History of Petra
In 2001, the Forestry Department, based at kalamata, surveyed Petra, which ajoins forestry land and checked past records of the area to determine the status of the plot. This was necessary because in the past, some farmers had annexed land that belonged to the state.
Arial photos and other records showed that in 1945 Petra and the lemon Grove appeared to be one piece of land with no road across it, but that the upper part of the plot was terraced and the lower part, by the river, was planted with vines to produce raisens. Between the two were small shrubs. In 1965, the two plots were still joined but there was no vegetation or cultivation. By 1989, the land had been divided, and looked much as it did in 2000.
The records tally with what we were told by the previous owner, who remembered his father planting lemon trees where the vines had been in around 1969, which is also around the time that the farm dwelling was built and the road made. The opening of the road appears to have been part of a communal decision, allowing several farmers easier access to their land. Surveys also show that there was a stone enclosure - probably a pen or fold for animals. The family owned a donkey and used Petra as grazing land for goats. The land was inherited through the mother, Eleni; it was her dowry on marriage.
June 2010
During 2009 and 2010, Petra has once again been neglected as funds were assigned to the renovation of the Lemon Grove and the maintenance of the Olive groves. The track made in 2008 is no longer an unsightly scar on the land, but it is getting overgrown and needs strimming or mowing.
Crab apple trees deliberately left are quite tall now and the plot needs landscaping so that it is easier to see the many varieties of plant life there.
As always, the difficulty is not just financial, but also the time to be on site to ensure that the plot is not simply bulldozed to a bare tract of land, destroying wildlife habitats. There is a real need to gain an income to support the maintenance of the lemon Grove and Petra, and the only realistic option is to rent out the lemon grove summer house, IthakI. An ideal solution is to rent it in return for labour but it has no amenities and is atill quite isolated. Last year, a cow was grazing on adjacent land, so once the Lemon Grove has been cleared this year, that might be an optional use. Petra is suitable for grazing goats.
2000 - September 2008
It was exciting to visit the Upper land and view the new track which enables easy access to examine the land and to view the sea at Lampes Bay. The Upper land faces South, with a view of the lemon grove and the valley. This plot has never been properly named because of the dispute over ownership and the attention paid to the main groves. Now it will be possible to prune the wild olives, view the wild flowers more easily, and further open the rocky land, which has been too difficult to walk on safely. It is being named "Petralofos" which means "stony hill".