Gympie and District Farming 1905 – Imbil Rd Part 2

 (Between 1905 and 1906 a series of articles was published in the Gympie Times and Mary River Mining Gazette which reported on farming and grazing in the Gympie District. These articles are an invaluable resource for researchers interested in our farming pioneers.  This is an extract from one such article and is the second in the series about Imbil Rd.)

‘GYMPIE AND DISTRICT FARMING AND GRAZING.
No XIX.- — (By Our Special Reporter.)
Imbil Road

On the right hand side of the Imbil-road coming towards Gympie is a property of 270 acres, that for very many years has been known as Liddy’s farm, and which is now occupied by Mr. William Groves, who is chiefly engaged in timber-getting. Owing to the slack demand for log timber his horse team has been idle since last Christmas and was only put into work again a fortnight ago. But besides timber-getting Mr. Groves does a fair amount of farming, cultivating 30 acres of land with corn, and hay crops. This season the late maize is rather badly blighted and the grasshoppers have stripped the flag off the stalks ol maize growing on 5 acres. No dairying is done although there are a small herd of cattle numbering about 30 head.

Mr George Groves, who is also generally engaged with his horse team in hauling pine logs into Gympie, has selected a fine site for his homestead on a ridge just above Bunya Creek, and from here he has a fine view of the surrounding country on both sides of the river. Altogether there are 665 acres in this property, more than half of which is standing scrub, only 35 acres hav-ing been cleared. Although there are only 30 acres under crops, Mr. Groves estimates that he has 100 acres of flats that could be put under the plough if wanted for cul-tivation. The team has unfortunately been idle since last September, when it was ????? off for a month.” but when the horses are at work on the road all the pro-duce grown can be consumsd. This year however, there will probably be some of the crops for sale. The weather in the spring was too dry for a first class yield to be ob-tained from the ?????? and that plant-ed later is badly affected by blight. Pigs to the number of 16 are kept. Mr. Groves has over 50 head of cattle. 21 of the cows being broken in ; twelve of these are being milked, out of which 6 or 7 are never bailed up, the stool and bucket being taken to their side as they stand in the yard. This herd did not escape loss, for 40 head of mixed cattle died during the drought, and 15 cows and springers died from redwater in two weeks, including some of the best milkers.

After Mr. G. Groves’s house is a turn off ???? leading to the properties of Mr. ????? H. Parkyn, the popular mine manager of Gympie, and Mr. William Everett. ???? homesteads are two miles off the main road, time prevented a visit being ???? them. Mr. Parkyn has made arrange-ments with Mr. Hempsall to work his 319 acres of land on the share system and dairying and general farming are being carried on. The house and other improvements are well constructed, the buildings being situ-ated well above flood level, though most of the land consists of rich alluvial flats on the river bank.

Mr. Wm. Everett’s proper-ty of 378 acres adjoins the last named ???? and the land is of about the same de-scription.
A little nearer Gympie and on the oppos-ite side of the road from Mr. Geo. Groves’s is the farm of 160 acres of Mr. Robert Nobbs, on which there were only about 25 acres of forest when it was first selected. Ninety acres of the scrub has been felled and put under grass and there are 11 acres of cultivation. Ever since the Gympie But-ter Factory first started Mr. Nobbs has been carrying on the Imbil-road, and bring-ing in the cream from the settlers on that route. It has been noted on visiting the various farms that the cows have gone off in their milk very early this season, and this was confirmed in conversation with this gentleman, who said the quantity of cream had fallen off in April this year, more than he had ever known it to do for that month. Having to feed 4 or 5 horses for the coach all the year round, all the crops grown on the farm are consumed at home. The losses from redwater and drought amounted to 21 head of cattle, but still 8 or 9 are being milked out of the 31 now on the farm.

Next to Mr. Nobbs’s and adjoining the school, Mr. Peter Blyth, for many years now tile overseer for No. III. Subdivision of the Widgee Shire Council, has made his home on the 160 acres of land selected about five years ago. The land has all been fenced in, and the house and outbuild-ings, though erected of bush timber, are all neat and substantial. About 15 acres of the scrub, which covered nearly two-thirds of the land, have been felled, while another 12 acres are being brushed ready for the axe and 10 acres are under cultivation. During the drought the cattle got scattered about and since the better seasons began many have never been seen : out of the 33 head ???? before the redwater came along 2 milking cows and 2 calves died of that disease. Five cows are now going through the bails and there are 17 pigs in their styes in the yards.

The Bunya Creek School is a neat build-ing, with a shingle roof, standing back from the road in the centre of the school grounds which are surrounded by a good two-railed fence. Miss Wheeler is the teacher and there is an average attendance of 20 scholars.
On the camping reserve of which the school ground was originally part, is erect-ed a co-operative cattle dip and necessary yards. About twenty of the residents in the locality joined together to erect this dip when the ticks threatened to become numer-ous, and it has doubtless been the means of saving many animals ; for it is to be noted that the losses among the cattle owned by the residents in this neighbourhood have not been nearly so heavy as among those high-er up the river. The first cost of this con-crete dip and the yards was £110. but owing to some alterations and repairs being necessary the total cost has been about £130.

Opposite Mr. Blyth’s house is the home of Mr. David Nicholls, who has called the 112 acres that he owns around the house “Fair View Farm.” He has also 210 acres of land about three miles higher up the river, above Mr. R. B. Parkyn’s property, which is prin-cipally under grass. Eighteen acres of the land are devoted to crops, which for the pre-sent season are composed of maize and po-tatoes, both of which are reported to be promising well. The potatoes are already being put on the market. This is one of the few farms that passed through the try-ing years in which the drought was so severe and the redwater rampant, almost without loss. Only 2 or 3 of the cattle died during the drought, and Mr. Nicholls has not had a single death from redwater, although there is only the fence between his paddock and Mr. Geo. Groves’s. where 15 head died of his disease in five weeks. Dairying is being carried on, for there are 30 to 35 cows on the farm, of which 20 are in at present milking, and severaI have just been turned out dry. In alI, the cattle number about 80 head. The milking is done twice a day and the calves have pollard added to their skimmed milk. The cow yard is on the same sound gravelly ridge as the house, and over the 5 bails is a loft. In another yard are 18 small pens, separated by paling fences, in which each calf is fed by itself; they are kept separate for a time after be-ing feed so that they cannot suck each others ears. The house is of sawn timber with iron roof as aIso are the barn and hay shed, but these latter are not painted.’

Sources:  Trove; GFHS Research Collection; Courier Mail Photo Collection: State Archives Photo Collection.