Hello again List members, Following on with the Index of Names and the interest in them, I have typed out the Content Headings and include Surnames to give you a better idea of the manuscript's overall coverage. This may help determine if any of it relates to ancestors or the area around where they lived. Warning: It's quite long. CONTENTS: 1. Arrival at Melb, Vic on the "John Barbour", Nov 1857. A move to Sydney and Coach Trip to Bathurst, NSW. Author was aged 16 at this time and talks about spending a week on a coastal steamer to Sydney, scenery, smells, travelling with a Commander BELT (an elderly gentleman), Sydney, coach trip, Aunt BUSBY, train from Bathurst to South Creek in 1858, and much info about the Nepean area, mention of a Mr DALLEY afterwards Rt Hon, BUSBY stud at Cassilis, Homebush Race Course and much more. 2. Bathurst, NSW, 1858 - aged 17 he stayed with uncle Dr BUSBY at Bathurst (who went there in 1826 as Govt Medical Officer). Mentions tricks of road gangers (convicts) to hoax their way into hospital. 3. Rockhampton, Qld, 1859. Describes trip Sydney>Rockhampton by local steamer "Eagle"; Albrecht FEES a passenger who later opened a store; fizzled Fitzroy goldfields; hotels & stores of wood and calico ... ARCHER Bros; Mr KELLY their overseer of "Gracemere" etc. 4. North to Ghinghinda on the Upper Dawson, 1859; starting out his life's adventure with his first purchase, an undersized brown mare at 20 pound cost; met drayman Archie FERGUSON and camped at "Calliungal" owned by ROBINSON & WOOD, through "Rennes" & "Banana" Stns & "Kyanga" owned by Mrs McNAB > "Ghinghinda" owned by Willliam KELMAN & Charles Boydell DUTTON" later owner of "Bauhinnia Downs" and after with Willie BELL formed "Tambo" on the Barcoo. The Kelman & Dutton families were both from old Hunter River families. Kelmans pioneers of Australia's wine industry and related to the BUSBYs. 5. Ghinghinda Station, 1859-69 where Jim Nisbet served his time at all manner of pastoral pursuits. Charlie DUTTON withdrew from partnership & property sold to W C MAYNE & describes other people and situations at that time. DUTTON Bros of "Bauhinnia Downs" near Expedition Range , Charlie, Frank & Harry. Other names mentioned around at that time, Tom BOULTON/BOLTON a relative of TAYLORS of Toowoomba; sometime on "Eurumbah" Stn where several shepherds killed by the aborigines; Henry GREGORY, Bob PATTON from "Gwambegyne"; THOMSON SCOTT's partner of "Palm Tree Ck" Stn. 6. The GREGORY Bros (Henry of "Gwambegyne" Stn, Augustus & Charles); Gregory's men were 'longfellows' - George ADAMS, Bob PATTON, SAUNDERS the storekeeper & CRAVEN the jackeroo. Mail only went as far as Taroom then named "Bonner's Nob" and carried on 27 miles to "Palm Tree Ck" and 13 miles further on to "Ghinghindra. 7. Locating the Site for Mantnan Downs Station - talk of the "Gregory Saddle" and bushmanship methods of these wonderful bushmen. Describes the MITCHELL tree cut 30 years previously. 8. Mapping the Comet Country - Nogoa R. Brief history of Henry GREGORY who returned to England permanently and visited by the Author 1878-9; "Rainworth", "Meteor Downs". 9. "Rainworth" Station, the BUSBY's & Jesse GREGSON (c 1860's) - brief history of GREGSON, born England, trained as legal man, sailed in 1855 on "La Hogue" touching on qualities of the captain NEATB ; started pastorally with Dr TRAIL of Collaroy as a station hand and etc. Gregson was the Author's best friend. 10. Whites Killed by Aborigines in Comet Country (Comet Downs region W of Gladstone, Q); description of "WILL's Massacre" at "Cullin-la-ringo"; mention of MacINTOSH, a Scotsman. 11. Robert PATTON and the "Albinia Downs" Station. Post-days with the Gregory's at "Gwambeghne" > "Comet", management of "Albinia Downs" for Dennison HOPE and "Rolleston" and later "Cardbeign" for A B BUCHANAN. 12. "Orion Downs" adjoining "Meteor Downs" - talk about A B BUCHANAN of "Orion Downs" managed aptly by first WILSON and the by Adam GILLESPIE. Buchanan & Wilson were great friends who returned to England with Buchanan dying of fever caught on a visit to Rome. 13. A Start in Stock Dealings - author was charge of "Ghinghinda" late 1860s & left 1869 with 2000 sheep he owned. History of Frank HOBLER in charge of "Meteor Downs" who hailed from Hunter R then Murrumbidgee, NSW family who introduced Hereford cattle to Australia and found successful with REYNOLDS of "Tocal". Mention of Willie IRVING in connection with sheep droving journey. 14. Native Police of the Upper Dawson - stationed at Robinson Ck under Lieutenant George Pultney Malcolm MURRAY; of shepherds killed and story of Mr MacLAREN murdered within short distance of his wife. 15. First Visits by Clergy (from 1859 at "Ghinghinda Stn" until 1868 - 3 visits; 2 RC, 1 Presbyterian). Story of good attendance by all denominations who showed no bigotry. 16. Some Miserable Pubs (Mickey PIERCE's Pub at the Dawson R Crossing). 17. A Slump - Properties "go for a song" ( Late 1860's early 1870's). Stories of mistakes made and losses of the inexperienced. 18. Success for the ROME Bros, Charlie and Tom, "Northampton Downs" Stn. Willie BELL in connection with a sheep droving trip to boiling down works at Rockhampton. 19. Overseeing on "Ghinghinda" Stn. Wonderful class of people were the shepherds of old, both elderly and young; lonely life mention of Bill SMITH, sheep overseer. 20. Overseer SALTER stabbed by Tom the Shepherd. Story. 