Bruny Island History Room

31/05/2026

Bruny Island History Room at Alonnah will open on the first Saturday of the month (beginning June 6) and is available by appointment on 0409259118. We can also be contacted through our website at [email protected]

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31/05/2026

George Peat-Ewin Allison-Mangana
The Bruny ferry Mangana began life as the George Peat. She was built along with her sister ship Frances Peat at Poole & Steel’s Shipyard at Balmain NSW. They were wholly constructed of Australian made materials and the first all steel diesel engine ferries built in the Southern Hemisphere. They were built for the Hawksbury River Crossing.
At 150 feet long, 37 feet wide and with a draft of 12 feet they were expected to carry about 35 cars each. George Peat was launched on January 15, 1930 with the Frances Peat following three months later.
During World War 2, the Army and Water Transport Unit had 2,276 ships and small craft in service in New Guinea. George and Frances Peat were pressed into service in 1942 with the George Peat becoming A20 and Frances AB442. They plied the China Strait which was a contested area. It connects the Solomon and Coral Seas. The front ramps were removed and they were armed with light aircraft guns but were generally escorted on longer voyages. They could carry 50 jeeps or stores of 300t. They had a range of almost 400 nautical miles at a speed of 6 knots.
In September 1944, the Army News in Darwin reported that as part of the Army Water Transport Fleet, the Frances Peat was carrying trucks, guns and food supplies to war points in the New Guinea area. The 780 ton ferry is under the command of Lieutenant Donald Angus. Her sister ship George Peat has already been in action. It was bombed and straffed at Oro Bay while taking on food and ammunition for men along the coast. She took trucks and tractors to build the airfield at Goodenough Island and because there was no other way of unloading, she turned her stern to the shelving shore and backed in.
The ABC Weekly of December 2, 1944 spoke of George Peat loaded with piles to build tropical wharves, guns and jeeps. Unfortunately one of her engines died while she was in service and her First Mate reported she was alright in a sea except when she struck it head on, “then she hits with a wallop that’d chip your teeth!” Jack McClaren wrote how she was not made for ocean travel and would buckle and groan; that navigation was difficult due to her shallow draft especially with the wind abeam.
In February 1987, the Gosford Star ran a story told by an old ex-serviceman Jack Daven who recounted when in a corvette in the Coral Sea during the war they had seen red flares from a ship on the horizon. They approached carefully in case it was a Japanese ruse and the Captain asked if anyone had seen the ship before. Jack said, “It looks like Peats Ferry!” The Captain replied, “You’re a bloody Fool!”
“ She was wallowing like a mad duck. She’d lost a propeller in the cyclone and looked a bit like a sub. The Captain went in close and the disabled vessel was taken in tow but she was a dead weight and broke the rope so we used a steel hawser we used on a minesweeping winch and we towed her several hundred miles to Townsville!”
On their return to Sydney the vessels were redundant as Peat’s Bridge was under construction. The Navy disposed of them through the Commonwealth War Disposal in January 1946 to New Zealand for £39,000. (They had acquired them for £41,000.)
Pictures
1Launch of George Peat; 2&3 Wartime garb; 4 Crew of Frances Peat; 5 Breakfast On George; George’s anti-aircraft guns.

