MOIRA'S HISTORY.
1842.
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Henry Sayer Lewes with Charles Throsby settled on “Moira” 15 August 1842. Edward Curr a squatter at Tongala was also in the area. In spite of constant “problems” with Aborigines, floods, mosquito’s etc., Lewes established his headquarters near the Gulpa Creek. John Oldbury Alkinson arrived the following year with more cattle & worked as overseer for 17 years.
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1847.
Lewes was 1 of 2 magistrates sitting in Deniliquin & was active in public affairs. He also improved productivity & invented the renowned wool press.
1848.
The boundaries of the Moira Run were defined & were estimated to contain 100,000 acres & carried 3,000 cattle & 4,000 sheep.
1850.
Captain Melville left Maidens Punt, committing 3 robberies on route to Moira Station, leaving 1 of his victims seriously wounded by the roadside, shot through the ankle. Captain Melville’s gang then rode off to the “near deserted Moira Homestead” & at gunpoint forced the cook to prepare a meal for them & then made off with some of the station’s horses before making their way on to Deniliquin.
1852.
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Improvements to the homestead included an excellent board & shingle cottage with detached kitchen & laundry, servants’ quarters, woolshed with loft, wool store, 24 stall stables, huts, etc. on 759 acres of purchased land. Stock numbered 7,000 cattle, 10,000 sheep
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1859.
Moira Homestead was built out of stone & comprised of 8 bedrooms. It was the 2nd drinking stop out of Moama. It was ran by Mr William Clifton who left in 1860 & Hugh Gracey became the owner. He advertised himself as one of the finest grazing paddocks on the highway & boasted of accommodation & meals. The restaurant was a Cobb & Co stopover, but was designed mainly for teamsters & closed with the coming of the railway.
1862.
The Hon. John O’Shannasssy bought 5,500 cattle at 5 pounds a head with the leasehold of the property of 148,000 acres given in. During his ownership, the protracted & wide-reaching conflict between William Joachim, a selector, & O’Shannassy (later Sir John O’Shannassy) occurred at Moira.
1866.
O’Shannassy built a substantial 18-room homestead with extensive outbuildings. Bricks were burned on the property & a large garden laid out.
1899.
The property was sold to F.S Falkiner & Sons. By this time, the property was reduced by closer settlement to 40,485 acres freehold. The Falkiners ran a top draught-Clydesdale horse stud as well as other grazing enterprises. In 1940, 56 mares & 1 stallion were valued at 4,200 pounds, with fillies & colts, when branded, at 20 pounds apiece. F.S Falkiner & Sons minute no 2 gives details of selectors on “Moira” in 1910, naming Tomlinson, Berryman, WM Scott, Joss, Skelly and Allyne, with improvement leases already granted to Holschier, McKindlay, Mallone, Leitch, Stokes, Skelly & Tomlinson. Many of these names are familiar Mathoura families today.
1910.
John Clark brought the remaining country, the homestead block of 10,200 acres, paying 6 pounds 10 shillings per acre & this was run as the “Moira Pastoral Company”. There was a 15 stand woolshed in use & around the homestead a famous garden was developed.Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Cras faucibus quam ut lectus porttitor, ut ultricies libero cursus.
1935.
“Moira Station” was put for auction at Scott’s Hotel, Melbourne, It then comprised 10,200 acres freehold, 35,000 acres leasehold. However, “Moira” was not sold at the auction & remained in the Clark family until the 1960s.<br /> Several owners controlled “Moira” during the following decades, sometimes from Melbourne. Sheep & cattle were run with some attempts at cropping in the better seasons.
1971.
The “Moira Pastoral Company” was purchased by Rex Morton in 1971, sold to Les Wison & Son late the following year & was purchased by Tony and Gillian Negri in 1976. The property was then sold to Mr & Mrs Frank Millar of Echuca approx 1996.
2003.
Improvements to the homestead included an excellent board & shingle cottage with detached kitchen & laundry, servants’ quarters, woolshed with loft, wool store, 24 stall stables, huts, etc. on 759 acres of purchased land. Stock numbered 7,000 cattle, 10,000 sheep
PRESENT
The Smith Family take over ownership of Moira Station and Starry Nights Accommodation in late 2019. They continue to refurbish the buildings, improving the experience and creating more accommodation opportunities. The Smith Family intend to make Moira Station one of the most popular accommodation, weddings and events venues in the region.