Short Stories of the Blackmores, Suttors, Kinlesides, Watsons, Farrs, Gordons, Blacks and others.
In October 1876 three Watson brothers left from “Walwa” on the Upper Murray in Victoria, following a survey trip by Greg, one of the brothers, in 1875, to settle on the Gregory River at “Gregory Downs” some 120 kilometres south of Burketown, arriving in August 1877. Two of the brothers, Harry Frederick and Philip Sidney … Continue reading Gregory Downs Station – Old Photographs
In 1876 three Watson brothers came from “Walwa” on the Upper Murray in Victoria following a survey trip the previous year, to settle on the Gregory River at “Gregory Downs” some 120 kms south of Burketown.Two of the brothers, Harry Frederick and Philip Sydney were twins aged only 19 at the time and the youngest … Continue reading Watson Bros to Gregory Downs
The Royal Flying Doctor Service from the Mt Isa base and Dr Ian Robinson were regular visitors to Gregory Downs for the clinics conducted there and at other locations around the Gulf country and Mt Isa district. Dr Ian Robinson treating a patient with VH-FDR in the background. The RFDS aircraft was a Beechcraft Queen … Continue reading The RFDS and Foxtrot Delta Romeo
Harry Foster at “Riversleigh” in the 1950’s (Photo courtesy Ken Foster) Mrs “Aunty” Barrett, at the Gregory Hotel, had taken in and reared the child Harry Foster and his sister, Jessie. Harry and Jessie Foster's young mother died in childbirth at Westmoreland Station and their father left the two children with Emily Barrett at the … Continue reading The Fosters at Riversleigh and Gregory Downs
By Greg Blackmore I can remember always wanting to be a Jackeroo and had my leather saddle bag and quart pot for a few years before I had even left school. Raised on a small mixed grazing property near Rylstone and Mudgee in NSW, I rode a bike the 3 miles to Clandulla Public School, … Continue reading Going Bush – a Jackeroo
By Greg Blackmore In 1965 I started flying lessons with Schutt Aircraft Flying Academy at Grovedale airfield, just out of Geelong in Victoria. This was during my first year at Marcus Oldham Agricultural College and I progressed through to my first Solo flight in October that year at about 8 hours flying time. In April … Continue reading A Pilot’s Log Book
Guest Post by Beverley O'Hara Background In October 1876 three Watson brothers left from “Walwa” on the Upper Murray in Victoria, following a survey trip by Greg, one of the brothers, in 1875, to settle on the Gregory River at “Gregory Downs” some 120 kilometres south of Burketown, arriving in August 1877. Two of the … Continue reading Phil Schaffert, Gregory Downs Manager 1931 to 1944
In 1966, Lew Blackmore from "Chester", Clandulla in NSW, and who also owned Gregory Downs south of Burketown, purchased “Clovernook”, a 12,706 acre property, near Bauhinia Downs, west of Moura. Scott Hallam from Australian Estates in Rockhampton was the agent and they purchased the property from Graham and Shirley McCamley for around $9 per acre … Continue reading “Clovernook”, Bauhinia District
In 1876 the Watson brothers; Harry Frederick Watson, Phillip Sidney Watson and Robert Mc Gregor 'Greg' Watson left from the Upper Murray where their father, Sydney Grandison Watson, owned Walwa and Tintaldra Stations. They brought 900-odd mixed cattle from Dotswood Station and started out for the Upper Diamantina and later the Flinders River. They had … Continue reading Watson Bros & The Gregory Hotel
From The Stockman's Hall of Fame, Longreach, “Unsung Heroes”, as submitted by L. K. Blackmore Lewis Kinleside BLACKMORE, b. 15th February 1917, Sydney NSW, d. 6th November 1995, Buderim QLD Lewis Kinleside Blackmore inherited `Gregory Downs Station' from his grand uncles, the Watson Brothers, in 1943 and held it for a period of 36 years … Continue reading Lew Blackmore & Gregory Downs
Struth it's Blackmores 