Giants of the Mallee is the first-hand story of European settlement in the northern half of the Wycheproof Shire (Castle Donnington), including Sea Lake (Tyrrell) and Nandaly (Bimbourie). This story is about how these giants of men continually held out against times of extreme climatic conditions and fought against such odds that most would have given up hope. Thomas Carty decided to write down his memories for future posterity, of a time when he mixed with the settler. He started from the view of a son of a Tyrrell settler and then as a settler himself at Bimbourie. He describes the developments, hardships, fun, and frugal times, commencing in 1890 until post war Australia. He wrote of times of plenty of heart and times of no money and how the district developed to a land of excess. You will discover what life was like back at the turn of the 19th century including: How they found the land upon arrival from the Ballarat gold fields, How the settlers overcame hardship and struggles, How they entertained themselves and found fun all around, What strange encounters they had, How the Mallee became an important food bowl. Care has been taken to remember the people that were there who contributed to the success of settling Sea Lake and Nandaly.

CONTENTS:
Acknowledgements v. List of photos, charts, documents and illustrations xi. Preface xvii. Introduction p20.

Volume 1: Chapter 1: Tyrrell p23. The settler – Thomas Carty p28. Chapter 2: Richard Carty p34. Chapter 3: Greyhound and hare p38. ‘Travelling to the plains of Tragowel’ (poem by unknown author) p41. Chapter 4: What was required p43. Chapter 5: Discovery p46. Chapter 6: What Richard built p52.’ The Carty’s homestead’ (poem by unknown author) p54. Chapter 7: Farming p55. The barn p56. The boundary fence p60. Birds across the land p62. The dam p63. Chapter 8: The first settler contact p65. The squatter p65. Chapter 9: The carnival p68. Early settlement and its consequences p69. Gateway to the Mallee p71. Chapter 10: What they faced; Grubbing Mallee roots p74. Chapter 11: Wagon wheat carting p83. Chapter 12: The coming of the railways p87. Chapter 13: Four-gallon bucket parade p92. Chapter 14: The settler women p96. Chapter 15: Lake Tyrrell p102. Chapter 16: Lake Eyre, its effect on farming p106. Afflictions and sickness p107. ‘The pine log homestead’ (poem by uncertain author, possibly Thomas Carty) p108. Chapter 17: Communications p109. Government tanks p110. ‘Echoes of the past’ (from Fred Quinton’s poem: ‘Pastures new’) p113. Chapter 18: Ned Gallagher’s hut p114. ‘The Daytrap Station’ (poem by unknown author) p117. Chapter 19: What tied us together p118. For those we left behind p121. ‘An old timer lament’ (poem by Thomas Carty about 1970) p123. Chapter 20: Progress in the Mallee p124. A school in the Mallee [Nine Mile]. Chapter 20: How school came to Tyrrell p128. 1896 Petition p131. The curtain comes down on that first church school p134. The pupils of the original school in the Baptist Church 1896 (list of names) p137. Chapter 22: Progress and its people p138. Horse racing comes to Sea Lake p141. What the townie built p143. Chapter 23: What drought brings p145. Sly grog trade p146. Improvising methods p147. Chapter 24: Nature provides salt p149. Quandong resplendent p152. Chapter 25: Times and people well remembered p154. Queen Victoria p155. Private Hospice p157. Chapter 26: Growing up p159. Four-bushel bag p160. Chapter 27: Sea Lake the town p163. Howard’s Yard p166. The train and [railway] station p168. Impact of drier times p171. Chapter 28: People who put Sea Lake on the map p174. Chapter 29: Sea Lake the old then the new p181. Indian settlers p189. Fire Brigade p191. Chapter 30: Major changes to the Mallee p192. The Lonsdale water system p192. Water to the Mallee p193. Shire severance p195. Justices of the Peace, Churches, Politics and business p196. A&P [Agricultural and Pastoral] Society p198. Grain shed built 1912-13; Restoration and consolidation; Football p199. Cricket and golf, Shooting enthusiasts, Horse racing, Tennis p200. The Progress Association p201.

