The Argus at KellyGang 13/9/1883 (2)
As to the claims of the district for railway communication the following statistics collected by the league may be given. The figures relate to half of Oxley Shire and they do not include any settlement within five miles of Glenrowan: -Total value of rateable property, £168,660; annual do., £14,055; 250 farms; 6,000 acres under wheat, 300 under oats, 176 under other cereals, 600 under hay, 250 under green forage, 950 under hops and tobacco, 100 in root crops - total, 10,9760 acres under cultivation; yields - 60,000 bushels wheat, 60,000 bushels oats, 4,000 bushels other cereals, 1,000 tons of hay, 500 tons root crops; stock - 1,995 horses, 12,209 cattle, 39,734 sheep, 881 pigs. A railway to Moyhu would save a carriage by road of l8 miles to Wangaratta and it would open up a large tract of agricultural land on the Bongamero, Glenmore and Mount Typo runs. The land on the flats is particularly adapted for the growth of tobacco, hops, maize, and potatoes and up in the ranges there are forests of mountain ash and stringy bark.
Having listened to, and duly noted, the arguments and statistics submitted by the league, we set out on what proved a most enjoyable drive up the King. The bush was alive with bright-coloured birds, and the atmosphere was permeated with the perfume of wattle blossom. Fording the King at Mr J J Farrell's estate we pursued our way up the right side of the river, with the Whitefield ranges on the one hand, those of the Meadow Creek on the other, and the towering Black range presenting a barrier to the Mansfield district far away in front. The land on Mr Farrell's holding (1,500 or 1,600 acres) was rich loamy soil, and we were assured that the owner had quite recently refused £10 an acre for it. He had, however, let 30 or 40 acres to a Chinaman for tobacco growing at £1 an acre and the Chinaman appeared to be prospering. Grand stretches of that country followed, all of it taken up, but for the most part undeveloped as yet. Then we passed the Hedi police station, and reined up at Daisy park Farm, the property of Messrs Bourke Brothers. The homestead at Daisy park is a substantial brick structure, and it is surrounded by a garden, a stockyard and comfortable out houses; and all along the dead- wood fences of the adjacent paddocks light- wood trees have sprung up like ornamental shrubs.
Among it a number of stalwart, intelligent settlers met with here was Mr James Kiely, of Hedi, who gave some valuable information as to the rearing of hops. From one acre of five year old plants he got last year 12 bales, which he sold for £466. This splendid yield was the result of a patient and careful study of the habits and requirements of the plants. "I found," he said, "that the trees nearest the male plants were most productive in seed and lupin. I counted the seeds in each plant, and the further I went from the male plants there was less seed and lupin. I use lime us manure - about half a pint to the hill - and I only use two poles on a hill, which plan saves 889 poles to the acre, and gives the plants more sun and air. We require more male plants in this colony than in the old country. The proportion I have is one to 25."
After lunch, one of the oldest men about tile place made his appearance. He was a shepherd, named James Howard, aged 83 years - a stout, weather beaten, rather grizzly looking old man. He was a shepherd on Faithfull's run, Oxley Plains, when a terrible slaughter of the blacks took place about 42 years ago. Faithfull had crossed over from the Sydney side, and had taken up land about Euroa and Oxley. Four of his stockmen were murdered by the blacks near Euroa - just on the spot on Faithfull s Creek where the station which was stuck up by the Kelly gang now stands. The blacks then crossed over to the Oxley or King River plains and played sad havoc with Faithfull's cattle and sheep there, whereupon the stockmen, shepherds, and hut- keepers turned out, mounted and armed, to the number of about l8, fell upon the blacks in camp on the bank of the King above Oxley, and massacred them. About 200 were killed on the spot, and the others were pursued for miles up the river, until all, with one or two exceptions, were exterminated. Howard is extremely reticent as to who were actually engaged in the slaughter, and when first questioned on the subject said, "Don’t you know there were seven men hanged in Sydney for killing a gin? It is not for me to say who was there." He, however, vouchsafed the following summary of the proceedings:- "In 1841 the blacks here were very bad."
They were spearing the cattle on the plains, and the poor beasts were running about by the score with spears sticking in them. They also rounded 400 or 500 sheep up, and rushed them into the King River, and walked over them as on a bridge. Faithfull's men had then to go out to protect the stock and the shepherds. Of course a slaughter followed. There were some 300 blacks, and we came upon them on the Oxley Plains. We followed them up the river, and only three of them escaped. The dead bodies were left for the crows to pick."
Alter being very hospitably entertained at Daisy park, we next crossed a range which divides the Hedí Plains from those of the Upper King, and descended on the hop plantation of Ah You. This little, lively, and industrious Chinaman has reclaimed six acres and a half of swampy land, and has planted it with hops, and he sold his last year's crop of hops for £1,464. He also has a tobacco plantation further up the valley, but it was a partial failure last year, and only yielded him £100. At his hop grounds he has erected a kiln, which is a copy of one he saw at Bairnsdale, with store and cooling room. For his own comfort he has built a tidy little wooden cottage, containing a parlour two bedrooms, and a kitchen, and has furnished all the apartments in European style. He also dresses like a European, and generally appears in white corduroys and riding boots. His employes on the other hand have their own kitchen and sleeping apartments, and live and dress in Oriental fashion.
About four weeks ago, Ah You took unto himself a wife, a pure bred Chinese girl, born and educated at Wangaratta, whom he bought from her father, Ah Kett, for £101 cash down. The marriage ceremony was performed by the Presbyterian minister at Wangaratta, and then the newly married couple were escorted on their 30 miles' journey up the King by a procession of vehicles and a cavalcade of horsemen. All Ah You's friends were invited to join in the rejoicings, and about 200 spent a night of jollity at his home-stead. There was abundance to eat and drink, and for his European guests the bride- groom had engaged a first class European cook. There was also plenty of music and dancing, and such a scene of merriment and fun had not been before witnessed in the valley of the Upper King.
A few miles further up the river we fell into a nest of warm hearted Scotch farmers, who pegged out their lands some l4 years ago, and who, having found that their lands are characterised by an almost exhaustless fertility, are all in well to do and prosperous circumstances. Their only drawback is the distance they have to cart their produce to market. When they originally buried themselves in the depths of the bush here they were for a long time without intercourse with the outside world, and when they did again come in contact with civilisation they discovered to their horror-for they were rigid Presbyterians - that they had miscounted the days of the week, and had for six weeks been keeping Monday sacred instead of Sunday..
Passing through the broad acres of Mr Dowey's lands, large areas of which were under wheat, we re crossed the river, and driving through the Whitefield pastoral station, we returned as we carne to Moyhu. There was little to note on the return journey except that there were miles of land which would undoubtedly be turned to agricultural purposes whenever the district is provided with railway or other facilities for the conveyance of produce. A rest at the hospitable homestead of Mr A Byrne, and then another drive down the King and through the splendid wheat growing plains of Oxley and Millewa brought us to Wangaratta, and the impression left by the trip was that the valley of the King is one of the choice places of Victoria, and that although it is at present peopled by hundreds of industrious and law abiding settlers, it is capable of maintaining many hundreds more.
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