Alice Manfield
Encyclopedia
Alice Manfield commonly known as Guide Alice, was a mountain guide
, amateur naturalist
, chalet
owner
, photographer, and early feminist
figure from Victoria
, Australia
. Her pioneering work at Mount Buffalo from the 1890s to the 1930s led to her becoming a tourist attraction
in her own right, and helped lead to the establishment of the Mount Buffalo National Park
.
southeast of Mount Buffalo, in 1878, one of eight children born to James Manfield and his wife Jane. James had arrived in Victoria from Britain
with his brother John in 1854, joining the population boom during the Victorian gold rush
. They made their way to the goldfields in the Buckland Valley, and later purchased a property there with the proceeds of their gold mining. Still chasing gold, they travelled to New Zealand
and New South Wales
, but within ten years had returned to the Buckland Valley to concentrate on working their farm
.
Despite being over 200 miles (321.9 km) from Melbourne
, Mount Buffalo was recognised for its special geology
and botany
by the likes of the noted Government botanist Ferdinand von Mueller
, and started to attract a small flow of tourists. The extension of the railway to Myrtleford in 1883, then on to Bright in 1890, meant that in less than eight hours travellers from the capital could be within reach of Mt Buffalo. Locals began to see the tourism
opportunities, and when a tender
was put out to build a hotel
at the start of a new track up the mountain in 1888, Alice's father, James, put in for it and won it.
In 1890 Manfield's Buffalo Falls Temperance Hotel was opened at the foot of the mountain, with the Manfield's providing the guests with transport
between the hotel and Porepunkah station. James, or one of his children, would then lead energetic guests on the three hour climb to the Buffalo plateau
, where they could explore or camp out
.
In December 1890 one of the early visitors to the hotel was the then 25-year-old future war hero General Sir John Monash
, who reported the hotel to be "in a very unfinished state, and little furnished", but he also recognised its potential. Returning a year later, Monash stated that the hotel was now "the height of comfort". Monash returned to Buffalo many more times over the years, always engaging the Manfields for guide
s and equipment.
Although being only around twelve years old when the hotel opened, Alice was regularly involved in the expeditions around the mountain, thereby developing a love and extensive knowledge of the flora
, fauna
, and rugged Mount Buffalo landscape.
back, and there was only rudimentary accommodation and no signposting on the plateau itself. Guide Alice served as a calming influence to the burgeoning tourist numbers concerned about the wildlife
, dangers on the mountain, and being lost.
The Manfield's soon built a second hotel, a small timber chalet
built near Bents Lookout on the plateau itself, and gave it the affectionate name Granny's Place. Alice eventually took over the running of Granny's Place, happy to spend long periods of time alone there, and regarding as "thrilling adventures" such events as bushfires
, severe storms, and snow
up to 8 feet (2.4 m) deep, at which time the chalet had to be entered via the chimney
.
, and almost nothing designed specifically for women, Manfield took to designing her own gear. Although she sometimes dressed in a skirt
, Manfield controversially took to wearing pant suits for the cold conditions experienced in her job, long before this would become common clothing for women
. Her pant suit consisted of a type of woollen bloomers
or knickerbockers
, and a high-necked button
ed jacket
pulled in tightly around the waist
. This was accompanied by puttees
tightly wrapped around her calves
, a low-heeled leather walking boot
, a beanie
, and a long walking pole.
Following local activism, in 1898 the Victorian government declared 1166 hectares (2,881.2 acre) of land on the plateau as Mount Buffalo National Park
.
In 1908 a road was opened to the plateau. In a predominantly male gathering, Guide Alice was photographed holding the ribbon at the road's official opening as the Premier of Victoria, Sir Thomas Bent
, prepared to cut it.
With the road leading to increased tourism, in 1910 the Public Works Department built a government owned guesthouse
close by the Manfield's chalet. The new government chalet appealed more to passive tourists, while chalets owned by the Manfields and another local family, the Carlile family, were better suited to those wanting a more basic and adventurous experience.
, proprietor of The Age
newspaper, landscape artist Sir Arthur Streeton
, and Sir John Monash.
Manfield retired from guiding during the 1930s, when she would have been in her fifties, and died in 1960 at eighty-two.
s on Mount Buffalo. This volume featured Manfield's own photography and had an introduction by Charles Barrett, C.M.Z.S.
This was the first pictorial record of lyrebirds to be released.
with the Parks Service
, in 1917. They had one child, a daughter Genevieve Baumgarten.
