21/10/2024 - Bourke's delayed settlement

When James and Frances Reed arrived in Bourke in late 1862 they found nothing but a couple of hastily erected buildings, with everyone else living in tents. But towns like Walgett and Coonamble were already nearing twenty years old while Narrabri, Gilgandra and Dubbo were about thirty years old. What had delayed settlement in the Bourke district for so long?

While cattle and sheep were grazing around Coonamble and Walgett in the 1840s, travellers along the Darling River near Fort Bourke in the late 1850s reported no stock. Where were they?

This issue is examined in the middle chapters of All Our Tracks and Ways. The answers are complex and varied but the main reason was a moratorium on grazing that had been imposed by the Governor. This delayed settlement in the Bourke district by more than 15 years. To find out why this restriction was imposed and why it was subsequently lifted, obtain your copy of All Our Tracks and Ways now!