T.P. Shelley first travelled this district
in 1886. These articles describe his return
trip around the area 46 years later. He was
an articulate and observant man giving the
reader a clear picture of life in this area
in the early part of the last century.
T. P. Shelley was a larger-than-life character.
"He was a big man. He was not Australian,
he was an Irishman," said Les Harris
of Kiah. "When he used to yell out down
there (on his farm, 'Saltwater' at Kiah)
you'd hear him up here. He had a beautiful
voice. He didn't need a telephone. You could
hear him for a long way. Clear as a bell.
He was a tea agent, and he sold all sorts
of things from separators to sewing machines.
He was a big man, he couldn't sit a horse.
He used to travel around in a horse and sulky.
By gee, when he sat in the sulky, the old
sulky would go down on one side. He used
to go all over the place. He had that job
all his life."
'Eden Magnet' May 28th, 1932
KIAH 1886 - 1932
A CONTRAST
by T. P. Shelley
Forty six years have elapsed since the year
in which, coming down from Towamba, I first
made the acquaintance of the settlers who
with true pioneering instinct, had established
themselves on the splendid alluvial land,
known as the Kiah River flats, which only
in recent years are being made properly accessible,
and which, for productiveness, are among
the best in Australia.
The first settler whom I saw was John Ryan,
a most hospitable man. His farm was pretty
well cleared, and his farm was devoted to
the growing of maize and the rearing of pigs.
Being at that time, as now, on business bent,
I sold him a Singer sewing machine and an
A.B.C. corn sheller, both indispensable and
necessary to the progress and comfort of
the homely pioneer. I then went on to the
homestead of Edmund Mitchell, hearty and
hospitable as all the riverside farmers were.
His place was partly improved, and the cleared
portions were bearing crops of maize and
potatoes. He procured from me a Planet cultivator
where-with to enhance his yield of golden
grain. From his place the track was rough,
and the river boggy enough to scare a new
chum, and it was more by good luck than good
management that I managed to find my way
through the then almost inaccessible country
that the developmental road which has been
commenced is designed to serve. I made my
way down by 'Ivy Farm', partly cleared and
much of its best land put under crop by J.
T. Mitchell, domestically disposed. He also
ordered a Singer sewing machine as a present
for his wife, in thoughtful anticipation
of their mutual needs.
The track became more and more difficult,
and the distance from 'Ivy Farm' to Mr. Harris's
farm seemed an extraordinarily long way to
me, a perfect stranger to these parts. However,
I got there, to find a series of new selections,
in which clearing had been made from the
virgin bush with preliminary cultivation
already in progress. Mr. Harris was scuffling
maize with an old-fashioned iron scuffle,
which was hard on man and beast, and he quickly
gave me an order for a Planet Jr., also a
Singer sewing machine. He showed me the track
to Bernie Doyle's. This lay through new selections,
mostly taken up by Mr. Harris's sons and
including farms now owned by Messrs Ted and
Sylvie Harris. The bush was full of bird
life, and wonga pigeons were continually
flying up almost in one's face. The country
generally was very scrubby until the track
led the weary traveller to Bernie Doyle's
which by its look was a comparatively early
settlement. Bernie was a born stockman and
his big yards were full of cattle, which
were not nearly so docile as the domesticated
Jerseys are on the same farm nowadays.
I may say that this was practically my first
experience with cattle, and I thought them
extremely intractable, but a little later
I came into contact with properly wild cattle
at Yourie, Witbilliga, and Belowra way.
It was great fun seeing Bernie by himself
throw the largest bullock in the yard and
hold it down and secure it by means of a
rope. He was undoubtedly a champion among
stock, and would have been equal to showing
the far-famed western cowboys a few points
in the hunting and handling of cattle. Of
course I had to stay the night with him,
as his home, like that of his fellow farmers
was open for the entertainment of travellers.
You no sooner arrived at a place on the river
than a youngster ran to feed your horse,
and the tea was on the table in a jiffy.
Your only trouble was to watch and see that
your horse was not overfed with maize. Several
other travellers stayed at Bernie Doyle's
that night and the utmost hospitality was
extended to all.
Next morning Bernie put me on the track,
which was a narrow one most of the way through
prickly bush and undergrowth. Talk of wild
duck! They rose in hundreds from the many
swamps abutting on the river, swamps that
now are mostly dry, reclaimed by draining.
I wended my way down by where Mr. James McMahon
Snr., now lives, leaving it on my left, as
I was frightened to attempt a crossing in
the river quicksands there.
The next place I came to was that of Tom
Stevens, a pioneer settler, and a very alert
kind of man. Of course he and his wife had
to have a Singer to help them sing the song
of 'Home Sweet Home'. His patch of land seemed
well improved and was covered with a good
growing crop of maize.
From Mr. Stevens' I dodged over the river
to where Bob Goward had a selection, but
one could not see far for the prickly bush
which covered the rich alluvial lands. I
did no business with him then, as he was
away getting married. Good news for the future!
I went on to the home of John and Dan Kelly,
good old Irish men and glad to see another.
I soon found that John was more than ordinarily
well educated as far as history was concerned,
for he could teach me the history of Ireland,
England, Scotland, America etc. He had been
a sailor and of course had seen as well as
heard something of the wide, wide world.
The Kellys had a good piece of land, growing
crops of maize and hops. This was the first
time I had seen hops grown in Australia,
and their growth was luxuriant.
Leaving Kellylands I found my way to Cochrane's
Flat, the home of the Whelans. I had met
Roger (or Roddie as he was more generally
known) in Pambula on my way down the coast.