Mountain guide
Mountain guides are specially trained and experienced mountaineers and professionals who are generally certified by an association. They are considered experts in mountaineering.-Skills:Their skills usually include climbing, skiing and hiking...
, amateur naturalist
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
, chalet
Chalet
A chalet , also called Swiss chalet, is a type of building or house, native to the Alpine region, made of wood, with a heavy, gently sloping roof with wide, well-supported eaves set at right angles to the front of the house.-Definition and origin:...
owner
Hotel manager
A hotel manager or hotelier is a person who holds a management occupation within a hotel, motel, or resort establishment. Management titles and duties vary by company. In some hotels the title hotel manager or hotelier may solely be referred to the General Manager of the hotel...
, photographer, and early feminist
Feminism
Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
figure from Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Her pioneering work at Mount Buffalo from the 1890s to the 1930s led to her becoming a tourist attraction
Tourist attraction
A tourist attraction is a place of interest where tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, or amusement opportunities....
in her own right, and helped lead to the establishment of the Mount Buffalo National Park
Mount Buffalo National Park
Mount Buffalo is a mountain plateau in Victoria , 200 km northeast of Melbourne. It is one of the oldest parks in the Australian Alps, being first established in 1898 when 1165 ha was reserved around Eurobin Falls...
.
Early life
Alice was born on the Manfield property, Nailsea Farm, in the Buckland ValleyBuckland River (Victoria)
The Buckland River is a river in north eastern Victoria, Australia. With its source in the Victorian Alps, it reaches a confluence with the Ovens River immediately downstream from the small town of Porepunkah....
southeast of Mount Buffalo, in 1878, one of eight children born to James Manfield and his wife Jane. James had arrived in Victoria from Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
with his brother John in 1854, joining the population boom during the Victorian gold rush
Victorian gold rush
The Victorian gold rush was a period in the history of Victoria, Australia approximately between 1851 and the late 1860s. In 10 years the Australian population nearly tripled.- Overview :During this era Victoria dominated the world's gold output...
. They made their way to the goldfields in the Buckland Valley, and later purchased a property there with the proceeds of their gold mining. Still chasing gold, they travelled to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, but within ten years had returned to the Buckland Valley to concentrate on working their farm
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
.
Despite being over 200 miles (321.9 km) from Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Mount Buffalo was recognised for its special geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
and botany
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
by the likes of the noted Government botanist Ferdinand von Mueller
Ferdinand von Mueller
Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, KCMG was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist.-Early life:...
, and started to attract a small flow of tourists. The extension of the railway to Myrtleford in 1883, then on to Bright in 1890, meant that in less than eight hours travellers from the capital could be within reach of Mt Buffalo. Locals began to see the tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
opportunities, and when a tender
Request for tender
A request for tender, commonly abbreviated to RFT, is a formal, structured invitation to suppliers for the supply of products or services. In the public sector, such a process may be required and determined in detail by law to ensure that such competition for the use of public money is open, fair...
was put out to build a hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
at the start of a new track up the mountain in 1888, Alice's father, James, put in for it and won it.
In 1890 Manfield's Buffalo Falls Temperance Hotel was opened at the foot of the mountain, with the Manfield's providing the guests with transport
Transport
Transport or transportation is the movement of people, cattle, animals and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, rail, road, water, cable, pipeline, and space. The field can be divided into infrastructure, vehicles, and operations...
between the hotel and Porepunkah station. James, or one of his children, would then lead energetic guests on the three hour climb to the Buffalo plateau
Plateau
In geology and earth science, a plateau , also called a high plain or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain. A highly eroded plateau is called a dissected plateau...
, where they could explore or camp out
Camping
Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...
.
In December 1890 one of the early visitors to the hotel was the then 25-year-old future war hero General Sir John Monash
John Monash
General Sir John Monash GCMG, KCB, VD was a civil engineer who became the Australian military commander in the First World War. He commanded the 13th Infantry Brigade before the War and then became commander of the 4th Brigade in Egypt shortly after the outbreak of the War with whom he took part...
, who reported the hotel to be "in a very unfinished state, and little furnished", but he also recognised its potential. Returning a year later, Monash stated that the hotel was now "the height of comfort". Monash returned to Buffalo many more times over the years, always engaging the Manfields for guide
Guide
A guide is a person who leads anyone through unknown or unmapped country. This includes a guide of the real world , as well as a person who leads someone to more abstract places .-Guide - meanings related to travel and recreational pursuits:There are many variants of...
s and equipment.
Although being only around twelve years old when the hotel opened, Alice was regularly involved in the expeditions around the mountain, thereby developing a love and extensive knowledge of the flora
Flora
Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:...
, fauna
Fauna
Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...
, and rugged Mount Buffalo landscape.
Guide Alice
Manfield soon became involved in leading tours up the mountain herself, and became widely and fondly known as Guide Alice. In the early days the only access to the subalpine Buffalo plateau was by a rough unsigned track accessible only by walking or on horseHorse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
back, and there was only rudimentary accommodation and no signposting on the plateau itself. Guide Alice served as a calming influence to the burgeoning tourist numbers concerned about the wildlife
Wildlife
Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
, dangers on the mountain, and being lost.
The Manfield's soon built a second hotel, a small timber chalet
Chalet
A chalet , also called Swiss chalet, is a type of building or house, native to the Alpine region, made of wood, with a heavy, gently sloping roof with wide, well-supported eaves set at right angles to the front of the house.-Definition and origin:...
built near Bents Lookout on the plateau itself, and gave it the affectionate name Granny's Place. Alice eventually took over the running of Granny's Place, happy to spend long periods of time alone there, and regarding as "thrilling adventures" such events as bushfires
Bushfires in Australia
Bushfires in Australia are frequently occurring events during the hotter months of the year due to Australia's mostly hot, dry climate. Large areas of land are ravaged every year by bushfires, which also cause property damage and loss of life....
, severe storms, and snow
Snow
Snow is a form of precipitation within the Earth's atmosphere in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. Since snow is composed of small ice particles, it is a granular material. It has an open and therefore soft structure, unless packed by...
up to 8 feet (2.4 m) deep, at which time the chalet had to be entered via the chimney
Chimney
A chimney is a structure for venting hot flue gases or smoke from a boiler, stove, furnace or fireplace to the outside atmosphere. Chimneys are typically vertical, or as near as possible to vertical, to ensure that the gases flow smoothly, drawing air into the combustion in what is known as the...
.
Equipment
With only limited equipment available at the time for outdoor activitiesOutdoor recreation
Outdoor recreation or outdoor activity is leisure pursuits engaged in outside, especially in natural or semi-natural settings out of town...
, and almost nothing designed specifically for women, Manfield took to designing her own gear. Although she sometimes dressed in a skirt
Skirt
A skirt is a tube- or cone-shaped garment that hangs from the waist and covers all or part of the legs.In the western world, skirts are usually considered women's clothing. However, there are exceptions...
, Manfield controversially took to wearing pant suits for the cold conditions experienced in her job, long before this would become common clothing for women
Women wearing pants
Women wearing pants were thought by some to be historically almost non-existent, apart from Amazonian women, but have become more commonplace since the advent of feminism in the middle to late 20th century.-History:...
. Her pant suit consisted of a type of woollen bloomers
Bloomers (clothing)
Bloomers is a word which has been applied to several types of divided women's garments for the lower body at various times.-Fashion bloomers :...
or knickerbockers
Knickerbockers (clothing)
Knickerbockers are men's or boys' breeches or baggy-kneed trousers particularly popular in the early twentieth century USA. Golfers' plus twos and plus fours were breeches of this type...
, and a high-necked button
Button
In modern clothing and fashion design, a button is a small fastener, most commonly made of plastic, but also frequently of seashell, which secures two pieces of fabric together. In archaeology, a button can be a significant artifact. In the applied arts and in craft, a button can be an example of...
ed jacket
Jacket
A jacket is a hip- or waist-length garment for the upper body. A jacket typically has sleeves, and fastens in the front. A jacket is generally lighter, tighter-fitting, and less insulating than a coat, which is outerwear...
pulled in tightly around the waist
Waist
The waist is the part of the abdomen between the rib cage and hips. On proportionate people, the waist is the narrowest part of the torso....
. This was accompanied by puttees
Leggings
Leggings are a type of fitted clothing covering the legs, which can be worn by both men and women.Originally leggings were two separate garments, one for each leg....
tightly wrapped around her calves
Calf (anatomy)
In human anatomy the calf is the back portion of the lower leg . In terms of muscle systems, the calf corresponds to the posterior compartment of the leg. Within the posterior compartment, the two largest muscles are known together as the calf muscle and attach to the heel via the Achilles tendon...
, a low-heeled leather walking boot
Hiking boot
Hiking boots are footwear specifically designed for the sport of hiking. They are considered the most important hiking gear since their quality and durability can determine a hiker's ability to move farther, faster, and more safely...
, a beanie
Beanie
A beanie is a head-hugging brimless cap with or without a visor that was once popular among school boys.-Description:In the United States of America, beanies are made by triangular sections of cloth joined by a button at the crown and seamed together around the sides.They can also be made from...
