Squatters in Inverleigh

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Barunah Plains

Warruck-Barunah Plains as it was then called (meaning long water-holes) was settled by Thomas Austin in 1846. Thomas Russell & Co. purchased the property in 1851. Thomas Russell came from Scotland as Manager, and he evolved the most valuable type of Marino flock which has become the foundation of many of Victoria's best fine wool clips. James Kininmonth (later to manage Mt. Hesse) took over in 1852 also serving as a Leigh Shire Councillor. James Russell came from Scotland aged eighteen years, and today the station is managed by James's grandson, Mr. George K. Russell. The original size of the run, some fifty-four thousand acres has been reduced over the past one hundred and thirty years to twenty thousand acres. No natural timber existed on the plains. Today, over twenty thousand sheep, eight hundred Devon and Hereford cattle are run, and horses are still used extensively in the stoney country. The cropping program is increasing the arable land annually. In the early days the Scottish stone masons used the volcanic bluestone to build the large homestead, twenty stand woolshed and the miles of stone walls, still in good condition today.

Woolbrook

Woolbrook was one of the Learmonth's outstations when they settled in the district in 1837. The area is known today as Native Hut Creek, because during the time of Joseph Tolson's ownership. 2 of his shepherds were attacked by natives. Their hut was by the creek. They fled to the settlement of Gheringhap. Joseph Tolson appears to have sold his land to John Bell in about 1851. The property was purchased by the Morrisons in 1910 and remained so until its dispersal sale on 4th Aug. 1967. Over half the property was bought outright by Mr. John Morrison thus maintaining the family link to the present day. Of the other lots sold. two have had homesteads built on them and the families become an integral part of the district. They are the Ryans and the Donaldsons.

Native Creek Station

Native Creek Station was part of the land taken up by the Learmonth brothers in 1837. Willis and Swanston took it over in 1842 when the Company broke up and transferred part of it to Joseph Tolson. Mr. Robert Sutherland took over in 1848 Part of the station was absorbed by R.C. Hope into Barwonleigh. Tolson's share was later known as Woolbrook.

Barwon Park

James and Thomas Austin took up 29,000 acres and named it Barwon Park in 1836-37. Three houses have been built on the property of which the last two can still be seen. The Duke of Edinburgh was entertained by the family in 1867. In 1869 the present house known as the Mansion was begun. It was completed in June 1871. Thomas Austin died in December 1 of the same year. There are many reasons why his name should be remembered. In 1865 he introduced horse racing to the district in the form of The Winchelsea, Inverleigh and Murgheboluc Races. They were held in a paddock 4 miles from Winchelsea on the Inverleigh Road. There were 6 races and Austin's horses figured prominently. Thomas Austin imported many typically English animals to his famous property. He was the first to import Lincoln sheep into Victoria and in addition he bought pheasants, partridges, sparrows, hares, thrushes, wood pigeons, blackbirds, starlings, and twenty pairs of rabbits. He was not the first to import rabbits but it is claimed that his were the first to become acclimatized. In 1865, six years after he had introduced his ten pairs of wild rabbits, 20,000 had been killed.

Geelong Advertiser 31st July 1871, records the fact, "During his recent visit to Barwon Park, the Marquis of Norman spent 2½ hours shooting rabbits. A servant stood behind him to load the guns. The Marquis was an exceptional shot and it is estimated that he killed 300 rabbits."

Mount Gow

Mount Gow was taken up by the Rev. Gow, who tried his hand at sheep farming. He did not have the money to develop the run and lived there in poverty for some years before selling to Francis Ormond of the Settler's Arms Inn at Shelford. This would have been some time in the 1850's.

Ellengerin

The Geelong Advertiser (date unknown) states that Ellengerin was originally purchased by H. McRobie and then sold to Archibald McArthur Campbell who held it for 20 years before selling it to Alexander Armstrong of Warrambeen.

Sutherlan Armstrong owned it in 1913.

Leigh View

Leigh View is mentioned under the name of Hamilton else where in the book. Since David Hamilton bought the initial 100 acres the holding has developed into one of the districts better known grazing properties.

Points of Interest

The first reaper and binder to come to the district was purchased by the Hamiltons. Leigh View was the first Victorian farm on which peas were harvested and bagged direct on the field. Leading mechanical engineers of the Sunshine Harvester Co. spent some time on the property making adjustments necessary for a harvester to handle a pea crop. The same machine operated on the farm until 1955. 1920 a Polworth stud was established under the guidance of Mr. Sam Collins. The Leigh View gravel pit has supplied large amounts of gravel for municipal roads. There has been a member of the Hamilton family on the Leigh Shire Council almost constantly for over 100 years.

Leigh Park

Leigh Park the property of H.C. & A.M. Hutchins is well known for its sheep production and its race horses. Crops now form a large part of the income of the property. It is made up of land owned by four original settlers namely; J. Bell (owner of Englewood) William McRobie Junior (owner of Ellingerin) J. Moffatt a large land holder in the district and W.C. Smith who with John Bell owned land which extended to the outskirts of Shelford. The various sections changed hands a number of times until they were brought together by Robert Venters of Leigh Estate between 1921 and 1924. The property has stayed in the family from that time on, Mrs. Hutchins being the daughter of Robert Venters. Mr. J. Hutchins became a partner in 1945. The homestead at Leigh Park was built in sections. The original section now known as the billiard room was there before Robert Venters lived there, and he had it extended. After the Second World War when building material was in short supply, the original homestead of the Venters family, Windermeer was purchased and demolished, the material being used to extend Leigh Park.