21. More Stock Deals - after first sheep droved to the Boiling Down Works at Rockhampton. Story - names mentioned John STEVENSON, T J THOMPSON of "Bonnie Doon" who later returned to Sydney to a successful share broking business - nickname "Thompson with the p" to distinguish from THOMSON from "Orion Downs"; PERKINS of "Conciliation Crk", YOUILLE (aboriginal stockman, I think); D'Arcy of Mt Morgan who, on the road to competence and leisured ease .. he passed to the great Majority; KELMAN. 22. Introduction of Wire Fencing on the Comet. The danger of drovers and station hands running into fencing on newly fenced properties, eg "One night travelling toward Planet Downs (fortunately my horse was not going faster than a brisk trot), I ran into a seven-wire fence newly erected across the old and recognised road. ..." 23. The Offer of Mr James Sutherland MITCHELL re sale of "Kyanga" owned by Mrs McNAB. He was presently owner of "Argyle Bond"; of entrepreneur T S MORT, & James TYSON in passing. Mitchell was on the Lower Dawson (ex Director of Peak Downs Copper Mine and later Head of Tooth's Brewery). 24. James S MITCHELL in Trouble with the Police. 25. A Coach Service to the Coast (c1870/1 re Peak Downs Copper Co). Carrying. 26. More Sheep - Then Cattle on the Barcoo. Historical detail. Names mentioned - WARBRECCAN abor stockman warning of flood and adventure; James CROMBIE from Scotland around Barcaldine I think who came down with fever. OLD DICK aborig stockman came from the Murrumbidgee; and WARBRECCAN from the Edwards in the same general area and their skill at moving stock in flooded conditions; Rowley EDKINS at Mt Cornish with Mrs Edkins, a native of Tasmania, the only woman thereabouts; company name The Scottish Australian - a great pioneer; Tambo & Frank SCARR the Govt Surveyor and Land Commissioner; Bob BELL at Tambo. 27. Squatting on My Own Account (with 100 head cattle for the Thompson R). Took up 30 miles on each side of the Lower Thomson adjoining the BELL's station "Bimirah". Detailed drove mentioning "Stonehenge" junction of Warbreccan Crk. A lot about his aboriginal stockmen. 28. "Carella" Station. Charlie THOMSON, later Mgr of Lakes Creek Meatworks, Rockhampton; managed large cattle stn in drought, partner of Rowan & Co, Melbourne; later to Sydney with produce, then produce and distribution in London - friend of D'ARCY of Mt Morgan. 29. Charlie THOMSON Studies Beef Canning in Chicago (full name Matthew Charles THOMSON). 30. Charles Short DICKEN, Clerk of Petty Sessions at Springsure and later Police Magistrate, in trouble. Was in the Army "at home" then a short time with the Native Police before CPS and Police Magistrate. 31. The Eloquence of W S (Billy) PAUL. Stories of his jovality that overlooked his "little peculiarities" that endeared him to his friends; had "Glendariwell" and settled near Lonfon where he was on the staff of the Agent General for a time. Story of his passing. 32. A Trip to Sydney and some Jim TYSON (of Murrumbidgee, Felton etc) Exploits with Wm KELMAN (old friends). 33. The Brigalow and the Kangaroo [talks of Mr BROUGHTON, a "Government House Man" from Brisbane who chose "Baa-land" (sheep)]. 34. Purchase of "Spring Creek" Stn with 12,000 sheep by Jim Nisbet from Agent Neville GRIFFITHS (of Sydney) for the mortgagee - a failure. 35. "Oondooroo" Station near Winton (Jim NISBET's next and final venture up in Qld). Named so after thousands of round stones, the size of large marbles up to a foot and eighteen inches in diameter, objects of considerable interest and speculation. A black boy present from SA seemed to greet the stones as old acquaintances giving the utterance of "oondooroo" a soft sounding word, and hence was the reason for his naming the station and the creek. 36. Healthy Climate of the Upper Thomson R Country ("Aramac" Stn orig formed by RULE & LACEY, then managed by Willie FORSYTH representing Roderick TRAVERS). Tom SWORD, an old acquaintance of the author's, then Clerk of Petty Sessions at Aramac and later Commissioner and before coming to Qld had trained in Edinburgh for the Scottish bar his family being a legal one of that city. He purchased a little place near "Dutton" Station on the Dawson watershed and was joined by a brother then another. He was over 6 ft tall and nicknamed "Long Sword", however one brother was considerably lessor in height and was nicknamed "Short Sword" and the next brother was somewhat wider than the others and called "Broad Sword". Another name mentioned Lumley HILL of the Barcoo his firm being HILL, HOLBERTON & ALLEN with all of them being Oxford men, but a university man in the outside country in those times was no "rara avis". There were also two men named ALLEN, Hill's partner who was called Whitey Brown ALLEN and the other who had a station higher up the river was called Black Allen as he had a hot temper; also a young Englishman named JEUNE of a well known family. 37. Oondoroo Crk & the Western River (with CRAWFORD of "Vindex" Stn; fatal accident of Bill, son of ? , a drover with a son named Harry). 38. "Rangelands" and the "Dirleton Blocks" (named after a place in Scotland) also near Winton. 39. A Parting with DICK and WARBRECCAN, aboriginal stockman near "Eversham" owned by E K COX, managed by BLOMFIELD. Another who stayed at "Oondoroo" was FRED. No other identification. 40. A Holiday in England and Return to Qld and NSW in 1876 (in broken health). Regards Jacquie Christensen. "To forget one's ancestors is to be a brook without a source, a tree without a root." Chinese Proverb