Old Mrs. Whelan and some of the girls were
there. She was one of the brightest of women,
endowed with a remarkably ready wit, and
with her quaint and refreshing humour soon
had me in fits of laughter - she and the
girls. I soon felt at home there, and of
course another sewing machine helped to swell
my modest volume of local biz. This part
of it was worked by Ned Richards, who, not
to be outshone by his neighbours, had to
have a Singer for his home.
Next morning I found my way to 'Freshwater',
where Tom Whelan lived. He was just married
and was putting up a big fight against the
primitive conditions which had to be overcome
by settlers who resolved to succeed. The
place was only partially cleared, and the
uncleared portion was heavily encumbered
with the ubiquitous prickly bush. Here was
the pigeon's paradise, which I , in my fondness
for sport, rather ruthlessly disturbed. I
got the loan of a gun and went shooting with
Tom, and in less than an hour we had 25 wongas,
which proved an acceptable addition to the
larder of my hospitable hosts.
In the evening I went over to some place
in the vicinity of Ah Dick's, and Jim and
Will Whelan were there ploughing with the
old type of plough that I was familiar with
in Ireland, and there I ploughed my first
few rounds in Australia. The boys were not
surprised as they knew that most men from
the old country could plough.
From there I proceeded to where Tom Power
lived, on property now owned by Robert Bruce
and Tom McMahon. When I got there by a very
rough track, Power had just hauled a net-full
of beautiful fish. Oh, what a feed of fish
we had! This place was like all the rest,
only partly cleared, but here as elsewhere,
a home was established, and hope reigned
supreme. Consequently another Singer was
ordered to lighten the labours of the industrious
and thrifty housewife.
Bidding farewell to the last-visited of my
riverside friends, I made for Eden by a terribly
rough road, and met Bill Stevens coming up
Whelan's Swamp Hill with three good draught
horses pulling for all they were worth with
a load of about half a ton! Those were the
days of bad roads.
I kept on, and my next place of call was
Boydtown, where Major Woods lived in the
Sea Horse Inn, which then was in beautiful
order and intact. There was not then a crack
in any of the walls. The bar was in old country
style, and shelves behind were fitted up
with casks of English oak with shining silver
hoops, and the names of the various liquors,
brandy, rum, whisky, port, sherry, etc.,
labelled on the casks. The hotel appointments
were lavish. The Major showed me over every
portion of the establishment, including the
tap rooms, dining rooms, and the most magnificent
billiard room I had ever seen. The walls
and Gothic roof were lined with beautifully
panelled cedar, and the Major and I played
on the billiard table, a handsome piece of
furniture, made, I believe by a member of
the Davidson family. At a distance from the
hostel were the old boiling-down works and
wool stores, and there was also a line of
empty cottages, about twenty of them, all
now gone.
Even now, as one travels round the country
one can see, even as far afield as the Monaro,
mementos of the old hostel including slate
tiles which formed portions of the piazza
floor and steps of old Boydtown House. How
times have changed! A lovely building now
far gone in disrepair, and its lavish furnishings
dispersed. Yet even now, what sort of a tourist
place could it be made? What a chance for
people of enterprise to come along and make
of the old settlement one of the show places
in Australia, accessible by good roads from
every portion of the continent. Who knows
but what as a tourist resort Boydtown may
not have a more resplendent future than was
ever planned for it as an industrial settlement
by its enterprising founder, who met a tragic
and untimely fate at the hands of uncivilised
natives in the island of Guadalcanal. The
idea of a revival of the glories of Boydtown
suggests the possibilities of a wonderful
development at Twofold Bay, a worthy objective
for a younger and, let us hope, a more progressive,
generation.
In my next article reference will be made
to the progress that has been made in the
Kiah River district which, as a stranger,
I visited nearly half a century ago.
'Eden Magnet' June 18, 1932.
KIAH 1886 - 1932
A CONTRAST Cont.
by T. P. Shelley.
In my previous article I described the Kiah-Towamba
River district in its pioneering stage, and
now I will give a review showing the extent
to which progress has been made there since
my initial visit to it 46 years ago. A recent
trip over the self-same country enabled me
to do this with up-to-date accuracy.
Starting again at John Ryan's old place,
I note that this is owned by Mr. Martin McMasters,
an enterprising settler of the right type.
The flats on the property are now all cleared
and growing prime lucerne, maize oats, Japanese
millet, etc, as feed for wealth-producing
cows. There is a nice homestead, also a dairy
and a milking yard. A nicely improved place.
A good road close by called the Lower Towamba
road leads to where Mr. Roy Mitchell and
his mother and his sister have their beautiful
and hospitable home. Here there is the post
and telephone office, and a good wireless
set provides up-to-the-minute communication
with all parts of the world. All the flats
on this farm are under cultivation. The crops
are, principally maize which yields prolifically,
and lucerne also is growing well. Roy intends
to devote part of his holding to dairying
in the near future.
Close by on the same side of the river, live
Mr. and Mrs. J. V. Robinson, who have a very
nice home and are very comfortably circumstanced.
Among other improvements, J. V. has cleared
a very heavy scrub know as "Rat's Valley",
which at one time people thought would never
be cleared. Mr. and Mrs. Robinson have by
their foresight and industry made a lot of
money by market-gardening, for which the
land is equal to the best to be found elsewhere
in Australia.
Proceeding Kiah-wards, one wends one's way
to Harry Mitchell's, crossing deep water
twice before getting there. From this it
will be seen that he needs the new road before
he starts dairying. His place is known as
'Ivy Farm'. It contains some good flats,
all under maize, potatoes and lucerne. This
on land that once was covered with jungle,
and if "Russian John" (a well known
bush worker in this district in the early
days) could reappear, he would be able to
tell of the tremendous toil he put in, in
clearing some of those plots. Harry has a
nice home, and a garden in which are growing
oranges and lemons. "They Say"
(a local gossip column in the 'Eden Magnet'
- author) (and I trust he will pardon my
repeating this) that he will soon be taking
a partner to his heart and home.
