During the early 1940's , a local bush industry was established in the Tidbinbilla Valley on this site to extract Eucalyptus oil.
Indigenous Australians first used eucalyptus leaves to help ward off colds, while there are stories of how the first residents at Tidbinbilla survived on the smell of an oily eucalyptus tree.
“One of the landowners about two or three kilometres up the hill had an issue with fleas. Word got around and soon Czechoslovakian migrant Jan Jandura-Pucek knocked on their door with a container of eucalyptus oil. It fixed their flea problem, so they gave him bread and butter puddings and other food, in the strong spirit of sharing resources that were a hallmark of the Tidbinbilla farming community of the day.”
Jan Jandura-Pucek, Steve Lajcin and Martin Tekel were the pioneers of the fledgling industry in the area that paid the equivalent of $2600 for a drum. Each man could earn more than 14 pounds per week from the oil, considerably more than the 5 pounds paid for work as a farmhand.
Eucalyptus distilleries were popular after World War II as many producers were able to avoid paying royalties to the Commonwealth by working on free-hold land such as Black Flats at Tidbinbilla. A second distillery at nearby Nil Desperandum was regulated somewhat with the men having to take additional precautions to prevent fires.
The men lived at Black Flats at Tidbinbilla but worked the two distilleries at Black Flats and Nil Desperandum, where they also set up camp. They rotated between the two sites, decanting one 44-gallon drum every two to three weeks. They would cut eucalyptus leaves five days a week, distil on Saturday, which left Sunday for a day of rest.
After the local industry dried up when the Czechs moved on to other ventures and many other European immigrant workers left for the lucrative Snowy Mountains Hydro project, all that was left were the empty tanks.
The cache is a small container well hidden at GZ. It contains a log book , pencil and many swaps. Stealth is required at all times. Please replace the cache exactly how you found it. Enjoy the history. Tidbinbilla is open from 7.30 am to 6.00 pm daily. Parking is available . There is no mobile reception here.
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