Tectonic Shifts

Have you ever felt the earth move beneath your feet? Many [perhaps most] have—or will—during a lifetime. Whether the frightening movement that so disconcerts us during an earthquake, the cataclysmic tremors that accompany the first blush of love, or the imperceptible movement of the tectonic plates that slip and slide beneath us, the ground we stand on, for all its apparent solidity, is in constant motion.

I have always been fascinated by tectonic plate theory … though tectonics is now no longer just a ’theory’ but an immutable scientific fact—a fact that briefly took on form, function, and quasi-relevance for me here in Lorne in the mid-1990s.

In 1995, my great-aunt, Lillian [Lil] Hammerton, decided to sell the vacant block of land she owned, which lay between her family home, “Burngreave”, and my home, “Rewa”. “Rewa” had been my grandmother’s home from the end of the First World War until she died in 1967 [NB: the house was named after an island in the Fijian group where her grandfather had worked as a missionary].

The two sisters had lived side by side on the lower reaches of Deans Marsh Road ever since ‘Auntie Lil’ and her husband ‘Uncle Horrie’ had fallen in love with Lorne while holidaying with my grandmother at “Rewa” and had decided to buy and build on the adjacent double corner block.

Although the narrow block that separated the two houses belonged to Lil and Horrie, it was used by both families as a shared garden and fruit orchard, though some time later, Lil and Horrie added a small two-roomed cottage at the rear of the block for their children to use.

While all this information may seem superfluous, it came to matter some 70 years later when Lil’s daughter-in-law, Joan, decided she wanted to sell the block. When the surveyors arrived, the trouble began … but to understand why, I must first briefly digress to describe the surveying methods used in early Lorne.

As GPS systems did not exist at the time, surveyors measured block boundaries with a chain. While traditional horizontal and vertical point-to-point surveying techniques with a theodolite were in use back then, that wasn’t yet the case in Lorne—not until the mid-20th century.

Early Lorne blocks were surveyed with a chain—a simple method where a point-to-point distance was calculated by laying out a chain [or tape] of known and standard length over the ground. However, as the ground was often uneven and the chain tended to follow its contours, early surveys were always a little inaccurate, especially when compared to modern satellite-based GPS systems.

Although chains are no longer used as a surveyor’s unit of measure … a chain was 66 feet, 22 yards, or 100 standard links … echoes of their use remain to this day. For example, the fences that line Australian country roads are commonly set back from the roadside by ‘a chain’s length’ on either side, a cricket pitch is one chain long [i.e. 22 yards, or 20.12 metres, stump to stump], and horses race over furlongs—a furlong being 10 chains in length.

With that in mind, let’s return to the point of the story. As with most early Lorne land divisions, my grandmother’s block on Deans Marsh Road was measured in chains [c.1915], as was Auntie Lil’s block next door some years later. Though theodolites were in everyday urban use, many regional and rural boundaries still depended on ‘the chain’, but, as the lengths of chain were often stretched out over uneven terrain, they were prone to small [and sometimes significant] error.

When the surveyors re-surveyed the two blocks in the mid-90s, I was informed that my fence was some 15cm to the north of its intended position and was encroaching onto the next-door block. This raised a dilemma … was this simply a chain-related error, or had some other mysterious ‘force’ been at work to alter the measurements?

The new owners of the block were adamant that I either: [1] move the fence and my network of border-hugging rockeries, plants, and access steps; [2] pay them out at market price for the 15cm strip; or [3] fight it out in the Small Claims Tribunal.

As [1] was a step too far, [3] was against my non-litigious genes, it had to be [2]. While I grumpily ended up paying full market price for a sliver of land that had been ‘ours’ for >70 years, it did not stop me from daydreaming about what I might argue before a judge.

The tried and true ‘right of possession’ seemed the most cogent and attractive argument, though a legal friend warned me I still might not win. The other intriguing possibility—and one I had literally ‘hit upon’ while contemplating the problem—was to argue plate tectonics! By chance, I had just been reading a scientific explanation of continental drift and, in a Gyro Gearloose moment of inspiration, wondered if I might pique the judge’s interest—or at least win brownie points for inventiveness—by applying global macro-science to my boundary anomaly.

