Australian Town and Country Journal at KellyGang 21/9/1872
A Tour to the South.
[BY OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT]
ON THE MURRUMBIDGEE (CONTINUED)
LEAVING Hay the road continued over plains of stunted salt hush for several miles. A short distance from the town Mr M'Evoy's station was reached, but there was no one at home except the Chinaman cook who could scarcely understand a dozen words of English. It may be interesting to know that the majority of the stations on Riverina employ Chinamen cook; and on the whole find them industrious and useful fellows. After leaving M'Evoy's, Wade's free selection, on which was a nice little cottage, was passed, then a few more farms. About four and a half miles from Hay a cluster of buildings was seen in the distance. This was pointed out as the wool-scouring establishment of Mr H G Lomax. About thirty men are employed here in the busy season; and 120 bales of wool can be scoured weekly. The Victorian judges at the last Hay Show spoke in high terms of the bale of scoured wool exhibited by Mr Lomax.
Still over plains the road continued, and when eight miles away from Hay, I found that I had lost my pocket book. The road was under water and I had picked a track along the plains to the right or left for a considerable distance. 1 lost the day looking for the book; and towards nightfall had got back to within a mile of Hay before I found the object of my search, conspicuous enough, with the leaves fluttering in the breeze. Regaining, with no small feelings of pleasure, my store of jottings (the loss of which would have been impossible to replace) I resumed the journey, and it was after dark when I reached the next station, ten miles lower down the river. It is called Benduck .
Benduck, Severne Brothers' station, has an area of 150 square miles, and a frontage to the Murrumbidgee of about ten miles. It is considerably improved, all fenced in, and subdivided into eighteen paddocks, carrying upwards of 25,000 sheep and 500 head of cattle. A capitally constructed woolshed stands at a short distance from the house. The yards are well arranged, and a Wilding's Patent Wool Press is used for packing the wool in bales.
About twelve miles from Severne Brothers is Canoon , the property of Mathew Palmer, Esq. It is twenty two miles from Hay. The residence of Mr Palmer is of a very comfortable one on the bank of the river. The area of Canoon is 250 square miles, with a frontage to the Murrumbidgee of 15 miles. The rum carries 36,000 sheep, which are chiefly descendants of Bayley's, Learmonth's, Currie's, and Peppin's, flocks. Canoon and Benduck stations were first taken up by Mr Samuel Barber twenty-eight or thirty years ago.
Near Canoon, but on the opposite bank of the river, is the very picturesque residence of Robert Scott Esq, J P. It is in connection with the station of Messrs Hope and Scott, and called Toogimbie. This run was first taken up by Mr Church. Mr Gabott followed: he sold to Mr Firebrace, who in turn disposed of it to Messrs Hope and Scott, the present occupiers. A good garden surrounds the residence, and the whole makes a pretty picture, particularly as seen from between the large trees on the opposite bank of the river.
Toogimbie has an area of 180,000 acres, and a frontage to the Murrumbidgee of about 15 miles. Wire fencing encloses the whole of this run, which is again subdivided into a number of paddocks. Dams and tanks are on various parts of the run for the use of the flocks. Toogimbie consists of large salt-bush plains, having scarcely any timber. The station carries about 50,000 sheep. The woolshed, giving accommodation to 24 shearers, has a travelling box woolpress, one of Wildings' patent.
Crossing and re-crossing at Canoon and Toogimbie are done by boats belonging to these stations. I left my horse at Mr Palmer's till I returned. Continuing the journey for a few miles I got thoroughly into the much dreaded "lignum" country. The name is doubtless a corruption of polygonum. It is a kind of hard stemmed, thick, rush like plant, with a number of branches from each stem. The lignum country presents an extraordinary sight. There are scores of miles of it the lignum growing from five to fourteen feet high, in fact over horse and rider's head. It resembles a great artificial plantation, and is said to bear a nice flower, but it was not in flower when I saw it.
No use what ever is made of this plant, and not a blade, of grass was growing near it. In fact the lignum country is the terror of the traveller, whether in a vehicle or on horse back. The ground on which it grows is quite black, and exceedingly sticky and tenacious. A few yards over this adhesive soil made my horse's hoofs resemble pans, and another horseman and myself had to dismount several times to clear the tenacious clayey composition off. The wheels of a buggy resembled cheeses, all the spokes being filled up with this black clay. The driver had to dismount at intervals and with a spade clear the spokes of this waxy substance, in order to make the slightest progress. For the greater part of thirteen miles I worked my way through this dreadful lignum country, and was then glad to reach the village of Maude . Maude has a public-house, curried on by Mr J Murphy; a post-office and store opposite, carried on by Mr Daniel Murphy, and two or three other houses; the whole the property of Mr W Sams, who also owns and works the punt on the river there. Maude derives its importance from being a crossing place of the Murrumbidgee.
| ! | The text has been retyped from a microfiche copy of the original. We have taken care to reproduce this document but areas of the original text may been damaged. |
