Squatters of the Eastern Darling Downs 1840-1900s

Squatters of the Eastern Darling Downs

Squatters of the Eastern Darling Downs 1840s-1900s

By Dr Diana J Beal

Published by Toowoomba and Darling Downs Family History Society 2014

This is a collection of stories about the lives of the squatters and leaseholders who settled and lived on the eastern Downs from 1840 to the early 1900s. About 70 stories are included. The subjects range from the Leslie brothers who have captured the historical limelight, yet were here for a very short time, and the Gore family who are not so well known generally but who were extremely influential locally for seven decades, to later leaseholders such as William Ball Slade of Glengallan (remember Slade School?) and Arnold Wienholt. Of the second generation of the Wienholt family, Arnold spent a great deal of time slaughtering lions in Africa funded by Queensland grazing generally and Jondaryan station in particular before disappearing there in mysterious circumstances.

Most of the characters are men, of course, but a few are women. There was Mrs Baldock who was an early investor and financier in Yandilla and Madame Léonie Blumenthal, married to a famous composer of the day, but the heiress to the might of Yandilla through her father who was drowned in the wreck of the Sovereign in Moreton Bay. Then there was the Marquisa du Ruvigny, thrice married, sometime the Countess Mörner, and originally plain Mary Helen McMillan of Tasmania, who married Harry White of the Whites of Havilah of fine horse and sheep fame.

The stories are accompanied by photographs of the subjects, contemporary photographs of places and points of interest, maps and photographs of many local scenes today. Whatever your interest in the eastern Downs, be it people, early settlement, land management, industry …, there is something here in this book for you.

A4 210 pages of stories and 4 introductory pages; illustrated

ISBN  978-1-920776-23-7

Cost CD $20.00 AUD postage $12.75

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