Gympie and District Farming – Coonoon Gibber Creek / Bollia 1905 – Part 3

Yet another story featuring the articles published in the The Gympie Times and Mary River Mining Gazette in 1905.  This one is the third part of a series about the Coonoon – Gibber Creek / Bollia area.  The names of the farmers in this story are: Everett, Tincknell, Barsby, Hole, Watson.   You can read Part 1 here.  Part 2 is here.

“GYMPIE AND DISTRICT FARMING AND GRAZING.

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

On the opposite side of the road from Mr. Lowe’s is a paddock of 160 acres, which has been ring-barked, of which Mr. James Everett is the owner. Coonoon-Gibber Creek is now cross-ed by the bridge lately erected by the Wid-gee Shire Council, which has proved a very great convenience to the residents, but to complete the work a cutting is wanted on the left bank. On reaching the top of the bank on that side the beautiful stretch of country known as the Bollia Plains is en-tered on, and away to the left on the ris-ing ground near Yabba Creek is the home-stead of Mr. Oliver Tincknell. Mr. Tincknell is one of the oldest resi-dents in the district, for it was in 1884 that he started farming on the plain near where the Yabba Creek bridge now stands. Here he made his home and continued to live until the 1893 flood, during which he had to escape from his house with Mrs. Tincknell and his children in a boat to Mr. Sterling’s (now Mr. Lowe’s). The frame of the old house is still standing and when it is stated that the water was two feet over the ridge, it will give those who know the locality some idea of the height of the water during the big flood. Everything in the house was destroyed, together with 60 acres of maize which was just about ready to pull. After the flood Mr. Tincknell re-moved to some higher ground, formed a new homestead and fenced and broke up some fresh land for cultivation, on 50 acres which he still continues to rent from Messrs. Elworthy and Mellor.

Later on he took up a homestead of 260 acres of forest land and built himself another house on his own property, and has resided there for the last three years. About half of the land included in the selection is good chocolate and black loam, suitable for fruit growing and gardening. Of the land rented from Messrs. Elworthy and Mellor there are 25 acres under cultivation with maize, English potatoes, &c..and adjoining is a further area of cleared scrub soil, where the stumps are sufficiently rotten to get the plough to work. It is intended to break up some of this land during the coming winter. The 22 acres of maize will only yield a fair crop on account of the periods of dry wea-ther during the growing season, and the blight that has done some damage to the late corn. But if the maize is only fair the 3 acres of English potatoes give every promise of a splendid yield, both for quan-tity and quality. With regard to the quantity, every root examined had a number of good sized tubers, and as to the quality there were never better potatoes put on the table than those Mr. Tincknell is digging and bringing into town. This opinion is based on experience after eating the pota-toes. Some of the earlier planted potatoes have suffered from lady-birds, but those put in later have escaped the ravages of this pest. Cabbages aro generally grown during the winter months, “Succession’ being the variety found to be the most profitable, and land was being prepared with yard manure for the plants of this vegetable to be put out.

Cauliflowers have also been found to do well on this soil. Arrowroot has been grown successfully by Mr. Tlncknell for pig feed : it is a heavy cropper and proved a fattening fodder even when fed raw. Beardless wheat has also been grown on this farm, which gave a good yield of grain. Among the fruit trees growing on the chocolate loam of the forest ridge the “Kelsey’ plums are found to do well, rip-ening about Christmas. The green fruit is good for cooking and it can be eaten raw as soon as the colour begins to change. The pigs are of good quality, maturing early, and 4 breeding sows are used to keep up the stock. A lot of baconcrs has just been sold to Mr. Hutton that averaged 110lbs. each at only six months old. A middle Yorkshire sow had a particularly good look-ing lot of young pigs ready to wean. Owing to having lost 14 milking cows during the drought and 6 from redwater, no cream can be sent away, and only a few cows are milked for home use. Three draught mares are being bred from, and it is intended to double this number as opportunity arises to procure suitable, animals. One of last Sea-son’s foals unfortunately has a very much enlarged near hind fetlock as the after ef-fect of a bad attack of strangles. The poultry are good bodied birds, and Mrs. Tincknell has just succeeded in hatching out seven black ducklings, from eggs found in a nest in the creek.

Across Yabba Creek from Mr. O. Tinck-nell are the farms of Mr. W. Barsby, Mr. H. Hole, and Mr. Thos. Watson. Mr. Wil-liam Barsby has 320 acres of land which he calls “High Ridge” farm. When selected fourteen years ago, one-half of the land was covered with standing scrub, since which time 50 acres have been felled and cleared. Of the 14 acres under cultivation 10 acres are ploughed. Ten acres of maize and 1½ acres of English potatoes are the crops growing, though swedes and mangels will shortly be sown to feed the pigs. Only a moderate yield of maize is expected, but the late crop of English potatoes is giving promise of turning out well. Of pigs there are 30, little and big, and when Mr. Hut-ton’s buyer, Mr. G. F. Lister, was round lately 4 baconers were sent away. The Berkshire boar in use was obtained from. Mr. O’Farrell, of Kandanga Creek. Eleven or twelve cows and heifers, besides a few calves, are in the paddock, but no dairying was done last year. Ticks have not been numerous and it has only been found neces-sary to wash the cattle once this season, to keep them in check.

Most of the cultiva-tion both on this farm and on the next one, Mr. Hole’s, is done on a rich piece of black soil ground, between the creek and an anna-branch, which is fit to grow anything that the climate is suitable for. The neatly painted house, and outbuildings of Mr. Henry Hole’s “Crystal Brook” farm form quite a feature in the landscape, and speak in an eloquent though silent, manner of a prosperous owner. Mr. Hole was in Gympie at the time of my visit, so, unfor-tunately, I could not get full particulars about the property, and therefore cannot do justice to the place. The holding consists of 160 acres of land and there are 25 acres of land under the plough. The early crop of maize has turned out well but the later sown seed has suffered by blight. To judge from the tops the English potatoes will yield well. Mr. Hole lost 16 or 17 milkers during the drought and from redwater, and now has only 19 head of cattle altogether. Mr. Thomas Watson has a farm of 160 acres next to Mr. Hole’s, and there are 12 acres under cultivation. His herd of cattle escaped losses from redwater and in this re-spect he was more fortunate than other stockowners. He has 23 head of cattlo al-together and is milking 12 cows night and morning, hand rearing the calves, which look well. Mr. Thos. Watson is a member of the Salvation Army, and takes a keen interest in the advancement of religion in the district in which he lives. It may here be mentioned that an officer of the Salva-tion Army visits Bollia and Bunya Creek once a month and holds services in various places.

 This story was compiled by Kathy Punter.

Sources:  Trove; GFHS Record Collection; Bing Maps: