Features of early buildings
Floors
Floors in early buildings were mostly bare earth packed as firmly as possible. The earth may have been treated with oil or animal blood if available to reduce dust. Mats were placed in appropriate places for example next to beds.
Roofs
Roofs were often constructed using bark from the stringy bark eucalypt. A large tree could easily provide sheets of bark 10-12 feet long and 6 feet wide. This bark covered large areas quite quickly but had to be quite steep to be effective. Once on the roof bark was held down with wire, raw hide thongs and a frame of round poles. The main problem with bark was that it was not durable in the South Gippsland climate and may have only lasted a few years.
House with shingle roof and picket fence.
Shingles were probably the most popular long term roofing material although much preparation work was required. They were made from straight grained, free splitting timber such as mountain ash, were about 2 to 3 feet long and 4 to 5 inches wide, tapered at one end and then nailed to the roof frame. Well made shingle roofs were very weather resistant and durable, possibly lasting several decades.
Many of the second generation buildings, including additions to the originals used a stud wall construction with timber weather board walls and wooden floors. The timber for the studs, top and bottom plates, bearers, joists and rafters could be either split or sawn with shingle or corrugated iron roofs. Corrugated iron was available from the early days of settlement but it was rarely used because it was too difficult to transport. Later as availability improved corrugated iron was often used over a shingle roof as it began to deteriorate giving an excellent result as the shingles acted as insulation.
Hut in bush with iron roof and sawn timber. (From Lola Bailey)
Chimneys and Fireplaces
Chimneys and fire places would have used the same construction as the dwellings. Timber constructions would have been lined with a sheet steel of some sort such as discarded kerosene tins or galvanised iron.
Lighting
Lighting in early dwellings would have come from the fire place or a slush lamp, an open container of animal fat with a floating wick. The light was poor and the smell rather offensive particularly if the fat was rancid. Later the kerosene lamps of the wick and pressure variety would have been used until electricity was connected. Candles, either home made or commercially made were another lighting source. Cooking was done outside in the open on an open fire, inside the building in the fire place or in a separate kitchen building. This provided protection for the family's possessions in case the cooking fire burnt down the building.
All of the building methods mentioned in this section are represented at the Coal Creek Heritage Village, Korumburra.