Title

View up on the Nepean River, at the Cow Pastures, New South Wales. [by Joseph Lycett].

Author

Author not identified

Source

[Not applicable]

Publication date

1825

Type

About the work

Language

English

Country of context

Australia

Full text

View up on the Nepean River, at the Cow Pastures, New South Wales.

THE COW-PASTURES are situated on the north-east side of the county of CAMDEN: they are about thirty miles distant from SYDNEY, and, extending northward from the River BARG0 to the confluence of the WARRAGUMBA with the NEPEAN, are bounded to the west by some of the branches of the former River and the hills of the NATTAL. This tract of land, which is computed to contain about sixty thousand acres, was till lately exclusively allotted to the preservation of a remarkable breed of wild cattle, the history of which is briefly as follows When the Colony of South Wales was originally founded by Governor PHILL1P, among other live stock with which he was provided, were a large number of tame cattle. A short time after their arrival, a few of these cattle strayed away from their keeper, and were not discovered till fifteen years afterwards, when they had multiplied to several thousands. Upon their discovery being made known, orders were dispatched from England, prohibiting the Governor of New South Wales from granting any part of the land on which these cattle had fixed themselves. In course of time, however, these brute settlers became too numerous for the pasturage which even this immense tract afforded; and, during the year 1813 and two following years, when the whole Colony suffered most severely from long droughts, vast num­bers of the cattle died from want of water and herbage. In consequence of this calamity, there are at present not so many hundreds now remaining as there were thousands previous to the above period: and it is remarkable that the survivors are for the most part bulls, a cow or calf being very rarely discovered.

This great diminution must not, however, be attributed entirely to the cause above mentioned, as it has doubtless been occasioned, to a very considerable extent, by the predatory excursions of Bush-rangers, and numerous poor Settlers, who have farms on the earlier bank of' the NEPEAN. Nor has this decrease of the number of cattle been, upon the whole, a disadvantage to the Colony, but rather a benefit; as all the fertile parts of this valuable tract have been in consequence since granted away, and are now covered with numerous flocks of fine ­woolled sheep, for the pasture of which they are so well adapted; and the remnant of the wild herds has emigrated to the mountainous ranges at the back of the Cow-pastures, in the deep Ravines of the Nattai, and on the banks of the Bargo.

The View of the COW-PASTURES now represented, is taken about fifteen miles above the junction of the WARRAGUMBA RIVER with the NEPEAN, opposite to MULGOEY. The distant Scene describes the tops of some of the mountainous high land which lies towards BARGO; a long chain of Hills, which are extremely barren at their summits, though the valleys at their base are formed of very fine land.

The River which meanders through this fertile tract of country, affords some of the most pleasing and picturesque scenery that can be imagined.

The group of Figures introduced on the right, is a party of Bush-rangers, a sort of banditti, who live in the woods, and have assumed the desperate character and habits of outlaws. Their bands are composed of the most depraved and daring of the Convicts, and formerly they were a source of terror to the Settlers; but the vigilance of the government, and the improved nature of the population, have nearly exterminated these ferocious free-booters.

Accompanying text, 1825.