Cuppacumbalong Homestead
Encyclopedia
Cuppacumbalong is an historic homestead located near the southern outskirts of Canberra
in the Australian Capital Territory
. It is also the name of a former 4000 acres (16.2 km²) sheep and cattle grazing property that surrounded the homestead near the junction of the Murrumbidgee
and Gudgenby River
s. The word Cuppacumbalong is Aboriginal for 'meeting of the waters'. One of the property's early owners Leopold de Salis made a noteworthy contribution to political life during colonial times and furthermore, Cuppacumbalong has strong connections to the life of William Farrer
, the father of the Australian wheat industry.
. In 1835 they acquired several adjoining blocks on the Murrumbidgee River
. Wright established Cuppacumbalong located on the southern side of the Murrumbidgee River in 1839. At the time this region was situated outside the Nineteen Counties
of New South Wales
and despite the uncertainty of land tenure, many squatters ran large numbers of sheep and cattle beyond the boundaries. By one current-day account 'Cuppacumbalong' stretched 30 miles (48.3 km) southward to presentday Bredbo. In 1848 financial difficulties forced Wright to sell Lanyon to Andrew Cunningham and shift his operations to Cuppacumbalong. Wright sold 'Cuppacumbalong' to the de Salis family in 1855.
Leopold Fabius Dietegen Fane de Salis (1816–1898), pastoralist and politician, was born on 26 April 1816 in Florence, Italy, the fourth son of Jerome Fane, fourth Count de Salis
, the third son by his third wife Henrietta, a daughter of William Foster (bishop)
. Sir William Foster Stawell
, later the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the colony of Victoria was his first cousin.
De Salis was educated at the English public school Eton College
, before moving onto further studies in sheep farming near Jedburgh
, in Scotland. In 1840 at the age of 24, de Salis migrated to New South Wales where he acquired with a partner the 'Darbalara Station' located on the Murrumbidgee River near Yass
. In 1845 he was one of the principal squatters that opened up the Riverina district to agriculture, establishing a run he called Jewnee pastoral station as well as two others over a 8 year period. After he disposed of these interests, the village (later the township) of Junee was established on this site. He married Charlotte MacDonald in 1844 with whom he had five children; Leopold William (1845–1930), Rodolph (1841–1876), George Arthur Charles, Henry Gubert (1858–1931) and Nina. In 1855 the de Salis family bought and relocated to 'Cuppacumbalong' Station.
Cuppacumbalong was at this time noted for its especially fine wool and magnificent draught horses. De Salis completed a number of property improvements such as crop irrigation
and was a local pioneer in the use of stock dams. The homestead was situated low to the river and was subsequently inundated on a number of occasions by flood waters during de Salis' time.
Within 6 years of the family's arrival in the Queanbeyan district the Robertson Land Acts
was passed into law in New South Wales
. These measures were designed to wrest control of land away from the squatocracy
and encourage the takeup of land by smaller more productive landholders (selectors). De Salis quickly registered several parcels of land under the names of various family members and dummies to retain ownership of 'the flats', the riverflats that backed onto the Murrumbidgee River. In doing so he eventually consolidated his family's land holding and 'converted' his squatter run into a de facto
'freehold estate'.
Leopold's only daughter Nina married scientist William Farrer
in 1882. De Salis gave the newly-weds 97 hectares of his property, which the Farrers later named Lambrigg.
In 1869 the de Salis family acquired the Nass; and Nass Valley squatting runs located in Upper Murrumbidgee area and later still purchased the Coolemon run high in the Brindabella Ranges. Later in the 1870s his sons acquired stations in Queensland, most notably Strathmore, located near the township of Bowen
. Leopold's immediate elder brother William Fane De Salis
held a number of positions including the chairmanship of the London Chartered Bank of Australia. William used his financial connections to help his brother finance these pastoral operations.
Leopold de Salis was elected the Local Member for Queanbeyan in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
where he served local constituents from 1864–69. Then in July 1874 he was appointed to the New South Wales Legislative Council
. In a political career spanning 24 years, de Salis pursued taxation reform, specifically income tax, that required labourers contribute 'as an insurance against misfortune or improvidence'.
The de Salis family later fell victim to the financial crisis of the 1890s
and the Union bank foreclosed on the family's Queensland land holdings in 1892. Leopold visited England in 1893, when the accompaying photograph was taken. The de Salis family remained at Cuppacumbalong until 1894. Leopold was declared insolvent four years later with a debt of £100,000 shortly before his death.
Leopold de Salis is commemorated in Canberra by the naming of De Salis Street, in the suburb of Weetangera
in which all the streets are named for regional pioneer settlers.
. Campbell and co lived there for 13 years until August 1911, having sold the 20939 acres (84.7 km²) estate to A.G. McKeahnie of Queanbeyan. A new owner Alan Thomson acquired the property after this time. Thomson built a new homestead at a point high above the Murrumbidgee River flood plain overlooking the old homestead which he later demolished .
in central Victoria acquired Cuppacumbalong in the early 1920s. He completed extensive additions to the Thomson homestead. This modern bungalow offered beautiful views of the surrounding country side from the terraces where frilly petunias cascaded over the walls and brightly coloured parrots amongst the hawthorn
s and the giant arbutus
.
The Snow family played host to a number of international guests most notably the then UK Opposition Leader and future Prime Minister Anthony Eaton
and later still Princess Elizabeth
and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
during their 1952 Australian Royal tour.
The Snow family continued with the wool tradition running about 7,000 head of Merino sheep and 300 head of Hereford cattle. In addition they operated a small Romney Marsh sheep stud. At 7700 acres (31.2 km²) in size Cuppacumbalong was one of the largest freehold rural properties remaining in late 1960s.
William McMahon
and Gough Whitlam
withdrew the rural leases for Lanyon
, Cuppacumbalong Homestead and Gold Creek Homestead
. In 1975, Karen O’Clery leased Cuppacumbalong Homestead from the Department of the Capital Territory and established the Cuppacumbalong Craft Centre, with a cafe, exhibition rooms, two permanent studios (later extended to three). Later still a shop was opened displaying studio output and other craft work.
With a change of lease in 1999, the Cuppacumbalong Homestead became a restaurant and wedding reception centre. A separate cottage gallery continued to exhibit and sell Australian craftwork. Then one year after the disastrous 2003 Canberra bush fires, business was dealt a fatal blow. The Tharwa bridge was closed, both Cuppacumbalong businesses suspended operations. The current lessees plan to convert the homestead to a private residence and to build a separate gallery and bakery cafe.
The citation of the Heritage Register states that:
The de Salis family grave is also sited at Cuppacumbalong and about 16 people associated with to the de Salis family including the count, his wife, their second son and station staff are buried there.
The de Salis family planted stands of Lombardy poplars alongside the riverfront at Tharwa.
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
in the Australian Capital Territory
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
. It is also the name of a former 4000 acres (16.2 km²) sheep and cattle grazing property that surrounded the homestead near the junction of the Murrumbidgee
Murrumbidgee River
The Murrumbidgee River is a major river in the state of New South Wales, Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory . A major tributary of the Murray River, the Murrumbidgee flows in a west-northwesterly direction from the foot of Peppercorn Hill in the Fiery Range of the Snowy Mountains,...
and Gudgenby River
Gudgenby River
The Gudgenby River is a river in the Australian Capital Territory that flows predominantly through the forests of the Namadgi National Park. The river catchment contains ecologically significant alpine wetlands...
s. The word Cuppacumbalong is Aboriginal for 'meeting of the waters'. One of the property's early owners Leopold de Salis made a noteworthy contribution to political life during colonial times and furthermore, Cuppacumbalong has strong connections to the life of William Farrer
William Farrer
William James Farrer was a leading Australian agronomist and plant breeder. Farrer is best remembered as the originator of the "Federation" strain of wheat, distributed in 1903...
, the father of the Australian wheat industry.
James Wright
Englishmen James Wright and a friend John Hamilton Mortimer Lanyon migrated to Australia during the early 1830s. In 1833 they were amongst the first squatters to established sheep runs in the Queanbeyan region, building the Lanyon HomesteadLanyon Homestead
Lanyon is an historic homestead and grazing property located on the southern outskirts of Canberra in the Australian Capital Territory.-History:...
