“Blossoms and Flowers” is the aboriginal meaning of Muraban Road.
Muraban Road crests a sandstone ridge and native trees flourish in this area requiring no watering or special care.
I came to this place 50 years ago because it was an area with plenty of space and native bushland. I was the first to purchase at the eastern end of Muraban Road and paid $18,000 for 5 acres.
My father died aged 47 when I was 22. He had a strong ethic of “living within your means”. My plan was to build the 30 square brick house using subcontractors and my own labour for $22,000. It took me some months to draw up plans for a house to fit into the hillside with minimum excavation and disturbance of the original bushland.
We saved and our target was achieved. I purchased a small caravan for our home base where we lived with 2 small children. Showering was achieved using a canvas bucket shower hanging from a gum tree and showers limited to 15 seconds each. Once a week a luxury hot shower was taken by a visit to Galston pool – just paid the entry fee, showered then back to our basic van – beds, sink and tap. Our mail box consisted of a 20 litre drum wedged in the fork of a tree in Carters Road, about a kilometre away.
Within about 6 – 8 months the house was completed with its wood fireplace. I still enjoy the exercise of splitting wood and staring at the fire during the winter months.
When they reached school age the children went to Dural Primary School and later Galston High School, both wonderful schools. They caught the bus then walked from Carters Road. We never picked them up from school in the car. Things seemed much safer in those days. In those early days there were very few neighbours in our street but gradually, over the years, houses have been built and we are currently blessed to have great neighbours who always look out and care for one another.
On January 29th, 2016 we had the worst storm ever experienced. An enormous wind came up out the creek valley. Trees were uprooted and blown down all over our land and along Muraban Road as well as electrical wires. What a mess! We did a lot of chain sawing and got a lot of firewood. A young family had just bought the house two doors away and were to move in that day. Unfortunately that didn’t happen for a few days until the removalist van could get into the street. Calamities have benefits – it brought out all the neighbours and the new neighbours were welcomed with open arms and lots of support.
We have a couple of bee hives and once or twice a year my wife and I extract the honey. The bees love this native bushland and produce marvellous honey from “Blossoms and Flowers”.
Yes, Muraban Road Dural is a great place to live and we have no thoughts of leaving. contributed by Bruce Smith
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contributed by Bruce Smith
