Courtesy of Trove Sydney Morning Herald 23 November 1874
FROM THE RICHMOND, VIA BUNGAWALBYN, TO THE CLARENCE.
[FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.]
After two months rambling north I find myself in correspondence steering south, homeward bound. I am now in a position to think of the pleasant trip I have had – all sunshine, smiles, and hospitality, with not a single incident to mar hearty enjoyment. All through my course, from Sydney to Grafton, thence past Gordon Brook, Yulgilbar, Tabulam, Dyraaba, Casino, Tomki, Tunstall, to Lismore, places I have corresponded from to the Sydney Mail, I never met with a simple mishap save one – a collision between my horse and a Hereford cow, a trifling matter for the cow, but one that might have been rather serious for your humble servant, who came to the earth rather too sharply on the occasion alluded to. My trip being purely a pastoral one, through stations, runs, and herds off the main roads, I must be excused from entering into a dissertation upon the subject of roads and bridges, I will not do so, simply for the reason that for the greater part of my journey I met with only tracks.
My road notes, therefore, must perforce be very meagre. I can only write that I found Casino just as dull as ever; that its bridge was just as far advanced in the way of erection when I visited the river twelve months ago as it is at present, for the contractor failed to even make a start with the pier, and “Government” at the last moment, after months of fine weather wasted, is about to step in and go on with the structure. Lismore, eighteen miles lower down the river, the head of navigation for sea-going crafts, is striding along famously, growing larger every week, has a telegraph office, but no operator as yet, and looks remarkably beautiful in its summer garb of green.
After the close season, Lismore would be a glorious spot for a sportsman to spend a month such an abundance of game I never saw except on certain spots on the Lachlan. Around the pretty homestead of the Girard family I had a forenoons wandering, and some glorious views of the Richmond scenery a most enjoyable evening as a guest of Mrs. Girard at the homestead. Retreating my steps along the river, I made a call on Mr. Campbell at Tunstall, where as good a general Hereford herd as any on the Richmond may be found and then off to Tomki, where, with Mr Irving, I made a stay of a few days.
Having at all times a tendency for short cuts, I determined to cross the country from this point to Lawrence, and on my way call at Mr. T.E. Lance’s well-known station, Bungawalbyn, which is about 20 miles south of Tomki. Starting from the latter place, I rode through the boiling paddock of the Wooroowoolgen Estate, on through four miles of dense scrub, then into open country, and by a faint track reached the Sandy Creek Station, also attached to Wooroowoolgen. Next I had to trust to compass principally for my guidance (for the tracks were rather too numerous) to bring me safely to Bungawalbyn which I reached after traversing about ten miles of well grassed ridges and flats, in excellent time, if not for lunch, at least for a hearty repast, which appetite proved a sauce for.
My visit to Bungawalbyn I found to be excellently timed in fact, I could not have hit upon a more fitting chance or opportunity to have a look around, for Mr Lance was just on the eve of his regular station muster, and invited I was not slow to join as a hand for a few days.
Few non-pastoral readers can, I feel confident, realise in their minds what an important event a muster on a large cattle station really is: how bustling from the first dawn of day to the last faint glimmer of twilight all the station hands are—” how dusty and how thirsty.” With what zeal the men mounted go forth in the morning, commanded by the superintendent, who, general-like, marshals them, divides the body into small foraging parties to scour each creek, flat, ridge, and cranny, to collect the cattie on main camps, and when a huge mob is formed to drive them into the station stockyard, where drafting goes on, and the music of such cries as “bush,” “weaners,” “calves,” &c., resounds for hours, until all the animals collected have passed through into proper places.
This done, next comes the blazing fire for brand heating – the disagreeable task of ear marking, branding, &c. until at last, when all is done, down are thrown the slip rails, and the day’s gathering, rushing through, seek joyfully their pastures. Yes, mustering is heavy work, and any of my youthful colonial experience friends need only try one month at it to find out that there is something to do occasionally on stations besides lolling in a hut, or enjoying a quiet ride.
Bungawalbyn is the centre of many stations, the property of Mr. Lance, which spread over a large tract of country, covering without break a distance of 34 miles from the Broadwater on the Clarence to within three miles of Coraki on the Richmond, in one direction south to north, and from east to west the sea to the Casino and Lawrence Road, a distance of 25 miles.
This large squattage is divided into five stations, taking Bungawalbin as a centre from which they radiate. They are thus placed and distanced:
Myrtle Creek West, 12 miles.
Ghibberaghee South, 10 miles.
Lancewood Flat South, 16 miles.
Tully Morgan South, 24 miles. And
Ellangowan or Tuckinbil East, 14 miles.
The Myrtle Creek station homestead is by the main road from Lawrence to Casino, and the stockman there keeps a very handy house of accommodation, which proves useful to travellers on the road. The house is a very decent one, with some good yards attached. The Travellers’ Rest, a hotel ten miles from Lawrence, kept by Mrs. Lovel, is also on the run, and is Mr. Lance’s property. On the other stations there are very fair improvements, particularly that of Lancewood, whereon there has recently been erected a very fine large commodious house. On all the stations stockmen and their families are resident.
These runs comprise a large extent of good pastoral country, consisting of wide apple-tree flats, rich swamps, and ridges, in height from low up to 800 feet. Many of the latter are well grassed, and form rare good winter quarters for the cattle; others need the services of the axe or ring-bark ere they become valuable.
The runs are abundantly watered throughout by numerous deep and permanent creeks. Of them I will mention Elbow, Myall, Myrtle, and Bungawalbyn. These, with others and several lagoons, afford a very excellent never-failing supply. The herd presently depastured on these runs in the aggregate numbers 13,000 and it is expected this summer and autumn that 3000 calves will be branded.
Every March Mr. Lance sells from 1000 to 1200 store bullocks (his late sales show £5 per head as the rate), and about 300 to 400 store cows. There are also de-pastured about 100 horses; the greater number of them are broken in for station use. The property described, now held by Mr. Lance, was once owned by Mr. Clark Irving, when the brand was the well-known C cross S, a few of the breeding cows still bear these marks; the new brand, or the one now in use, is EL conjoined as printed.
Mr. Lance keeps no stud herd, his object being only the breeding of the best possible store bullocks. The bulls used on the runs are all purchased from the stud breeders around. Within the last three years he has purchased some eighty picked herd bulls, at prices varying from £22 to £125, from the herds of Messrs. Fanning, Griffiths, Chauvel, and Lee. Those bulls, many of which are excellent, are turned out on the runs. With such an influx of good strains, there seems no fear of the quality of the C cross S herd which Mr. Lance took with the runs falling away in quality, or losing its high repute; on the contrary, an improvement ought to take place from year to year. Of the runs it may be said that they consist of a country only suited for pastoral use, for most of the fine flats are subject to shallow inundations. Thus there is little to invite the bone fide selector to put in his pegs for agricultural pursuits. I believe all over the tract there are but two or three selections taken, and they have not been tilled.
The head run, Bungawalbyn, containing some 100,000 acres, is entirely fenced in by 16 miles of substantial wire fence, and by Myrtle and Bungawalbyn Creeks. It is subdivided into paddocks containing 7000 acres, 2000 acres, and 1000 acres respectively. Another large paddock of 9000 acres is formed on the Tuckinbil run, at the eastern side of the main creek, by a seven-mile wire fence; it is used for heifers, and at the present season is splendidly grassed. The homestead of the head station (Bungawalbyn) is delightfully situated on the west bank of a magnificent sheet of fresh water “full fathoms five,” an arm of the Richmond, and on it Mr. Lance has two boats – a light skiff and a heavy cargo boat; by the latter the station supplies are transported from Coraki, distant by water about thirty miles. Around the snug houses there is quite a forest of peach, nectarine and lemon trees, and I noticed some Chinese dates also growing luxuriantly.
As I before mentioned, I joined in for a few days in the muster, enlisted as a kind of irregular volunteer under Mr. Stamford’s banner, who I might observe is indeed a first-class hardworking superintendent, and the first day formed one of a dozen to ride and drive, &c. In our party there were six white and six blacks (aboriginals), the latter all in uniform, comfortable clothing from hat to boots, all supplied by the station. I never saw blackfellows work with such a will in the saddle or yard as those Mr. Lance has in his service. Good treatment, I suspect, with fair words, acts as the incentive. Two of Mr. Lance’s elder sons were of our party – fine stalwart, hard riding, young fellows. They, with the stockmen (all old hands on the station), did most of the rounding up. I fancy a great deal of the looking-on business fell to my share, which I did as well as the heat would allow.
We had a very warm forenoon’s work, scampering over ridges and flats, and towards evening had a monster mob on camp, and started for driving home. The last winter on the Richmond was remarkably severe, unusually cutting to stock; and even on Bungawalbyn the herd I found still affected, or not quite recovered; but, spite of poor condition, it was easy to note the signs of good breeding and quality. I was particularly struck with the largeness of frame of the breeding cows, and the freedom from disease of all the animals we mustered. That evening before dark all our scrapings of the day in the shape of horned stock were passed through the yards, and throughout the night there was din enough in the shape of bellowings to satisfy even a deaf subject. I am not hard of hearing, and, as it was not until the second night I hit on the plan of sleeping with cotton in my ears, my first night’s rest was rather broken. It was just time for a good sleep I thought, when the clatter of irons and the sound of voices from the stockyard made me aware that my fellow-workers of the previous day were up and doing, so I rose, too, and had a look at the branding. For three days before I left, we had a repetition of the same, and I had an opportunity of seeing a great portion of the run and a fair proportion of the herd, which I deem really a first-class one. Unmixed, being all shorthorns, it is by a mere chance that a trace of any other breeding can be seen. I may mention I notice a slight trait of the Hereford in some of the animals, caused by the intermingling of strange bulls.
From Bungawalbyn I found it a most pleasant ride to Lawrence, the distance, thirty-four miles, makes it a nice easy stage, and as I had company all the way I passed the time most pleasantly. I stopped awhile on my way at Gibberaghee, and lunched at Lancewood. The latter I consider the prettiest portion of all Mr. Lance’s property, it consists of a fine flat beautifully grassed, about four miles by one mile in extent. Leaving Lancewood I crossed the Richmond Range, a nice undulating country; went through Tully Morgan, and twelve miles on from that station reached Lawrence. Near the main road, close to this line, I noticed several surveyors’ marks, and found a trial railway survey in progress, the object being to find out the best route by which the country of New England can be tapped from the Clarence. On that subject I heard numerous expressions of opinion during my trip, some in favour of starting from Grafton, others, from Lawrence, but as it is in the hands of surveyors I will not at present comment thereon, feeling confident the best line will be adopted.