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ARTICLES ON CARGO

History Trip around Cargo District

Early History of CARGO

On May 13th 1815, George William Evans and party left the settlement of Bathurst to investigate the country to the westward. He passed some few miles to the south of what is now the village of Cargo, reaching the junction of the Mandagery creek and the Lachlan river on June 1st. The following day he commenced his return journey and travelling in a more northerly direction, he arrived back at Bathurst on June 12th 1815.

And so Cargo came within the ambit of the journey of the first explorer who ventured westward from the Great Dividing Range. No doubt his account of the bountiful lands which met his gaze around Cargo and Bowan Park, induced the early settlers to venture into the then practically unknown.

EARLY SETTLEMENT

The area of what is to day Cargo, or more correctly spelt “Ngargu” for the name is apparently an aborigine place name identifying the locality, was first occupied by the cattle of Captain Raine, a sea captain, who after taking Governor Macquarie, his wife and son to England in 1822, returned to NSW and took up a tremendous tract of country, the centre of which would accord with the present site of Boree Cabonne.

With the establishment of runs or “squatting” on Crown lands, Cargo became part of the old Davys plains Run of 64000 acres. This famous run was first taken up by William Lawson .Jnr, a son of one of the famous trio –Blaxland, Lawson & Wentworth, who were the first to find a path across the Blue Mountains.

The early settlers of Cargo were the station hands, shepherds and others employed on this station. These obtained their mail and supplies from a place somewhere near the present Boree Cabonne homestead, it being the only post office for many years beyond the “settled Districts” or the boundaries of the Nineteen Counties to the westward. Until the middle “forties” of last century, the mail was collected at Peisley’s Inn, which accords with the Victoria Hotel in Orange at the present time. The first points settled in the district were on the western slope of the Canobolas range, many of the older families being descended from the pioneers of the Coffey Hills area.

GOLD DISCOVERY                                              Top                                  

It was during Father O’Donovans tenure of office in Orange that gold  was discovered at cargo. This was an event of the greatest importance, for it was to cause the small settlement to grow into a busy mining camp and the great influx of newcomers enlarged the task of the priest.

Of the first “find” there is little evidence, it was probably in the early sixties. Towards the end of the year 1868, many diggers began to arrive, but lack of water prevented the development of the field. About the beginning of February 1869, rain fell and the Cargo correspondent of the Western Post, reported that “the aspect of things had completely changed following the rain and digging was going on briskly and everyone appeared to be making more or less gold”. The cargo gold field upon which the township of Cargo was built was proclaimed on the 11th February 1869, the area at the time being subject to a conditional purchase by a gentleman named J.Hartigan. From that time the gullies and later the reefs around Cargo yielded a rich harvest of the precious metal.

In the wake of the diggers, came the business people and the settlement along the creek grew into the town of Cargo – a busy thriving mining community.

CARGO   - extract from Canowindra Historical Society. 1869-1969

A report from Orange to the “Bathurst times” in October 1868, said “within the last few days, there has been a rush to the Davy Plains alluvial diggings about 23 miles from Orange. The gold is traced for about eight miles, a reef has also been discovered; gold is plainly seen in the stone; about 500 people are on the ground.”

In order to cater for this influx, the Orange correspondent on October 31,1868, wrote, “Messrs. Cobb and Co’s indefatigable agent here-with careful regard to public interest……. Has placed a coach on for Cargo three times a week; viz. Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 10.00am and at the moderate fare of ten shillings – the return coach leaving Cargo Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday”.

In the same report the correspondent adds, “Little as I know of gold diggings, I still think, before a person ventures there, especially with a hot, dry summer before us (as it promises at present) he should possess capital, patience and experience”.

PLEASE REFER TO GOLD MINING FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS

CARGO BANK ROBBERY                                   Top

One of the most notable events in cargo’s history was its bank robbery. On 10th June 1893, Frank Parker Fawcett, Manager of the Australian Joint Stock bank in Belmore St Cargo, was assaulted and robbed of £775 by two masked men, one wearing a pair of “sneaking slippers” that were left behind after the robbery. One of these slippers was made from hare skin, the other of sheep skin and they were sewn with black cotton.

The robbery took place while the assistant, Wilson was absent in Orange having gone there to play football.

The manager was struck on the head with a stick and after a struggle was tied up with ropes, carried to his bed, blindfolded and robbed of his keep.  Although Wilson had a necessary key with him in Orange, the robbers wrenched open the safe.

Later the Manager extricated himself by cutting the ropes with a knife he had in his  pocket and went next door to Mr Powers who accompanied him to the Police station.

“The Bathurst Daily Free Press and mining journal” files of 1893 have a full account of the trials which make interesting reading. Please refer to the Bank tab to read this extract

Although two brothers Stines were accused and tried three times for the robbery, firstly at Bathurst and lastly in Sydney, they were acquitted and no connection was ever made.

The subject is one on which old – established residents of cargo, even to-day, remain tight lipped.

OLD CARGO 1869  -  1969                                    Top

Extracts from an account of a journey to cargo in November 1899, on horseback give us a glimpse of the town then.

“An entertainment was going on in the hall over Mr Bulkely’s store, Messrs. Byrnes and Mitchell, the former a resident and the latter from Forest Reefs, were doing good work on the bows and strings, while Mr Mayne and Miss Powers divided honours at the Piano…., Mrs Power’s, Mrs Murphy and Mrs Collins and others catered splendidly.

On rising next morning, I was able to take a good square look at the town, renowned principally for its idle mines and its bank robbery. Three hotels line the streets, Mr Collins, Mrs Maynes and Mr Hamiltons and all three licenses deplore the falling off in trade which is due to slack mining, Mr Bulkely keeps the Cargo Post Office Store now….

Complaint is general about the dullness of the times and the folly of Government that rests on its “ores”.

The Progress Association with which Cargo is well equipped is doing its best to mend matters.

The said Association has been booming away at the post officials for a long time about the apology of a place that the local post-masters is cooped up in. It is a jerry built American structure, resting on six or seven sticks that stand about four feet out of the ground and has some chuck you back steps leading up top it, and when you get up to it, you want to be an acrobat to stay up.

This lovely pigeon hut has four 8 x 10’ rooms in it, one of which is the said office, a married man and family occupying the rest and in accordance with the act, is paying £20 a year for the privilege.

                                                                                               Top

Coinciding with the mining period was the era of free selection.         

Selectors, some former miners or businessmen, took up small selections on the large runs of Davys Plains and Canomodine and closer settlement brought about the development of such rural centres as Gum Flat, Avenel and Bowen Park.

Selectors were required to build houses and live on their properties, although many attempts were made to’ get around’ this requirement by widely practised “dummying”. To quote from a letter recalling the period, “All the family took up part of the land round the waterways as they didn’t think people would select where there wasn’t water. Some retained their portions because they married and lived on the property, but other portions were forfeited to the crown because they were not being lived on. They built a one-man shack and used to visit once a week, light a fire, throw a few tea leaves about to make it seem as though someone was living there, but there were always people wanting land and it was reported if it was not being lived on.

Selectors and their wives often reared large families and schools, churches, halls and sporting grounds catered for community life.

BOWAN PARK                                                    Top

Life at Bowan Park was brisk. Mr Dick Reid ran a butter factory. “Big Flat” was the first name for Bowan park but it was changed when the school was built in 1876. Sports meetings were held and the racecourse was on D .J. O’Neils property. Mr Phil O’Connell recalls a visit to Bathurst by the Bowan Park football team when they went there and back on horseback in the one day.

John Seale, Dan O’Neil and Bill Regan were famous for their bullock team. They took sugar, flour tea etc to the outback and brought back wool.

Other pioneer names of Bowan Park were W Green who made wines and brandy, the Healey’s, Bakers, Lennons, Boles, Bohringer’s, Newton’s, Kearneys’s,  Frecklington’s, O’Malley’s and Hegarty’s.

AVENEL                                                                      Top

Once boasted a school of forty pupils and a post office. Prominent among pioneers of Avenel were W G Davis, W J Fisher, R Fitzgerald, J Ward, W Sharpe, W Sherwood and P & B Malom.

GUM FLAT                                                                 Top

Some names linked with land at Gum Flat are J Carey, Hendry, McKay, Middleton, Gallagher, Grannel and Curry.

Other names associated with early Cargo are Curtis, Scott, Whiley, Sherwin, Courts, Teefy, Wall, Sharkey, Mitchell, Fields, Mayne, Hurkett, Lynn, Davidson, Mason, Hogan, Thomas, Gersbach, Clancy, Western,, Kelly, Power and Livermore.

Despite the gradual closure of mines, Cargo continued through the wars as a strong community centre for the rich farming community that surrounded it.

The high proportion of Catholic families in the district established a focal point in their church, the first one being built in 1875. This was also used as a school when the first three sisters of St Joseph came to Cargo in 1880.

A new Catholic church was built in 1907 and new convent buildings were erected in 1940. The convent school was closed at the end of 1965 and pupils have since travelled by bus to Canowindra. The history of Cargo Catholic life has been faithfully recorded in a booklet by Rev Thomas Healey.

Before the first Catholic Church was built, Mass was held at Hartigans place.

A bark hut next to Sullivans served as a church for all other denominations; later a Church of England was built.

Cargo’s population is today (1969) about 160 and it has undergone the gradual decline that has been the fate of many a once thriving centre, which failed to attract a railway and which has been affected by the decline in rural population generally and the development of motor transport.

But who knows what the future of Cargo, so rich in past history, may bring. Perhaps in these days of renewed mining interest, modern mining methods may uncover the underground wealth that many people believe is yet untapped.

Meanwhile Cargo in the words of the 1899 traveller, is just resting in its “ores”.

Extracts from the Canowindra Historical Society paper1869 -  1969                 Top