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Myrtleford, Victoria

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Looking across a tobacco field to tobacco kilns and to Mount Buffalo National Park
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Looking across a tobacco field to tobacco kilns and to Mount Buffalo National Park

Myrtleford (postcode: 3737, [36°33′S 146°43′E]) is a town in Victoria, Australia. It is in the Alpine Shire local government area.

The "Myrtle Creek Run" was established by John Hillas in October 1837.

Myrtleford, Victoria: historic tobacco kiln typical of those built in the area from the 1930s to the 1960s.
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Myrtleford, Victoria: historic tobacco kiln typical of those built in the area from the 1930s to the 1960s.

Myrtleford is situated at the confluence of the Buffalo and Ovens rivers and is the gateway to the alpine resorts and Alpine High Country. It was a thriving goldmining centre in the 1850s, before Chinese settlers began planting the hops and tobacco which has put Myrtleford on the map. Many tobacco kilns are visible from the Great Alpine Road.

Today, Myrtleford is a flourishing regional centre surrounded by adventure and recreation activities and is home to the production of timber, walnuts, beef and grapes. Kilns on farms in the region around the town are used to cure tobacco. Tobacco leaves are tied on a stick using string and approximately 500 sticks are hung on racks in the kiln. The kiln is heated by wood burnt in one or two furnaces to the rear of the kiln. The heat is piped via flue pipes. Humidity is manually controlled. The leaf takes about 7 days to cure and would yield about 500 kg.

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