, and a long walking pole.
National park
Manfield impressed visitors with her enthusiasm and extensive knowledge of Mount Buffalo. This, along with her skills as a naturalist and photographer, meant she quickly became a highly sought after guide. Indeed her passion for the mountain, and the novelty of her being a female guide, led to Manfield herself becoming a tourist attraction, helping to add to the popularity of the mountain.Following local activism, in 1898 the Victorian government declared 1166 hectares (2,881.2 acre) of land on the plateau as Mount Buffalo National Park
Mount Buffalo National Park
Mount Buffalo is a mountain plateau in Victoria , 200 km northeast of Melbourne. It is one of the oldest parks in the Australian Alps, being first established in 1898 when 1165 ha was reserved around Eurobin Falls...
.
In 1908 a road was opened to the plateau. In a predominantly male gathering, Guide Alice was photographed holding the ribbon at the road's official opening as the Premier of Victoria, Sir Thomas Bent
Thomas Bent
Sir Thomas Bent KCMG , Australian politician, was the 22nd Premier of Victoria. He was one of the most colourful and corrupt politicians in Victorian history....
, prepared to cut it.
With the road leading to increased tourism, in 1910 the Public Works Department built a government owned guesthouse
Guest house
A guest house is a kind of lodging. In some parts of the world a guest house is similar to a hostel, bed and breakfast, or inn whereas in other parts of the world , guest houses are a type of inexpensive hotel-like lodging...
close by the Manfield's chalet. The new government chalet appealed more to passive tourists, while chalets owned by the Manfields and another local family, the Carlile family, were better suited to those wanting a more basic and adventurous experience.
Later years
Despite the declaration of the national park and the coming of the road, Guide Alice's services remained in demand, and she continued in the role of mountain guide. Distinguished visitors called on her, including the likes of David SymeDavid Syme
David Syme was a Scottish-Australian newspaper proprietor of The Age and regarded as "the father of protection in Australia" who had immense influence in the Government of Victoria.-Early life and family:...
, proprietor of The Age
The Age
The Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...
newspaper, landscape artist Sir Arthur Streeton
Arthur Streeton
Sir Arthur Ernest Streeton was an Australian landscape painter.-Early life:Streeton was born in Mount Duneed, near Geelong, and his family moved to Richmond in 1874. In 1882, Streeton commenced art studies with G. F. Folingsby at the National Gallery School.Streeton was influenced by French...
, and Sir John Monash.
Manfield retired from guiding during the 1930s, when she would have been in her fifties, and died in 1960 at eighty-two.
Publications
In 1924 Manfield released The Lyre-Birds of Mount Buffalo, a 23-page volume detailing her studies into the lyrebirdLyrebird
A Lyrebird is either of two species of ground-dwelling Australian birds, that form the genus, Menura, and the family Menuridae. They are most notable for their superb ability to mimic natural and artificial sounds from their environment. Lyrebirds have unique plumes of neutral coloured...
s on Mount Buffalo. This volume featured Manfield's own photography and had an introduction by Charles Barrett, C.M.Z.S.
Charles Leslie Barrett
Charles Leslie Barrett was an Australian naturalist, journalist, author and ornithologist.Born in Hawthorn, Victoria, he was a foundation member of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union in 1901 and editor of its journal the Emu, 1910-1916...
This was the first pictorial record of lyrebirds to be released.
Personal life
Manfield married a distant cousin, John Edmund Manfield, a rangerPark ranger
A park ranger or forest ranger is a person entrusted with protecting and preserving parklands – national, state, provincial, or local parks. Different countries use different names for the position. Ranger is the favored term in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Within the United...
with the Parks Service
Parks Victoria
-Department:Parks Victoria was established in December 1996 as a statutory authority, reporting to the Minister for Environment and Climate Change. The Parks Victoria Act 1998 makes Parks Victoria responsible for managing national parks, reserves and other land under the control of the state,...
, in 1917. They had one child, a daughter Genevieve Baumgarten.
See also
- Gustav WeindorferGustav WeindorferGustav Weindorfer was an Austrian-born Australian amateur botanist, lodge-keeper and promoter of the Cradle Mountains National Park.-Early Years:...
, a similarly influential figure at Tasmania's Cradle MountainCradle MountainCradle Mountain is a mountain in the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, Tasmania, Australia. Rising to 1,545 metres above sea level it is one of the principal tourist sites in Tasmania, owing to its natural beauty...