The Pounding of Rockhampton the Archer Brothers
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The Pounding of Rockhampton and The Archer Brothers. BY WILLIAM CLARK. {Mead at a Meeting of the Historical Society of Queensland, on October 12'th, 1917.) Of all the great maritime ports of entry in north-eastern Australia, the Port of Rockhampton is by far the most important, possessing a wonderful endowment of back country, rich in sources of mineral wealth and in fertile soil, its natural pasturage even surpassing the artifical cultured conditions of the meadow lands of older countries. On the fine black soil downs of Springsure and CuJlin-la- ringo, Fernlees and the Minerva country, the growth of the tussock grass, sheep fescues, wild carrot, wild eschalots, wild lucerne, wild melons and innumerable flowering herbs attest the truth of the statement here made. This immense tract of country is traversed and drained by no less than seven watersheds, forming the course of the Dawson*, Nogoa, Comet, Claude, Barcoof, Nive arid Thompson^ Rivers. Its great westerly range system, known as the Great Divide, turns its easterly waters into the Mackenzie**, which, with its affluent, the Isaacf f river, rolls down to the " Lordly Fitzroy," with its ocean gates at Keppel Bay, while the waters flowing from the Great * Discovered by Leichhardt, 5th November, 1844, and naiaed by him after R. B. Dawson, of Black River, afterwards of Casino. t Discovered by Sir Thomas Mitchell, 13th September, 1845, and named the " Victoria "—" the future highway to the Indian- Ocisan." In August, 1847, E. B. Kennedy proved it to be the Cooper's Creek of Sttirt. Sabisequentiy called the Bareoo. I Discovered by E. B. Kennedy, second in command of Sir Thomas MitciieU's expedition to tropical Australia, on 13th August, 1847, and named after Sir Edward Deas Thompson, C.B., K.C.M.G., Colonial Sec retary (Chancellor of the University of Sydney, 1865-1878). ** Discovered by Leichhardt, 10th January, 1845, and named by him after Sir Evan'Mackenzie of jKilcoy, Bart. ft Discovered by Leichhardt, 13th February, 1845, and «amed by ^^ after Frederick Neville Isaac, of Gowrie, Darling Downs. Died, ^°"°' widow married John Watts, of Eton Vale. 328 Divide westerly, the Maranoa, Warrego and other streams, eventually join the great Murray river-system, with its outlet in South Australia. The City of Rockhampton has had unusual advantages to assist its development. It was opened as a port in the pastoral interests, but mining soon added its support. The Canoona Goldfield was opened.* , Ere it closed down. Archer Brothers, of Gracemere, by their liberality in rationing prospectors, had assisted the discovery of a large number of other local goldfields with the grand finale of Mount Morgan, while the discovery of copper by Manton Brothers, at Copperfield, led to the discovery of the Clermont gold- field. Thus the "City of the Three S's," as it has been called, significant of " sin, sweat and sorrow,"' had fortunate influences to consolidate its progress. In the year 1855 the Lower Dawson stations, in con sequence of the frequent occurrence of aboriginal outrages, were in a very unsettled state. Everyone was on the alert. Men carried firearms with them everywhere and slept with their loaded weapons within reach in case of night attack. Shepherds followed their, flocks with rifles slung over their shoulders. At that time the Lower Dawson was the frontier of settlements. Rockhampton was not. The Crown Land Commissioner for the Leichhardt, Mr. William Henry Wiseman,f a relative of the celebrated Cardinal Wiseman, of Westminster, lived in a stockaded tent at the Ramies J head station. Our late Under-Sec retary for Mines, Mr. P. Selheim, was also at Rannes. I remember the Commissioner for Crown Lands coming to Camboon station in 1856. He had received a mandate from Sydney to select and report upon a site on the south bank of the Fitzroy river on navigable water, to be called " Rockhampton." * For an account of the discovery of the Canoona Goldfield and the subsequent rush, see Hogan, " The Gladstone Colony." London,, T, Fisher Unwin, 1898, Chapters IX., X., and XI. ^ t Appointed Commissioner for Crown Lands, Leichhardt District, 30th Dec, 1854. N.S.W. Government Gazette, 5th Jan., 1855. % On 28th February, 1855, the tender of James and Norman Leith Hay and Thomas Holt for Rannes and other runs in the Leichhardt Dis trict, was accepted. See N.S.W. Govt. Gazette, 9th March, 1855, p. 648. On 29th August, 1856, a Court of Petty Sessions was established at Rannes. (See. N.S.W, Govt. Gazette, 29th August, 1856, p. 2327). James Leith Hay was bom September, 1824 and died at St. Servian,- in France, on April 3rd, 1887. Nomian Leith Hay was lost in the SeabeUe, whicli left Port Curtis for Sydney on 7th March, 1857. It has been said that the SeabeUe was blown out of her course and wrecked at Emu Bay, and her pas sengers and crew murdered by blacks. There is an inscription in the Parish Chnrch at Kinnethmont, Aberdeenshire, recording his death, 829 The Fitzroy country was only partly explored when Messrs. Archer Bros.