Leaving there you cross and re-cross the
river a dozen times, passing nice paddocks
of maize on both sides of you, until you
reach the farm that of late has achieved
state-wide fame, "The Pride of the River".
Here Cr. A. L. Mitchell lives. Also are domiciled
here a newly married pair, Mr. and Mrs. Jim
Sawers, who work the dairy. Mr. Mitchell
has a nice new home, good milking yards and
dairy, and an Alfa-Laval separator which
hums like music as it produces excellent
cream, yielded by a beautiful herd of Jerseys.
It is on this farm that A. L. grows his prize
winning maize, some of which won for him
this year the R. A. S. Trophy for the South
Coast, also the first award in the district
competition under the auspices of the Eden
Exhibition Society. His yield was 127 bushels
to the acre. He is a pig specialist and prides
himself on the possession of some splendid
Tamworths. He also has prize poultry from
the Sydney Show. By the strides he is making
he will soon have this splendid property
converted into an up-to-date dairy farm.
Resuming the journey, one has to climb a
terribly steep hill on the way to the farm
of Mr. H. W. Harris, where also is a nice
home, situated on well cleared land reclaimed
by persistent and well-directed industry
from its former jungle state. A good herd
of Jerseys indicates the existence of a valuable
primary industry, and on the rich flats are
seen growing in profusion crops of lucerne,
oats, and maize; also a good patch of mangolds,
some of enormous size. These roots are excellent
for milking cows. H. W. has the heart of
a lion to start dairying before the new road
has reached him, as his transport difficulties
are immense. He has to travel the bed of
the river for several miles before he reaches
the hard road.
Further on you reach Mr. E. H. Harris's place,
his house well up from the river and in a
position that no flood will ever reach, but
he needs the goodwill of his own good horses
to pull the maize from the flats up to his
hillside barn. This farm, once thickly covered
with prickly bush scrub, is now well cleared,
and contains some lovely grass paddocks,
and good crops of green oats, etc., on well
drained land that was once the mouth of a
swamp. "Ted" has a nice herd of
Jerseys, which yield first class cream per
medium of an Alfa-Laval. He, too, has to
take his cream down the bed of the river
for some distance before striking the road.
Next, one comes to the comfortable home of
Mr. H. S. Harris. On his farm there is some
good lucerne also luxuriant rye grass. This
is especially luxuriant on land that was
once a swamp. He has a really fine herd of
Jerseys, mainly from the late Mr. D. Binnie's
breed. I am told that the cream yield of
one of these cows is equal to, if not better
than, that of any of the cows tested at the
Pambula factory. Sylvie has a nice little
dairy and yards, and new clearing on the
hillside portends extension of the area devoted
to dairying.
As dairying has come to stay, a lot of the
hillside land along the river will be brought
into use, but only by the utilisation of
home labour can it be made to pay for the
work involved.
One next arrives at Mr. M. D. Doyle's, whose
holding is an old farm, with some good alluvial
flats. Here there are two nice new houses,
new milking yards, and a dairy which is about
to send its contribution of cream to the
factory. Lucerne and grasses are well established
here to provide for the needs of cream producing
"Strawberries". Rabbit-proof fences
betoken essential up-to-dateness in farming.
M. D. is 80 years of age, but is as sturdy
and vigorous as ever, and I venture to say
that not a horse on the river can throw him.
He still rides as stately as of yore, and
one can tell at a glance that he was every
inch of him the crack bush rider that he
is reputed to have been in the days when
cattle hunting was to him an all-absorbing
hobby. Little wonder that no beast could
beat him in the bush or elsewhere.
Now you cross the river, over a very bad
crossing , to where Mick's brother Bernie
used to live and where as I previously mentioned,
I first saw wild cattle. Here in a beautiful
new home reside a happy pair of Kiah's latest
newly-weds, Mr. and Mrs. James McMahon, junior.
From the house one obtains commanding views
both up and down the river, and the spot
is ideal for the garden and orchard. There
are some very fine flats, at present devoted
to the cultivation of maize, but the owner
intends to start a dairy there in the near
future, and it should be the best on the
river, as it has some well-cleared hillside
grass land for use in conjunction with the
fertile flats. From this farm one can easily
get on to the Prince's Highway, and I may
say that this is the starting point of good
motor roads, being only a short distance
from the Prince's Highway.
Almost opposite to the last mentioned farm
is the old McMahon home where Mr. James McMahon
senior lives. This farm has been well improved,
and some very expensive drains have effected
the reclamation of extensive rich swamp lands,
which in their present improved state are
the very thing for dairying. On this property
on sees a very nice home, good yards, bails
and dairy; also a good herd of Jerseys, whose
chieftain is a Logan bred bull. Here also
we see motor cars, engines, corn threshers,
disc ploughs, lucerne renovator, mowers and
altogether a pretty complete set of modern
farm implements.
The Kiah to Lower Towamba developmental road,
as so far constructed, reaches a little past
here as it is quite near to the homestead
there is no trouble in getting the products
of farm and dairy away to market. For the
farmers who have spent many years in unenviable
isolation in their determination to make
good on their holdings and ultimately to
win out, the new road is a veritable godsend
and afford them a much appreciated measure
of compensation for the discomfort and disadvantages
they have suffered through bygone years.
'Eden Magnet' July 19, 1932.
