SHEDDING the MEMORIES AFTER MORE THAN A DECADE OF ENJOYMENT, LEONGATHA COUPLE LINDSAY AND ROBYN POWNEY ARE SOON TO HAND OVER ONE OF THE LOCAL AREA’S MOST RECOGNISABLE LANDMARKS TO A NEW OWNER. WORDS BY CHRIS WEST PHOTOS BY DOUG PELL
Anyone who has headed south from Leongatha on the South Gippsland Highway will have driven past and most likely noticed the famous shed built on an island in the middle of a dam at the Powney’s farm property.
“At that time, it was little more than a puddle down the front of the property, but we wanted to do something a bit special with it,” Lindsay states.
Far more than a mere curiosity, the humble tin shed has become an iconic landmark that slows traffic as people turn their heads to catch a glimpse as they pass by. Visitors and tourists even make it a destination to stop and park outside the fence line to enjoy a longer look.
About three years after acquiring the property, Lindsay and Robyn’s vision for the dam began to take shape. Excavators were brought in to dig out and substantially extend the dam’s size.
“It’s become very well-known over the years. Everyone notices it,” Lindsay comments. Robyn says the extent of the interest has never waned. “We’ve had Australian and international tourists stopping here just to see the shed and to take photos,” she states. “One time we even had a note left on the gate from a couple in Melbourne with their name, phone number and an invitation to come and have a cup of tea with them because they had gotten so much enjoyment out of it.” The Powneys have always tried to accommodate the interest in the shed from the public despite it being on their private property. They have also made the dam available to a local model boat club for use on several occasions.
“It wasn’t difficult logistically because you could drive out there at the time,” Lindsay notes. “Because it was dry, we took advantage to pile up the excavated dirt to create an island out there. It turned what was just a dam into more of an ornamental lake and it actually took two years for it to fill with water.” Lindsay estimates that the dam’s water level is presently about 25 feet at its deepest point. “It was thirty-two feet when we built the dam, but the level has reduced over time due to the build-up of silt,” he says. The island that was created through the process of extending the dam became home to the iconic shed. “I wanted to build something in the style of the Ettamogah Pub, but Robyn wouldn’t have a bar of it,” Lindsay laughs.
Lindsay and Robyn purchased the 100-acre farming property known as Woodlands around fifteen years ago, just a few minutes from the house in Leongatha which has remained their principal place of residence throughout.
“As it turned out, the shack we ended up building has a bit of a lean to it of its own.”
“I’d had farms before and both Robyn and I could see the potential in this property,” Lindsay explains.
Robyn says that very little expense went into the construction of the shed. “We used second-hand materials, including an old fence pulled down from a house in Leongatha, and put some old farm implements out there as an extra touch to add to the rustic feel,” she recalls.
The Powneys opted to run cattle on the property, predominantly Herefords. When the couple took ownership, the dam on the farm was nothing like it is today.
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Tin sheeting was used for the walls, roof and verandah, whilst the timber palings were utilised to construct the picket fence that surrounds the island block on which the shed stands. A small jetty was added for watercraft to dock. Native vegetation provides some greenery to complete the scene.