26/05/2026

Melba- the change
For the rest of Melba’s story you’ll have to buy Bruny Island Ferries, a book the History Room hopes to get out by the end of the year.
The Government bought Melba in February 1951 and began converting her into a vehicular ferry. Plans to convert the scow Cathkit had been abandoned. The Minister for Transport, Mr Madden said it was hoped to have her ready for part of the next summer season.
It was announced on June 7, 1951 that Melba would be converted into a double ended vehicular ferry.
The timber needed to convert her had been ordered along with a diesel engine from England. This was to be done at Purdon and Featherstone’s in Battery Point and would take over 18 months. The cost was many times that of her original build. She was stripped to her bare frame and hull. Her steam-plant was removed; the hull was strengthened and heavy deck beams were laid to take the weight of vehicles. Some of the shear was taken out of the forward end and a false bow fitted otherwise her hull was unaltered. (Part of her stern could be seen at water level). The island amidships and the high level bridge were new.
At the end of August, 1951 letters to the Mercury were asking why nothing had yet been done. The Minister for Transport announced on August 28 that conveniences had begun for the vehicular ferry between Tinderbox and Dennes Point and it should be ready to operate in about a year. The Minister for Transport, Mr Madden said work had begun on the conversion but it wasn’t expected to be complete for another year as the completion of the breakwater at Dennes Point and Tinderbox would have to be completed first. The Transport Department assured they were making every endeavour to have the service operating by the summer of 1952!
In October 1951, the Examiner stated that the Transport Commission had paid £9,000 for Melba and the total of the conversion would be well over £20,000! It claimed that currently the steamers provide a weekly service of 6 trips for Bruny residents, that they were well served and the ferry would be better used between Bell Bay and Beauty Point! It also reported that Melba was still merely a hulk and that recent storms had washed away the newly erected wharves at Dennes Point and partly erected landing at Tinderbox!
In November MP Mr Pearsall brought a motion to the House that the Government should consider the er****on of a landing wharf at Kettering and Barnes Bay so a vehicular service could be inaugurated immediately Melba was completed.
In March 1952, Premier Cosgrove said that the Government would push ahead but that the starting date depended on the loan position next financial year! He was replying to a Deputation form the Bruny Island Council headed by Mr Dillon.
Finally in June the Mercury announced that the run would be between Kettering and Barnes Bay and that Mr Reece, Minister for Lands and Works asked that funds be available for the next financial year.
By May 1953 Melba was undergoing conversion on the Domain Slip with a platform being added to the bow to allow cars to be driven onto it. It was expected to be finished by the end of the year. She was expected to be able to travel at 8 knots.
While the ferry was ready by November until more money was available the berths lay idle. The Warden of Bruny, JM Dillon, stated the boat had cost about £40,000 The Parliamentary Work Committee estimated the service would lose about 10,000 pounds PA. The commissioner of Transport said it had cost £67,000 to complete the terminals, jetties, roads and the two crew houses plus £2,500 to clean up Dennes Point and Tinderbox. He estimated the cost of providing the service would be £13,000 PA
August 1953, saw a diesel engine of 170hp installed plus a 75hp diesel power unit. There was still opposition. Mr M Roche, Manager of the Bruny Cargo Service told the Public Works Commission there were only 28 cars, 35 utilities and lorries and 17 motor cycles registered on Bruny and that the Bruny Cargo Service had obtained £16,213 revenue since it started in August 1950.
September saw nothing finished. Melba began trial runs in December. By March 1954 the terminals were still unfinished with the workmen just beginning Barnes Bay. Bruny locals wished the ferry to be kept overnight at Barnes Bay in case of emergencies but this was over-ruled due to the “better” facilities at Kettering.
In April 1954 the Transport Railway Department were accepting tenders for the cargo steam deck winch ex ss Melba. In August Melba undertook stability tests. November saw her berths finally finished and in December her timetable was published. It was to run 4 trips each way on Monday, Wednesday and Friday; 5 on Saturday and 3 on Sunday.
The service would begin operating on Monday December 13. On this day most of the inhabitants of Bruny had the day off and both schools were closed. The trip over of six miles was covered in 40 minutes. The approaches to the Barns Bay Terminal were crowded when Melba arrived with the official guests. It was estimated that 500 turned up for the opening.
Guests were entertained after at the Barnes Bay Hall where a presentation was made to Mr Dillon in recognition of his efforts to have the service inaugurated.
Much of this saga would have been avoided if the Government had originally listened to the fisherman who were against the terminals at Dennes and Tinderbox because they were too exposed!
Pictures
Stripped Melba, installation of Ramp, nearly ready, motor installation, Opening Day, approaching Kettering

