An inland summer, By Steve Waldon
December 30, 2005

Beechworth has used its past to make itself viable in the future, writes Steve Waldon.

DRIVING along the gently undulating road from Bright to Beechworth on a rainy morning, it is easy to forget that just a couple of summers ago this part of the world was being torched by bushfires. Lucifer's grip took a lot of loosening.

And unless you are keenly observant, you might not notice that the countryside changes. Bright, in the shadow of Mount Buffalo, gets much of its character from that backdrop and its abundant trees.

By the time you get to the Beechworth turn-off on the Great Alpine Road, it's all gums, the hills are distant, and the air is dry — just like the fields.

Beechworth is super-conscious of its appeal as a tourist destination. Not a criticism, just an observation.

The Beechworth Bakery is sometimes regarded as the centre of town, not just because of its pivotal position on the main intersection, but because its fame has spread.

It is as much a brand as a legend these days, and has expanded to cater for its popularity.

Even so, its operators are able to have a good-natured dig at the prevailing tendency in rural Victoria to commemorate every historic event, no matter how obscure. A plaque on one wall declares: "On this spot in 1897 nothing happened."

If you have had more than enough of the Ned Kelly story, this gorgeous town's Kelly paraphernalia could become tiresome. But not if, as we did, you find the Kelly courtroom scene made entirely of icing sugar by the Wodonga branch of the Cake Decorators Association of Victoria for the 2004 state seminar.

Surprisingly detailed, it might just be the only work of art in the world that could be threatened by an ant plague or a starving drunkard.

Across the road is the original telegraph station, and today it is manned by Leo Nette, 67, a gentleman committed to the preservation of morse code as a legitimate means of communication.

He says there about 1200 operators in Australia who still know the art of transmission, and of those about 120 have the equipment.

Leo is a member of the Morsecodians Fraternity — a group of devotees clearly as specialised as the cake decorators.

"…- . .-. -.-- .--. .-.. .-..," he says when asked to pose for a photograph.