The chapters in this book are ...

Round about Kempsey

Advent of the Macleay Farmer -His development and Appearance Today

Prospects on the Macleay - Achievements and Possibilities

A Glance at the Upper Macleay - Swamps Awaiting Reclamation

South from the Macleay - Timber and Farming Country

On the Hastings - Round Beechwood and Up River

On the Hastings - A Bunch of Settlements

Comboyne Plateau - A Smaller Dorrigo

Troubles of the Comboyne - Settlers and Settlement

From Kew to Coopernook - Timber and Dairying Country

Camden Haven District - An Underrated Territory

The Manning River

Dairying on the Lower Manning River - A Steady Advancement

The Prospective Lower Manning - A Big and Prosperous Community

About the Upper Manning - Wingham and Environments

Between Manning and Comboyne - A Group of New Settlers

Dingo Creek Country - The Bulga Scrub

The Manning Upper Reaches - Farms and Cattle Stations

In the A. A. Country - Its Occupation and History

The Gloucester Estate - Settlement on Business Lines

Outside the Gloucester Estate - Dairying Develops the Country

Round About Dungog - A Belt of Old Grants

New Jerusalem - A Territory Waiting Settlement

Impressions of the Tour - Concluding Article

The following is the foreword from this book ....

In 1905-6 the Manning River Times and other newspapers featured articles by an unnamed special newspaper correspondent who toured the Mid North Coast river districts from Kempsey to Dungog and reported on the land that was being utilised for farming and Crown lands that he felt should be thrown open to settlement, particularly for the use by those entering the dairy industry. Dairying was on the verge of its greatest boom and the local and overseas market hungered for its very high quality produce. If this large market was catered to, the State’s finances would benefit greatly, and the large tracts of virgin land could be sold to farmers, a win-win situation for the Government. The biggest problem was, according to the correspondent, the Lands Department had decided that much of these lands would not produce anything but timber and had advised the Government of the day that it would not support a farming population. His articles were read with great interest in city and country newspapers and stirred the Government into action - and then the dairying and farming land boom was underway.

At the same time the Australian Agricultural Company was disposing of its holdings between Port Stephens and the Manning River, and the Gloucester Estate was being laid out in sensibly sized blocks featuring workable lands, thereby enabling purchasers to gain blocks that should sustain a good living for farming families and increase the coffers of the State. These were well organised land sales based on effective surveys which included some good and some not so good land in each block with access to water, rather than the haphazard manner in which land was carved up in a “paper design” by staff in an office in Sydney. This  eventually altered the thinking of governmental officialdom and surveyors who had been quite happy to draw squares on maps and announce these were well thought out plans for farming land.

The articles give an insight into the various districts in 1905-6 and the attitude of ‘self-complacent’ farming practices of the time. “This is a great country, and it is difficult to decide whether to admire or condemn the satisfaction of the settlers. They will tell you that the place is dreadfully slow, and that somebody ought to do something, forgetting all the time that they are the somebody. There is no question that the farming population jogs along in superb complacency. They are making money. The pig pays the rent, and that is all about it. But the observant stranger comes in and sees a cruel waste of opportunity.”

This book gives an interesting overview of the districts between the Kempsey and Dungog,  written over one hundred years ago by a very knowledgeable correspondent who was obviously passionate about the development of virgin lands and the advancement of the economy of the State through farming in general and dairying in particular.
 
 