I imagined standing up before the judge and beginning:

 

“Your honour, consider this. As measurements of continental drift show, the Australasian tectonic plate is one of the fastest-moving of all continental plates. It is estimated to be moving north-northeast at a rate of up to 7 cm/year [https://tinyurl.com/yc7v2xht]. It therefore stands to reason that the surveyed perimeters of my block are also moving, relative to their land-based surveyed position from the previous year. As GPS satellite data captures continental drift, I surmise that any GPS-surveyed point on a drifting continent will record a progressive discrepancy against local, fixed, and on-the-ground measurements, which will remain unchanged.”

Then, as my imaginary argument before the judge became increasingly complex and as the town boundaries of Lorne began to shape-shift in front of me … and realising just why I had chosen medicine and not the law … I shelved my daydream, reluctantly opened my cheque book, and paid the required sum for my 15cm strip of boundary creep.

But my Gyro Gearloose moment in 1995 was not, it seems, so far off the mark. In the real world, the impact of continental drift on time-honoured survey boundaries is creating real issues [see a fascinating article in GPSWorld: https://tinyurl.com/2rrzsyxr]. I have thus wondered ever since if others have been hit with a similar surveyor surprise, or if other time-honoured, chain-measured boundaries have ‘warped’ since the advent of satellite location systems.

As King Mongkut [Yul Brynner] so succinctly put it in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The King and I … ’tis a puzzlement!

John Agar
Feature Writer

A word from the chairman

Hello
This week, Surf Coast Shire (SCS) hosted the first of two workshops focussing on affordable housing for key and essential workers and their families in Lorne. You may think you have heard this all before and yes, you have, but this is different! SCS have allocated $50,000 to kick-start a Lorne-based project that aims to improve access to affordable housing locally. This follows a similar project in Aireys Inlet which will result in the creation of approximately 20 new dwellings able to accommodate up to 50 people.
Just to give some perspective to the issue, here are some facts:
• In the 2021 census, 62% of Lorne private residences were unoccupied on census night.
• 24% of private residences in Lorne are listed on Short Term Rental Accommodation (STRA) platforms.
• 75 days STRA rental income is the equivalent to a year’s median long-term rental income.
• Lorne’s median property price is $2 million and the median long-term rental is $675 per week.
• 51% of the residents of Lorne are aged over 55 compared to the Victorian average of 28.3% (2021 census).
The first workshop, which was focussed on problem definition was well attended by 13 community representatives and two of our ward councillors. While the subject matter is not new to some of us, particularly those who have been a part of the Committee for Lorne Housing sub-group, there were a number of community participants who had not been previously involved in such discussions. It was interesting to hear the perspectives and real-life stories of some of our younger community members, which served to reinforce the significant problems we face due to our relative geographic isolation, bushfire risk and ageing demographic.
While the problem definition statement has not been finalised, it will certainly address the shortage of long-term affordable accommodation in Lorne and the impact that has on our community including:
• Teachers for our school.
• Medical workers for our hospital, nursing home and medical centre.
• Long-term workers for our hospitality operators.
• Families to populate our school, kindergarten and childcare facilities.
• Volunteers to support our SES, CFA and other community organisations.
The next workshop to be held on July 21 will focus on solutions to the problem. It is unlikely that there is one solution, or that it is easy. There is likely to be a combination of solutions that will require government and community support, creative thinking and open-mindedness.
*****
Not to be deterred by our wintry weather, an enthusiastic group of 35 local golfers recently made the trek to Barham on the Murray for a couple of days of sunshine golf. There was some good golf and plenty of fun and social interaction. Good to be away with each other and great to be home!

Cheers and stay warm

Lorne Ward Events Calendar

July

19 – Lorne Dolphins Football and Netball V Otway Districts at Stribling Reserve, juniors match from 8:45am, seniors at 2pm

August

3 – LAAC Winter Comp No 3. lines down after 6am, weigh in at the Lorne Aquatic and Angling Club at 12:30 followed by BBQ lunch.

9 – Lorne Dolphins Football and Netball V Western Eagles, at Stribling Reserve, juniors match from 8:45am, seniors at 2pm

16 – Surfcoast Wonderfalls Trail Run, Starting at Cumberland River/Lorne. Distances: 6km 13km 25km 42km 52km

23 – Lorne Dolphins Football and Netball V Simpson, at Stribling Reserve, juniors match from 8:45am, seniors at 2pm