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The view from point lookout – The story of Bill Spargo’s Queensland Retirement

In 2024 Stephen Whiteside wrote a book, ‘Snow, Fire and Gold – the story of Bill Spargo and Evelyn Piper’s life in the Australian mountains.’ It told the story of Spargo’s Hut at Golden Point near Mt Hotham, and the people who lived in it – alpine gold prospector William Benjamin (‘Bill’) Spargo, and his English born partner (and eventual wife), Evelyn Maud Piper. The book ended with their separation, the sale of the Red Robin Mine, and Evelyn’s return to England. Shortly after this, Bill sold his hut at Golden Point and left the blazing summers and freezing winters of the Victorian Alps for the subtropical climate of Point Lookout at North Stradbroke Island in Queensland.

This book attempts to answer two questions. What happened to Bill once he retired to Queensland, and what happened at, and to, the hut at Golden Point after his departure?

Pearl Bradshaw – Princess of Hotham

Stephen Whiteside interviewed Pearl Bradshaw in 1987 as part of his research for ‘Snow, Fire and Gold – the story of Bill Spargo and Evelyn Piper’s life in the Australian mountains.’ With her husband, Jim (who had died in 1981), Pearl had managed the Hotham Heights Chalet at Mt Hotham from 1937 – 45, a total of nine consecutive winters. This period had included the 1939 bushfire, which burnt almost two million hectares of the state of Victoria and cost 71 lives, and the Second World War. Reflecting on the interview afterwards, he realised that Pearl’s own life had been fascinating, and returned to interview her a second time later in the year.

Books Available for Purchase!

“Snow, Fire and Gold” tells the captivating story of Bill Spargo and Evelyn Piper, whose lives intertwined with the rugged beauty of the Australian mountains. Based on extensive research begun in 1987, this book offers a glimpse into their extraordinary experiences. It also contains many photographs, many of which have never been seen before.