Making tracks: the Colonel and the one-armed shepherd

With the advent of the gold rush in 1851, diggers flocked to the goldfields of Ballarat and surrounds. In previous posts I followed their path from Geelong via the Geelong-Buninyong Rd and the track from The Leigh (Shelford) to Buninyong. In addition to these routes, there was also a third option, one which a hopeful real estate agent in the Geelong Advertiser and Intelligencer of 13th October, 1853 claimed was "the best line of road to Ballarat, Canadian Gully, Jeweller's Flat & c".
The road in question lay to the east of the Geelong to Buninyong Track, following a similar line to today's Steiglitz Road. After cresting Bell Post Hill, the route led towards Batesford, but instead of following the main road down into the Moorabool Valley, those wishing to take the other road to the east, took the track towards Steiglitz. Other than the above advertisement however, there is little mention of the route before October, 1855 when Steiglitz became a significant destination of its own. According to the Geelong Advertiser and Intelligencer of 16th October, 1855:

The shortest road from Geelong [to the new goldfield at Steiglitz] is to pass Colonel Kelsall's Station, cross Sutherland's Creek, follow the well defined dray road to the left of the creek till you come to the old shepherd's hut, when you are within two and a half miles from the diggings, which are situated on a point or tongue of land between Sutherland's Creek and a tributary creek flowing from the Anakies.

Sounds simple enough, but who were the Colonel and the shepherd?
The colonel was Roger Kelsall, engineer, sailor and then squatter who, according to fellow squatter Thomas Manifold, arrived in the district in the spring of 1836 and took up land on the upper parts of Sutherland's Creek. Prior to his arrival, Kelsall served as Clerk of Works at Port Arthur and was responsible for the design and construction of several of the buildings there. It was not however, until 1845 that he sold his commission with the Royal Navy and retired to Victoria. During this time I believe his run on Sutherland's Creek was maintained for him by a manager named Sharp.

The grave of Colonel Roger Kelsall, his wife Ann and son Roger
at the Eastern Cemetery

 By December, 1854, Kelsall had converted part of his lease into 1,490.5 acres of purchased land - including his pre-emptive right of 640 acres. The latter lay nestled between the left and right branches of Sutherland's Creek down to their confluence, with the rest of the land in several blocks on either side of both branches branch. He gave this property the name 'Chesterdale'. Additionally, the Colonel also purchased 557 acres of land lower down Sutherland's Creek on the west bank, directly opposite the Hope's land. This property, 'Strathey', eventually extended to 1,100 acres by the time both properties were subdivided and sold in 1908. Until that point, they had remained in the hands of the Kelsall family, however not long after the death of the Colonel in 1861, they were leased out to local graziers.
Contrary to the above description of the route, a look at the survey maps shows that the diggers would first have crossed first through the Hope's 'Darriwill' property before crossing the creek onto Colonel Kelsall's 'Strathey' and joining the bullock track. The creek crossing was presumably near the site of today's Hope's Bridge on the Steiglitz Rd. Clearly, the current bridge is not the original, that bridge stood slightly upstream of the modern one. The concrete and bluestone buttresses of the old bridge and various related timbers can still be seen just north of the existing bridge.

Looking upstream at the abutments and some remaining timber and concrete
at the site of the original Hope's Bridge

The earliest mention I can find of a bridge at this site is 1863, when drains were installed on the nearby road. In 1865 when the decking timbers were being replaced, it was discovered that the timbers beneath were rotten and in need of attention, indicating that the bridge had probably been in existence for some years at that time. Other timber bridges I have researched seem to have had a lifespan of around 10 years before structural timbers needed replacing, which might indicate that the bridge dated back to the 1850s. As far as I can tell, two bridges were erected on the Steiglitz Rd. One in 1857 and one in 1858. The latter was on the "Approach to Steiglitz gold-field" so perhaps this was the erection of the Five Mile Bridge, much closer to Steiglitz, whilst the bridge built in 1857 was at the crossing between Hope's and Kelsall's - but that is speculation. Whether an earlier structure such as a ford existed at the site, I don't know.

