Washington Winch

Its rusting relics are close to Bentley Plain and the Moscow Villa hut which was built in 1942 by firetower man Thomas William Ah Chow.

[1] Both winches were sold to the Forests Commission Victoria for salvaging timber in the Central Highland on the Toorongo Plateau near Noojee after the 1939 Black Friday fires.

[1] The advent of more powerful bulldozers, crawler tractors, haulage trucks and petrol chainsaws dramatically changed logging practices after WW2.

It is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register,[1] and is managed and protected by local staff at Swifts Creek employed by the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP).

[4] The skyline system involved two large spars (trees) used to create a "flying fox" to lift logs over the rough ground.

[4] The Washington Winch was used to harvest Alpine Ash logs which was then sawn to produce high-value products such as furniture, flooring and architraves at Ezards mill at Swifts Creek.