Adams Mr
Allan John
Allyn River
Anley Captain
Arakoon Swamp
Ashton Mr (MLA)
Ashton's Land Act
Atkinson family
Austral Eden
Australian Agricultural Co
Avon River
Avon Valley
Back Creek
Bain Mr
Bandon Grove
Barnard River
Barren Forest Ridges
Barrington
Barrington River
Beechwood
Belgrave district
Bell's Store Black Flat
Bellbrook
Belmore Swamp
Bendolba
Bendolba Estate
Bennett Mr (MLA)
Bennett Walter (MLA)
Betts J H
Big Swamp
Black Flat
Blain Archibald William
Bland Mr
Bobin Creek
Booral
Botany
Bourke
Bowman River
Bowthorne cream factory
Branch River
Brickfield Hill
Brilbril Creek
Brisbane Governor
Brock Mr
Broken Bago
Brothers The
Brown J L
Brushy Mountains
Brushy Range
Bulahdelah - see Bullah Delah
Bulga
Bull Michael
Bullah Delah
Bungay Station
Butterfly Ranges
Byron Bay factory
Cabbage Tree Flat
Caffrey Michael
Cairnmore Estate
Callaghan's Creek
Camden Haven
Camden Haven harbour works
Cameron brothers
Cameron Captain
Cameron Falls
Cameron Mr & Mrs
Carle John
Carrington
Carrington Anglican Church
Carruthers Mr (MLA)
Casement Doctor
Casino-Murwillumbah Railway
Cattai Creek
Cedar Party Creek
Chatham
Chichester River
Chinese shepherds
Christian J Stanley
Churchill Joseph & sons
Clarence River
Clarence Town
Clegg John
Closer Settlement Act
Cobcroft E J
Collarenebri
Comboyne
Comer Station
Coolongolook
Coombes
Cooper brothers
Cooperabung Estate
Cooperabung Mountain
Coopernook
Coopernook House
Coopernook Station
Cooplacurripa Station
Copmanhurst
Coramba
Corlette James
Corrobongatti
Cowan Thomas
Cowper Margaret
Cowper W M Rev
Cox R M
Crick Mr (MLA)
Croki
Crossman Henry
Crowther H S
Cundle Estate
Cundletown
Cundletown Anglican Church
Curracabark Station
Davidson Mr (MLA)
Davis Jacky
Dawson River
de Fraine George
Deep Creek
Dems Mr
Dimond brothers
Dimond Mr & family
Dingo Creek
Dingo Creek Little
Dondingalong
Donkin E
Donkin family
Dorrigo
Dowse
Dowse Mr
Drainage Trusts Act
Duckenfield cream factory
Dumaresque Henry Lieut-Colonel
Dumaresque Island
Dungog
Dyball Robert
Eade Diver
Eade Mr
Ellenborough Falls
Ellenborough River
Ellis Mr
England
Estell E
Estell Mr (MLA)
Euroka Creek
Evans Mr
Ewing T T (MP)
Fawkes Guy
Fisher Francis
Five Day Creek
Five Day Creek Station
Flagstaff
Flett H
Forbes' River
Ford Mr
Forster
Foster W T
Frederickton
Frederickton Butter Factory
Frogmore
Fulton Mr
Gardiner & sons
George's Creek Station
German immigrants
Ghinni Ghinni Creek
Giro Station
Gladstone
Glen Innes
Gloucester
Gloucester butter factory
Gloucester Estate
Gloucester River
Gold mine - Huntington
Gordonbrook
Goulburn
Governor Jimmy
Grafton
Greaves Mr (surveyor)
Green's Swamp
Greenfields (property)
Gresford
Guy Fawkes
Hall Mr
Hannah River
Hardie's Plains
Harman John
Harman Mr & Mrs & family
Harrington
Hassall Mr (MLA)
Hastings River
Hawkesbury College
Hay Doctor
Henry Mr
Hexham
Hickey's Creek
Hickey's Creek Butter Factory
Hill C A
Hill George
Hill George S
Hill John
Hill Mr
Hooke W
Houlder Mr
Hunderang Station
Hunter River
Huntington
Huntington Estate
Huntington Gold mine
Innes Major
Ireland
Jerseyville
John's River
Johnston's Creek
Jones Mr & sons
Jones Mr Snr
Jones T & family
Jones T Jnr
Jones' Island
Karaak Flat
Karuah River
Kauthi Station
Keilabakh Creek
Kemp's Range
Kempsey
Kempsey Butter Factory
Kempsey Central
Kempsey East
Kempsey West
Kendall
Kennedy Angus
Kennedy Mr
Kew
Killabakh - see Keilabakh
Killawarra Bridge
Kimbriki
Koppin Yarratt
Koppin Yarratt Creek
