| Town |
Over Time
| A Central Place In the 1870's, there was a need for the services of a small town in the Mannanarie Hundred, as the rural population gradually increased. There was a strong demand for horses and bullocks, as well as building materials for houses and sheds. But because there was a shortage in some of these materials, farmers improvised with what they already had. Townships along the newly laid railway lines and proposed railway routes, had to be built. These townships, including Mannanarie, were placed only a few miles apart because wheat was too heavy to cart over unsealed roads for great distances. Eventually, it would be transported to the nearest port. Wheat was very important on the small holdings because it could bring a high return per acre under favourable conditions. However livestock could not be not be kept to sell for case, as there was a general absence of fences suitable for enclosure of sheep of cattle. The first fences erected were mostly built of posts and rails and were very costly because of the poor timber available. These fences were mainly used to hold horses and cattle. Where wire was used the fence was not sheep proof. Under these conditions very few sheep were kept on the farms. Shepherding, which was common on larger properties was not feasible with the small numbers which could be kept on smaller farms. Each farm kept a few cattle, some pigs and the essential horses or working bullocks. Sometimes a small income could be made from poultry and dairy products, but income from the farm mostly depended on the outcome of the wheat harvest. This led to the Mannanarie district concentrating on wheat production from the late 1870's onwards. At the time, most of this was on small allotments. These small allotments were worked by families, and at the time most families were large, because large numbers of children did not affect their parents financially as it does today. The children worked on the farm, as there was a large amount of manual labour before widespread use of machinery. The population grew quickly because successive good years meant the land produced enough to support the relatively large population. The increased population meant that many services were needed. Good crops meant there was a surplus of cash which could be used to buy material items. As well as the basic needs of flour, salt, fabrics and shoes, people had enough money to buy light uncomplicated machinery which needed horsepower, materials for improving the farms and some for entertainment and involvement in clubs and organisations. The increasing children in the district needed education, and there was development of a school, and a general store, a blacksmith, church, public hall, hotel, church and Sunday-school. With these services came the development of a small urban population, who provided the services, but in turn needed food products, which previously the farmers were able to provide for themselves. A butchers shop was opened, the general store widened its range, and small market gardens were established on the fertile banks of the creek by some Chinese who moved into the mid-north after the gold rushes in Victoria and New South Wales. < Previous - 1 2 3 - Next > |
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