Australian Town and Country Journal at KellyGang 19/10/1872

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(full text transcription)

A Tour to the South.

[BY OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT]

THE MURRAY AND EDWARD RIVERS

I HAVE before, referred to the numerous lagoons, along the banks of the Murray and Murrumbidgee. In times of heavy rain the flood waters overflow the river banks and fill these lagoons, and cover the roadway. Considerable difficulty is experienced in travelling, particularly with teams during the wet weather. The accompanying engraving represents a loaded bullock team crossing one of those dangerous spots near Wentworth. The winding river is seen to the left, breaking over its banks across the track.

From Wentworth I retraced my steps up the Murray to its junction with the Murrumbidgee, and again followed up the latter river to Balranald. Crossing the punt at Balranald in company with Mr Mitchell, the police magistrate of the district, we had a pleasant ride to Yanga . About three quarters of a mile from the punt we passed a well-built roadside inn, called "The Punt Hotel," carried on by Mr O J Silvester. For three miles further the road wound through graceful pine plantations, and short plains; and Yanga Lake then burst on the view.

This magnificent sheet of water, fed by the Murrumbidgee in flood time, was discovered by Mr F A Gwynne, in 1845. It is fully fifteen miles in circumference. In shape it resembles the figure 8, and at the northern end of the 8 the residence is erected.

Yanga station is the property of Dr Williamson The residence is a fine spacious building constructed chiefly of Murray pine. A good garden is before the house. About half a mile from the resilience is the overseer's, men's quarters, and stables. At the latter I had an opportunity of seeing some excellent stock. Amongst these was Pluto, a bay colt by Ferryman, by Fisherman, dam Roso de Florence; Leonidas, by Kelpie, dam Bessie Bell; Mario, a handsome horse by Premier, dam Jenny Lind; and Styx, Sybil, and Castor, descendants of Ferryman, Warhawk, and Pluto, and the great "Talk o' the Hills."

These horses show considerable promise, and will no doubt be in the front rank at the local race meets, where I understand they are to show their paces. The three last named belong to Mr Stevenson, the overseer.

Yanga is a splendid station, and is much improved. It extends from the junction of the Lachlan Murrumbidgee on the northern side, south to the Edward River, as far west as within fifteen miles of the junction of the Murrumbidgee, embracing an area of 600 square miles. The run is all fenced in, and has over 125 miles of fencing, post and rail, wire, &c, erected on it. It is subdivided into summer and winter fattening paddocks, breeding, heifer, bull, and horse paddocks. Besides the Murrumbidgee River and Yanga Lake, Yanga station is watered by a number of other lakes - Condoopie eight miles round, Talbots three, small but deep; Tala seven miles round, Lurika seven miles round, and a few smaller ones. The run chiefly consists of plains, and pine ridges on the lower part of the run; towards the mouth of the Edward the country is principally mallee scrub.

Yanga is a cattle station. The breed is all short horn, of excellent family, chiefly the descendants of imported bulls from the herds of M'Dougall, of Victoria, and also a few from Mr Devlin's. About 10,000 head of cattle are now on the run.

The morning following my arrival, the superintendent, Mr Pearson, had a capital pair of horses put to his buggy, and gave me a drive through the run, and to a neighbouring station, Canally , eleven miles distant. The road was a pleasant one, and the journey was accomplished in about one hour. We returned in the evening, and on the following day I resumed my travels. My journey was from Balranald to Deniliquin, via the Edward. From Yanga, across country, it is about twenty-five miles to the next station, Moolpar. I had some difficulty in finding my way, for the track was very indistinct in many places. The country, however, looked magnificent. It was beautifully undulating, and dotted over it were many fine lakes. Having had a late start from Yanga, it was long after night-fall when I came on to Salisbury plains, at the opposite side of which was the Moolpar woolshed, and half a, mile further on, the residence of the proprietors, Messrs G A and P Mein, on the back of the Edward River.

Moolpar (an aboriginal name of a native flower of the hyacinth kind, which abounds there) is quite a township in appearance, and has an unusually large number of buildings at the home station. Moolpar, in reality, consists of eight runs, five of which are on the northern side, and three on the southern side of the Edward. Cattle are on the north frontage, and sheep on the south. The run is all fenced in and subdivided. Beside several lakes and the river frontage, there are ten or twelve dams also constructed; and some miles of cuttings to drain the sandhills, filling natural basons and thus forming lakes. 20,000 yards of excavations have been made. Between £5000 and £6000 have been expended in obtaining water supply, for this principality, which embraces an area of many tens of thousands of acres.

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