. In 1835 they acquired several adjoining blocks on the Murrumbidgee River
Murrumbidgee River
The Murrumbidgee River is a major river in the state of New South Wales, Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory . A major tributary of the Murray River, the Murrumbidgee flows in a west-northwesterly direction from the foot of Peppercorn Hill in the Fiery Range of the Snowy Mountains,...
. Wright established Cuppacumbalong located on the southern side of the Murrumbidgee River in 1839. At the time this region was situated outside the Nineteen Counties
Nineteen Counties
The Nineteen Counties were the limits of location in the colony of New South Wales defined by the Governor of New South Wales Sir Ralph Darling in 1826 in accordance with a government order from Lord Bathurst, the secretary of State. Counties had been used since the first year of settlement, with...
of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
and despite the uncertainty of land tenure, many squatters ran large numbers of sheep and cattle beyond the boundaries. By one current-day account 'Cuppacumbalong' stretched 30 miles (48.3 km) southward to presentday Bredbo. In 1848 financial difficulties forced Wright to sell Lanyon to Andrew Cunningham and shift his operations to Cuppacumbalong. Wright sold 'Cuppacumbalong' to the de Salis family in 1855.
De Salis family
Jerome, 4th Count de Salis-Soglio
Jerome de Salis, 4th Count de Salis-Soglio DL, JP, FRS , Illustris et Magnificus was an Anglo-Grison-Irish noble, visionary, vegetarian and landowner....
, the third son by his third wife Henrietta, a daughter of William Foster (bishop)
William Foster (bishop)
William Foster, D.D. was a Church of Ireland bishop.The younger son of Anthony Foster he was chaplain to the Irish House of Commons . Then successively Bishop of Cork and Ross , Bishop of Kilmore and Bishop of Clogher.-Family:He married Catharina-Letitia daughter of Rev. Dr...
. Sir William Foster Stawell
William Foster Stawell
Sir William Foster Stawell KCMG was a British colonial statesman and a Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria, Australia.-Early life:...
, later the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the colony of Victoria was his first cousin.
De Salis was educated at the English public school Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
, before moving onto further studies in sheep farming near Jedburgh
Jedburgh
Jedburgh is a town and former royal burgh in the Scottish Borders and historically in Roxburghshire.-Location:Jedburgh lies on the Jed Water, a tributary of the River Teviot, it is only ten miles from the border with England and is dominated by the substantial ruins of Jedburgh Abbey...
, in Scotland. In 1840 at the age of 24, de Salis migrated to New South Wales where he acquired with a partner the 'Darbalara Station' located on the Murrumbidgee River near Yass
Yass, New South Wales
Yass is a town in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia in Yass Valley Shire. The name appears to have been derived from an Aboriginal word, "Yarrh" , said to mean 'running water'....
. In 1845 he was one of the principal squatters that opened up the Riverina district to agriculture, establishing a run he called Jewnee pastoral station as well as two others over a 8 year period. After he disposed of these interests, the village (later the township) of Junee was established on this site. He married Charlotte MacDonald in 1844 with whom he had five children; Leopold William (1845–1930), Rodolph (1841–1876), George Arthur Charles, Henry Gubert (1858–1931) and Nina. In 1855 the de Salis family bought and relocated to 'Cuppacumbalong' Station.
Cuppacumbalong was at this time noted for its especially fine wool and magnificent draught horses. De Salis completed a number of property improvements such as crop irrigation
Irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
and was a local pioneer in the use of stock dams. The homestead was situated low to the river and was subsequently inundated on a number of occasions by flood waters during de Salis' time.
Within 6 years of the family's arrival in the Queanbeyan district the Robertson Land Acts
Robertson Land Acts
The Crown Lands Acts 1861 were introduced by the New South Wales Premier, John Robertson, in 1861 to reform land holdings and in particular to break the squatters' domination of land tenure...
was passed into law in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
. These measures were designed to wrest control of land away from the squatocracy
Squatting (pastoral)
In Australian history, a squatter was one who occupied a large tract of Crown land in order to graze livestock. Initially often having no legal rights to the land, they gained its usage by being the first Europeans in the area....
and encourage the takeup of land by smaller more productive landholders (selectors). De Salis quickly registered several parcels of land under the names of various family members and dummies to retain ownership of 'the flats', the riverflats that backed onto the Murrumbidgee River. In doing so he eventually consolidated his family's land holding and 'converted' his squatter run into a de facto
De facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
'freehold estate'.
Leopold's only daughter Nina married scientist William Farrer
William Farrer
William James Farrer was a leading Australian agronomist and plant breeder. Farrer is best remembered as the originator of the "Federation" strain of wheat, distributed in 1903...
in 1882. De Salis gave the newly-weds 97 hectares of his property, which the Farrers later named Lambrigg.
In 1869 the de Salis family acquired the Nass; and Nass Valley squatting runs located in Upper Murrumbidgee area and later still purchased the Coolemon run high in the Brindabella Ranges. Later in the 1870s his sons acquired stations in Queensland, most notably Strathmore, located near the township of Bowen
Bowen, Queensland
Bowen is a town on the eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. At the 2006 census, Bowen had a population of 7,484.-Geography:Bowen is located on the north-east coast of Australia, at exactly twenty degrees south of the equator. In fact, the twentieth parallel crosses the main street...
. Leopold's immediate elder brother William Fane De Salis
William Andreas Salicus Fane De Salis
William Andreas Salius Fane de Salis was a businessman, colonialist, and barrister.De Salis was the third son of Jerome, 4th Count de Salis-Soglio , by his third wife, Henrietta Foster . Peter John Fane, Count de Salis was an elder half-brother. William Foster Stawell was a first cousin, and the...
held a number of positions including the chairmanship of the London Chartered Bank of Australia. William used his financial connections to help his brother finance these pastoral operations.
New South Wales Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The other chamber is the Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney...
where he served local constituents from 1864–69. Then in July 1874 he was appointed to the New South Wales Legislative Council
New South Wales Legislative Council
The New South Wales Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of New South Wales in Australia. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney. The Assembly is referred to as the lower house and the Council as...
. In a political career spanning 24 years, de Salis pursued taxation reform, specifically income tax, that required labourers contribute 'as an insurance against misfortune or improvidence'.
The de Salis family later fell victim to the financial crisis of the 1890s
Panic of 1890
The Panic of 1890 was an acute depression, although less serious than other panics of the era. It was precipitated by the near insolvency of Barings Bank in London. Barings, led by Edward Baring, 1st Baron Revelstoke, faced bankruptcy in November 1890 due mainly to excessive risk-taking on poor...
and the Union bank foreclosed on the family's Queensland land holdings in 1892. Leopold visited England in 1893, when the accompaying photograph was taken. The de Salis family remained at Cuppacumbalong until 1894. Leopold was declared insolvent four years later with a debt of £100,000 shortly before his death.
Leopold de Salis is commemorated in Canberra by the naming of De Salis Street, in the suburb of Weetangera
Weetangera, Australian Capital Territory
Weetangera is a suburb in the Canberra, Australia district of Belconnen.It is next to the suburbs of Hawker, Page and Macquarie. The Canberra Nature Park of The Pinnacle Nature Reserve borders it to the south across Springvale Drive. It has a primary school, Weetangera primary, and Weetangera...
in which all the streets are named for regional pioneer settlers.
Various owners
Cuppacumbalong passed through the hands of two sets of owners during the first two decades of the 20th century. Colonel Selwyn Campbell was in partnership with George Circuitt who was married to a daughter of Mr Crace of Gungahleen of the Ginninderra districtGinninderra
Ginninderra is the name of the former agricultural lands surrendered to urban development on the western and north-western fringes of Canberra, Australia's National Capital...
. Campbell and co lived there for 13 years until August 1911, having sold the 20939 acres (84.7 km²) estate to A.G. McKeahnie of Queanbeyan. A new owner Alan Thomson acquired the property after this time. Thomson built a new homestead at a point high above the Murrumbidgee River flood plain overlooking the old homestead which he later demolished .