Looking east across Sutherland's Creek and the original Hope's Bridge
towards 'Darriwill'

After crossing the creek and making their way through Colonel Kelsall's property, it was - according to the above article - a simple matter of following the dray road on the left of Sutherland's Creek, towards the diggings. Other than the above reference however, I can find no mention of a road to Steiglitz before November, 1855, but presumably the dray track mentioned, led originally to the Durdidwarrah squatting run of Charles Augustus Stieglitz.
Another description of the trip to the new goldfield at Steiglitz which appeared a few months later in the Geelong Advertiser and Intelligencer, 28th January, 1856, was perhaps not quite so flattering, but provided a little more detail about the route:

"the road from Geelong to Steiglitz leads, for the first ten miles, through an open and slightly undulating country, the aspect of which is, of course, monotonius(sic) enough. Passing this space you arrive at Sutherland's Creek, now a chain of waterholes not particularly limpid. Next comes a tract of thinly timbered land, terminating in an open piece of rising ground known as the Bald Hill. Beyond this point and within eight miles of the "diggings," you pass in a close succession three refreshment tents, recently pitched, and a weatherboard establishment of a similar character not yet completed. A mile or two further on you find yourself suddenly in the gold country. The rapidity of the transition here is very remarkable. The easy undulations of the soil which prevail in the early portions of the journey give place at once to short and abrupt hillocks, pretty well timbered, and sprinkled over with great quantities of grass...

Being summer, it seems that there was little water in the creek. I can find no other mention of the "Bald Hill", however from context would expect it to be somewhere near what would (by 1856) become the township of Maude. At this point it is also worth remembering the "Buninyong Road from Melbourne" - described in my post "All Roads Lead to the Green Tent" - which intersected the Geelong to Buninyong Track at the Green Tent. This east-west track dating back to the 1840s, also crossed the track to Steiglitz, probably at Thompson Rd, Maude, as evidenced by an 1857 survey map which marks this road as "towards Melbourne". For those not wanting to make the steep climb in and out of the Moorabool Valley at this point, the Steiglitz route provided an alternative for those travelling from Melbourne.
From November, 1855 however, Steiglitz itself became a destination with the discovery of extensive gold reefs, making the track from Geelong even more popular.

Remaining brickwork footings of the United Albion Mine, Steiglitz

Not surprisingly, the sudden increase in traffic heading up the Steiglitz dray road resulted in the establishment of a "close succession of refreshment tents". They were probably similar to those which sprang up on the Geelong-Buninyong Track in the earliest days of the gold rush to Ballarat.
As far as I am aware, prior to the rush to Steiglitz there was no public house between Batesford and these new diggings.
Within a very short time however, that changed. In addition to the "coffee tents", an array of traders scrambled to set up shop in Steiglitz. According to the Geelong Advertiser and Intelligencer, by the first week of January, 1856, tents and stores were popping up by the dozen. As well as the essential butchers, bakers and general stores, hotels were quickly established. Upcoming applications for new liquor licenses advertised in February, 1856 included five for Steiglitz and a further two for Sutherland's Creek, all no doubt capitalising on on the traffic heading up the dray track to the goldfield.
Once past the "coffee tents" as noted, the terrain changed and became more rugged, signalling the presence of auriferous ground. From the turn off to Melbourne, the track fell away, down to a second crossing of Sutherland's Creek, this time at Five Mile Bridge and it was here, several newspaper accounts indicated, that the "one-armed shepherd's hut" could be found. Various reports shared around the colony, stated that a gold reef had been struck near the one-armed shepherd's hut, after crossing Sutherland's Creek, about 20 miles from Geelong.

The bed of Sutherland's Creek. During the 1850s numerous gold mines
operated along the banks of the creek

But who was the one-armed shepherd? Well, despite my best efforts, I have not been able to discover a name. In addition to his hut being a common point of reference on the road to Steiglitz, it was reported that on 21st January, 1856 he was the victim of a robbery, when three armed men known to be from the nearby diggings invaded his hut. Neither his name, nor indeed his presence at the time of the robbery, were not mentioned.
Once past the shepherd's hut, it was only a matter of a few more miles to Steiglitz, if that was the digger's intended destination; and for many, from October, 1855 it was. By December that year, a coach was running from Geelong to Steiglitz, carrying those who could afford it. In fact, within a short space of time, Steiglitz became a staging post for the coaches running to and from Geelong and the goldfields.

The view down Regent St towards the site of Cobb & Co.'s
staging post (left), April, 2010

But Steiglitz was not the end of the journey for every digger. Indeed, prior to October, 1855 it was just another creek crossing on the way to Buninyong, and later, Ballarat. It was also roughly the half way point on this eastern path to the diggings and according to some, was crying out for a public house; a stopping point along the road, where the drays carrying supplies to the goldfields of Ballarat and Buninyong and a little later to places such as Mt Wallace, Mt Egerton, Dolly's Creek and Morrisons, could spend the night or break their journey with a meal.
That need was filled in April 1853, when Richard Coombs announced that he had purchased the mansion until recently owned by Charles Von Stieglitz and converted it for use as an hotel...

Branching out: 'Lynnburn'

As I explained in my previous post, diggers heading to the goldfields of Ballarat (and later Steiglitz), passed through land first occupied by Europeans in 1836; by John Cowie and David Stead at Bell Post Hill and by the Manifold brothers who arrived at a similar time and took up the land either side of the Moorabool River from its confluence with Sutherland's Creek, down almost to Fyansford. The Manifolds remained in the district only until December 1838. In 1837, they leased some of this land along the Moorabool to brothers John and Henry Bates who ultimately gave their name to the town of Batesford which prior to this had been known as Manifold's Ford and even Hopeton. By 1839 however, the Bates had also moved on, leaving only their name behind.
By the time of the gold rush however, this district was within the boundaries of closer settlement, meaning the squatters had long since moved on and the land was in the process of subdivision and sale.
Amongst those who took advantage of the push to open up new land for settlement, were the Hope brothers George, James and Robert. As described in my last post, by 1856 George Hope was establishing himself on Sutherland's Creek and along the Moorabool River at 'Darriwill', on land originally purchased by his brother Robert. At about the same time however, Robert himself was building a house of his own further downstream on the Moorabool below Batesford on land originally purchased by George. He called the property 'Lynnburn'.

Looking across the Moorabool River towards 'Lynnburn', November, 2015

Gazetted in April, 1846 and purchased by George at land sales in June of that year, the land consisted of 734 acres incorporating lots 9 and 10 of the Parish of Moorpanyal. These blocks, which straddled the Geelong-Buninyong Track, included the present site of Batesford east of the Moorabool River and incorporated river frontage from Batesford downstream to the present Batesford Quarry. It wasn't long however, before the more northerly part of the estate was subdivided and sold off in smaller allotments as part of either the Batesford township or the "Hopeton Estate" as advertised in the Geelong Advertiser of the 21st February, 1851.

The house built for Robert on the remaining land, was constructed from stone quarried on the property and is described on the Victorian Heritage Database as a "single storey squared basalt residence with double bay front, slate roof and two storey rear kitchen wing and encircling verandah, now demolished". It is thought that the architect responsible for the design was Walter Sheridan.

'Lynnburn', image taken from the Victorian Heritage Database

Like his brother George, Robert also planted grapevines and in 1864 in anticipation of substantial harvests, was in the process of building a three-storey building incorporating a cellar, fermenting rooms and a wine house. From the description, the building was set into the slope of the hillside descending to the river, with the 27 acre vineyard located between the house and the Geelong-Ballarat Rd overlooking the river.

In addition to the substantial cellar, Robert, along with his brothers, also had a flour mill erected at the water's edge. The mill was constructed of bluestone and located on the west bank of the river, south of Batesford - presumably on land purchased from the Port Phillip Association who by then owned the land along that part of the west bank. The mill was linked to the rest of the property on the east bank by a small footbridge. Most of the year, it was powered by a large waterwheel, with steam used approximately three months of the year when water levels were too low.

Early image of Hope's Flour Mill showing footbridge and additional outbuildings.
Image from the Wynd Collection, Geelong Historical Society

The mill was destroyed in 1880 when the Moorabool suffered major flooding which was said to have left around 50 people in Batesford homeless. It was mentioned at the time of its destruction, that the mill had stood for 23 years, giving a construction date of around 1857. This concurs with family documentation held by the Hope descendants which show the purchase of the land on which it stood in 1856 (The flour mills of Victoria 1840-1990: an historical record, Lewis and Peggy Jones, 1990).