* had taken up Gracemere. The commissioner had received no assistance. He had only two orderlies. He was to " make bricks without straw." The owners of the Camboon and Rannes stations came to his aid. A shipping port was needed nearer than Mary borough. They were willing to help to get one. The party followed the Dawson to its confluence with the Fitzroy and formed their observation camp on a hill near what are still called Wiseman's Lagoons. The choice of a locahty for the town was limited. A bar of rocks in the river stopped navigation, and below the site chosen, the country was practically a salt-water swamp. The question of site being settled, it was necessary to provide a road to the port. Station hands cut a twelve- mile road through the Dee river scrub. * There were nine brothers. Charles, who went to Norway about 1858, and died there two years afterwards from the effect of an accident. .John, who drove one of the drays up from New South Wales to Moreton Bay, in 1841. He was drowned going out from Sydney Harbour in his brig, the Uotuma, which was never heard of again. David, born 1816, went home in 1852, engaged in business in London, and did not come out again. Died in 1900. Father of Mr. R. S. Archer, now of Gracemere. William, bom 1 18. Archdeacon Glennie notes in his diary that when he first came to Brisbane in March, 1848, in the Tamrw, William Archer was on board. He managed Eton Vale for Sir Arthur Hodgson, and after wards Gracemere for many years. Went to Norway. Came out again in 1892, and published some Recollections of a Rambling Life in the " Queenslander." He returned to Norway and died there about 1900. Archibald, bom in Fife, 18th March, 1820, came out in 1842. After coffee growing and tobacco plantin:; in the South Seas he went to Grace- mere in 1862. Entered political life as member for Rockhampton, in 1867. Colonial Treasurer, Jan., 1882 to Nov., 1883, in Sir Thomas Mcllwraith's first administration. Died in England, 10th February, 1902. Thomas, bom 1823. For an account of his exploring expedition to Fitzroy Downs, see Hogan—" The Gladstone Colony," pp. 86-92, where, however, his name is not mentioned. He was Agent-General for Queens land, and was created a C.M.G. in 1884. A paper dealing with Queens land was read by him at the Royal Colonial Institute on 12th April, 1881. See Proceedings Roy. Col. Inst., Vol. XII, pp. 263-291. Thomas Archer died in England on 11th December, 1905. Alexander, born 1828. Married Louisa, daughter of Sir R. R. Maekenzio, of Coul, Inspector Bank of New South Wales. Drowned with his wife in the wreck of the Quetta, Torres Straits, 28th Feb., 1890. Colin, managed Gracemere for two or three years in the late " fifties." He then went to Larvic'<, in Norway, where he still lives. James, bom 1836, Managed Gracemere and afterwards Minnie Downs, near Tambo. Went to Larvick in 1882. There were two sisters, who did not come out to Australia, As the wool season drew near Messrs, Palmer and Friend, storekeepers, of Gladstone (Port Curtis), chartered the schooner Enierprise, Captain Phil, Hardy, to carry supplies up the Fitzroy and load up with wool, A native police boat party, under Lieutenant Freudenthal* passed down from Gladstone, through the narrows between Curtis Island and the mainland and met the Enterprise in Keppel Bay and piloted her up the river. A rough receiving store was erected on the river bank, and the wool for the first time was shipped from Rockhampton. Seven dray-loads were sent from the Dawson ; two loads from the Camboon ; two from Kelman's Gingandah station, and three loads from Rannes. Previously, however, Mr. Colin Archer of Gracemere, had built a light ketch at Maryborough, loaded her with supplies for his new station, and so was the first navigator of the Fitzroy. The firm of Archer Brothers became pastoral pioneers of Moreton Bay as early as 1841. The names of the famous brother-band were David, William, Charles, John, Thomas, Colin, James, Archibald and Alexander. Their stations were Durundur, Cooyah, Coonambula, Eidsvold and Grace- mere. They were especial friends of Dr. Leichhardt, who made Durundur station his home. One of his last letters before his last journey was written to John Archer, at Durun dur, from Newcastle, N.S.W. The writer of this paper recently saw it in a glass case at the Brisbane Museum and obtained permission to copy it.