when the gravity main from the Bendora Dam was completed. In order to preserve the water quality of the Cotter Dam, the agricultural land surrounding the dam was planted with pine trees from 1925 onwards.

» Blue Range Camp Originally an internment camp for Italians during World War II, Blue Range Camp is now a good place to camp or picnic. A plaque to commemorate the workers of the afforestation project in this area during World War II has been erected on the chimney of the hut. Several interesting arboreta are located nearby.

» Kowen Forest European settlement in the Kowen area pre-dated the establishment of Queanbeyan. European occupation is marked by buildings, ruins, fences, exotic vegetation and gravesites. Gold prospecting flourished in the 1850s and a small open-cut copper mine operated in the late 1800s. These influenced the pattern of settlement in the Kowen area. The first pines were planted in 1927 in an attempt to control wattle infestation on abandoned farm land. Kowen forest is not as productive as Uriarra or Pierces Creek forests because of poorer soil and lower rainfall.

» Colverwell Graves The remaining head and foot stones of the Colverwell Family cemetery on the edge of Glen Burn Creek, were produced by an amateur stonemason. These are thought to be the earliest marked graves in the ACT, and date back to 1837. The stones mark the graves of Elizabeth, aged 6 years and Margaret, aged 5, who accidentally drowned in a creek near their home..

H e r i t a g e Of E U R O P E