Gympie and District Farming – Coonoon Gibber Creek / Bollia 1905

Yet another story featuring the articles published in the The Gympie Times and Mary River Mining Gazette in 1905.  This one is the first part of a series about the Coonoon – Gibber Creek / Bollia area.  The names of the farmers in this story are: Ahearn, Axelby, Smith, Collins, Goggin, Gilroy, Horden, Rodwell, Bryant, Jocomsen, Whelan, Aspinall.  

“GYMPIE AND DISTRICT FARMING AND GRAZING.

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

Ths last articles of this series described the farms and other settlements on the Brisbane-road side of the Mary river as far as Mr. V. R. Thompson’s farm on Obi creek. —I shall now commence to return to wards Gympie down the left hand, or Imbil side of the Mary river, and give some de-scriptions of that important district. In-cluding the properties situated on the tribu-taries o! the river.
The most southerly creek on which farming is carried on, and the most lately settled is Coonoon-Gibber. It is about five years since Mr. John Ahearn took up his selection, which is the highest one on this creek. He has 418 acres, 100 acres of which were standing scrub, the balance of the land being good forest flats and fair grazing ridges, heavily timbered. At the time of my visit Mr. Ahearn was en-gaged in building a new barn, with shingle roof. He has now 16 acres of the scrub felled and there are 10 acres under cultiva-tion, besides which 100 acres of the forest land have been ringbarked. Maize and Eng-lish potatoes are the principal crops grown throughout this district, and this farm is no exception to the rule, there being about 8 acres of the former and 1 acre of the latter. Only a few pigs are kept, and the cattle have been reduced to 7 head : be-sides which a few light horses are bred on the place. Mr. John Thomas Ahearn, son of the former settler, has 400 acres adjoin-ing the property of his father, where he has resided for the last five years. Of the 15 acres that are under cultivation there are 12 acres under maize and 3 acres under English potatoes.  The house is a nicely finished building, and around it stand the barn and other necessary out-buildings. Five guineas were given for the pure bred Berk-shire boar in the effort to improve the qual-ity of the pigs, of which there are now 14. Ten head are all the cattle that are left, for between the two Messrs. Ahearn the losses in cattle from redwater amounted to 70 head.  If it were not for this heavy loss cream would be sent across to the Kenil-worth road, which is only five miles dis-tant. Some horse breeding is done from 3 draught and 3 well bred blood mares : from the latter there are 4 fillies by “Omagh” and “Talkative.”

“The Bluff” district extends from Mr. Ahearn’s farm to that owned by Mr. S. G. Smith, and the farm in this area on which the greatest amount of work has been done and the most progress made during the five years since the land was selected, is that owned by Mr. Joseph Axelby. Mr. Axelby had been attacked with dengue on the morn-ing of my visit, but when he heard the ob-ject for which I had called he got out of bed to give the desired information about his property. The land consists of 400 acres about 300 acres of which were flat standing scrub. During the four years that Mr. Axelby has lived on the farm 50 acres of scrub have been felled, 25 acres have been put under the plough, and house and neces-sary out-buildings erected, though these latter are mostly of a temporary character. The land under cultivation is principally a good apple-tree flat, and the crops grown for sale are maize and English potatoes. But in addition mangels, swedes, and sweet potatoes are grown for the pigs. “All Na-tins” is the favorite variety of maize lor the early crop, and “Golden Nugget’ for the later one. The former has turned out fair in spite of the periods of dry weather in the spring and early summer, but the blight has detrimentally effected the late corn. Great hopes are based on a good re-turn from three acres of potatoes, and so far they look splendid both above and be-low ground. Some have already been sold in Gympie at good prices. The varieties grown are “Circular Head” and “Improved Early Rose” ; the seed of the latter was obtained three years ago from Messrs. Hor-ton, of Sydney, and are said to be very much better quality for the table than the old “Early Rose” : they are also very early and fair yielders of all large tubers. At the present time there are five breeding sows on the farm, together with a pure bred Berk-shire boar from the Agricultural College and a Middle Yorkshire boar from Mr. J. C. Hutton. In future it is intended not to keep so many pigs. There are about 100 laying hens and 60 or 70 chicks, with Buff and Black Orpington and White Leghorn roosters. Besides the fowls there are 12 English ducks and a Pekin drake. Three years ago Mr. Axelby had 15 head of cat-tle, but they all died of redwater.

Adjoining the Camping Reserve is the land known as “The Bluff Plains” farm which has been owned and worked by Mr. Sydney O. Smith for the last two and a-half years. Mr. Smith has 235 acres of mostly forest land including a fine stretch of naturally clear ground suitable for growing all classes of general farm crops. The maize is mostly well forward and a fair yield is expected, while the potatoes give promise of a good crop. Among the latter are “Brownells Beauty,” “Circular Head,” and “Peach Blossom,” a variety obtained direct from Sydney by Mr. Aspinall. which has so far given satisfaction both in quality and yield. Over 40 pigs are in the yards and sties. When Mr. Smith took up the Bluff Plains farm it was his intention to go in for dairying and with this object he brought up about 20 head of cattle : the redwater. however, killed all but four head, so dairy ing had to be abandoned and attention di-rected solely to agriculture.

On account of the lateness of the hour a visit could not be paid to Mr. Jeremiah Collins’s farm, but it was gathered that he has a very good block of 160 acres, and a fair area undcr crops of corn and potatoes, both ol which are looking well. Mr. Gog-gin. who is dairying on the South Side, Gympie, also has a good selection adjoining. Further down the creek, Mr. Robert Gil-roy, who is hauling timber to the Union Saw Mil!, has selected 160 acres and put up a house : but so far no other improvements have been made beyond erecting some posts for fencing.

From here the track leads to Mr. Gilbert Hordern’s homestead on Bli Bli creek. The 320 acres of land is all fenced and partly ring-barked. Dairying was carri-ed on until the drought set in, but this combined with the redwater scourge left on!y 10 or 12 cows alive. The feed for the 28 pigs is mostly brought down from Mr. 0. G. Hordern’s farm, as Mr. Gilbert Hordern’s health, unfortunately, prevents him doing much farming himself. I was very much surprised when Mrs. Hordern told me that she had lost all her chicks from bandicoots, as although these animals are known to be very destructive to root crops,.I had never heard of them killing chickens. Other ladies in the district added their testimony to that of Mrs. Hordern showing that at times in some districts the bandicoots are more distructive to young Poultry than even native cats.

Turning back a short distance and branch-ing off to the right Mr. Thomas Rodwell’s 160 acres of land are entered on, but the Coonoon-Gibber Creek has to be crossed be-for the homestead is reached. Mr. Rodwell was away with his team hauling log timber to Traveston Siding, so that the informa-tion about this property had to be obtained second hand. The land is mostly used for grazing although a few acres are under cultivation the crops grown being used on the place.

The next property belongs to Mr. John Bryant who calls his 160 acres “Bar-row Farm.” He has 8 acres under culti-cation growing maize and potatoes ; both of which crops are said to promise well for good returns. Five pigs are on the place. During the drought, with redwater following 12 cows and 7 or 8 young cattle died, and as only one heifer remained alive dairy-ing is out of the question. Horse breeding is carried on from two mares.

Mr. Andrew Jocomsen has lived for six years on his “Willow Valley” farm of 160 acres, but at times works away from home to increase his income. Ten acres have been under cul-tivatiom, but are now lying fallow. Away over the ridges.to the right lies the property of Mr. Michael Whelan, consisting of 1000 acres with a frontage to the Mary river, and adjoining further down the stream is the 160 acre farm of Mr. James Aspin-all. About 25 acres of scrub have been fell-ed, on which crops of maize and potatoes have been grown. As the stumps have not yet rotted sufficiently to be taken out with-out an undue amount of labor, Mr. Aspinall j rents some land for cultivation from Mr. Lowe. Mr. Whelan’s and Mr. Aspinall’s land were too far oft the road being follow-ed to be visited and the same applies to the farm of 640 acres, on the river, owned by Mr. George Myers. Here 30 acres are said to have been felled and 4 or 5 acres to be under cultivation. All the land has been fenced and a few head of cattle show-ing the Jersey strain are running in the paddock.

 This story was compiled by Kathy Punter.

Sources:  Trove; GFHS Record Collection; Google Maps: