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“ALBURY TO WAGGA WAGGA.
“HAVING given my Bucephalus a fortnight’s spell in a river paddock while I did the work for both, I thought it was time to turn north aagain; so bidding adieu to Mrs. Kingland ‘The Rose,’ I took the Gerogery-road to Wagga Wagga, crossing the eastern foot of the Black Range at four miles, and reaching Mr. Watson’s Gerogery station at twenty miles, over a capital travelling country. Some selection occur by the way, and two colonial wine shops. At Gerogery Mr. and Mrs. Watson were away, but Miss Mary Watson, a young lady of nine summers, was a host in herself, and posted me up in the geography and topography of the neighbourhood in five minutes.
“Six miles further is (O, rara avis in the district !) a spring beside the road, and one-and-a-half mile on I encountered a young man in the last stage of exhaustion. He stated slowly that he had been looking a night and a day for his mare, and had seen no water anywhere; the mare left him at the ‘fenced springs.’ I told him of the spring beside the road.
“At thirty-two miles a round hill projects on the Wagga Wagga-road, and an indistinct track, which takes some watching, goes off left to the Round Hill station, one of the scenes of Morgan’s exploits. The following rule posted (among others) in the library kept here for the use of the employees, marks the order which is maintained on this station of Mr. James Henty - ‘Every man employed on the Round Hill station is expected to subscribe not less than 5s a quarter to the Albury Hospital.’ This is thirty-seven miles from Albury, on the Billabong, whose dry bed I crossed at dusk.
“Post’s Hotel, at Cockendina, occurs twelve miles on, , and three miles off the road ducks and turkeys are said to abound. Terra Terra (Mr. Burns’s), is three miles, and Mr. Cox’s station of Mangoplah thirteen miles from Post’s Hotel. Here the cry of a bush fire was raised. It was a dark, warm night, and the dark sky reflected a strong glare, apparently coming from a clear, steady, smokeless fire below. ‘It’s a fire;’ ‘no taint;’ ‘yes,’ ‘no.’ ‘It’s no fire; too clear; no smoke; it’s a roarer-borer.’ Two men were sent up a hill and returned; they were certain it was a fire; out horses and away. I told them I had passed 200 hundred head of cattle six miles back, as I came down a range, so the fire was attributed to the drover. Meanwhile several horsemen galloped away to search for the origin of the Aurora Australia, but could not have gone quite far enough, for they gave no account of it.
“Mrs. Ann Hyland’s Mangoplah Inn is some four miles further, on Mr. Cox’s run, which includes a beautiful, well-timbered, and park-like country. I had the unusual pleasure of being freshened up by a drenching rain at starting, which rain continued all day (Thursday), this is the only rain I have met since one afternoon at Bogolong in the beginning of January.
“ten miles east of the Mangoplah Inn was Morgan’s haunt on Pullitop, whence he used to sally in search of prey; his gunyah, I am informed, may still be seen. Here, as on the Shoalhaven, they told me it was lucky I didn’t travel in those days, for if I had ten lives they wouldn’t give a shilling a piece all round for their chances of escape - taken and shot as a detective or spy.
“Farms, selections, and the ordinary signs of civilization commence within five miles of Wagga Wagga, which is eighty-five miles from Albury, the whole distance, with the exception of a little rough country between Messrs. Burns and Cox’s, being excellent travelling but very scarce of water. The Four-mile, the Billabong, Burke’s, and Sandy Creeks are all dusty, with a hole here and there - at the Round Hill station and at Cockendina - but on the whole it’s a bad country for water in a dry season.” (The Australian Town and Country Journal, 2nd April 1870, p. 10)
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