Capricornian (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1875 - 1929), Saturday 2 April 1904, page 34


PASTORAL COUNTRY IN GREAT HEART

Mr. H. C. Trew. manager of Clifton Hills cattle station, is now in Adelaide, says the Adeliade "Register"' of the 22nd of March. He recently paid a visit to the Queensland pastoral country, going as far as Clon-curry. Longreach, Jundah, Windorah, and Boulia. Mr. Trew told a representative of the "Register" that the country is in the best condition. Quite recently heavy rains had fallen, and the rivers Diamantina and Georgina had emptied themselves out on the vast plain at Clifton Hills, covering nearly 2000 square miles of country.

Tin-, ri'marked tlie manager, ' L- inuu-! dated al the present moment.| and on top of all thi.- water another -^ in. of rain. spread over I five .lays, fell lately. As this water, rccdis on the Cliftou Hills country feed I appears, and for the next six mont.hr. Lhere ! will lie f4reen *rra.«t- on Uiai. particular run.j wlurli is now carrying 2000 cattle. Clifton! HilL. at Uie present momejit iy one of the iinc.-t-looking properties we liave in South Australia. It i- i-ermanently watered. ai;d the number of cattle it would faUen n.iw i- simplv unlimited. Tlie road from there to Herjs.U Springs and Farina is in splendid order, exwjrt. one stage of sixty mil«v between Mungarazuiie and- Kajivouirahaninna (reek. There U a little rough gra-^- on Uie track in question : but it will M»n di-riippear unless more rain falls. The' ??ountj-y alwut Hergoti i« in belter) lu^irt than 1 have seen it for sixteen or. twenty year*, and the Clifton Hills flood is Uie bigge-.t I have ever seen, and I ha\e ] Lveu in tfc pastoral areas ior tTfenly-four \

years. Hundreds of miles of abandoned pastoral country towards the south end of Queensland has now largely recovered from the drought, but not a hoof is to be found in places like Tanbar and Wichela, which once carried 60,000 cattle. In a direction north of Clifton Hills the abandoned sta- tions are Miranda, Pandy, Alton Downs, and Idra Downs although Mr. S. Kidman is still supposed to be in possession sion of Pandy. South of Clifton Hills there is Kanowna Station, carrying only 1300 cattle where there used to be 30,000. while Cowara came out of the drought with nothing left out of a herd of 7000 cattle. Speaking generally, all this country is now capable of being restocked to a more or less extent : but South Australian finaneers and pastoralists must be-come more resigned to the high prices that must be paid if restocking is to take place. I found the Queenlanders much ahead of us in that respect. The Diamantina and Georgina rivers both flow through Cowara. which is in good order again.