Australian Town and Country Journal at KellyGang 31/8/1872 (3)
Gojelderi has an area of about 160 square miles, and has a frontage of eight miles to the Murrumbidgee. Mr Dallas has kept in the van of progress with his Victorian neighbours. The number of gates shows a, wise sub-division of the run into paddocks. Though a cattle and horse station, over seventy miles of fencing, chiefly wire, have been erected. A number of wells and dams are on the back of the run. It is stocked by about 4000 head of cattle, and over 200 head of horses.
The next station below Gojelderi is called Cuba, though the aboriginal name is undoubtedly Cooba. The latter is a name given to a tree which is very plentiful on Riverina, and on this station in particular. Cuba has only recently changed hands, having been disposed of by Messrs Waller and Gordon, to the present owners, Stanbridge and Co. It is superintended by Mr W J M'Gaw. Tho residence is a very, spacious building, having fine apartments, and exceedingly well constructed, partly of pisó work. The area of the station is thirty by thirteen miles ; tho latter hoing tho frontage to the Murrumbidgee. Between 180 and 200 miles of fencing have been erected on this run, which now carries upwards of 80,000 sheep, and 800 head of cattle. The sheep are descended from Bayly and Learmonth's flocks.
Leaving Cuba, and proceeding along tho plains for two miles, I came to the site of the township called Darlington. The people were complaining of the want of a post-office here to accommodate both sides of the river. It is eighty miles from Hay, and forty miles from Narrandera; no post-office is between, so the people would seem to have made out a good case in the petition which has been presented. There is one hotel at Darlington, called the Coach and Horses, kept by Mr K C A Cummings.
After leaving Darlington the road continues along the river bank, through salt-bush country, and along plains at a dead level. After three or four hours' riding over this dreary ground I took, according to instructions, a side path which led through fences, and into paddocks. Passing through a capital avenue, a plain opens out, and in time distance a comfortable residence is soon. This is Benerembah, the station of Thomas Baillie, Esq. The house, just completed, is a well-planned and designed, brick building on the bank of the Murrumbidgee. A boat is moored on the river for the use of visitors. The superintendent of the station, Mr John Munro, gave me a pull on the river and across, where some picturesque scenery opened out to view. To the left was the mens’ huts, and further still was the shearer's hut. These are well constructed, comfortable buildings, and spoke well for the thoughtfulness of those in charge of the station for the care of the men.
About a quarter of a mile from the house is the Benerembah woolshed, and woolstore. These are built of heavy sawn timber laid crosswise. Tho woolshed is a particularly fine one, 180 feet long and 45 feet wide. Forty shearers can be accommodated on a push, but twenty-eight is the number generally employed, so that full room is secured for all. The interior pens and gates are models of system and good judgment. The wool-press is of colonial hard wood, with screw, and worked by a wheel on a similar plan to Wilding's patent. Thirty-three bales per day can be turned out. Good folding wire tables and sorter's box adjoin. This shed is equally complete in regard to the drafting pens and yards connected with it. It was erected at a cost of nearly £32000. It may be here mentioned that a larger and more expensive shed on this run was destroyed by fire about five years ago. It was the act of an incendiary-a scoundrel who had a row with the predecessor of Mr. Munro, and revenged himself by this malicious act.
Benerembah has an area of 140,000 acres, and a frontage of nine miles to the Murrumbidgee. The run carries about 54,000 sheep. I have before had occasion to speak of the spirit and enterprise displayed by the large number of Victorian capitalists who have bought ?ion property in Riverina during the past ten years. Mr Baillie is another Victorian, and a few solid facts will speak for him in laudatory terms. The station has been in his hands about six years. There are now 150 miles of wire fencing erected, and the run is entirely enclosed, and subdivided into twelve large and seventeen smaller paddocks. To secure a sufficient supply of water, without which it would have been impossible to keep stock on the station except on the river frontage, three dams, one of immense size, and four wells have been constructed, and the books show the improvements on the station during the past six years to have cost £15,000. These are remarkable facts, as showing how the resources of Riverina are being developed.
| ! | 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. |