KIAH 1886-1932
A CONTRAST
by T. P. Shelley
Now, leaving the homestead of Mr. James McMahon
senr., there are two ways of reaching the
Goward property. One is the old track down
the river, which was nearly always boggy,
and if you happened to get a few feet off
the beaten track down you would go in the
quicksand. Many a ducking have I got along
the Kiah River, particularly when riding
a young horse not used to the eccentricities
of such a track. But the track I am now taking
is the new road, which was made by contractor
Delatore. It is the first section of the
Kiah to Lower Towamba developmental road,
and, in compliment to the originating engineer,
is now called the Donaldson Highway. This
road, I understand, was laid out by Mr. Hinley,
Imlay Shire engineer, and is on an excellent
grade. All the pipes in the made road were
manufactured at the Kiah bridge, and cannot
be surpassed for quality.
Some 200 yards or so from this road is the
old Goward home, situated on the top of a
nice rise many feet above the level of the
river and well beyond the reach of flood.
This was a well-appointed farm homestead
prior to the unforgettable bush fires of
1926, which destroyed barn, stables, bacon
house, etc., leaving only the home and this
was but just saved by the strenuous efforts
of the owner, Mrs. Goward, senior, and Mr.
Ally Harris. This is a nice little farm,
which has been again put in order and is
being at present worked by Mr. R. J. Goward,
his mother having for some time been too
ill to continue farming on her own account.
The writer is indeed sorry that such a fine
woman who has been such a help to others,
should ever herself get sick. From her younger
days, if she heard of anyone on the River
being ill, she would jump on her horse and
soon be at their side to see what she could
do to assist them. And she could do wonders
in those days to help and comfort the sick.
Many a time the writer has met her swimming
her horse across the river after attending
a patient. In those days there was no doctor
nearer than Bega. May she live long to enjoy
the companionship and appreciation of the
riverside folk.
Now you cross through the river to what is
known as "Paddy's Point", an area
of land that was taken up or bought by the
late Mr. Patrick Whelan. This is an excellent
piece of land, and was part of the old Goward
Estate. It was purchased by Mr. R. J. Goward,
who has built a good residence, new dairy,
milking yards, and numerous barns and sheds.
The latter are now full of oaten and lucerne
hay. Mr. Goward has a very nice herd of Jerseys,
the head of which was bred by Mr. J. A. Martin,
of Pambula, and shows plenty of quality.
Mrs. Goward has magnificent flower and vegetable
gardens, and possesses many certificates
of success at district shows. The farm is
now well equipped for dairying, there being
plenty of rye grass and lucerne. An Australian
made Sunshine mowing machine cuts the lucerne,
which is then fed to the cows. From here
there is a good motor road to the Prince's
Highway.
You come next to Mr. W. Allan's, formerly
the old Steven's property, now alongside
the princely highway. Since his purchase
of the property, Mr. Allan has built a splendid
new home much higher up from the river than
the old Stevens house, which the flood of
1919 surrounded and at the same time took
away a couple of 1000 gallon tanks full of
water, one of them being carried down to
Shelley's Freshwater Farm and smashing up
against a large tree. Mr. Allan did not want
any such floods around his house, and wisely
ensured its being out of the way of future
floods. New milking yards also have been
erected, in anticipation of dairying. Although
this farm was well improved when he bought
it, Mr. Allan has spent a lot of money in
effecting further improvements of a permanent
nature. By means of a concrete pipe drain
a quarter of a mile long he has reclaimed
a valuable swamp, and in order to provide
an outlet for the mouth of the drain had
to cut through a depth of 25 feet of alluvial
land to reach the river. This year he had
on a part of this swamp a magnificent crop
of maize, which I venture to say would fill
two large 100 ton silos, so there can be
no doubt that this swamp land will well repay
the expense incurred in its reclamation.
This farm has already a good patch of lucerne
and should easily and profitably run a good
little dairy.
'Eden Magnet' July 25, 1932
KIAH 1886-1932
A CONTRAST
by T. P. Shelley
You come back over the Kiah River bridge
to a farm which was once the home of Mr.
William Stevens, but which now belongs to
Mr. J. N. Harris, who now devotes it to the
growing of maize. Continuing down the same
side of the river, you come to the place
where the Kellys lived in 1886 and which
now belongs to Mr. J. N. Harris. Here you
find a good house, new dairy, milking yards,
etc., and an excellent herd of Jersey cows,
some from the famous herd of Mr. G. Salway,
of Cobargo, and more good ones from Mrs.
C. Rixon, of Rocky Hall. His bull is from
Cole's, of Pambula. It is J. N.'s intention
to have a herd that will be second to none.
For their feed he is making every preparation.
He has laid down several small paddocks with
the best of grasses, and has a great patch
of lucerne. So he is well set for dairying.
As I am only traversing the river farms I
will not leave the river but will cross over
to where, almost immediately opposite, is
Shelley's farm "Freshwater", once
famed for its lagoons and the sport that
was afforded by the wild duck that frequented
them. The swamps and lagoons have now mostly
been drained and put under cultivation for
maize, which has been grown with great success,
as testified by the prizes invariably gained
at Bega and other district shows. It was
said 40 years ago that these swamps were
undrainable, but they have been well drained
and cultivated. They were under crop when
the 1919 flood came and in one night took
it away - the best crop ever grown on "Freshwater"
- and left hundreds of large trees and six
feet of silt all over the place instead of
the maize that should have turned in a lot
of money. As on other flood-swept farms the
work of restoration and repair had to be
undertaken. The rubbish had to be cleared
away; new fences had to be built, and goodness
only knows what had to be done before the
place could be got to resume its former appearance.
But it has been done. On this farm is a good
house, one of the best barns in the district,
milking yards and dairy, etc., Milking cows
include some good Jerseys from the herds
of Wrens, Taraganda, Bega, more of the old
Farragh breed, Candelo, and the top of the
herd is a bull bred by Mr. Adolphus Fourter,
Nethercote. This farm has some lucerne well
established, and all other kinds of crops
suitable for dairying, and should make one
of the best dairies on the river.
You just go back across the river and what
was once a water reserve and all jungle is
now cleared by Mr. P. T. Geraghty and is
under maize, with a patch of good lucerne
for his cows and horses. He has a nice home
here. Formerly he was on the shire road maintenance
staff, but was taken over as leading hand
by the Main Roads Board when it assumed control
of the Prince's Highway.
Next you come on to the Whelan's property,
I believe the oldest on the river. It extends
to near the side of the old Lower Kiah road.
One finds good new milking yards, new dairy,
and everything up to date for dairying. There
are some good looking Jerseys, also headed
by a Cole bull of excellent quality. This
place has some very fine flats, and if fully
utilised for dairying it would be hard to
say how many cows could be milked there.
Just across the river from the Whelan's dairy
reside Mrs. Maxwell and her son Percy in
a neat little cottage owned by Mr. Bede Bruce.
Mr. Bruce grows mostly maize, and fattens
pigs for the Melbourne market.
You then have to cross over - or rather through
- the river twice before reaching the home
of Mr. Robert Bruce, who has a good house
(built by the late Jacob Veigel), a fine
orchard, and good barns. Mr. Bruce grows
mainly maize, and runs cattle on bush leases
and his paddock at Narrabarba, these at times
turning him in a lot of money. For the present
he is satisfied with his usual farming practice
and does not intend to go in for dairying
yet.
Further reference to other Lower Kiah farms
and to Boydtown will be made in a future
issue.
'Eden Magnet' September 3, 1932
KIAH
A CONTRAST
by T. P. Shelley
In my last article I forgot to mention that
the kitchen at Mr. Robert Bruce's residence
is part of the old Kiah school where Mr.
Thomas Beare started his first school in
this country. He was a find stamp of the
well-educated Irishman and naturally was
a great influence for good in the locality.
From Kiah he graduated to Wyndham and there
made many notable scholars, amongst whom
was Mr. Charles Turbet, who reached the top
in police and detective matters, and was
subsequently sent of America to study the
problems of motor traffic. He later became
superintendent of traffic, and a brilliant
career seemed assured, then the Great Disposer
of Events intervened, and decreed his passing
from this life to the Great Beyond. Mr. Percy
Beare, of timber fame, now living at Bermagui,
is a son of Mr. T. Beare, and no doubt there
are many at Kiah and round Wyndham who owe
their education to Kiah's first schoolmaster.
Making one's way down towards the mouth of
the Kiah River one arrives at Tom McMahon's
place, and when on the hill approaching the
homestead one would think there was a small
township underneath, so numerous are the
buildings, including a beautiful new house
which, phoenix-like, arose to take the place
of the home destroyed by fire some time ago.
Last but not least, one sees good milking
yards, which give promise of another cream
supplier to the factory at Pambula. One feels
however, that a district factory should have
been near Eden, with its beautiful port from
which the butter should be going direct to
England instead of being dragged to Sydney,
packed and re-packed before being sent overseas.
Land on both sides of the river is now owned
by Mr. McMahon and is immensely improved
from its condition of 46 years ago.
As you proceed further towards the river
entrance you pass through land once formerly
held by the Hegarty family, and now belonging
to Mr. McMahon. Beyond them, on the southern
side of the river, you come to a lovely little
cottage with a magnificent garden and orchard,
and below on the riverside is a fine area
of flat land and a market garden all belonging
to Mr. W. Franks. Mr. Franks is an expert
gardener as one can see by the beautiful
show of almost every variety of garden flower
supplemented by a fine display of cauliflowers.
Proceeding along the beach, through tidal
waters, one comes to the Davidson's ancestral
home, where I have spent with the members
of this fine old family many happy hours
by day and night. Theirs was indeed a home
for everyone, and the beautiful girls and
cheery boys will always live in my remembrance.
I believe our genial hostess of those days
still lives near Eden Though youthful in
mind and active in body, she must be near
the hundred mark. She was and is a very wonderful
woman, and may she live long to tell to coming
generations entertaining tales from her marvelous
memory of those happy, and eventful, days
of old.
A few hundred yards further south and one
comes to the State pine plantation. Here
is a good house, built by the Forestry Department
for their local manager and now occupied
by the forest overseer, Edgar May reputed
one of the best worker on laborious service
in the field. Mrs. May is a great fowl fancier,
and a yard-full of very fine Leghorns justifies
to her judgement in that regard.
Within a short distance is the old Kiah whaling
station now in a state of disuse, snugly
situated within the Kiah River entrance.
Above it is Mr. George Davidson's nice and
prettily situated residence from which are
obtained beautiful views of the bay and ocean,
and of Eden in the distance. Here are fine
gardens of flowers and vegetables, in the
growing of which the home folks are experts.
Little of the winter is experienced here,
as early potatoes are always to be had in
the pre spring season. Though George has
retired from whaling pursuits he is as busy
as ever, his principal occupation being connected
with the improvement of his beautifully situated
property.
Eastward from Mr. Davidson's property is
Kiah Village Reserve, which for many years
has been devoted to the growing of pines
and is part of an extensive plantation. The
growth made by the pines is amazing, the
height and girth of some of them on what
appears to be nothing but sea sand indicating
that the trees will soon be ready for the
timber pulping mill.
Still proceeding eastward across the village
reserve and the Fishery Flat, the property
of Mr. W. T. Seaward, and his sister, Miss
Seaward, one comes within reach of Mr. J.
R. Logan's beautiful home, probably the finest
to be found in the Far South Coast.
'Eden Magnet' September 3, 1932
HITHER & THITHER
From Kiah to Cann
by T. P. Shelley
Farmers at Kiah are busy clearing away last
season's corn stalks and getting land ready
for the plow. Some intend giving beans a
trial here, where they should give results
equal to the best in the Commonwealth.
The writer notes that bean growers are extending
their operations to the Bega district, and
are paying as high as £5/10 /- an acre as
rent for land at Jellat Jellat. Evidently
beans are beans these times. Jack Eurell
is the man who advised Victorians to come
this way, and he is helping them by transporting
their machinery. Nothing like fresh blood
coming into a district.
Every morning now at daylight one hears the
barking of dogs and the cracking of whips,
denoting the rounding up of the strawberries,
and the hum of separators singing of the
richness of their cream. The dairying employs
many hands but few really like it.
Nothing has been heard of any additional
grants to extend the developmental road up
the river. It is understood that on their
visit of inspection last week our shire councillors
were duly impressed with the necessity of
the road being completed.
Your correspondent had recently a trip through
Towamba, Pericoe, Wog Wog, the head of Nungatta
run, and on to the King's Highway at Rockton.
Considering the heavy rain, the roads were
in fair order. Rockton is a much improved
place since the good road was made through
the settlement, and all the farmers there
appear to be prosperous, mostly with sheep,
others with cattle.
Anyone who saw the old Bondi run forty years
ago would not recognise it now, as on looking
round one sees new houses and good netted
fences everywhere. There are some good places
for dairying, with facility for conveyance
of cream to the Cann River factory, which
is a thoroughly well equipped concern.
All down the sides of the Cann River are
nice farms, and some wonderful flats at the
main settlement at the Cann. After so much
rain, water was lying in many places, but
one could see the rye grass springing everywhere,
and it must be a glorious sight in summer
time.
Some of the families on the Cann have been
there for generations, and are of the good
old sort who extend a welcome to visitors
and quickly have available a homely cup of
tea.
The King's Highway is a well constructed
road and wonderfully well kept. In fact one
might imagine that its caretakers are vying
with the maintenance men of the Prince's
Highway. What most astonished me was the
number of public telephones on the roadside,
one about every ten miles. Handy, indeed.
There are also some nice tea rooms along
the way. One is a beautiful place situated
on the side of a hill, and the landlady,
a Mrs. Ritchie, told me they did a very big
trade a few years ago. Further down is a
very fine school of arts; also a large store,
where the genial Mrs. McCoy keeps an up-to-date
boarding house.
A few miles up the river is the Cann River
Co-operative Butter Factory, managed by a
Mr. Riley, who keeps things in first class
order. This stands in the middle of some
fine dairying country where I should say
100 acres could easily carry 70 dairy cows
all the year round. But I can see that as
yet dairying is only in its infancy here.
Some people run large numbers of sheep, and
I would say that good Jersey cows would pay
much better. The country is too flat and
wet for sheep.
Now I am getting nearer to the Prince's Highway,
where Mr. P. Connolly keeps one of the finest
hotels in the State. The staircases and some
other of the fittings are part of the ill-fated
"Riverina". These give an air of
distinction to the establishment.
On the homeward run we came towards the Drummer
Mountain in darkness and rain. I was indeed
glad to get to Wingan River, where there
are tea rooms kept by a Mrs. Miller and her
son, Robin. Mrs. Miller is a most interesting
lady and can with ease converse on any subject,
displaying a wide knowledge gained of the
world under conditions far different from
those obtaining in this quiet but potentially
prosperous settlement. Here one is made quite
at home, the fare and accommodation being
excellent.
A run of about 15 miles the next morning
brought me to Genoa. This fine settlement
does not look itself at all, Molly, dear,
since its large tourist hotel was burned
down. But Ben Buckland has a host of men
rebuilding, and hopes to have the house restored
by Christmas. Ben is enterprising and energetic,
so good luck to him and his good wife in
their new business. May success attend the
future of the new "Genoa Hotel".
One can but be impressed by the enterprise,
industry and neighbourliness of the residents
of the Victorian borderland, and one can
but regret the continued existence of the
purely artificial border line that in one
way and another still acts as an impediment
to interstate free trade. May the day soon
come when all such separating lines shall
disappear, making us all citizens of an undivided
and free Australia.
'Eden Magnet' February 18, 1933
AROUND THE COUNTRYSIDE 1886-1933
THEN AND NOW
by T.P.Shelley
At the moment I am at the head of 'Nangutta'
run where one road leads to Pericoe and the
other to Rockton and Bombala. The road to
Rockton would not need expenditure of much
money to make it a good thoroughfare, the
country being fairly level with small creeks.
The road to Pericoe is in fair order and
could similarly be well conditioned at little
cost. Following up the Nangutta Creek one
comes to my old selection 'Native Dog Flat'
so named by someone who saw a large pack
of dingos killing a yearling calf. I selected
this land in 1886 there was then no road
from Pericoe only a track for pack horses
and bullock teams. I therefore immediately
set to work to get a road from Pericoe to
the head of the run. Messers Clark and Galvin
(or Garvin) were then our members so I got
up a petition asking for £1000 to make the
road to Bondi - now Rockton- via the head
of the run. And with the help of the late
Messers John Alexander and William Ryan of
Pericoe and some letters in the Bega "Enterprise"
run by the late Larry O'Toole I succeeded.
Mr. J.D.Prossel of Bega was then road engineer
and his assistant Mr.Simpson laid out the
first work between Pericoe and the Head of
the Run. The contractor was Mr. Tom Taylor
of Bega. Mr. E.I.Pell auctioneer of Bega
was assistant engineer later than Mr.Simpson
who also laid out a lot of work on the same
road. And I well remember Mr. John Alexander
telling me that this was the best and proper
route for a main road from Bombala to Eden.There
were no rabbits in those days and the country
provided a good run for cattle all the way
up to Wog Wog. I spent a lot of money on
that selection on fencing, ring barking and
clearing and I built a good house, stables,
milking yards and dairy etc. It is here I
had the famous blood stallion 'Alandale'
by 'The Drummer' imported which left such
a lot of good horses around the district.
Well, rabbits came in from all sides and
could not be coped with so I almost had to
walk away and leave the property. Now Mr.
Val Umback lives there and he has improved
the place by burning off and clearing and
erecting rabbit proof fences. He keeps the
post and telephone box which is most convenient
to a person who is travelling through. He
runs sheep and cattle with some success.
Now following a steep grade up the ridge
from Mr. Umback's to Wog Wog, you strike
Richard Woods' old selection now owned by
Mr. A.F.Umback. He has greatly improved this
place and runs a very nice lot of sheep.
We then come to the fine large property of
Mr. Jack McCole as manager for Mr. George
Cameron of Cann River who lately acquired
it. This is a property once owned by the
Moorhead family and the late Mr.John Ramsey.
On the Moorhead part, I had seen 120 beautiful
short horn cows being milked. Their calfs
were a picture and there were a fine lot
of pigs. On the Ramsey station I saw over
100 cows milked by the Martin family. A Mr.Nat
Martin now of Nethercote was stockman of
the whole station. Then down at the Letts
Mountain part of Wog Wog two sisters, the
Misses Sawers dairied 40 cows the finest
short horn type I have ever seen. I once
saw a telegram from Mr. John Ramsey to his
stockman to bring 50 springing heifers and
200 bullocks to Candelo. The heifers and
bullocks up to six years old to be delivered
in Candelo in a week. There were three selectors
up the Wog Wog River, namely messers F. Ramsey,
Jack McDonald and Jim McDonald. All had cattle
and horses and all fat. Besides the cattle
there must have been 100 partly wild horses
and it took such men as Nat Martin to yard
them. Many a good chase has been witnessed
by the writer when Nat got his hat in his
hand. Then there was something doing. You
could hear the horses galloping and Nat shouting
a mile away. Oh ho, those were the good old
days before the coming of the cursed bunny.
Mr. G. Cameron now runs sheep and cattle
on Wog Wog and all look well with plenty
of grass within wire netted boundaries. Wog
Wog is good country if the bunny could be
exterminated or kept in strict control. Mr.
James Laing now owns Letts Mountain and runs
sheep while on Fulligan's Flat Messers Tasker
and Love run a dairy. On a place adjoining
Mr. W. Watson once ran a dairy of up to 30
cows and Mr.Steve Hunt on a neighbouring
place used to milk 60 cows which the writer
has seen fat. Those two places had to be
abandoned when the rabbits came, the country
being too rocky to wire-net. Mr. Hunt went
to Cobargo and has done well while Mr. Watson
went to Bald Hills, Pambula where he now
has a fine property. He also has a house
in Pambula where he resides. His son Roy
works the Bald Hills farm. Thus the both
messers Watson and Hunt's misfortune led
to good fortune and was a blessing in disguise.
'Eden Magnet' March 11, 1933
AROUND THE COUNTRYSIDE
by T. P. Shelley
Further down the Wog Wog were selections
taken up and there lived Andy Brown and family,
Chas Voss and Bob Davis, while more to the
Burragate side were the Baddeleys paddocks
well improved and full of cattle. Also at
Deep Creek was Jim Pike's selection and John
Darragh's. All those were well improved and
with dwellings on them. That was before the
rabbit invasion. Now the holdings are abandoned
and covered with black ti tree, a curse equal
to the rabbit. Now I will come back to Pericoe
Station, the home of the Alexanders, and
a home for all travellers. No one passes
without a feed and a bed if they stayed.
On my first visit, I was asked to stay the
night, an offer that I very gladly accepted.
When supper time came on I noticed that the
table was much larger than dinning tables
in some of the hotels in the district, and
fourteen of their own family and half a dozen
strangers formed a goodly company, and this
was a usual thing for years. The year 1886
was a good season equal to this. The country
around Pericoe and Towamba were swept by
bush fires the year before. The grass was
up to the stirrup irons, all cattle and horses
were fat. At that time, John Alexander made
cheese at the homestead and had a large and
up-to-date cheese plant. Over one hundred
cows were milked and the family did all the
work. On this station were some good horses,
and how they could buck! But the Alexanders
were good riders and were seldom thrown.
The cattle were all of the large shorthorn
type and looked beautiful. I have at times
seen up to one hundred horses yarded. Those
used to run in the bush and looked lovely.
Then at the 'Two Mile' part of the station
up to one hundred cows were milked. Here
they made butter in the good old style and
packed it into kegs of from £80 to £150 for
transit to Sydney. In those pre separator
days it was no easy task skimming all the
milk dishes and making the butter in a large
barrel churned by hand. All this work was
done by John Richards and family and by the
look of them they were doing prosperously
well. But when cream separators came into
being, John Alexander very quickly got a
large one. He built an up-to-date butter
factory and equipped it with boiler, engine,
butter worker, tester, scales, etc., complete.
Mr. Alexander had purchased a large tract
of good nearby country extending to the Towamba
River from the Manning and Stiles Estate.
Consequently his executors established five
large dairy herds on the Pericoe Estate.
On each dairy farm they built good houses,
milking yards, etc., the cost of which must
have run into many thousands of pounds. All
the milk was sent into the butter factory
at Pericoe then managed by the late Robert
Alexander and the butter always commanded
top market price. Later when the Towamba
Co-operative Butter Company started the Alexander
Estate took up a lot of shares in the concern
and was the largest supplier.
In recent years, through an unscrupulous
Dairy Act the Towamba factory was closed
down though its output of butter was first
class. Several Towamba and Pericoe dairies
were then dispensed with, and people went
in for sheep, a proceeding that proved to
be a leap from the frying pan into the fire,
sheep having been unprofitable for the last
five years.
I must not omit to mention where old James
Love lived up the Pericoe Creek. In 1886
he used to dairy thirty cows, and he packed
all the summer butter away in large casks
with brine over it, and he told me that for
a lot of it he got over 3/6 per pound. I
tasted the butter, and it was good but was
in my opinion a bit too plentiful. However,
it suited the public taste of the times,
and ensured a handsome return in the shape
of Pounds, Shillings and Pence.
'Eden Magnet' May 6, 1933
ROUNDABOUT TRAVEL
by T. P. Shelley
Leaving Kiah recently with pre motor means
of conveyance, namely a dependable pony and
sulky, I made Towamba the first stage of
my trip on this occasion and on arrival was
pleased to see the many familiar faces and
places smiling happily as of yore. The district
generally looks well though rain in moderation
would be highly beneficial at this time.
I notice that many of the dairy farmers are
getting well provided with winter feed for
their stock, there being some lovely crops
of lucerne, while hay stacks and silos contain
necessary reserves of nutritious provender.
Wal Green and Charlie Roberts are excavating
in the ground great holes to serve the purpose
of pit silos which will be filled with green
maize and sorghum. By the look of the stacks
of lucerne and oaten hay which Wal has already
stored up he must be getting ready for a
two years drought. Most of the maize crops
at Towamba appear to be exceptionally good.
At Pericoe, a few miles further on, the country
looks fairly well but could do with more
rain. Past Pericoe and through the head of
'Nangutta' there is plenty of grass, also
at Wog Wog, but when passing along the sheep
station swamp I failed for the first time
in forty years to see a beast of any description,
the only animal life in view being an occasional
kangaroo. At Rockton formerly 'Bondi', the
country is dry and the season unfortunately
on the late side for rain, though the summer
season has been good particularly for those
in the wattle bark producing trade. This
is great wattle country and hundreds of tons
from these parts brought in Sydney £9/5/-
and £9/10/- per ton, ex rail. Bark is now
being carted from Rockton to the railway
station at Bombala for 10 shillings per ton.
Due to wool and bark, the condition of the
people here is one of comparative prosperity.
Cann River, reached in about forty miles
by the King's Highway is also dry and badly
needs rain particularly for the benefit of
the dairying industry. Not far away bush
fires are raging. Cann Valley is a fine piece
of country and will grow anything from good
quality grapes to maize and potatoes, it
appears to be a home away from home for the
Canadian Wonder Bean, the excellent crops
of which should yield some thousands of bags
this season. The people here are of the good
old type, fine big men and women who all
work hard. Only one of the local farmers
is going in for silos yet but there are numerous
stacks of hay made wisely when the sun shone.
I came back by way of Bombala which is very
dry as also is the country for miles around,
so much so that with the approach of winter
the prospect is by no means good. Cathcart
is somewhat better but dry weather has retarded
operations for the production for winter
crops for feed. At Mr. Griffiths' place,
I saw a novel silo of a circular hole sunk
in solid rock and capable of holding a hundred
and fifty tons. The sinking of this must
have involved a big expenditure of time and
money and the material to fill the silo is
chaffed and when required for use will be
hoisted by pulleys and delivered to the cows
in the nearby covered sheds. The silo, yards
and sheds are well worth inspection. There
are a few more settlers in at Mt. Darragh,
the settlement through which runs the £250,000
road constructed to provide a first grade
road to connect the tableland with the coast.
There are some very rich patches of volcanic
land, rich but hard to clear of timber, in
fact it would nearly break one's neck to
look from underneath to the top of some of
the trees. Two fine sawmills cater for the
requirements of the coast and tablelands
and also of Canberra, Australia's capital.
Messers Raynor and Carey are the prospective
mill proprietors. The timber of the best
kind is to be of excellent quality. Nestling
at the foot of Mt. Darragh peak is the home
of Mr. and Mrs. Chisholm which by virtue
of the fact that the post office and public
telephone are installed here appears to be
the official centre of the neighbourhood.
Market gardening, an apparently profitable
hobby of Mr. Chisholm who grows abundant
crops of potatoes and other vegetables and
various kinds of fruit, and sells them readily
enough to appreciative purchasers in nearby
towns. The residence and gardens give a touch
of distinctiveness to the new road and is
the only place I saw with good green grass
growing. There is still some good land to
be taken up and when farming becomes more
profitable, as assuredly it some day will,
Mt. Darragh settlement will be one of the
most thriving and prosperous in south eastern
New South Wales.
'Magnet' June 25, 1932
Mr. T. P. Shelley,
General Commission Agent,
Kiah via Eden.
A wide range of agencies, including: - Singer
Sewing Machine
Royal Ins. Co., (Fire)
Griffiths Bros., (Teas)
Alfa-Laval Separators
H. V. McKay Machinery and all classes of Farmers' requisites.
'Magnet' January 13, 1934
* T. P. Shelley is not well and is staying
with his son Mick on his farm at Kembla Grange
and Unanderra near Dapto.
'Magnet' March 31, 1934
* T.P. Shelley agent for Loftus Moran Pty.
Ltd. Melbourne. Best and oldest tea house
in Australia.
'Magnet' March 16, 1935
The many friends of Mr. T. P. Shelley, on
of Kiah's oldest residents and most genial
identities, will learn with regret that his
health has not been satisfactory for some
time. A change is contemplated and will,
it is hoped, restore T. P. to his former
radiant health.
'Magnet' September 21, 1935
Friends of Mr. T.P. Shelley of Kiah will
be pleased to learn that he has definitely
improved in health after a long and distressing
illness and that though still weak he feels
that he is quite himself again.
Thomas Patrick Shelley died January 7, 1940
and is buried in Bega Cemetery.