The Murray River / Being a Journal of the Voyage of the "Lady Augusta" Steamer from the Goolwa, in South Australia, to Gannewarra, above Swan Hill, Victoria, a Distance from the Sea Mouth of 1400 Miles

APPENDIX.

Enumeration of the quantity of sheep to be shorn in the present year (1853), upon the Rivers Murray and Lachlan, as far as Swan Hill, in the Provinces of South Australia, Victoria, and New South Wales.

Owners.		Sheep.
Mr.	Pyke	20,000
	Westmeath	40,000
Messrs. Sylvester & Smith		15,000
Mr.	Lintott	6,000
	Grierson	3,000
Messrs. Phelps & Connolly		12,000
Mr.	Beveridge	10,000
	Hamilton	5,000
	McCallum	13,000
	Grant	6,000
	Ross	7,000
	Morey	7,000
	Gibbs	5,000
	McPherson	6,000
	Keane	16,000
	McGrath	10,000
	Jamieson	10,000
Messrs. Crozier & Rutherford		13,000
Mr.	Paterson	7,000
	Bagot	5,000
	Chambers	6,000
Mr.	Walker	6,000
	Coomar	5,000
	Hart	6,000
	Walsh	6,000
	Haywood	3,000
	Scoott	4,000
	Fletcher	12,000
	Scott	7,000
	McLennan	7,000
	McLean	6,000
	McFarlane	4,000
	Cameron	4,000
THE LACHLAN.
Mr.	Peters	10,000
Messrs. Phelps & Co		20,000
Mr.	Wentworth	50,000
	Laing	15,000
	Firebrace	6,000
Messrs. Firebrace and Brown		10,000
Mr.	Nyne	40,000
Total number of sheep		443,000

To this number may be added an unestimated amount of sheep upon the Darling River, amounting certainly, to 17,000; which at a very low calculation will give 460,000 sheep; yielding a supply of wool—at 2 lbs. per sheep, and an average of 250 lbs. weight per bale—of 3,680 bales; or, at a rough estimate of £20 per bale, £73,600; or, at the not unusual yield of 2¼ lbs. per sheep, £82,080.

This estimate extends no further than Swan Hill, about 1,300 miles from the sea. To give a correct idea of the probable amount of wool to be derived from Swan Hill and north of the Murray, onwards, is not easy, but including the runs to Albury and Gundegai, and from thence again to near the junction of the Lachlan, it may be estimated at	280,000
Again, on the north bank of the Murrumbidgee there may be set down twenty stations, depasturing each 4,500 sheep, or	90,000
In Victoria, and on the south side of the Murray, from Swan Hill to Albury, not embracing the stations at the Campaspe, Goulburn, or Ovens, excepting those at their respective junctions	220,000
Total	590,000	[31]

In this calculation, out of 124 stations, seventy only have been put down as cattle stations, or unlikely to send their wool to Adelaide.

A third estimate of produce likely to go to the Adelaide market, and taking Swan Hill as a depÔt, would bring in a very large quantity of wool, via Lake Lalbert to Swan Hill.

The stations producing this wool are situated on the Rivers Loddon, Avoca, Avon, Richardson, and the Wimmeira country, towards Lake Hindmarsh; and a good road, with a little trouble, might be made available to Lake Lalbert, which is distant only twenty-five miles from Swan Hill.

From the above enumeration, it is evident that the opening of the Murray navigation by steam cannot be otherwise than most advantageous to the interests of the settlers.

In previous years they were necessitated to forward their wool by dray to Melbourne, at a cost of £40 or £45 per ton. In many cases these drays, instead of bringing back the annual supplies of provisions, &c., have been detained, broken down, or delayed by the loss of bullocks, or other difficulties. The settlers are now to pay £20 or at most £25 per ton for the same purposes, and even this freight will gradually come down. In a word, as has been before observed, “the steamer has quite set the squatters on their legs again,” many of them having actually resolved, in consequence of the difficulties attending labour and transport, to abandon their runs.

It may, at the same time, be mentioned that, in all probability, the steamer’s profit returns will be highly remunerative, which, indeed, would be requisite, as the daily expenses during our stay have been estimated at £30.

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