Australian Town and Country Journal at KellyGang 22/6/1872 (6)

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As we approached the township of Kyneton, the sight was a fine one. Kyneton is a pretty township, and scorns to be well laid out, situated on the opposite rising ground from the railway station. A valley is between, but an avenue leads from one place to the other. We notice a number of well-built stone churches in the town; and also three steam dour mills, pulling away clouds of smoke - a sight which spoke volumes for the district. After leaving Kyneton, we passed more comfortable farms and homesteads.

Malmsbury, a substantial township, with its large reservoir, was called at, then diversified country-hill and dale-heavy stone cuttings, was passed, and a picturesque township called Taradale, 68 miles from Melbourne, was reached. Many of the houses about seemed to be well built, and a few gentlemen's residences on the heights above the town looked very pretty; one in particular elicited our admiration: the grounds were planted with shrubs and trees, and the residence peeping between them was approached by a serpentine drive up an avenue.

Off we started again, called at the small village with the big name of Elphinstone, and then through some scrubby country, then under a tunnel, where we were for about three minutes. Here the driver must have discovered that we were late, for, putting on steam, we dashed along at a tremendous pace. Such a pace I never travelled before. Up the straight running we seemed to fly, and round the curve at the corner the wheels scarcely touched the rails. Then we tore past a scattered villages, where all the cottages were of brick, and in a few minutes we arrived at the great town of Castlemaine, 78 miles from Melbourne. The whole town seems to have been built of brick; I could not see a stone building in it. The population of Castlemaine is 7300. The town is lighted with gas.

A few minutes after leaving Castlemaine, we reached a station having the aristocratic name of Harcourt, in charge of a buxom station mistress who collected the tickets and gave the word "right" in fine style. Some picturesque mountains were then seen in the distance, and afterwards a chain of low hills looking rather pretty continued along to our right for some distance. Leaving the next station, Ravenswood, we passed under another long tunnel; called at a place named Kangaroo Flat, find arrived at another great Victorian town, Sandhurst, having a world-wide reputation under the name of Bendigo.

The population of the city of Sandhurst is 22,000. I noticed many fine buildings in it, but like Castlemaine, bricks seemed predominant. Sandhurst has still the reputation of being very wealthy, and this theory is supported by the fact that at the great Easter fair there this year, the fair beauties who presided at the stalls collected in one day over £2000 in the cause of charity. The huge mounds of earth thrown up for miles after leaving Sandhurst would almost lead to the belief that the whole colony had been engaged in the work. Goornong, Runnymede, and Rochester are the stations between Sandhurst and Echuca, plains intervene, and little villages are at each station.

Along the railway line our attention was attracted for miles by large quantities of melons growing wild and well. There are 24 stations between Melbourne and Echuca , and the time taken for the journey was hours. The distance is 166 miles. Getting on the coach at Echuca. I arrived at Deniliquin at about 10 o'clock at night, having performed the whole distance from Melbourne in about 15 hours, including stoppages.

URANA TO WAGGA WAGGA

The races being; over, the route I took was via Widgiewa, and the Murrumbidgee. Mr Lloyd, of Yamma station, thoughtfully sent on my horse by a servant, and drove to Widgiewa , a distance of about twenty miles. The team consisted of a pair of good bays, and we bowled along at a fine pace. When about a mile from Urana, the cemetery was passed; and then, after going through some gates, in the distance between some trees the residence of Mr Watt (of Watt and Thomson) was pointed out about two miles from Urana.

Going over a sandhill, the road lay along the edge of the Urana lake for many miles. M'Caughey 's Coonong home-station was seen to the left, as we passed through a good salt-bush paddock. Plains again came in sight, and as we drove through them their sameness of the scenery was realized by a few clusters of trees, near the centre, which in that dry season seemed to indicate au oasis in the desert. Crossing these long plains the sun went down amid a gorgeous array of brilliantly-coloured clouds. The clouds then drifted away, and the sky soon became spangled with stars seen to advantage in the midst of the plains; the coolness of the evening, the freshness the horses, and the excellence of the road, all tended enchance the pleasantness of the drive.

The Widgiewa gates were then entered and other paddocks, and a number of other gates passed through, ere the house was reached. We left Urana at 4 pm and accomplished the journey in less than three hours. We were warmly welcomed by the lord of Widgiewa, James Cochran , Esq., JP. After a refreshing wash and the usual “stimulant" (which seems to be the recognised test of your being a bushman) dinner was announced, and a party, such an assemblage as can only be seen in this country or in Great Britain (or possibly read of in Lever or Bulwer Lytton like descriptions of English gentlemen's country seats). The " bravo and fair" were assembled there on their way home from the races-many being 70 miles away.

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