Australian Town and Country Journal (Sydney, NSW : 1870 - 1919), Saturday 7 April 1888, page 44


In Gippsland.

(FROM OUR TRAVELLING REPORTER.)

We made an early start from Bruhen, on tho road to the Haunted Stream Goldfields. The road is a winding one along the banks of the Tambo, above navigation point, which, in the early morning, looked very pretty ; and, after a stop for lunch at the Tambo Crossing Hotel, we started up the cut track through the mountains for some seven miles. After a rough trip we came to the lower township, which consists of one hotel, kept by Mr. Stewart, two stores, and a Mechanics' Institute, where the TOWN AND COUNTRY JOURNAL is always to be found ; it being considered by miners the best in Australia for mining news. This little village in the heart of the mountains has only bridle tracks as approaches, and the packhorse is used in bringing all that is requirod from the nearest towns. Several good reefs are in full swing; among them being the Hans, in the upper stream, where they were crushing a large amount of stone. They are working a ten-head stamper by means of a large water wheel. The reef ie about 10ft wide; and the last crushing ran over half an ounce to the ton. The Brothers claim, North Ants, has also had a good crushing. But when I was there they were driving a tunnel to cut the reef. The Commotion has had a good crushing and at present is driving a low lead tunnel. The West Ants claim is about to erect a large water wheel, a trial of some twenty tons of stone having

run 44oz of arold.

The Last Chance claim also looks well, and the holders expect to got over an ounce to the ton. The Exhibition claim has had two crushings, which turned out very well ; and they were putting the third through when I was there. The Victoria has run as high as 3oz to the ton ; while the Rob Roy is about to start crushing, having a large paddock of stone on the surface. Burt's claim looks well, and they have about twelve tons of stone in their paddook. which, I think, will run about 2oz to the ton. On the Mint claim new machinery is being erected, and a good paddook of stone is to grass ; while the Rose of Denmark had a trial crushing going 3oz to the ton. At present they are sinking a winze to conneot the bottom level, which is about 175ft; and they are down about 75ft. Many other claims are on the ground. There are three batteries, and about two hundred people are there; while two Government prospecting parties are at work near them. Taking the field all round,

they expect big things in the future.

A climb of some ten or more miles over the mountains brought me to Ensey Station, the pro-perty of Irvine and Hamilton, where a surprise was in store for me ; for irrigation is carried on here quite successfully. This is a sheep and cattle station, and is beautifully situated halfway between Bruthen and Omeo ; and at present the owners grow just enough hay for their own stock. They have gone quite extensively into keep ing ensilage; and they make it of lucerne, having two good paddocks of the same near the homestead. Last year was the first time they tried lucerne ; and they find it, they say, splendid. Stcok like it even better than any thing they have yet tried. They use the stick system. They bring the lucerne in as fresh as possible, and make a perfect square of it under a large shed. Flat logs are then placed over it perfectly even ; and weights are placed on the logs. Mr. Hamilton at present is using salt as weights, and about fifteen tons of salt were stacked in bags on say 50 tons of ensilage, This amount of lucerne had sunk about three or more feet when I was there, and a sample of last year's was splendid. They even find that the cuttings from the side, which they do not count as good, are relished by the cattle; and so none goes to waste. The water for irrigating is brought some three miles from the Littlo River in the form of a race, as if it were going to be used for mining. Then channels are cut through the exten-sive garden, where all kinds of vegetables and fruits are grown to perfection. The wator coming near the house, it is also used for the household ; and after leaving the garden it runs round the lucerne paddocks, and in dry seasons is used for the same, when good crops are always obtained. Mr. Hamilton always expects seven crops per year from those paddocks. From here the race is taken to the woolsheds, where it is used for dip-ping sheep and scouring wool. Then afte r going through a good-sized paddock it enters the Little River some five miles from the starting point. I have been on some dozens of farms and stations where the same could be done with far less trouble than on this station ; and the owners deserve great praise. While I was there they filled the dip from the race ; the time of filling being some eight minutes. About 25,000 sheep were dipped on this station last season ; and the stud flock is very fine, some of the rams having cost over eighty guineas.

From Ensey I rode to Omeo, stopping at Mr. W. Johnson's farm on the way to see the new cheese plant he has just erected. It is built on the Bega plan ; Mr. Reid, of Bega, having charge. At present 56 cows are in milk ; but shortly they expect to milk fully 100. Omeo was reached at night, and is a far larger town than I expected to see, having a post and telegraph office, three good hotels, several large stores, a courthouse, a police station, churches, and a fine park well planted with trees and flower gardens, with a small ornamental pond on one side. Seats are placed in different parts of the park ; and the centre is used for a cricket ground, and also for sports.

The town itself is not pretty, although it has some fine buildings. Like most towns which have grown up from gold-mining, the first houses were erected as near the field as possible ; and a good situation was not thought of. So one long street, very crooked, with two big hills to climb if you wish to go from one end of the town to the other, is the result. It is a great pity that the town was not built on the hill, where a grand view can always be obtained. Gold-mining is still carried on to a large extent, and some good finds have lately come to light. Some eight miles from this town, over the hills and over also a good road, you get your first view of Omeo Plains, with the lake of the same name in its centre, and here is one of the most beautiful spots in Australia. No matter from what point you enter this mountain basin, if the day is bright, you will never forget the first view, and you will always recall it with pleasure. You see a good-sized plain of about forty thousand acres, surrounded by moun-tains and covered with farms ; the lake shining like gold in its centre, and having homesteads all around its banks. When you come down on to the level land you are not disappointed, for what looks so peaceful and beautiful from the hill tops improves when you get to it.

The lake is about twelve miles around ; and the homes of the farmers are well built. Some of the gardens are very fine, the fruit being of the best quality, and the trees bearing very large crops. But they have no market for fruit or vegetable. So tons of the former rot every year. A good road is made round the lake, and it is a splendid drive. I took this road

and enjoyed the ride very much. You can see more game or water fowl here in half an hour than you can in most parts of Australia in months. There are thousands of ducks, and I counted no less than eight different kinds ; swans by the hundred ; snipe, cranes, and in fact, all kinds of the Australian water birds. I even saw a couple of birds very much like the albatross, and was told that once in a while, a stray one finds its way to the lake. But I hardly think that this is the salt-water bird, although very much like it. Parts of the lake were fairly black with ducks and swans.

At the lower end of the lake you ride over a good sized hill, and then you again see the plains before you - this time under the name of Little Plains. This part has a large bog, or morass, running through it, with a good stream of water in its centre, which could be made to act as a drain, and so re claim some hundreds of acres of the best land. All through this bog or morass you can get good fishing and shooting. The lake has no fish. In riding or driving over the plains to the different farms on its borders you think you have seen the last of it; but, going around a little hill at the foot of some mountain, you come to some little nook of about 300 acres ; and here you see the home-stead, near the end, so built to keep it warm in winter. So far through Gippsland the homes are much better than those of New South Wales farmers, the Victorians always having gardens and plenty of fruit around the house. The homes here are more like the south coast homes in New South Wales, where you will always find nice gardens.

I spent three days on the plains, and could have spent three weeks. I strongly advise those people who may happen to visit Omeo not to forget the plains, where the farmers will always make them welcome, just as they do in our own colony. It is no wonder that Mr. MacFarlane when he first saw this country, when looking for land with some com-panions to graze cattle in 1840, exclaimed in true Highland fashion, "Oh! Me! Oh!" This family has passed away ; but his companion, Mr. Pender-gast, has left plenty of descendants and relations, who are still living on the ground.