25/05/2026

Cover photo- Adventure Bay 1910

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17/05/2026

Melba- Middle Life
In 1938 Melba became part of the fleet of the Huon Transport Pty. Ltd., which was managed by H Jones and Co. She spent much of her time laid up at Franklin Pier as much of the fruit transportation had moved to land transport.
In 1943 when Lurgurena was taken off the Hobart to Bellerive run there was a concerted effort by the people of Bruny to obtain her but is was to no avail. The Government had other ideas. In 1947 it selected Dennes Point to be the convergent point for Bruny traffic by beginning to build a road across the Neck joining North and South..On October 5, 1949 S.S Morse sank with a cargo of 80ton of limestone from Ida Bay at the Hobart Wharves. In February 1950 it was raised by the steamers Melba and Breone, They were either side of her with two large beams laid between them. A Spanish windless was rigged and when Morse broke the surface they made their way to the Domain Slip.
The Government bought the army barge Beagle which was 53 feet long and could carry 6 cars to carry the material needed to build breakwaters at Dennes Point and Tinderbox for a car ferry crossing. It also carried private cars provided that their owners signed a document absolving the PWD from any loss or damage. This was the terminus for the passenger vessel Gayclite. Many maritime men viewed the route with disquiet as it was impossible to cross at times with big seas and undertows especially when storms came from the Southeast. The Government ignored these forebodings and continued to spend up to £20 000 more on breakwaters. Estimates for the service costs were £53,300- £3550 for the berths, £29,750 for breakwaters and £20,000 for the construction of the ferry.
In April 1949 after attempts to purchase a suitable vessel were unsuccessful (the Hobart Marine Board refused to grant Beagle a certificate and the Carbide Works said if the Cathkit were taken there would be a shortage of carbide) arrangements were made to prepare designs for a vessel. In June 1950 tenders were called throughout Australia for a vessel designed for the crossing but unfortunately not one application was received.
The Neck Road was opened on October 1, 1950. It cost £41,256 which was £16,026 over budget. Tim Murphy of Lunawanna was granted the license for a passenger service between Lunawanna and Dennes Point with connecting links between Simpsons Bay, Adventure Bay and Barnes Bay. The ferry Taruna between Middleton and Simpsons Bay ceased running on Saturday September 30.
The Government bought Melba in February 1951 and began converting her into a vehicular ferry. The Minister for Transport, Mr Madden said it was hoped to have her ready for part of the next summer season. The timber needed to convert her had been ordered along with a diesel engine. This was done at Purdon and Featherstone’s in Battery Point and took over 18 months. The cost was many times that of her original build. She was stripped to her bare frame and hull. Her steamplant was removed; the hull was strengthened and heavy deck beams were laid to take the weight of vehicles. Some of the shear was taken out of the forward end and a false bow fitted otherwise her hull was unaltered. (Part of her stern could later be seen at water level). The island amidships and the high level bridge were new.
At the end of October 1951 fierce storms struck southern Tasmania and the newly erected wharves at Dennes Point and the partially erected landing at Tinderbox were washed away. The breakwaters also suffered tremendous damage. The Government began a search for a route where the terminals were not affected by the weather.
In March 1952 the Premier, Mr Cosgrove assured the public that the ferry would go ahead but the starting date depended on the Government’s loan position for the next financial year. In the following year the Deputy Leader of the Opposition Mr Jackson said why spend £40,000 on a ferry conversion when there were no berths to use. Finally in May 1953 it was announced that the terminals would be at Kettering and Barnes Bay which offered sheltered sites for berthing. It was stated that Dennes Point was unsuitable because of the heavy swell, the long pier that would be required to obtain a suitable depth and new breakwaters, Tinderbox was too exposed.
Pictures
Lurgurina; Breone and Melba raising Morse; Bass, Breone & Melba towing Morse underwater; Barge Beagle at Dennes Point unloading cars; Breakwater and jetty at Dennes Point

