Gympie and District Farming – Coonoon Gibber Creek / Bollia 1905 – Part 2

Yet another story featuring the articles published in the The Gympie Times and Mary River Mining Gazette in 1905.  This one is the second part of a series about the Coonoon – Gibber Creek / Bollia area.  The names of the farmers in this story are: Lowe, Jorgensen, Myers, Fredericksen, Andreassen, Olsen.  You can read Part 1 here.

“GYMPIE AND DISTRICT FARMING AND GRAZING.

No XVI
(By Our Special Reporter.)
Coonoon-Gibber Creek and Bollia.

One of the finest properties in the Brooloo district is that owned by Mr. Albert H. Lowe, consisting of 1280 acres. In front of the house and stretching away for over a mile, is a beautiful clear flat containing very nearly, if not quite, 600 acres that could be ploughed from end to end. Some of the land would certainly require surface drainage before being fit for successful cul-tivation, but in course of time this will doubtless be done, and the whole area brought under the plough. The soil is of a black loamy character and is periodically enriched by the back water from Coonoon-Gibber creek and the Mary river in times of high floods. Besides this fine flat there Is estimated to be 100 acres of standing scrub, in addition to 35 acres of the same char-acter that are already felled, which is all agricultural land. 65 acres have already been broken up and a large area is now under maize. Potatoes arc generally grown but none were planted this season. The land under cultivation is particularly valuable in a dry season, and during the last drought heavy crops of maize were grown that brought good prices in Gympie. A few plants of sugar cane arce being grown on tho higher ground near the house. The buildings consisting of house, barn, stables, workshop, meat-house, etc., are all well built, and the whole homestead presents a neat appearance. The new fences being erected are of a very substantial character, and the older ones are kept in good order.

Mrs. Lowe is one of the ladies who has had chickens up to two months old killed by the bandicoots. Pig breeding is carried on from 8 sows, so that there are always a good number of weaners, slips, and for-ward pigs on the farm, but a good many are disposed of as weaners. There are only a few cattle and no dairying is carried on. Mr. Lowe has had considerable experi-ence in horse breeding on Teebar station, and is now carrying this on at “Lowood” farm. Here stand the active farm stallion “Victor,” which is a good looking horse, whose sire was bred in New Zealand, and the Arab horse “Resolve” bred by Mr. Briggs of Tenningering, Burnett river. “Re-solve” is by “Lothair” from “Resida” who is by “Mahomet” : “Mahomet” is by “Ab-dool” imported. Mr. Lowe has also lately purchased the 16 months old heavy draught colt “Young Sir David” who was bred by Mr. Andrew Ogilvie, of Running creek. “Young Sir David” is by “Sir David” from a mare by “Heather Jock,” and has the making of a powerful horse ; It is his own er’s intention to get him ready for the next Gympie show.

Mr. Lowe has taken an ac-tive interest in local matters since he has resided in the district, and is a member of the Widgee Shire Council. On the reserve a little beyond Mr. Lowe’s house is situated the Bollia Provisional School and the Bollia School of Arts. The school is under the charge of Miss Lutton as teacher, and has sixteen scholars on the roll, with the splendid daily average of from 14 to 16. The School of Arts is a weather board iron roofed building, 30 feet by 20 feet, in which a dance or other entertainment at-tracts the residents together for a social gathering about once a month.

To reach the farm of 160 acres owned by Mr. P. M. Jorgensen the road up the flat, owned by Mr. Lowe, has to be followed, when the house is seen standing on a ridge to the left. The land is situated on the bank of the river opposite Tuchekoi, but, very few particulars could be obtained as Mr. Jorgensen was not at the house at the time of my call. A drive through the cul-tivation showed that a large area of scrub has been felled and is now under crops of maize and potatoes. The former should yield fairly well and the latter should bring in a nice cheque to the owner, if the wea-ther continues favourable. Only 8 pigs are in the sties, and one cow and three heifers constitute the total number of the cattle.

Before arriving actually at the house of Mr. H. Myers, an invitation to spend the night there was tendered your repre-sentative, and as the afternoon was advanc-ing the hospitality of “Fiona Farm” was gratefully accepted. Originally this farm of 160 acres was all standing scrub and has a long frontage to the river. About 100 acres have been felled and cleared ; although there are only 25 acres under the plough at present, all the rest of the flat ground could be broken up and would grow any ordinary farm crops. It is intended to in-crease the area of cultivated land to 50 acres next season. About one and a-half acres are under potatoes and look well, the balance ot the land in the cultivation pad-dock being under maize, the yield of which is estimated at 40 bushels to the acre.

The land that is not under cultivation is covered with a thick coat of couch grass and the cattle grazing thereon are in first class condition. The losses among the cat-tle during the drought and during the pre-valence of the redwater scourge were very heavy and 100 head succumbed out of 130 that Mr. Myers awned prior to those trying years. Only a few ticks are seen on the cattle this season. The pigs, of which there are 30 of all ages, include 3 grade Berk-shire sows, and are all in good condition. This number will shortly be increased for it is the intention to breed from seven sows. Among the fruit trees in the orchard the persimmons, red heart plum, greengage and Japanese date plum are said to do the best, but the fruit-fly does a great deal of dam-age. Oranges do not flourish, as the sub-soil of the ridge on which the house is built is clay. Mr. Myers pays considerable attention to the garden in which are some choice roses, cannas, bouvardias, and other flowers besides tree tomatoes, mangoes and shrubs. As ths frost is severe in the win-ter the mangoe trees are covered to protect them from the effects of the cold nights. Experiments are constantly being carried out with new seeds and plants and an order has just been despatched direct to one of the seedsmen in New York, U.S.A.

At the back of Mr. Myers’ farm are 160 acres of land owned by Mr. Carl Frederick-sen, on which 30 or 40 acres of scrub have been cleared. As the owner is now living at Childers no work is being done on the land. A walk of about half-a-mile up the river in company with Mr. Myers, brought us to the farm of Mr. Marius Andreassen, who calls his property of 160 acres “Amali-lund Farm.’ Sixteen years ago when the land was selected about half the area was standing scrub. Of this 20 acres have been felled and ten acres stumped and ploughed. It is expected that the twelve acres of maize will give only a fair yield as the blight is bad in the late corn, but the acre that is planted with “Circular Head” pota-toes promises a good crop. There have been considerable losses amongst the pigs, when young, from some wasting disease, but Mr. Andreassen could not even make a guess at the cause. The deaths from red-water on this farm amounted to nine head, the whole herd.

Mr. Myers’s was the furthest farm visited up the river and on saying good-bye on Saturday morning I had to return on the road that leads past the school, Bollia Plains, and thence on to Bunya Creek. The first farm called at was that consisting of 302 acres, with river frontage, owned by Messrs. Jacob Olsen, junr., and John Thomas Olsen. There have been 30 acres of scrub felled and it is estimated that there are still over 80 acres to be cleared. Of the 43 acres that are under the plough there are 26 acres of maize, and 4 acres of English potatoes, about half of which are “blue skins” and half “Circular Head” : these two varieties being regarded with equal favour. It is estimated that about 300 bags of maize will be harvested this season. Agriculture is the only industry carried on, as when redwater appeared in the district all the cattle were sold for what they would fetch.

 This story was compiled by Kathy Punter.

Sources:  Trove; GFHS Record Collection; Bing Maps: