Cirrus@Austlit

'I am writing in the front room of Murrays Cottage, where Donald Friend made his home for two years, until he left for Europe in March 1949. He visited again from time to time in later years. His friend Donald Murray remained in the cottage until his death in 1988, for Russell Drysdale and Friend had combined to purchase the cottage for him, Friend's stays in Hill End, and the extended stays by artist friends such as Russell Drysdale and Margaret Olley, transformed the almost deserted ex-goldmining town into the artists' colony it remains to this day. According to the local shopkeeper, the population of the town today is 117. In 1872, at the height of the gold rush, the population was anywhere between 10,000 and 30,000, depending on whom you believe.' (Introduction)