11/05/2026

SS Melba’s First Life
On November 11, 1921 the largest vessel ever constructed at Port Cygnet was launched at the shipbuilding yards of Messrs Wilson Brothers. She was christened Astarte by the French wife of one of the brothers. She was a cargo steamship built for the Huon, Channel and Peninsula Steamship Company and was painted green with a yellow ribbon and white band along the waterline, an arrangement which decorated all the vessels of the Huon Channel and Peninsula Steamship Company. She was built specifically for the cartage of apples and was capable of carrying 11,000 cases.
She was built of stringy bark timber fastened with galvanised iron and the decks were of Oregon pine. The length of her keel was 115 feet, her breadth of beam 27 feet and the depth of her hold 9 feet 6 inches. Her hull commenced with a raised forecastle and ended with a square stern. The superstructure on the main deck was located just aft of midships beyond the cargo hold. She had accommodation for a crew of six and a large open p**p deck in the aft section. She took 6 men two years to construct. She would prove to be the last of her kind.
Her name Melba was first mentioned in the Mercury on March 7 when her departure for Huonville to collect apples was advertised. No mention is made for the reasoning behind the change of name. Dame Nellie Melba was however at the height of her fame and popularity. Melba also a type of strawberry.
On June 2, 1926 the Mercury announced that Melba would be bringing the barque James Craig up to the slip in town. On June 18, she caught fire while lying at the outer end of the Brooke Street Pier. She had arrived a few hours earlier from Catamaran and had a cargo of 300 tons of coal. The coal was in the main hold and on top of the hatch was a considerable amount of coal dust. The fire was started by the heat of the boiler on the coal placed around this part of the vessel. The firemen were unable to get at the fire and were forced to cut a hole in the Oregon decking sufficiently large to allow the gases to escape. They made it large enough to allow themselves to work in relays removing the coal from around the casing of the boiler. It is believed the coal was nine feet deep. By 2 o’clock the situation was in hand and very little damage had been done to the ship or her cargo.
By October 1926 she was on fire again. At 10 pm the fire brigade was called because a portion of the coal had fallen through crevices in the hatchway on top of the boiler and ignited the decking. The brigade chopped through the decking which was considerably charred. She had been bringing her bi-weekly load of coal to Hobart.
She was to prove very popular with competitors who travelled to the various regattas. They would string up hammocks in her hold (she could hold nearly 100) and she would tow the yachts to the various venues. Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania often chartered Melba along with some of the Southern regatta associations to convey the Cadet Dinghies, 16 Feet Skiffs and Power Boats to the various regattas.
On April 24, 1931 the Huon Transport Company offered to supply Melba to bring the boats from Hobart to Woodbridge and the Channel Regattas Association accepted the offer at the price stated. There were 7 Maiden Fours crews and sculls, 7 Junior Fours and sculls and 4 Senior Fours and craft; there were 6 speed boats, 14 cadet Dinghies and six 16 foot skiffs. "The Down Channel Regattas" were Dover, Southport, Cygnet (two days) and Shipwright's Point,
Melba was regularly chartered by the Tasmanian Regatta Council from 1933 onwards; they hoped it would lead to record entries which it did at the Woodbridge regatta in 1933. The Christmas/New Year Regattas saw her again as the “Mother Ship” with her “big freight of fragile craft and crews .
She was used by the Hobart Bridge Company to dredge the channel between the towers of the floating bridge in the early 1940s and in 1944 helped tow the floating arches into place. She carried the lofty derrick rig on the forward deck during that time.
Pictures original Melba, Carrying cargo, at Woodbridge Regatta, fitted with a derrick rig for bridge work.

03/05/2026

Conclusion to Bruni Island December 1912
Travelling south from Mr Harwood’s brings us to Heatherlea, the property of Mr Johnson comprising about 600 acres. Heatherlea was part of the original grant of “Rosebank” given to G A Robinson who gathered together the natives here. The foundation of the house still remains and evidently the building was of some considerable size. Around about here many of the natives found a last resting place and Mr Johnson can remember when some of other graves were still noticeable, but time has gradually obliterated all signs. Mr Johnson has also laid out several acres of orchards which have made remarkable growth and there are some very fine beds of strawberries and patches of potatoes, but as Mr Johnson said, the difficulty is not in growing the produce but getting it to market. However there is hope as money has been granted for a jetty at Lennonville which should induce more settlers.
After Heatherlea there is a decided change in the appearance of the country; except for the property of Messrs Whayman fronting onto Great Bay, there is no sign of any settlement. The roads are mere tracks and hundreds of acres await the industry of man. It is quite a relief to come upon Murrayfield, the property of Mr James Davis situated at Trumpeter Bay. Murrayfield is another of those farms not made in a generation and grows oats, peas, potatoes and hay. After leaving Trumpeter Bay the main track is picked up again at the nine mile peg from Dennes Point. One travels for some three miles over a long sandy stretch of country, the only company being the telegraph poles and the wire above singing out its mournful dirge. Continuing along the road which skirts the shores of Great Bay the next property is the Reverend C Lumsden’s who has just finished building a picturesque bungalow close to the road. Good land has been taken up here but as yet the new selectors have not made any start. There are also arrangements being made for the er****on of a jetty so there may well be a settlement here in future.
A short distance further on is Mr Bain’s property and he is very optimistic regarding North Bruni’s capabilities. He has a fine early crop of potatoes and five acres of orchard and is developing strawberries. Following the shore brings us to Mr George Cheverton’ sand here is planted out some 40 acres of orchards. This I think is the largest orchard on the island, though Mr Gray at Adventure Bay pushes it very close with 38 acres. This marks the end of settlement on North Bruni.
Before continuing along the lonely track to the Neck, it might be as well to make a few remarks on the country I have travelled. There is no doubt that this land must receive considerable attention in future. Its proximity to Hobart, its natural conveniences in the shape of sheltered bays and the quality of the soil must appeal to intending settlers. As a fruitgrowing district, the soil and situation are most suitable, and the mildness of the climate ensures a good setting and first-class coloured fruit. To the tourist, too, North Bruni offers splendid national opportunities. There is a magnificent beach on the channel shore, just below Denne's Point, some two miles long, and at certain tides 70 yards wide, and, by the way, there is a romance attached to this very heath, for it is said that when the ship Hope was wrecked, in the early days, near the Derwent light, house, the cash brought out from England to pay the garrison, and amounting to several thousands of pounds was brought in a small boat to this spot and buried for the time being, in the sand. However, it has never been recovered though the beach has been literally torn to pieces from end to end by treasure seekers.
What is needed is better communication with Hobart, and proper accommodation. As regards the former this will of course come as trade increases, and as there are several new jetties to be erected in various places these should hold out inducements to farmers to put more produce on the market, besides encouraging fresh settlers.
At Barnes Bay there is held a first class stock sale ever half year, and at the recent yarding there were 2 000 head of sheep and cattle, and six steamers brought purchasers from various parts. Between Dennes Point and Trumpeter Bay there are some 10,000 acres of land and Government land can be had within one mile of Barnes Bay jetty. Though the largest part of this land is private property the owners are very much alive to the fact that it is to their own interest to encourage fresh settlers on the island and are prepared to offer blocks on reasonable terms and I am perfectly sure that any intending purchaser would receive all possible information and assistance from any of the residents.
From Great Bay to the Neck, which separates Adventure Bay from Simpson's and connects North and South Bruni the long stretch of country sparsely timbered and covered with native heath, with here and there long, level tracts of rush-grown lagoons and the low hills, a peaceful picture, thought the scene is lonely and deserted.
The road for long distances curves in and out sometimes over stretches of desert like sand and white as the driven snow, and often so deep that it is a hard matter to push a bicycle through at all. By now, too, the roar of the waters of Adventure Bay beach are audible and rapidly increase in volume as I near the Neck. The 16 mile peg from the Point is within a few yards of Simpson's Beach and as I push on and shoot out on to the broad expanse of the glorious beach and see the familiar waters of D'Entrecasteaux Channel with Mt Royal behind Gordon, over which the sun is just now setting. I pass a finger-post standing like some silent sentinel on the edge of the track which seems to tell me I have definitely (at any late for the time being) left behind me a pleasant well favoured land, for I go due south and on the post pointing, in the opposite direction are the words, "To North Bruni."
Murrayfield, Trumpeter Bay, Lumsden’s House at Great Bay, Cheverton (Ford Bay),Bruni Road