Hope's flour mill on the bank of the Moorabool River, c1880. Image held by
the State Library of Victoria

Unlike his brother George, Robert Hope used 'Lynnburn' as his country estate and was not in permanent residence. By 1875, Charles Craike was operating the vineyard and was living at 'Lynnburn' with his family. Little did he or any of the Hope brothers realise however, that within a few short years, the Australian vine stock would be blighted by the arrival of Phylloxera - a small, sucking insect related to the aphid which attacks the roots and leaves of grapevines, causing growth deformities, depriving them of nutrients and rendering them susceptible to disease.

Phylloxera first made its appearance in Australia at Geelong in 1877 and according to the newspapers of the day, by 1879 there were signs of Phylloxera in the vineyard at 'Lynnburn'. In a move to control the outbreak of the pest, all vines within a certain distance of infected properties in the region were pulled up and an ongoing process designed to remove any remaining roots was implemented. What had been a thriving industry was brought to a standstill. By 1885 when moves to replant were afoot, remaining root samples from 'Lynnburn' revealed that the insect was still present in significant quantities in the soil.

In 1881, 'Lynnburn' was put on the market, however Craike seems to have remained at the property for several more years before Jacob Deppeler - a Swiss vigneron - took up residence, possibly in 1883. The property remained in the Deppeler family until 1954. Vines were eventually reintroduced and wine was again produced in addition to other pastoral enterprises.

Looking east across the Moorabool Valley to a modern vineyard on what was
'Lynnburn' land

Over the years, the size of the property has reduced and when 'Lynnburn' was sold most recently in April, 2015, the area was advertised as a little over 66.5 hectares (or 164.5 acres), less than a quarter of its original size, but retaining around 1.5 km of river frontage south of Batesford. In the preceding five years, the entire property, homestead included, had been returned to some of  its former glory with a program of weeding, fencing and soil-improvement to restore the land as well as refurbishment and repair of the house itself. Before sale in 2015, it was estimated that the property would sell for between $4.5 and 5.5 million.

Branching out: 'Darriwill'

Before I look at the third route from Geelong to the goldfields of Ballarat and beyond, I think it might be helpful to look at a little of the history of some of the properties through which the track passed. This route ran via Steiglitz, but for the first few miles of their journey, those following it would have used the same road up Bell Post Hill, towards Batesford used by those following the Geelong to Buninyong Track.
Before descending into the Moorabool Valley however, they took the turn off for Steiglitz, which led them over Sutherland's Creek and onto the high ground between the creek to their east and the Moorabool Valley further to the west.
In the earliest days of European settlement the land either side of the Moorabool river below Sutherland's Creek down to Fyansford was occupied by the Manifold brothers. Above the confluence of Sutherland's Creek with the Moorabool, the land was occupied by Joseph Sutherland. According to fellow squatter Thomas Manifold, Sutherland took up the land in 1836. Joseph was a Scotsman and amongst the earliest settlers in the Port Phillip District. The only other information I have been able to discover, indicates that he was on his Sutherland's Creek Run at least during 1842-1843, but soon moved on to more distant pastures.

By 1846 three brothers - Robert Culbertson, George and James Hope - who had travelled overland from New South Wales began to lease and purchase large tracts of what had been the Sutherland's Creek Run of Joseph Sutherland and some of the land occupied by the Manifolds. In June, 1846 George purchased 734 acres of land along the Moorabool River at Batesford and according to deeds dated November 1847, Robert purchased almost 2,000 acres of land to the north along either side of Sutherland's Creek. Further, in September, 1848, James and George were granted a licence to depasture stock in the same area on the Moorabool.

The Moorabool River at Baker's Bridge in 2011. The river at this point formed
part of the boundary of 'Darriwill'

In April, 1849 Robert was granted the lease of around 2,000 acres under pre-emptive right in the parishes of Darriwill and Yowang and by 1850 his application to lease land had increased to include 8,720 acres in the parish of Yowang - presumably in addition to his freehold land. As well as his pastoral pursuits, Robert was a practising medical doctor and on 21st January, 1848, he was appointed coroner for the District of Geelong. In November, 1856 he was returned as one of five members representing the South Western Province in the Legislative Council of Victoria, holding office until August, 1864. In April, 1867 he was again elected to the same seat, holding office until 1874. During his time in parliament he was known for his very conservative views. A staunch advocate for the rights of the landed classes, he fought fervently against any move to limit their privileges or to allow selectors the right to choose land already leased from the crown by the squatters.

By contrast, brother George appears to have concentrated more on establishing the family property. Survey maps show that in 1854 he purchased more land adjoining those blocks bought by Robert in 1847, bringing the total freehold owned by the Hopes to over 4,000 acres along the east bank of Sutherland's Creek between today's Robbs Rd to the north and Lovely Banks Rd to the south.

Having purchased substantial acreage, the Hopes no doubt felt secure enough to begin building and making permanent improvements to their property which they called 'Darriwill'. In 1856, they built a single-storey, bluestone house to the design of John Young, with later additions - including a cellar - designed by prominent Geelong architect J.L. Shaw (The Stepping Stone: a History of the Shire of Bannockburn, D Beaurepaire, 1995).

'Darriwill', image taken from the Victorian Heritage Database

According to the Victorian Heritage Database, this was the residence of George who established a substantial vineyard on the property in addition to running sheep. Hope's winery was described in a glowing article written by The Age on 7th March, 1864, which also made the surprising observation that the property, in outline, had the appearance of a bat.

1878 survey map of Yowang and Darriwil Parishes overlaid on Google Earth,

with an outline showing the land purchased by the Hopes

By October, 1878 under George's guidance, 'Darriwill' had grown to 4,768 acres. He lived at the property for the remainder of his life, dying on 25th April, 1884 at the age of 69. The property remained in the family, administered as per the terms of George's will by a trust administered by his wife Marianne and eldest son James. Over subsequent years, the names of his sons George Rowland and William Waugh Hope also appeared in connection with the property.
In 1909 however, the majority of the property (3335 acres) was subdivided into 26 lots of varying sizes which were then auctioned off, leaving only around 700 acres of the original land along with the homestead, in the hands of the family. The remaining land and assets continued to be run by a family trust up to and following the death of James (1903) and Marianne (1911). Isabella, the unmarried daughter of George and Marianne, lived at 'Darriwill' until her death in 1939 after which, the property was distributed according to the terms of her will amongst the family. In 1941 however, the original homestead and 700 acres were bought at auction by her nephews - George Rowland's sons - thus retaining the property in the family.

Photos of Marianne and George Hope along with their daughter Isabella. Image
held by the State Library of Victoria

Also in their hands was the neighbouring property 'Darriwill North'. How or exactly when the family took possession of the property, which formed part of the original land purchased by Dr R.C. Hope in 1847, I have not discovered. It was here however, following the death of her husband George Rowland Hope in 1920, that his widow Agnes was responsible for the construction of a second home in 1925. This house, designed by Geelong architects Laird and Buchan, was a single storey, brick building in the Californian Bungalow style commonly constructed between the two World wars. Further extensions were added two years later in 1927. Agnes, lived at the property until her death in 1955.

Photo of 'Darriwill North' taken in 2008 (Stan Lawrence Real Estate Pty Ltd)

'Darriwill North' remained in the Hope family until 2008 when Alistair Hope (great grandson of the original settler) and his wife Ellen, finally sold the property, thus ending nearly 170 years of occupation and ownership by the Hope family at Darriwill. The house remained on around 268 acres of a total 1650 acres sold and in 2011 Darriwill North Holdings Pty Ltd was listed as a private company. 'Darriwill North' is now a registered stud, breeding both Dorper sheep and Kelpie dogs.
By contrast, 'Darriwill', including the original homestead, was only retained by the family until 1971 when, following the death of Rowland Hope on 9th November the previous year, it was sold to Sanford and Jane Nevile who retained the property until 1994.

Looking north along Sutherland's Creek from Hope's Bridge on the Steiglitz Rd.
The land to the right belongs to 'Darriwill North'

 At this time, the property, including 840 acres, was purchased by Dougal and Nellie Ramsay who extensively replanted the garden surrounding the house. The Ramsays also went on to establish the Darriwill Farm chain of retail stores and cafes throughout Victoria, developing the Darriwill name into a highly sought after brand.
In March, 2012 however, 'Darriwill' was once again on the market, advertised as including both a winery and olive grove, incorporating 966 acres of land. It was hoped that the property would fetch in excess of $10 million, however its eventual sale price fell short of this mark.