Volume 2: Chapter 1: Bimbourie 1907 p203. The Carty’s at Nandaly p203. New land, new boundaries p204. Chapter 2: Water hauling p207. Bullock jibber p208. Testing a dam site to hold water; A mirror image in a dam p209. Chapter 3: A sandy quagmire p214. Then came wild fire p215. Chapter 4: The big cover up p220. Everyday worries; The Mallee roller p221. The woman bullock driver p222. Man versus roo [kangaroo] p223. Chapter 5: Railway to Nandaly p226. Chapter 6: Low wheat prices unite farmers p229. Teachers of the sidings; The court battle p229. Government facilities p231. Thomas’ barn p232. The Turriff East Hall p233. Chapter 7: Nandaly, centre of sporting activities p235. Football p236. Nandaly horse racing venues p242. Chapter 8: A trading centre; Times of mirth p245. New businesses p246. Bullock trading at Nandaly p247. Rabbits; Aboriginal siting; The Nandaly settlers p248. The Myall settlers p249. Chapter 9: Nandaly Progress League p252. Chapter 10: Reality exposed by the rain chart p262. Epilogue: heroes, hardship and what of the future p267. Appendices: Back to Sea Lake reunion 1957 p268. 1911 Mallee pioneers p269. Glossary p272. Bibliography p277. Index p278.

MAPS:
Squatters grazing runs in the Mallee 1848 p27. Castle Donnington 1886 p270.

ILLUSTRATIONS (selected):
Richard ‘Dick’ Patrick Carty (1863-1918); John Patrick Carty (1889-1939); Thomas Richard Carty (1892-1974) iii. Lake Tyrrell p33. Bridget Carty with sons Richard and Thomas about 1870 p36. Richard and Margaret Carty 1888 p37. Nandaly school sports day sack race about 1920 p68. Mallee stump train p76. Harvest celebration at Bruggerman property 1920 p80. Bullocks pulling grain in front of Sea Lake Hotel p86. Workers, Tyrrell Downs station 1900 p91. Green Lake p95. Jackie Logan and wife Queen Annie and child (aborigines) about 1910 p104. Gallagher’s log homestead: Ned, Mrs Gallagher, Bridget (later Mrs Vin Thomas), Dennis, Bert Herrick p115. Boys football team, Bimbourie 1922 p118. Loading train with bags of grain, Sea Lake about 1905 p131. The pupils and the first school built in Sea Lake in 1900; Teacher residence and school 1902 p136. Sea Lake Memorial Hall and Stockyards 1903 p138. Lake Tyrrell salt pyramids about 1910 p149. Jim Elliott with his salt-laden wagon and team of horses about 1926 p151. Children playing under a Mallee stump p153. Peace parade 1914-18 War, with R. Malcolm and B. Ogilvie p156. Wheat stack at Sea Lake Railway Station about 1905 p161. Best Street, Sea Lake about 1900: Garden’s Hotel, Baker, Draper, Commercial Bank, Mrs Lugg’s Crown Café, Maddywell’s Coffee Palace, J. Mudge and Son general merchant p163. F.A. Howard’s General Merchant Shop and staff about 1900 p164. Kitchen and grocery section (interior) of F.A. Howard’s General Store 1900 p165. Best Street, Sea Lake about 1920 p167. Sea Lake Railway Station (second building) about 1920 p168. F Class steam locomotive 1910 p169. Workers removing sand from the railway track p171. Sand shields made from roofing iron p172. Main street with Auctioneer, Royal Hotel, Bank, Crown Café 1920 p177. W. Wilkinson, saddler 1899 p178. Phosphate bag home p179. Belted Ben (horse) p184. Horse jumping 1920 p185. Wagons lined up to deliver wheat at railway station 1905 p190. Jack Cavanagh digging a channel with a tumble scoop 1922 p193. First car in Sea Lake outside Royal Hotel about 1910 p196. Bank of Victoria p197. First Sea Lake tennis courts 1911 p201. Collecting water from the Main Tyrrell West channel 1922 p208. Carty family harvesting at Nandaly 1927 p218-9. Rolling the Mallee scrub 1915 p222. Members of the Nandaly Tennis Club 1920: Mary Conlan, Jim Atkinson, Kath Carty, Kevin Cloonan, Lorna McNamara, M. O’Brien, Mavis Hender, Mary Carty, Amy Edgecombe, Daisy Edgecombe, Molly McNamara p235. Nandaly’s first football match: Bill Vanderfeen, Sam Vernin, Charlie Canard, Mossy Pierce, Jack Mullens, Jack Carty, Stan Jarry, Bert Ingram, Les Schubert, Curlie Edwards, S. Cook, H. Robertson, Tom Carty, Tom O’Bryan, Sprig Pearce, Grabsch, umpire Thomas p237.