26/04/2026

December 1912 Growth of Settlement on North Bruni by the Mercury’s Travelling Correspondent
The Travelling Correspondent begins his article saying how can people call North Bruni ‘ungetable’ when it takes just over an hour in the SS Dover from town to Dennes Point.
He felt that those who travelled up and down the Channel might not have an initial favourable impression of the west coast of Bruni. The fertile country on the mainland appears well sheltered and wooded, the numerous settlements, with jetties every few miles, and other busy appearance when the steamer is alongside, stands out in striking contrast to the Bruni shore opposite, where practically no sign of civilisation meets the eye, and the hills rise from the shore in one long wall along the coastline, unadorned, save by the native scrub and the monotonous eucalypt. Yet it is those hills, (which act as buffers, and break the force and fury of fury of the harsh westerly gales that play a very important part in the natural geography of the island. Once behind the protecting range a very different picture comes into view. Long stretches of undulating country, gentle slopes, and well sheltered valleys open up before one on every side. The greater part of the soil on North Bruni is sandy in nature, varying in colour and texture, sometimes a rich black, sometimes varied shades of red and nearly always with a subsoil of soft yellow clay, which is always looked upon as the one thing necessary for successful fruit-growing.
Most of the estates on North Bruni range from 500 to 2,000 acres. Woodlands, the Dennes’ property comprises 700 acres of rich red sands with a large area in cultivation. Mr Harry Denne has just subdivided a number of blocks of land along the foreshore. Mr Leo Young of Nebraska runs a mixed farm with 10 acres of orchard. Shearing had just been completed and Mr Young averaged a clip of 8 lbs a sheep. The property’s name is the first known example of it being used. At Killora new arrivals Misters Cadell and Grey are contemplating planting extensive orchards in the coming season.
At Bull Bay, Messrs Len and Bun Young both have extensive orchards and farms. The view from the road here is truly magnificent. Beyond are the high cliffs and rocky shore that form the sea coast of Bruni and the Derwent Lighthouse on its lonely rock that forms the foreground to a picture of mile after mile of sandy beaches.
Five miles from Dennes Point is Barnes Bay, that beloved bay of Yachtsmen. At first sight it appears to be a lake, so sheltered is it. There is a church, store and Post Office and a good jetty where a steamer calls once a week. There are several farms and orchards fronting onto the water. Mr A Denne of Lyndenne has the best orchard I saw on the island, he grows apples, pears and apricots. The soils is very dark and mixed through with seashells. Across the bay at a part called Lennon are several farms and orchards, although they are a great deal smaller than usual. Nearby, although somewhat isolated is the Quarantine Station. It was with a certain amount of fear that I approached those officious looking buildings, with their high fences and gateways. I was, to tell the truth, rather doubtful as to getting away again, and certainly I was held a willing prisoner till I had partaken of some welcome refreshment from the hospitable officials in charge (Mr. and Mrs. Harrison). There is quite a township of buildings here, which are kept in perfect order-doctor's residence, hospital with beds ready at a minute's notice, accommodation for saloon and steerage passengers, and discharging ward, etc. On being asked, Mr. Harrison told me business was very slack, the station not having been used for twenty-seven year!
Coming back to the jetty after leaving Mr. Denne's property, Mr. W. J. Calvert at Kirkby is the next estate. This is one of the largest on the island, comprising 2,000 acres. Though it is not so long since Mr. Calvert bought Kirkby, he has made wonderful changes in the time. Besides running a considerable flock of sheep, he has several very fine paddocks of oats and wheat, and altogether some 200 acres of cultivation, besides which he has planted some 20 acres of orchard. With Kirkby one seems, for the time being anyhow, to leave civilisation behind, and the main road soon becomes a mere track, invisible 50 yards ahead. Nevertheless, the trip through here will always remain a picture in my mind. The country suffered a recent bush fire which cleaned out all the undergrowth. The road, or rather, track, has been cleared and the sags chipped, but that is all. Over this cleared track and all through the bush is just now a green sward of new native grass, making the road springy and easy to cycle over; but the predominating feature is the superb spectacle of the grass trees, the trunks charred black, but with a great luxuriance of fresh green top, and above all the magnificent blossom, which reminds one of a long, bulrush, only pure white, and varying in length from two to ten feet, and about four inches through. For nearly three miles I cycled through this long, straight avenue, the grass trees extending on either side as far as the eye could see, and the tall, straight white blossoms standing like lonely watchers, and no sign or sound of life, save for the distant note of the magpie. These grass trees are remarkable in many ways. They are very slow in growing, and some of, the old inhabitants, can remember individual trees that are no bigger than they were 60 years ago, so that some of these must be of very great age. In size they vary slightly, the trunk being about a foot through, and always carrying the marks of fire, and ranging from 2ft. 6in. to about 5ft. in height. The top consists of long green needles or spines about 2ft. long. As these ripen they fall over the trunk, and are very flammable. The most curious part is that they never bloom, except after they are burnt, and this fact was, of course the reason why that largo extent before referred to was in bloom and making such a magnificent and almost unique scene.
At the end of this track the road turns sharply to the left, and reaching the water again facing Lennon, are two or three very old estates, the first being Oakwood, the property of Mr. W. J. Harwood, who has been here some three years, and who has laid out some twenty aces of orchard, which is making remarkable growth, and certainly reflects the greatest credit on the industrious owner. Further on are the extensive properties of Rosewood and Lennonville, belonging to Messrs. Johnston and Gellibrand respectively. These properties, which are looking well with a luxuriance of grass, are chiefly used for grazing purposes. It is worth mentioning here that these properties on Bruni Island, with their well grassed paddocks, old trees, and gardens full of old-fashioned sweet-scented flowers, have that mellow touch that can only be acquired by time. There is a very peaceful, old-world appearance about these places, which have passed the first rough stages of a new country, and I was particularly impressed with the fact that here on Bruni Island, where one hardly imagined there could be homes of this description, one found beautiful old farms, with substantial barns, and round about the homesteads spreading, trees and garden hedges that remind one of very different places.
To be continued…..