Snow family
Frank Snow who originated from BallaratBallarat, Victoria
Ballarat is a city in the state of Victoria, Australia, approximately west-north-west of the state capital Melbourne situated on the lower plains of the Great Dividing Range and the Yarrowee River catchment. It is the largest inland centre and third most populous city in the state and the fifth...
in central Victoria acquired Cuppacumbalong in the early 1920s. He completed extensive additions to the Thomson homestead. This modern bungalow offered beautiful views of the surrounding country side from the terraces where frilly petunias cascaded over the walls and brightly coloured parrots amongst the hawthorn
Crataegus
Crataegus , commonly called hawthorn or thornapple, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the rose family, Rosaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere in Europe, Asia and North America. The name hawthorn was originally applied to the species native to northern Europe,...
s and the giant arbutus
Arbutus
Arbutus is a genus of at least 14 species of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae, native to warm temperate regions of the Mediterranean, western Europe, and North America.-Description:...
.
The Snow family played host to a number of international guests most notably the then UK Opposition Leader and future Prime Minister Anthony Eaton
Anthony Eaton
Anthony Eaton is an Australian writer of fantasy and young-adult fiction.-Biography:Eaton was born in Papua New Guinea in 1972 and moved to Perth, Western Australia during his childhood. After attending university he worked as a literature and drama teacher at Trinity College, Perth for eight...
and later still Princess Elizabeth
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of Elizabeth II. He is the United Kingdom's longest-serving consort and the oldest serving spouse of a reigning British monarch....
during their 1952 Australian Royal tour.
The Snow family continued with the wool tradition running about 7,000 head of Merino sheep and 300 head of Hereford cattle. In addition they operated a small Romney Marsh sheep stud. At 7700 acres (31.2 km²) in size Cuppacumbalong was one of the largest freehold rural properties remaining in late 1960s.
Commercial uses
In the early to mid 1970s the Federal Governments under Prime MinistersPrime Minister of Australia
The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
William McMahon
William McMahon
Sir William "Billy" McMahon, GCMG, CH , was an Australian Liberal politician and the 20th Prime Minister of Australia...
and Gough Whitlam
Gough Whitlam
Edward Gough Whitlam, AC, QC , known as Gough Whitlam , served as the 21st Prime Minister of Australia. Whitlam led the Australian Labor Party to power at the 1972 election and retained government at the 1974 election, before being dismissed by Governor-General Sir John Kerr at the climax of the...
withdrew the rural leases for Lanyon
Lanyon Homestead
Lanyon is an historic homestead and grazing property located on the southern outskirts of Canberra in the Australian Capital Territory.-History:...
, Cuppacumbalong Homestead and Gold Creek Homestead
Gold Creek Homestead
Gold Creek Homestead is a 140-year old stone and brick building located off Gungahlin Drive in Ngunnawal a north-western suburb of Canberra, the Australian Capital Territory, Australia....
. In 1975, Karen O’Clery leased Cuppacumbalong Homestead from the Department of the Capital Territory and established the Cuppacumbalong Craft Centre, with a cafe, exhibition rooms, two permanent studios (later extended to three). Later still a shop was opened displaying studio output and other craft work.
With a change of lease in 1999, the Cuppacumbalong Homestead became a restaurant and wedding reception centre. A separate cottage gallery continued to exhibit and sell Australian craftwork. Then one year after the disastrous 2003 Canberra bush fires, business was dealt a fatal blow. The Tharwa bridge was closed, both Cuppacumbalong businesses suspended operations. The current lessees plan to convert the homestead to a private residence and to build a separate gallery and bakery cafe.
Heritage site
All three Cuppacumbalong homesteads, including the ones constructed by James Wright, the de Salis and Snow families are included on the ACT Heritage Register.The citation of the Heritage Register states that:
the remains of the first (Wright) homestead and the second (De Salis) homestead are important archaeological sites associated with the first settlement of the area. The current homestead which dates from 1923 is a good, relatively rare and reasonably intact example of the Inter-War California Bungalow style in the ACT. It is one of only a few known examples of this style in the ACT.
The de Salis family grave is also sited at Cuppacumbalong and about 16 people associated with to the de Salis family including the count, his wife, their second son and station staff are buried there.
The de Salis family planted stands of Lombardy poplars alongside the riverfront at Tharwa.