Gympie and District Farming and Grazing – 1905 – Woolooga

Another story featuring the articles published in the The Gympie Times and Mary River Mining Gazette in 1905.  This one is about the Woolooga Station and it followed the article on Kilkivan Station which you can read here.  At that time, Woolooga Station was owned by Mr E. G. Booker and managed by Mr Charles J. Booker.

GYMPIE AND DISTRICT FARMING AND GRAZING.

No. XXV. — (By Our Special Reporter).

Woolooga Station

On my return journey the main Gympie road was followed until after passing through the paddocks of Mr. Jos. Macfarlane, the branch road leading to Woolooga Siding was then taken, and turning to the left through a pair of gates, I came in sight of the pretty homestead of Woolooga Station, and was welcomed by the hospitable manager, Mr. Charles J. Booker. This valuable property consisting of 20,000 acres of really, first class agricultural and grazing country is owned by Mr. E. G. Booker, and no better illustration of the carrying capabilities of the place can be given than when it is said that during, the late disastrous drought that devastated Queensland and well nigh ruined so many in this district, the Woolooga estate fattened between September and February 12,500 sheep from the Downs, besides grazing 2,300 head of cattle and 100 horses.

Space will not permit of anything approaching a detailed account of the quality of the soil on the flats or the ridges, or of the various physical features which make Woolooga so eminently suitable for close settlement and agricultural and dairying holdings. I understand that the estate has been offered for sale to the Government under the same terms that so many large grazing properties on the Darling Downs, and eastward of the main range on the Western Railway, have been purchased and made available for close settlement. Taking all the natural advantages of Woolooga into consideration, the quality and configuration of the land, good average rainfall of from 36 to 40 inches per annum, and the permanent supply of water, a railway running through and three stations on the place, and, the proximity to the markets of Gympie and Maryborough, it is doubtful if any estate that has been offered to or purchased by the Government can excel this property for the purposes of subdivision and settling thereon a thriving farming and dairying population.

Every settler, every resident, and all the Shire Councils are interested, and each one in his own interest should do his utmost to get Woolooga thrown open for the people to occupy in small areas. The reason this place is selected for these remarks is that this is the only estate in the Wide Bay as far as I know, which is under offer for the purpose. As has been previously remarked, the land and grasses are -good, but good management has done much to still further improve the fattening capabilities of the paddocks.  During a short ride round one afternoon, it was remarked how the couch grass, one of the best, if not the very best of our natural fodders, had spread over the ridges, and, also, that the dead timber that so often litters the surface of the ground ‘where the timber has been ring-barked, had all been burnt off.  No tumble-down fences or badly hung gates, for all the ‘improve-ments’ are spic and span; and it pays to look after these details.

The property turns out ??00 fat bullocks a year, and the hands are fully occupied in working and dipping the stock, &c, without wasting time looking for cattle that have strayed into their wrong paddocks through a broken fence. The evenness of the bullocks in the different paddocks struck the very forcibly, for in one there are all reds, grade Devons, in another all roams, and so on, until, Mr. Booker explained that the cattle are always classed for color, size, and quality, so that the buyer can see at a glance what will suit him. Woolooga is worked in conjunction with the stations Mungi and Lochaber, from where a large proportion of the stores are brought. The Durham breed is put in the front rank for fattening, although the Devon-Shorthorn cross do immensely well, being quickly topped up and having a large proportion of prime meat in proportion to their weight.

The stud Durham herd includes 4 bulls, one bred by the late Hon. H. J. Angus, of South Australia: a rich red bull bred by Mr. Dugdale, of Springfield, Victoria, named ‘Berkeley Duke of Derrimut’ who at 14 months old cost 65 guineas at the Royal Agricultural Societies Show in Sydney: a rich red bull bred by Mr. Robert McIntyre. of Wagga. ‘Baron Oxford 7th’ by ‘Berlinda Duke of Derrimut’; a white bull ‘Lord Oxford Gazelle’ by ‘Adonis’ who won 1st prize and reserve championship in Sydney in 1902. There is also the stud heifer ‘Matilda’s Itaron Oxford II’ by ‘Berlinda Duke of Derrimut.’

The remainder of the females consist of 100 specially selected cows, and the young bulls find a ready sale as far north as the Gulf. All the young bulls are inoculated as weaners to protect them from the redwater disease. At Mungi and Lochabar, part of the country has been set apart for breeding from Black Polled Angus bulls on Shorthorn cows, and ten fine framed bulls from New Zealand that have been obtained for this purpose are spelling after the voyage at Woolooga.  

Ten years ago, Mr. Booker imported the pure bred Red Norfolk Polled bull ‘Cassius,’ who died about a couple of years ago, and his progeny gave such satisfaction that another pure bull of the same breed, ‘Collegian,’ who, took the blue ribbon as under 2 years, was purchased at the last Sydney Show. ‘Collegian’ is being mated with the ‘Cas-sius’ heifers. The Red Norfolk Polls are spoken of as being fine milkers. The Woolooga, stud of Southdown (black faced) sheep is already well known, and it consists of 70 ewes presided over by ‘Cheverly Farmer’ a ram imported two years ago from England, when the flock of the late Col. MacCalmont was dispersed; three ewes from the same flock being brought out at the same time.

Three hundred merino ewes are kept and Southdown rams mated with them, there being a good demand for weaners of this cross in the Degilbo and Wondai districts: during the drought the lambs sold in Brisbane up to 20/6 each. As all the pigs available had been lately trucked to Toowoomba, there were very few in the yards.  A start has been made to breed Angora goats with a small flock of 9 head; the does having been obtained from Mr. Spencer of Kilkivan, and the buck was purchased from Mr. Blaxland. of New South Wales.  Local mohair is worth about 1/2 per lb. but the price fluctuates a good deal.

For the purposes of horse breeding there are about 80 brood mares, and these according to their class are mated with the stallions ‘Sunrise’ or ‘Cupid.’ ‘Sunrise is a fine upstanding grey, by ‘Hastings’ who is by ‘Wilberforce.’ imported, his dam being by ‘Kingston.’ imported, from the imported Arab mare ‘Sunset.’ The Welsh pony ‘Cupid’ had made a name for himself on the Richmond River before he was purchased by Mr. Booker from Mr. H. L. McDougal, of West Maitland: he is of a real blood bay color with flowing mane and tail, has good shape, plenty of substance, and should improve the progeny of the mares put to him. The young horse stock are kept on Woolooga until two years old and are then handled and sent on to Lochabar.

The milking cows consist of 25 head, and are principally grade Norfolk Polls. There are two cattle dips on the station, in which several solutions have been tried, but Mr. Booker considers ‘Christian’s’ the best; the component parts are, 400 gallons water, 61bs arsenic. 18 lbs. washing soda. 20 lbs. soap, and 2 1/2 gallons Stockholm tar; these have to be boiled together for 4 hours. Inoculation is looked upon as an effectual prevention against redwater but the cattle must also be kept clean and for this purpose the stock are dipped every 3 weeks in the summer, but after the first frost dipping every 5 weeks is found sufficient. No losses have been experienced among the inoculated cattle, but from the re-action after the operation the deaths amount to about 5 per cent.

All store bullocks are inoculated with natural virus to guard against pleuro ; the virus can be kept good for 14 days by filling perfectly clean bottles, sealing and keeping them in a mixture of salt and ammonia. Taken as a whole, the Woolooga estate is a picture, and shows signs of first class management. The naturally good carrying capabilities have been increased by the country being subdivided into paddocks that will each fatten about 200 bullocks. The place is always stocked up but not overstocked, and this desideratum, so difficult to obtain, is one of the principal factors in producing dividends from a grazing property.

 This story was compiled by Kathy Punter.

Sources:  Trove; GFHS Record Collection; Google Maps: