Rosewood History

From the Queensland Times, Ipswich Herald and General Advertiser, Saturday 7 March 1891, page 2

Mount Walker and Rosevale.
[By Our Travelling Reporter] 

Scarcely could it fall to the lot of a traveller to pass through a pleasanter district than that which includes Mount Walker and Rosevale. To the uninitiated the richness of the soil and the beauty of the scenery are matters of profound astonishment.

The nearest direct route from Ipswich, by road, is to the left of Rosewood, by way of Ebenezer, and the journey to Mount Walker is about twenty miles, Rosevale being eight or nine miles farther along. The State railway, however, can be utilised as far as Rosewood, and the direct road from there to Mount Walker is about twelve miles.

After leaving Rosewood, for the first ten miles, grazing country is mostly passed through, and consequently only three or four farms are to be seen, among these being that of Mr. Yates, one of the members of the Mutdapilly Board.

A couple of miles away, the good agricultural land begins, the line of demarcation between the two being very strongly marked. At its commencement is the residence and fine property of Mr. F. C. Kingston (late Chairman of the Mutdapilly Board). This house is so well and so favourably known because of the genial hospitality and hearty welcome for travellers which always obtains at it, and Mr. and Mrs. Kingston, as host and hostess, cannot be excelled. Besides the large area of grazing country, well stocked with cattle, sheep, and horses, Mr. Kingston has about 100 acres of land under cultivation, the crop of corn, which is just now ripening, being in splendid condition, and very full in the grain. A grand view of Mount Walker can be obtained from here, and it is generally the first query of visitors as to how far it is to the top. The distance is about four miles.

Between Mr. Kingston’s and the Mount Walker State School are the properties of Messrs. Keeble, Rice, Henricksen, Bremer, Cribb, Mrs. Nuffer, Mr. W. Stokes, and several others. Some of these are splendidly cultivated farms, the area under crop generally ranging from twenty to sixty acres.

The Mount Walker School is situated almost directly opposite Mount Walker, hence the name. It has been for several years under the efficient care of Mr. Benbow, and has advanced to a very high standard. It is noted for phenomenally high marks which it uniformly obtains from the district inspectors, that on the last occasion, being I believe, 75 per cent. Mrs. Benbow, who also teaches, is a highly certificated home teacher. As the trees sent up by the Department for Arbour Day purposes were very insignificant articles, Mr. Benbow supplemented these by an abundance of flowers, which have been fenced off with great pains, so that with a few year’s proper care the ornate appearance of the grounds should be considerably enhanced. In several other places notably, Minden and Tallegalla – I noticed that a similarly praiseworthy effort had been made to augment the supply of Arbour Day trees.

Between the school and the bridge crossing the Bremer River about four miles further along, are the properties of Messrs. Sellars, Baills, Pedrazzini, J. Rice, Cannan, W. Collins, E. Collins (Chairman of the Mutdapilly Board), and several others. All these are fine agricultural lands some of them belonging to very old settlers-and several of the enterprising proprietors go in largely for dairy-farming.

The Bremer-where it is crossed by the Bridge-is almost as large a stream as at Ipswich if that is any particular compliment to it. It may be here stated that the Bremer River winds its circuitous course right through the district, the farms lying on each side of it, so that the appellation of the Bremer Valley district is not inappropriate.

Immediately upon crossing the bridge are to be seen the fine farms of Messrs. Harley and M’Lauglin, the latter gentleman being well-known in Ipswich.

Journeying along the road to the Rosevale State School, may also be seen the farms of Messrs. Kelly, T. Coveney, M. Coveney, Burkitt, Murray, Coyne, and many more, and a very large new hay-shed and house on the property of Mr. J. Cribb, are discernible.

The Rosevale State School next comes into view. The buildings, consisting of the school, teacher’s residence, and large shed, having been recently built are much superior to what is generally met with in the country, and as if to set them off, they are situated upon a fine piece of rising ground. The Arbour trees, having the advantage of good black soil, are growing very quickly-or at least ten out of the fifteen are-and in a few years they should be ornamental to the grounds, as well as a useful shade for the children. The school, under the care of Mr. Skelton, is in excellent hands, and as a result a good average attendance is maintained.

To the left are the properties of Mr. J. Tierney (an old and respected resident), Mr. Kelly, Mr. J. Sellars, Mr. Lawrence, &c.

After leaving the school, a fine Roman Catholic Church is passed, and then on each side of the road are fields of waving corn and green lucerne and oats. The farms just about here would be hard to beat for excellence of soil, the principal owners being Messrs. J. Carroll, P. Quirk, J. Quirk, Currier, and M. Carmody. The latter gentleman keeps the Rosevale Hotel-a comfortable and apparently well-conducted place at the extreme end of the close settlement.

The places mentioned-which can be taken only as a sample of the settlement of the district-are all on or near the main road which runs from Rosewood right through the district. Another road, however, runs parallel to this, and only about two farms from it, on the opposite side of the Bremer water. Along this a similar scene presents itself, although the houses are not so close together, in consequence of the pursuits of the residents being less agricultural and more of a grazing character.

As a sample of the judicious combination of these two may be mentioned the property of Mr. Mat. Ryan. Besides his cultivated farm, he goes in largely for the breeding of horses and cattle. He is at present raising a stock of the latter, which are a cross between the shorthorn and Brittany variety. The colour is mostly black, blue, or blue-and-white, and the animal, though despised at first, is rapidly coming into general favour. Attempts of this kind, made with a view to the improvement of dairy or other stock, should meet with the encouragement of every intelligent farmer. It may be mentioned, in passing, that Mr. Ryan has generally something good to show at exhibition times.

The scenery right from Mount Walker to Rosevale only requires to be seen to be appreciated. At the former place are the frowning cliffs of Mount Walker on one side, and the Little Liverpool and Main Range forming a long blue line on the other.

On entering the Rosevale district proper, the valley is narrowed by an offshoot from the Little Liverpool Range, and the long irregular line of mountain chain thus formed stands out in bold relief as a natural boundary to the plain.

After passing the Rosevale school the valley is still further limited, and the mountains close on each side, until it runs out in a lovely point, near the head of the Bremer River, known as The Gorge. It is to this spot that the residents resort for picnics and outdoor parties, and rumour hath it that the tempting grottos and natural seats, if endowed with reason and language, could many a tale of love unfold.

The view presented by the mountains between the Rosevale Hotel and the school is especially fine. In the valley are the cultivated fields, while the side of the mountain is dotted at intervals with houses surrounded by small areas of crops, as if to enhance its natural charms.

The traveller who would leave this district without making the ascent of Mount Walker would commit a great mistake. Having had this impressed upon me, I made an attempt to “get there,” on Friday last, and succeeded. After passing through lanes and by-ways, known only to the initiated, and a portion of Mr. M’Killop’s Mount Walker estate, a ride of about two miles will bring you to a wire fence, and from here the journey must be made on foot. Then commences the tug of war, and you find that the mount is about as hard to climb as the hill of fame is reputed to be. Elated at the prospect of the view from the top, you fancy that you could even tackle the Matterhorn. Before you get half-way up, the “stuffing” has been considerably knocked out of you, and you modify your former opinion-a lot. A feeling of thirst having come over you, you glance down below at the tiny brook,
Whose bursting bubbles seem to tip
The wink of invitation,
and sigh as you think that that invitation is not for you. Making another attack on the steep incline before you, you firmly plant your sole on a projecting stone, which you fondly imagine was made expressly for it, only to find that, like many another stepping-stone, it has turned out to be a delusion and a snare, and you come tumbling down, thus losing a few feet of hard-fought ground. Consoling yourself with the old proverb that defeat is the stepping-stone to success, you pull yourself together, and if you have sufficient perseverance for a quarter of an hour’s hard work you will be rewarded by finding yourself on the top.

The view from here is sufficient to repay you for all the trouble taken. Immediately below can be seen the serpentine course of the Bremer River winding its way in and out among waving cornfields or banks of luxuriant natural grass. The stations of Franklyn Vale, Normanby, Fassifern, Trelawney, Mount Walker &c., present a magnificent greensward, and are all very plainly discernible. Far away in the distance, step upon step as it were, rise the blue summits of the Little Liverpool and Main Range, with Cunningham’s Gap; while in another direction are Mount Flinders, and the Peak, the whole forming one of those grand panoramic views of which Australians may justly feel proud. Laidley, Gatton, Rosewood, Harrisville, Peak Crossing and many other settlements, as well as the town of Ipswich, all pass under review, and a very fair conception of the importance of a large portion of West Moreton may be formed through the view obtained from the top of Mount Walker.

The summit of the mountain, which is about a quarter of a mile in length, tapers to a point which is so narrow in some places, and so covered with huge boulders, that it is difficult and even dangerous to walk along. The western end however, broadens out to a width of about a couple of chains, and here the trigonometrical surveyors have built a cairn and erected a long pole with a piece of tin on the end. It is needless to say that all available space at this place is covered with modern hieroglyphics, the mysterious characters representing the initials of those who from time to time have been fortunate enough to reach the top.

The descent of the mountain is of necessity very rapid but requires a deal of care, or the “centre of gravity” will be upset, and the unwary traveller precipitated with a speed that is at once undignified and uncomfortable.

Reader, if you visit this district, don’t forget to go up Mount Walker.

The districts of Mount Walker and Rosevale are suffering from a grievance. It would be more than strange if they were not. In this case, however, it might easily be remedied, for it consists of the fact that the inhabitants get only two mails a week instead of three. At present the mail is taken from Ipswich, on horseback, on Tuesdays and Saturdays, consequently it takes four days to get a reply to a letter, and the people have four papers to read on a Saturday. The remedy would be to send the mails to Rosewood by train, and then give a tri weekly service on horseback from there to Rosevale. The expense of doing this should not be any greater than under the present service, for at least twelve miles would be taken off the journey by horse back. The importance of such a large and constantly-increasing community as this should surely warrant the establishment of a tri-weekly mail, and it can be demonstrated that the amount of correspondence is at present very large and likely to increased daily. We trust that these matters will he taken into consideration by the authorities at the end of the present contract, if not sooner.

The all engrossing subject among the inhabitants, however, is the proposed railway line. A permanent survey has been made along the northern side of the Bremer, and a Minister for Railways (Mr. Nelson) has examined the route and expressed himself as very favourably impressed with it. The question now is, When will it be built? Undoubtedly, if any line in the colony will pay, it should be one through such a district as this. Already a very large amount of produce is taken to Rosewood, and if the railway were built, each farmer could cultivate much more extensively, for the land is all suitable for agriculture. The cost of construction would be the less because the country is a level valley, and, with the exception of one small hill, scarcely a single cutting would be needed. To dilate upon the subject, however, is quite unnecessary, for the Commissioners or any Minister for Railways who may be taken over the route cannot fail to admit that, upon the merits of the district, the residents have a strong claim to a line. When the finances of the country improve, this should be one of the first lines to be considered.

In conclusion, I may state that the main road, on the southern portion of the Bremer and leading from Rosevale to Rosewood, is at present in a very creditable condition. In wet weather, however, a different state of things prevails.