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| Kanimbla Valley |
Some History of the Parishes of
Hartley, Kanimbla and Ganbenang
By H.C. Dalziell
Presented to
Nepean & District Historical Society
3.6.1949
Naturally, the first settlers secured land as near as
possible to the main highway, provided it was suitable for their requirements.
Those who acquired land in the back swamps concentrated on the production of
dairy products and carried it up Centennial Glen to Blackheath; others took
theirs by pack horse up the little zig-zag to Mount Victoria. At both places
there was an unlimited demand for all foodstuffs from travellers going east and
west. Those who secured land further out on the Cox River and beyond, and produced
corn, hay and potatoes, had it carted to Jervis's store at Little Hartley, then
the mecca of seller and buyer.
A few of those who settled on the land with larger areas made bacon, cheese
and butter. Their butter was made in the summertime and salted in casks, and in
winter was carted to the goldfields on the Turon and Hill End districts. Those
farmers who grew wheat had it cut with a sickle and thrashed with a flail, then
carted to Brown's Mill at Bowenfels, for gristing. When this mill was converted
to the manufacture of woollen cloth, the nearest flour mill was Smith and
Black’s at O’Connell. Those persons who employed convicts gave them wheat,
which they ground in a small steel mill for their own use, and baked into a ‘damper’,
in the evenings.
The
cultivation land was fenced in with logs removed from the land to be ploughed; this
was usually done with bullock teams. The roads were little more than clearings
through the timber and were almost impassable for all but heavy teams, until
they were placed under the control of a ‘road trust’, which consisted of three local
residents having a defined length of road under their control, with a small
annual government grant for maintenance and improvement.
To
overcome the difficulty of small creeks and wet places, before the introduction
of earthenware drain pipes, saplings, with the bark removed, were placed as
close together as possible across the road; this was known as ‘corduroying’. The
trust was forbidden to make a road within half-a-mile of their own residence. These
trusts were dispensed with when the public works department undertook the whole
management of roads and
bridges.
With the opening
of the railway in 1868, and the decreased demand for their products from road
travellers, the majority of small settlers abandoned or sold their holdings and
went west and acquired larger areas, or found employment on stations being
developed on the western rivers.
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| Ganbenang 1895 |
Grants of
land were made to persons considered worthy of recompense for services
performed, or to those who were considered likely to put it to good use. Some
leased their lands to tenant farmers, who produced foodstuffs or livestock that
was most needed. A noticeable instance of this was the Kanimbla estate, an Aboriginal
name derived from ‘kanim’, the head of one tribe, and ‘bula’, and the head of
another, both of which roamed these valleys. [Kanimbla was the name of the local Aboriginal band of the Gundungurra tribe and apparently means camping or fighting ground] This grant was made to James John Oxley
and Nathaniel Norton in 1824. It contained 10,000 acres, which, on re-survey
when brought under the real property act, proved to be 12,510 acres.
The major
portion of this land was let to
farmers, and in 1875 was bought by Ebenezer Vickery, who employed J.W. Berghofer as
manager. Later, an area of 4,000 acres was bought from the executors of Dr. W. Redfern
to whom it had been granted in 1824, but not put to any use by the original
grantee. By the purchase of some small holdings the total area was brought up
to 18,670 acres of freehold land, and at one period practically the whole of
the Megalong Valley was held under lease, but this area was lost in the eighteen
eighties when the government land was thrown open for selection.
The whole
of the freehold land was fenced and sub-divided with wire fencing, it being the
first property in this locality to use wire as fencing material. A new
homestead was built of locally made bricks, on a stone foundation and roofed
with flat iron, about two miles from the original Norton home, and adjacent to
the Cox River Road. The bulk of land was ring barked and generally improved and
stocked with cattle; later on sheep were introduced but were never used for
breeding during Mr. Vickery’s ownership.
Wethers
were bought in the western districts, shorn and then fattened for the Sydney
market. The carrying capacity was approximately one thousand head of cattle and
ten thousand sheep and the horses necessary for the working of the property. In
the eighteen nineties the property was leased to H.G. Lomax, a western grazier,
who stocked up with sheep.
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| J W Berghofer |
On
completion of his tenure, J.W. Berghofer was employed as manager and had the
property wire-netted. It was again leased, to Messrs. Oliver Bros. for a short
term, and in 1919, E.G. Harvey of Wellington bought 16,200 acres of the
freehold land, the balance being bought by adjoining holders. After Mr. Harvey's
death the holding was subdivided and sold, with the exception of 8,500 acres, now
held by his grandson, George Stoneman. Near the original Norton home there is a
walnut tree, evidently planted by them, which produces good crops of nuts.
‘Rosevale’,
situated in-the southern end of Hartley Valley, was an original government grant
made in 1823 to Jeremiah Grant and his wife Rose, hence the name. It contained an
area of 1,000 acres and was used for farming and grazing cattle and houses. Grant
was allotted assigned servants for improving the property, and in 1841 this land
was bought by James Dalziell, who also bought some adjoining lands that had
been previously granted to Dr. Redfern, the Rev. Samuel Marsden and John Grant;
making an area of 5,000 acres freehold, he also held 2,000 acres of annual lease
land.
[Berghoffer's property 'Rosedale' on the Western road at Little Hartley, which he purchased in 1892, was originally named by him 'Rosenthal', meaning Valley of the Roses, in memory of the Berghoffer homestead in Hessia. This building was originally The Mount Victoria Inn, built by Mr Cummins of Bathurst in 1839.]
In 1843 a
new homestead was built with stone foundation, locally made bricks and shingle roof,
to the design and under the supervision of David Lennox, who was Mr. Dalziell's
brother-in-law, and who was brought out from Scotland to design and supervise
the construction of stone bridges in Australia.
Lennox
was recommended for the position by the Rev. Dr. Lang, the first Presbyterian
minister to arrive in the colony in 1823. Mrs. Lennox died before he left Scotland
and his two daughters were brought out to the colony when Mr. & Mrs.
Dalziell decided to make their home in the new land, and settled first at Parramatta.
The
property was used for mixed farming and grazing and eventually passed into the
hands of a younger son, Alexander, after completing his education at King's School,
Parramatta. It was he who first introduced sheep to the locality by the
purchase of 300 merino ewes from John See of Bathurst. These sheep had to be guarded
night and day on account of the large number of dingoes then roaming the
country in search of fresh meat.
As the
flock increased in numbers and the locality was cleared of dingoes, The sheep
were divided into flocks in charge of shepherds; one lot in charge of John McAviney,
and another in the care of Billy Lynch, a well-known half cast, who had left
the police force where he had been employed as a black tracker.
After the
property had been fenced in, the shepherds were dispensed with. Lynch went to
live near the Gibraltar crossing of the Cox River, where his eldest son, Yogi,
had selected land. This area was known to the Aboriginals as ‘Meglo’, which
leans ‘a hand’, and derived from the formation of the land in that locality;
this name has been corrupted by white people to "Megalong" [this is doubtful].
With
further improvements and the increased number of stock, farming was dispensed
with, except for home consumption, and the production of wool and fat stock
concentrated on. Some small portions of the estate were sold and all the crown
land has been selected. The major portion is still in the hands of the Dalziell
family.
In the
vicinity of the first homestead there are three pear trees, said to have been
planted on the graves of assigned servants, still bearing heavy crops. There
are also quince trees growing close by that still bear fruit, they were planted
by the first owner.
Another
well-known property is 'Liddleton’, situated astride the Cox River, adjacent to
the town of Hartley, consisting of about 5,000 acres of freehold land and at
one time a considerable area was held under annual lease. The first 2,500 acres
were originally granted to John Maxwell in 1830, who was formerly connected
with the military depots at Glenroy and Bathurst. He was supplied with a number
of assigned servants to assist in improving the land, which was used for mixed
farming and grazing.
This estate
has changed hands several times. Western graziers, in need of relief country
for their flocks and herds in times of drought, bought the property and, when
rain fell in the west, they re-sold. It was at one time bought by Messrs. Wolseley
& Caldwell and it was here that Mr. Wolseley was able to bring his shearing
machine to perfection and have the sheep shorn that were running on the
property, this was the first instance of machines being used for a general
shearing.
In 1885 a
demonstration of the machines in action was given in the Goldsborough wool store
in Melbourne. The following year the machines were installed at Toganmain and
Dunlop stations and also in some Queensland sheds. After forming a company to
carry on the manufacture and distribution of the machines, Mr. Wolseley
returned to England and engaged in the production of the Wolseley motor car. Later
on, D.D. Pye acquired the property and carried out improvements by building a
new homestead and wool shed, subdivided the area into smaller paddocks, cleared
up fallen timber and planted about ten acres of apple orchard.
Among the
smaller settlers was Patrick McAviney, at Chaplo, adjoining the Megalong Valley.
He, like most others, was engaged in mixed farming, dairying and the raising of
pigs. An elder son, Thomas, acquired land by selection, near the head waters of
the Long Swamp, and engaged in the grazing of horses and cattle. After improving
the land he transferred to sheep, with good results.
Others to
acquire land by selection in this locality were Dominic and Arthur McCauley and
Henry England. In later years Peter O'Rielly selected land near the junction of
Long Swamp and the Cox River. When his sons grew to manhood they went north to
the McPherson ranges, and their property was sold and the rest of the family
followed to the boys' home. It was here that Bernard made history by the
discovery of the Stinson plane that crashed with such disastrous results in
that locality. He afterwards wrote two interesting books, ‘Green Mountain’ and ‘Cullenbenbong’.
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| A flooded pumpkin patch, Ganbenang 1894 |
Another
early pioneer was Patrick Keenan who selected land astride the Cullenbenbong Creek
and, with the addition of annual leases, had quite a sizable holding for the production
of cattle, horses and pigs. On account of the lack of roads, all that was produced
had to walk to market and most of the goods going in had to be taken by
pack-horse, unless some venturesome bullock driver could be induced to take the
risk. His wife was regarded as the district’s most expert horsewoman. It was she
who
piloted Lord and Lady Carrington across the Cox River, then in half flood, when
they rode from Katoomba across country to the Jenolan Caves. [via the Six foot
Track, 1887]
Settlement
gradually extended to the area then known as Marsden’s Swamp, where the Rev. Samuel
Marsden had received a crown grant of 600 acres, but did not make any use of
the land, eventually selling it in two blocks, one to John McPherson and the other
to Alexander Dalziell, who cultivated the creek flats and used the other portions
for grazing.
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| Settler's family at Ganbenang 1895 |
The First
settlers to acquire land in this area, either by ticket of occupation or by
selection, were Michael Ryan, Terence and Hugh Flanagan, Delaney, Michael and
James Kelly, John O’Connor, John and Isaac Taylor, James Farrell, James McPherson
and others with small holdings. All were engaged in agriculture, mainly maize and
potatoes. The name of this locality was changed to ‘Ganbenang’, derived from
the large number of gang-gang cockatoos in this district when the early
settlers arrived.
There is an
area of land on the eastern side of the Ganbenang creek, approximately three
miles long by one mile wide, on which all the native trees have died, it is generally
agreed the cause was from grubs eating the sapwood and, in turn, the gang-gangs
eating the grubs; very few native trees have grown on this land since.
‘Duddawarra’, an Aboriginal word meaning 'dirty water’ [actually Big bend in river, or camping place with good water] on the Cox River, was a crown
grant to John Grant in about 1822. It was leased to the Commens family who
eventually bought the major portion of the land and put it under intensive
cultivation. It was they who introduced ‘pise’ for home building to the
locality and which was followed by other land holders, to their advantage. It
has proved to be the most substantial, economical and comfortable home, if
properly designed and constructed. This property is now owned by the fourth
generation of the Commens family. Others to settle in this locality were J.J.
Hughes, who received a crown grant of two hundred acres at Buckamall. Others
who selected land were George Marriott, Denis O’Connor, Robert Duff, James Simpson
and James Carroll.
Moyne Farm,
[called Tunumberee by the Aborigines] adjacent to the Cox River Road, was a
crown grant made to John Grant in about 1819, and named after his home in Ireland.
He built the present homestead and lived there a short while, eventually
selling the property and securing land in the Lachlan Valley near Canowindra. The
buyer was Thomas Delaney, senior, who increased the area by selection. After
his death the property was taken over by his son, Thomas jnr, who further
increased the holding by selection and purchase. For a number of years he
supplied milk to Mount Victoria. His five brothers were well-known for their
interest in butchering businesses in the district. On this property there was
a small cemetery in which some of the pioneers are buried.
Adjacent
to this property in Grant's creek the only gold in the Area under review was
discovered but in such small quantities that the cost of recovery was greater
than the return and had to be abandoned.
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| Boy on a horse, Ganbenang 1894 |
Hugh Brady
selected approximately 600 acres astride the Cox River Road about one mile from
its junction with the main highway. The area west of the road was bought by V.
Parkes, son of Australia’s great statesman - Sir Henry Parkes. The land was
divided into two blocks, one was bought by N.D. McKillop, who established the
Bonnie Blink apple orchard, the remaining land was bought by W.S. Cripps who
planted the Cranbrook orchard of 120 acres, which is the largest in the
district. Orchards have been planted on the northern side of the main road and,
by careful selection of suitable fruit from the various plantations, the Hartley
growers association
secured a first prize at the world-wide Wembly exhibition.
After the
opening of the railway to Bowenfels in 1869, practically all the traffic to and
from the west ceased to go through Hartley, causing the then flourishing
township to collapse, both from a business and structural standpoint - most of the
houses were of a very temporary nature. It was also a big loss to the man on
the land, to be deprived of a ready market for his products. They concentrated
on wool and livestock until the opening of the shale mine at Hartley Vale and
the coal mines at Lithgow attracted sufficient population to warrant a revival
of farming.
In the eighteen
eighties and nineties, pastoral products were bringing very low prices, mainly on
account of the western stations being stocked to capacity, and the advent of
the rabbit plague in that area. The export of frozen meat to European countries
was then only in the experimental stage. Fat cattle were being sold for from £4 to £6
per head and fat sheep were worth from 5/- to 8/- each, according to the amount
of wool they carried.
Old store sheep were on offer at 1/- each;
best combing wool was selling at from 6d to 8d per lb. There was always a good
demand for all classes of horses, especially heavy draughts, coach and Indian
remounts. There was a gradual rise in the price of fat stock, until the peak
was reached after good rains had fallen over the state. Quoting from the, ‘Stock
and Station Journal’, dated 20th June, 1920, ‘Sheep were sold the previous day at Flemington fat stock sales at from £3 to £4
each, with extra prime at £5 and fat cattle to £25.13.0 each’.
In 1831
free grants of land were abolished and the upset price of all crown land fixed at
12/- per acre, until 1843, when the capital value of all rural areas was raised
to £1 per acre,
and remained at that price under the Free Selection Act introduced in 1861. This act permitted a person to acquire a minimum
of 40 acres conditional purchase and 120 acres conditional lease, or up to 1280
acres with residential and improvement conditions. These lands were, generally,
second class and were held previously by large holders under annual lease and in
most cases, were selected by sons of small farmers, thereby increasing the joint
holding and permitted the grazing of stock in addition to farming.
During 1902
the whole state was under the spell of one of the most severe droughts known, when
hundreds of thousands of stock in pastoral areas died from lack of feed and
water. Hordes of rabbits came into the valleys from the west, eating everything
edible, and in the summer of 1904-5 the whole of the southern portion was swept
by bush fires, reducing the carrying capacity of the land to practically nil. Some of the land has not yet recovered.
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| Rabbit shooting, Megalong Valley |
The problem
of getting rid of the rabbits was one of the most difficult the landholder had
ever undertaken; all modern methods were used to exterminate them, but with
little success. Mr. Vickery had a freezing plant erected at Kanimbla and
exported the carcasses overseas. It employed a large number of men trapping the
rabbits but had little effect in reducing their numbers. Property owners were
forced to realise that wire-netting their boundaries and having all rabbits dug
out within their areas was the one and only solution of the menace.
Until
near the end of the last century the ruling rate of wages paid to stockmen and other
rural workers was 15/- per week, with food and accommodation provided for
single men; married men received £1 with rations, which consisted of 10 lbs. of flour, 10 lbs. of meat, 2
lbs. of sugar, 1 lb. of tea, with hut provided and, generally, a cow to milk. Their
hours were, in most cases, from daylight to dark and usually six days per week.
Shearers were paid 17/6 per 100 sheep, with food and accommodation provided, or
£1 per 100 without food.
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| Dolls' tea party, Ganbenang 1895 |
As in all
early settlements the women of this area nobly played their part in pioneering
the bush lands. The rearing of their families under the most primitive
conditions was a problem they cheerfully undertook. Fortunately, there was a strong
bond of friendship between the settlers in most cases, and they did not hesitate
about going to the assistance of a neighbour in distress. Invariably all were
good horsewomen and thought little of carrying their youngest child on horseback
when going to render assistance to anyone in difficulties. Few were fortunate enough
to have a wheeled vehicle to transport their children needing medical
attention, if such was available.
Dr. Rygate was practising his profession in South Bowenfels about 1855. During the
construction of the Zig-zag in 1869, Dr. Flatau was the government medical
officer to those employed on the work; he was also available to any local resident
needing his services. After the completion of the railway to Bowenfels, Dr.
Tualli started practice in Hartley, but did not stay long before transferring
to Mount Victoria.
Another
problem was the education of their children. It generally fell to the lot of
the mothers to give their children instruction in educational and religious matters,
as far as they were capable and until they were old enough to send away to a
boarding school. In about 1880 a half-time school was established at Duddawarra
and Ganbenang in charge of C. Neave. The buildings were erected by the parents of
split slabs with a thatched roof. Five years later the government built schools
at each centre, that at Ganbenang was put in charge of Hassan Mylecharane and
that at Duddawarra under the control of Miss. G. Poyitt.
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| Brother and sister, Ganbenang 1895 |
The settlers'
wives generally spent their evenings in the making and mending of the family
clothing, which had to be done with a needle and, when time permitted, they also plaited hats from rushes that grew in
the creeks; these were known as "cabbage-tree" hats and were in
general use until the introduction of felt made from possum fur. The light was supplied
from homemade tallow candles, until the introduction of kerosene. The camp oven
was in general use for baking bread and roasting meat.
Aboriginals
came up to this locality from Burragorang by the Black Dog track for seasonal
work in the summertime, such as shearing and harvesting. One, Billy Russell,
was regarded as an expert with the boomerang. The natives always returned to the
warmer climate of Burragorang for the winter. On the highest point of Tinker's
Hill, adjacent to the road leading through these valleys, there is an Aboriginal
burial ground. The last two natives buried there were George Miranda and his
wife Black Bet.
The end.
Printed and published by Blue Mountains Historical Society
Note -
this is an original source document and may contain a number of inaccuracies. Minor
corrections to spelling and expression have been made. Explanatory notes in square brackets are by the Local Studies Librarian, based on more recent research.
All images are from the Local Studies collection.
Blue Mountains City Library, 2014. revised 2017.
