During the first decade of the Victorian gold rushes, when the first Europeans began to cross the Divide on their quest for gold, some saw the opportunity that this once isolated and rugged landscape held. Polly Corbett was one of those unique females that saw a business opportunity in providing accommodation, food and perhaps a little sly grog to passing traffic between the North East and Gippsland goldfields.
Long after Polly’s shanty fell into ruins quartz reef mines were opened and discovered in the area.
The Biplane mine was one of the bigger mines which was at its peak during the 1920s. The mine had a significant mining camp as well as a massive 15-head stamp battery situated on the East branch of the Ovens River down in the Black Hole.
One of the Country Roads Board shelters was also built nearby in the 1920s, serving as a refuge to early motorists.