1840 - ARGYLE. [FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.] WEATHER AND CROPS, JANUARY, 21, 1840.--- The cold rains in November and December had retarded the growth, and threatened to render the harvest late; but, from the general warmth of the late weather, since the 17th instant, the crops have made up their lee-way and come to maturity in good time. The greatest part of the crop was in sheaf in the course of the latter end of the last month and the beginning of the present, and I have reason to believe that there are not now many acres to cut. This proceeds from the diversity of altitude, and of soil, as well as from culture ; and most of all from the various degrees of growth peculiar to the different kinds of seeds now in use :---
At present let it suffice to inform you, that the wheat crop is (as far, as has been cut) well secured in to the barn or stackyard. Judging of the dried sheaf, I may with confidence assert the pro- duce will be on an average throughout this county about from eighteen to nineteen bushels per acre.
BUSHRANGING ! BANDITS ! ! ROBBERIES ! ! ! AND MURDERS ! ! ! ! - Extract of a letter from County King, dated 17th instant ;---
" The bush rangers who robbed Dr. Clayton a few weeks ago, paid him two visits on Wednesday last; at each time they carried away a tolerable load of articles of value--- during their last visit they so far intimidated the Doctor and his lady, that he (Mr. C.) thought it advisable to leave his dwelling and proceed with his family to Mr. John Kennedy Hume's residence at Collingwood, where they had but arrived, when some gentlemen from Gunning galloped up, and said, " Grosvenor's stores at Gunning had been attacked by bushrangers, and they had galloped forward at Grosvenor' request to beg Mr. Hume would send such assistance as he could spare, & c. Messrs. Hume and Barber set out attended by five of their men all armed, and just as they got there, Grovenor had taken out some of the bricks at the end of the house above the ceiling, and was in the act of entering by the hole, when a bullet came whizzing through his hat close to his skull, (what an escape ?) Immediately after came another shot, and he was reluctantly compelled to retreat much quicker from out the hole than he entered it.
After this several shots were exchanged without any effect on either side, but we were obliged to desist, as the plundering miscreants had placed Grovenor's children in such a way, that if we fired, they were likely to be shot.
They kept possession from three to nine P. M; the fellows lit candles after dark, and Grovenor ventured round to one of the windows, from whence he could distinguish one of the villains leaning in a corner playing with a brace of pistols--- he immediately took aim, but the gun snapped twice, he got another musket, levelled, let drive, and put the ball in the wall just by the fellow's nose.
This had the desired effect, as they immediately cried out they would surrender; we then entered the house and secured them, and marched the rascals up to the Inn, where they were well taken care of until morning. They refused to walk, so we accommodated them with a cart, and Grovenor with others escorted them to Yass where they now lie in gaol.
When they first entered Grovenor's house, they compelled him to load twelve stand of arms, then turned him out of doors. Mrs. Grovenor, and several other females, with the children, together with two men, two blacks, and one jin, were in the house the whole time--- their screams were really appalling. I think Grovenor deserves a great deal of credit; his conduct during this desperate proceeding showed a deal of determined bravery. I trust his Excellency the Governor will not forget him, as Sir George Gipps has it in his power to reward him.
A few nights after a report reached Mr. Hume, that "Cooper's Stores," also situate at Gunnng, was attacked by armed men. He (brave man !) with his usual alertness to alleviate the distresses of his neighbours, accompanied by his youngest brother (Mr. F. R. Hume, of Appin) sallied out at the head of a party of his men; whom he had previously armed. On reaching "Cooper's," he was called to by one of the bushrangers, who demanded to know if his name was Cooper ? He replied in the negative. He was then desired to lay down his arms, which he refused to do, and was immediately shot through the head, and died instantly. This did not satisfy these sanguine wretches, they perforated his body with three more balls, and smashed one of his arms to pieces by repeated repeated blows of the but end of a musket.
About eleven o'clock these distressing tidings were conveyed to Mrs. Hume, who instantly, set out with the elder branches of her young, and now orphan family, to bring home the body of her murdered husband. It was found in Cooper's garden, one of the men, Paddy, holding a lighted candle over the body, and Mr. Hume's favourite dog lying at his feet. This lamented gentleman will be interred in his family vault on his own estate in a few days, when the principal landholders and inhabitants of this and the adjoining country will follow his remains to the grave. Mr. Oak's establishment has also been atacked, and his entire tenement burnt to the ground. One man was burnt to death in the hut, and another wounded, the overseer received two balls through various parts of his apparel. Mr. Thorne's overseer, a Mr. Thomas Fuller, has also been murdered, not far from Goulburn. The muderer has been taken, committed, and by the time this reaches you (according to the present crawling pace of the mail) he will be in Sydney Gaol.
Extract of a letter from near Yass, dated 25th instant :--- " Through the spirited exertions and activity of H. O'Brien, Esq., J.P., accompanied by several of his personal friends, relatives, and neighbouring gentlemen at Yass, attended by a few of their trusty servants, who forthwith mounted well armed, and proceeded in search of the late depredators at Gunning; I am happy to inform you they have succeeded in coming up with those murdering villains, and after a short rencounter, killed the leader of the banditti, and wounded another, who, when he found he was about to be taken, blew out his own brains with a pistol. The remainder of the gang sought refuge amongst the rocks. After a prompt and keen search they were discovered in a large cave, where they are now guarded, without a prospect of escape, (unless they run the risk of being shot dead) and until proper assistance and a secure conveyance is brought from Yass." With all that has been said and written to government--- with all that has been published in THE COLONIST relative to the want of a police force at Gunning-still are the inhabitants left to protect themselves. It is almost time the Press advocated the cause of the settlement to the south of Goulburn. - (Ref- The Colonist (Sydney, NSW : 1835 - 1840)(about) Previous issue Saturday 1 February 1840).
Gunning is the centre of a prosperous rural community. The town is graced with
numerous heritage significant buildings and pastoral homesteads and the town is
integrally linked to the early explorations of Hamilton Hume and later his
expedition with William Hovell. The development of the major pastoral holdings
in the area from 1823, and the 1829 survey of the area by Assistant-Surveyor
Robert Dixon and the subsequent survey of the village by T. S. Townsend in
1836, reflect the potential of the district. - (Ref- In the Town and Country Journal, 16th March 1878).
... and what to look for today. Gunning is "Australia's accessible rural heritage". It is a quiet transport and service centre that was important in Australia's colonial and 19th Century history. The area was originally occupied by the Pajong "Fish River Tribe" people.
Until 1820 Gunning was at the "Limit of Settlement". The colonial government banned settlers acquiring property outside the 19 Counties centred on Sydney. The Lachlan River near Gunning was the local boundary and Gunning was the crossing over the swamp that ran into the Lachlan for all land transport, horses, sheep and bullock carts daring to leave "civilisation". The swamp is now Meadow Creek and the last major flood was in 1959.
European settlement didn't take long. It started in 1821 with exploration by a party led by Hamilton Hume and in 1824 Hume, famously with William Hovell, pioneered the route from Gunning south to what later became Melbourne. Since then Gunning has been on the main route from Sydney to Melbourne for both road and rail. In the last 180 years horsemen, bullock carts, the railway, which arrived in 1875, and the Hume Highway, which went through Gunning village till 1993, have passed through Gunning though the highway is now a kilometre away.
In 1901 Gunning was described as "A prosperous town supplying the needs of travellers, villagers and the surrounding rural communities. Court House, banks, stock and station agents, blacksmiths, 5 hotels, produce store, Universal Providers department store and mail order business, saddlers, bakers, butchers, bootmakers, chemist, three churches, flour mill, soft drink manufacturers, boot polish factory, printing works, rabbit freezing works, barber's shop and a wool store.". Despite reductions in rail services and improved roads, it still provides a wide range of services though the soft drink manufacturer, bootmaker and boot polish factory have disappeared and other forms of accommodation and eating have replaced some of the hotels.
The Cullerin Range, 10 kilometres to the east, is where you cross the Great Dividing Range. The Cullerin Road, which was the Hume Highway till 1993, is the scenic drive over the range including the Cullerin Loop, the highest point on the road and railway between Sydney and Melbourne, where the road and railway wind in two great loops to accommodate the gradient.
At Fish River, four kilometres east of Gunning, is the commemorative memorial erected in 1924 to mark the hundredth anniversary of the Hume and Hovell expedition. Also at Fish River are the old pumping station and water tower that supplied water for the steam engines before they climbed up the Cullerin Range.
While there had been property in the district from the 1820s, it was not until 1838 that the government made the first land sales in Gunning. The wide main street, Yass Street, still shows many examples of 19th century architecture, especially the ground floor of the Telegraph Hotel, London House, the post office, the old printery, the old bank, the courthouse and the commercial precinct centred around Caxton House. Some other examples of architectural development sit next to them like the wonderfully whimsical Bailey's Garage and the delightful Coronation Theatre (now a private residence).
The Uniting Church, in Warrataw Street and St Edmund's Anglican Church in Biala Street were both built in the 19th century. St Edmund's Church features some superb stain glass windows. The Catholic church in the east of the town is modern but the adjacent convent (now a private house) and the neo-Gothic schoolhouse are well worth visiting.
Of particular interest is Pye Cottage, a slab hut that was moved to Gunning from Dalton in 1979. Pye Cottage now stands proudly as a museum dedicated to the pioneers and settlers of the region.
Other significant 19th century buildings in Gunning include the Aratula Inn (now the Do Duck Inn), at the western entrance to town, and Frankfield, on Warrataw Street near the railway line Today these guesthouses offer an opportunity to stay in traditional and history drenched comfort.
Bushranging featured in the Southern Tablelands till 1865 and Gunning is famous for two murders (before 1850 - we might add)!
In 1840 bushrangers - the Whitten Gang - attacked Gunning and John Kennedy Hume, brother of Hamilton, rode in and went to buy musket balls for the fight. He was told to leave but the gang saw him. He refused to put down his gun and the bushrangers shot him dead. The Hume brothers erected a tomb for their brother, which is in Gunning's general cemetery, with the story engraved on its top.
A couple of years later Lucretia Dunkley, together with their servant Martin Beech, murdered her husband Henry at Dunkley's farm at Gunning. Two columns of the Sydney Morning Herald were devoted to the report of the case, in great and grisly detail. The trial took place at Berrima, as did their execution a few days later.
Another of Gunning's traditional claims to fame is wool. The earliest flocks arrived in the 1820s and Gunning has since then been regarded as one of the major centres of fine wool production in Australia, or indeed the world.
Gunning retains its traditional atmosphere in a peaceful setting but every year there are major events - the annual firework display which is one of the largest in Australia - amazing for a small community, and many music events featuring some of Australia's great classical musicians.
Gunning district is a driver's delight, whether you're in a car or on a motorbike or pushbike. Many peaceful drives wend through villages, Jerrawa, Dalton, Breadalbane, Gundaroo and Collector. Historic buildings, old wares and country food and accommodation abound in the villages and on the land. The road to Crookwell sees you drive deeper into the Upper Lachlan Shire and even further into the real Australia.
So we encourage you to look around in the town and the district and sample Australia's rich rural heritage on your doorstep.
The information in this publication was compiled by members of the Gunning Focus Group and the Lions Club of Gunning in conjunction with the Upper Lachlan Tourist Association
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