Krambach
Kurrajong Swamp
Kyogle
Land Tax - Reid Government
Lander John
Lang Doctor
Langley Brothers
Lansdowne
Lansdowne River
Latimore Mr
Latimore R
Latimore's Hill
Laurie brothers
Laurieton
Lenehan Mr
Lindsay brothers
Lindsay family
Lismore
Little Dingo Creek
Liverpool Plains
London
Long Flat
Long Flat Station
Lorne
Mackay J G
Mackay J K
Mackellar Doctor (MLA)
Mackenzie's Creek
MacLaurin Norman Sir
Macleay Co-op Dairy Factory
Macleay River
Macleay River bacon factory
Macquarie Governor
Main Creek
Maitland
Mambo Island
Manning River
Manning River butter factory
Manning River Co-op Bacon factory
Manning River Dairy Co-op (Croki)
Manning River District Hospital
Maria River
Marlee
McDonell A
McDonell D A
McDonell Mr Snr
McDonell T J
McKenzie J A
McKenzie Mr
McLennan John
McPherson brothers
McWilliams Thomas
Merewether H A
Merewether Henry A
Miller Thomas
Milligan Mr
Mitchell's Island
Mograni Valley
Mondrook Estate
Monkerai Range
Monkerai River
Moore Mr
Moorland
Moparrabah Station
Morton P H
Moto Estate
Mount Bulli
Mount Douglas
Mt Gangat
Mt Kiwarric
Mt. George
Muddle Harry
Munday brothers
Mundook Estate
Murray George
Murwillumbah-Casino Railway
Myall Creek
Myall River
Nabiac
Narrabri
Neale George
Nelson Lord
New England
New Jerusalem
New Zealand
Newbold
Newbold Station
Newcastle
Newton family
Newton William
North Coast
North Coast Co.
Northern Rivers
Nowendoc road
Nowendoc Station
Nulla Nulla Creek
Number 1 Station
O'Shannessy Michael
O'Shannessy Thomas
O'Sullivan Cornelius
O'Sullivan Mr (MLA)
Oakland
Oxley Island
Oxley Island - “Thistle Glen”
Panton family
Pappinburra Creek
Paraguay experiment
Parry Isabella L
Parry W E Captain Sir (RN)
Paterson
Paterson River
Pee Dee Creek run
Pindiman
Pipeclay Creek
Piper's Creek
Plummer Mr
Plummer Walter
Port Macquarie
Port Macquarie Butter Factory
Port Stephens
Ptolemy Mr
Purfleet
Queensland
Railway
Railway bill
Railway Murwillumbah-Casino
Razorback
Redbank
Reeves Mr
Richardson Tom
Richmond River
Robinson George
Rolland's Plains
Rose Charles
Rowley's River
Rudder Enoch
Rudder Mr
Rush's Creek
Sauer Mr
Seaham
See John Sir
See Mr (MLA)
Seven Oaks
ship - “Duroby"
ship - "Electra"
ship - "Pyrmont"
ship - "Wauchope"
Singleton
Singleton family
Smith Sam
Smithtown
Smithtown Butter Factory
South Africa
South Coast
Southern Rivers
Starkey
Stewart's River
Stroud
Stroud Anglican Church
Stroud butter factory
Stroud House
Sullivan (ship builders)
Summerville John
Sutherland Mr
Sydney
Tamworth
Tapley Mark
Taree
Taree Estate
Taylor Mr
Telegherry River
Telegraph Point
Terrigong Swamp
Thalaba
Thistle Glen - Oxley Island
Thomas Mr
Thompson Onslow Colonel
Thone Creek
Thone River
Tinonee
Tinonee broom factory
Tinonee ferry
Toorooka Station
Towel Creek Station
Trees Alfred
Trees Mr
Trees Mr & family
Trees William
Trial Bay
Tweed River
Underbank
Uralgurra
Van Diemen's Land
Verge Austral
Verge family
Verge German
Verge Mr
Verge Mr Snr
Wabra Station
Wade John
Wade Vincent
Walcha Road
Walgett
Wallace Mr
Wallamba
Wallamba - see also Wollamba
Wallarobba
Wallsend
Wang Wauk
Wangat
Ward's River
Warrah Estate
Warwick Mr
Washpool
Watson-Taylor Lake
Wauch Major
Wauchope
West Maitland
White George
White H C
Williams Mr
Williams River
Wilson George
Wilson River
Windeyer W L
Wingham
Wingham bacon factory
Wingham butter factory
Wollamba - see also Wallamba
Wollamba River
Woodside
Woolla Estate
Yarnley Mr
Yarras
Yarras Station
Young J H (MLA)
Yugilbar