The first European settlers who amassed staggering wealth from grazing sheep across huge runs in high rainfall western Victoria, had one problem in common.
How to spend their fortunes?
The squatters sent money back home to the UK, built churches and schools, and commissioned architects to design mansions built from the local volcanic rock.
Timber, slate, marble, art and stained glass was imported by ship from Europe but that took time.
As they socialised far from home, these uber-rich showed off their bluestone palaces and competed among themselves to have the most luxurious house fittings in the colony.
Wood carvings were all the rage.
Assorted furniture such as wardrobes, bedroom suites, cabinets, picture frames - even stairways and mantlepieces.
They were delighted to find a master of the carving craft had arrived in Melbourne at a perfect time.
And that became the new "must have item" many of them had in common.
Prenzel carvings.
Robert Prenzel was in hot demand, his carvings pop up in many squatter's mansions in western Victoria such as Dalvui at Terang, Glenormiston at Noorat, the fabulous Purrumbete near Camperdown, Coragulac House at Colac and Keayang also at Terang.
The wealthy squatters became his patrons.
Most of the state's art galleries have at least one Prenzel carving as does the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra feature one of Australia's greatest-ever wood carvers.
In 1888, he arrived on the steamer Habsburg in colonial Melbourne at the age of 22.
Already he had completed a carver apprenticeship in his Prussian home town of Elbing (now part of Poland), and had furthered his studies in Germany, Holland, Switzerland and Italy.
In Melbourne, Prenzel first worked for the German sculptor and modeller Otto Waschatz, decorating private homes and public buildings.
He married Mina Schelling in 1890 and had three children.
From 1891-1901 Prenzel worked in partnership with another German, Johann Christian Treede, and then went his own way.
It didn't take long before Prenzel became the hottest ticket in time - much admired for his extraordinary Art Nouveau carvings featuring Australian fauna and flora particularly after Australia's Federation in 1901.
His popularity boomed as he came to the attention of the squatters and rich Melbourne families.
Prenzel worked with a wide variety of Australian timbers and promoted their use for artistic purposes. The two most common types of Australian timber in his work are mountain ash and blackwood.
Lutheran churches at Tarrington, Dimboola, Murtoa and Minyip featured Prenzel carved pulpits and altars.
His output was amazing and although he produced many honour boards for organisations during and after World War One, anti-German sentiment saw his career decline as his wealthy clients deserted him.
His pieces are regularly bought and sold by private collectors.
For instance, a timber clock he carved in 1922 featuring kookaburras was sold at auction in around 2000 for more than $100,000.
Said to be one of his more elaborate projects was the staircase for the Black mansion at Glenormiston.
After taking control of a 17,612 hectare sheep run in the 1850's, Glenormiston was built by wealthy grazier Niel Black.
In 1909 his son, Steuart Black, commissioned Prenzel to carve panels in an Australian theme for the mansion's staircase.
Folklore says his children used to pat a carving at the top of the staircase each night before going to bed.
The Black family removed Prenzel's 35 precious wooden panels and took them to England for safe-keeping when they sold the property to the government in 1949.
In 1995, the family was encouraged by the University of Melbourne to return them to Glenormiston after they were first displayed at the National Gallery of Victoria.
Today the staircase is a state treasure, owned by the University of Melbourne, but still in place even though the former state agricultural college is now in private hands.
The Manifold's incredible Purrumbete near Camperdown is still today considered to one of the best of all the wool baron's mansions.
Purrumbete has its own lake and six stunning murals painted by the renowned Walter Withers in 1901.
Famously the mansion was once owned by flamboyant Sydney stockbroker Renee Rivkin.
W. T. Manifold commissioned Prenzel to produce a panelled hall which experts called the "most remarkable interiors created in this state during the Edwardian period" which features a carved screen and staircase by Prenzel.
Prenzel died in 1941 leaving a vast body of work which remains much prized to this day.
Chris McLennan
ACM national rural property writer based in Bacchus Marsh, Victoria. Career journalist. Multi award winner.
ACM national rural property writer based in Bacchus Marsh, Victoria. Career journalist. Multi award winner.
