Australian Town and Country Journal at KellyGang 21/9/1872 (2)
Still continuing my journey through lignum plains for four miles, in a southerly direction, I reachedPimpanpa, the station of J Richmond, Esq. I found Mr W Broomfield in charge, and was glad to accept his invitation to remain for the night, being pretty tired and disgusted with my lignum experience.
Pimpanpa is a sheep station, having an area of sixty four square miles, and a frontage to the river of about seven miles, it is all fenced-in and subdivided; and is watered in addition to the river frontage by two lagoons about a mile each in diameter. The station carries about 14,000 sheep. About two miles from Pimpanpa and along the river bank, I reached Gelam, the station of Henry Darlet, Esq., and under the superintendence of Mr James Hunt. This is one of the stations first taken up by Thomas D'Archy, Esq., about thirty yours ago. Mr. D'Archy also took up the station above Pimpanpa. The difficulties and strange adventure, particularly with the blacks at that time, of Mr and Mrs D'Archy were of a very remarkable kind, but their recital would occupy too much space here, and if given it must be in a separate chapter hereafter.
Gelam has an area of about sixty square miles, and a frontage to the Murrumbidgee of ten miles. It carries about 5000 sheep and 500 head of cattle. The station where Mr Hunt lives was once considered the best house on the Murrumbidgee, but time has reduced its pretensions to that honor. The woolshed, a new one, is some distance off. A mile and a half from Gelam the road was left for a track which run into a bend of the Murrumbidgee, and a pretty station on the opposite bank soon appeared. When we got to the river a boat was sent across, and on reaching the opposite side we found ourselves at the Nap Nap station, Messrs Thomas M'Farland and Co, and the residence of Mr M'Farland. The meaning of the original word Nap-Nap is swamp. swamp or very swampy. It is remarked that when blacks wish to describe any place or thing very emphatically, or in the plural number they double or repeat the name, as in Wagga Wagga. Mitta Mitta, Nap Nap. &c. The residence, of brick, on the river bank is a very nice one, and the whole of the outbuilding, stores, cellars, and kitchen, are also well arranged and faithfully built.
A promising garden is in the front and around the residence, and the whole is supplied with water from the river, by means of appliances drawn by a windmill. The station is mach improved and system and order is everywhere apparent. The area of Nap Nap is 100 square miles, and it has twenty miles frontage to the Murrumbidgee. Great portion of the run is polygononm country. It is protected from the intrusion of tree selectors by the flood waters, which, almost as regularly as the Nile floods Egypt, inundate the river frontage of the station, while the river waters remain for a long time on a great portion of the interior. 200 miles of country, or half of the run was under water for fifteen mouths, in 1870-71. The run is all fenced in with wire fencing nearly 120 miles altogether, sub divided into seven or eight paddocks, It carries 30,000 sheep and 1000 head of cattle. The latter are particularly well bred and their relatives are of the purple blood. A number of M'Dougall's shorthorns are now on the run. In reference to its former history, it appears that Hobbler and Barker first took it up, Wentworth, Augustus Morris, Kaye and Butchart followed. The latter firm sold to Thomas M'Farland and Co.
After leaving Nap Nap, to avoid a long dreary ride of nearly forty miles without a habitation, I took a northerly course across plains, the greatest part of which were under water for eighteen miles to Oxley. Large quantities of wild fowl were on the plains, chiefly bustards and wild duck. It was about four o'clock in the afternoon when a narrow belt of trees on the plains indicated my approach to the "long and lazy Lachlan." Oxley is the residence and station of Thomas D'Archy, Esq, JP. I received a most hearty welcome at the station and remained there several days. Mr D'Archy is the oldest resident in that part of the country; and the health of this hospitable pioneer and his kind hearted lady, were drunk in bumpers of champagne at the last Pastoral Association's dinner held at Hay.
Oxley station has a spacious comfortable residence on the banks of the Lachlan. An excellent garden is in front, but the season of the year, viz., the middle of winter, was not the most favourable time to visit it. Grapes grow well in it, but the most notable feature is an immense fig tree, the largest that I have seen in that part of the country. It is a splendid tree, although only fifteen years old. It represents the time of a christening party at Oxley, when the grandchild of Mr and Mrs D'Archy was baptised. Nearer the residence is a fine old belfry almost smothered in climbers, and from above it the Australian flag was floating proudly in the breeze All kinds of roses and other choice flowers were growing in the garden. Oxley has an area of 160 square miles and has a frontage to the Lachlan of eighteen miles. Mr D'Archy has marched with the times, and has seen almost all his early compeers come and go. The station is well improved. Sixty or seventy miles of wire fencing have been erected on the run which is also subdivided into paddocks. Mr D'Archy was the first to secure the waters of the Lachlan by damming. The river is dammed in two places at a cost of over £800. One of the dams is 300 yards in length. About fourteen miles from the home station there is a fine lake. It is called Lake Ita, and is about seven miles in circumference. It was literally swarming with wild fowl, including geese, ducks, swans, and pelicans. There is a dam with sluice gates which regulate the reception and discharge of water from Lake Ita to the Lachlan River.
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