History of the Region

The Strathbogie Tableland and the township itself has a rich history, steeped in farming. From 1842 squatters took up large tracts of land in the rugged Strathbogie Ranges and ran thousands of sheep and hundreds of cattle.

One squatter yet to be forgotten, is John Kissock of Strathbogie Station (later known as Hayley Park). When he left the district in 1857 after a ten year stay, he left his wife Agnes, buried in a substantial stone walled grave on the property that same year. The dry stone wall stands as he left it, all those years ago.

With families arriving and settling on their various sized block of land, a need for some civilisation was required. Schools, churches, post offices, blacksmiths, a hotel, halls and a general store were first requirements and soon sprang up over the Tableland. Later a baker, butcher and butter factories, as well as sporting facilities for football, cricket, tennis and golf were added. 

Selectors generally came from the Whittlesea and Geelong area to Strathbogie, with Adam Gall Smith being recorded as the first. Some of the other early families who selected land were – Armstrong, Beattie, Hill, Hobbs, Johnston, Mackrell, Moore, Morley, Simpson and Smith.

Early farming saw a large focus on dairying, with butter produced rated as some of the best in the colonies. As dairying faded out sheep flocks were built up over many years and with careful, selective choosing, Strathbogie wool proudly became one of the best in the world, as evidenced by the memorial in Main Street which was donated by a Japanese wool company.

The Strathbogie ranges also have a long association with the “Kelly Gang,’ as evidenced by some of these quotes from early settlers:

• John King Beattie (Jack) – his grandfather James Shields related meeting the gang near Mt Wombat where Ned asked for tobacco. “Ned only took half and James would hear nothing bad said about Ned after then. About the same time four strange horsemen had their horses shod at the “Bogie Smithy.””

• Norman Mackrell – “Mrs Charman had a wine saloon on the Mountain Hut Creek at Kelvin View. Later Miss Evans owned the saloon. History has it that Joe Bryne once asked his grandmother the way to the “Mountain Hut” saloon. It is also stated that Joe did not go to the saloon but spent the night with “Sandy” McPherson near the Magiltan Creek.”

• Mrs Simpson snr – related that “on one occasion the Kelly’s were camped at Mt Wombat and Fred Cann was the only one game to pass them and inform the police at Euroa. He took “Grey Dick” past them at a full gallop. Fred Cann was Mr “Hayley’s “man.” 

• AWR Vroland – “A few miles from Strathbogie North in the rough country, there may be seen the chimney and other remains of a hut, known as Quin’s, and said to be one of the refuges of the gang. It was safer to go out unarmed than armed, as an armed man might, if met by a bushranger, be mistaken for the police(1906)”

• Mrs Simpson – “Mr Collier once aroused the suspicions of the police by relying that he had not seen the Kellys unless they wanted boots. (He repaired boots)”

• Mr WW Mackrell – “Ned was very sweet on a young lady here, but she later married Police Trooper Dixon, one of the troopers who searched for the gang. They made a practice of coming in from the mountain country north-west of Mansfield, about every third month.” At a place, not at the township, but “two and a half miles distant, they called and demanded that their horses be shod. The Kellys used to pit their horses against locals. The evenings were spent in dancing and singing, and the Kellys always left on Sunday afternoons for the bush country after they paid well for their shoeing, board and entertainment over the weekends.”

We are look back with pride and admiration as we reflect on the achievements of those who came before us. This respect has always been evident, as seen at the celebration of Strathbogie’s Centenary in Easter 1978. On this occasion, a Memorial Plaque was unveiled in Main Street by Mr Philip Smart who at the time was still living in the same house he was born in in Kithbrook. Importantly a time capsule was placed under the rock to which the plaque was attached to – to be opened in 2028.