Balhannah - On December 21st, 1839, James Turnbull Thomson (Dundee Scotland) lodged the registration for Section 4208 including the ‘Great Road’ & ‘Stock Pens’. Prior to survey, this area was used for grazing by men waiting for the survey. James Thomson recorded in his diary that he named his township after his mother and sister Bell and Hannah.

Do you love the idea of growing your own veggies out the back but your soil is poor and you don’t have much water to spare? Do you like the idea of being able to grow edible fish in your own backyard?

If you answered yes, then Aquaponics may be for you! Aquaponics is the most water efficient method of growing plants and fish together and uses a combination of aquaculture and hydroponics techniques. Aquaponics uses nutrient-rich water from fish tanks to circulate through grow beds filled with gravel where plants are grown.

The Adelaide Hills Council have received a copy of the Significance Assessment from the Lobethal Heritage Association. The 26 page document by Dr Pauline Payne confirms the significance of the contents of Building 19 at the Old Onkaparinga Woollen Mill in Lobethal. The document of over 50 pages contains the inventory of the collection and recommendations by Dr Payne.

We are grateful to the National Library of Australia for the grant we received last year to undertake this work. Volunteers have already begun removing metal from the samples of woven cloth and listing them. This is a massive job. We are also hoping for a grant to replace the old folders and sleeves with acid free storage. A lot of the work is labour intensive but getting to it still remains a huge problem.