SURNAMES / FAMILY NAMES from the index:
Adams. Allen. Anglin. Angus. Arnell. Atkinson. Bailey. Baker. Baldock. Bassett. Bennett. Bennetto. Bowd. Boxhall. Bradford. Brazil. Brennan. Brock. Bruggerman. Bryans. Bryant. Byrnes. Byrne. Callaghan. Cameron. Campbell. Canard. Carty. Cathcart. Cavanagh. Cloonan. Collier. Conlan. Cook. Cooper. Cowan. Cox. Coyne. Crosbie. Cumming. Cummings. Cunningham. Daly. Dare. Dickson. Dimile. Donelly. Doran. Duke. Edgecombe. Edwards. Elliott. Fanning. Fields. French. Frew. Gallagher. Gardener. Garden. Gardner. Gidding. Gilive. Gleeson. Glowrey. Gorman. Gould. Grabach. Graham. Grant. Green. Greer. Gregory. Gregson. Groat. Hallam. Hall. Hammond. Hannon. Hanson. Hart. Harvey. Hayes. Headburg. Hender. Herrick. Hetherington. Hoare. Hocking. Holt. Howard. Huddleson. Huddleston. Huggins. Ingram. Irwin. Itter. James. Jarry. Jenvey. Johnswell. Jope. Julian. Kavanagh. Kean. Kerr. Kirk. Langley. Lascelles. Leader. Leslie. Lloyd. Loader. Lockhart. Lockwood. Logan. Lynch. Maddywell. Malcolm. Manley. McCague. McCallum. McClelland. McDonald. McGauchie. McGowan. McInerney. McKenzie. McManus. McMillan. McNamara. McNaughton. McPherson. McRae. McVein. Meaney. Milburn. Miles. Mills. Morrow. Mudge. Mullens. Myers. Neuss. Nixon. Nuskie. O’Brien. O’Bryan. O’Callaghan. O’Connor. Ogilvie. O’Hare. O’Loughlan. O’Reilly. Patching. Paul. Pearce. Peucker. Phillips. Pierce. Pomroy. Porteous. Porter. Prentice. Proctor. Quin. Quinton. Quirk. Rafter. Roberts. Robertson. Rohde. Rose. Ross. Runnalls. Ryan. Sandiford. Sands. Schubert. Scourfield. Stacey. Steadman. Steele. Stewart. Strike. Sutcliff. Sutton. Sweeney. Taggart. Tate. Thomas. Thompson. Tudor. Tynan. Umbers. Vanderfeen. Vernin. Vine. Walsh. Walters. Webster. Whelan. Whitecross. White. Wilkinson. Williams. Woods. Wookey. Wright. Zimmerman.

FULL INDEX available on library computers: Electronic resources \ indexes (alphabetically by name of place).

FROM THE INDEX (Placenames, institutions, etc.):
Aborigines. Anglis and Company. Avon Plains. Ballarat. Bangerang. Baptist Church. Barber and Co. Bendigo. Bennett’s Dress Shop. Berriwillock. Bert Stubbs Drapery. Bimbourie. Birchip. Birds. Block 21. Block 19. Block 76. Blocks 14 and 15. Bob Hannon’s Store. Boigbeat. Bomball. Boolite. Boordong region. Boundary. Brass band. Broken Hill. Buloke. Bungaree. Calder. Castle Donnington Shire. Catholic Church. Cemetery site. Central Coffee Palace. Channel. Charlton. Chinkapook. Clothes. Commercial Bank. Convent. Cope Cope. Court House. Cricket. Crofts Stores Pty Ltd. Crown Land Reserve. Crown Law Department building. Dam. Dance Hall. Darling Dreyfus Bell Company. Darts Imperial. Daytrap. Daytrap Station. Denny’s grocery store. Dingo fence. Disc and shearer stump jump plough. Donald. Donald Land Board. Down the line football. Dwarf Eucalyptus tree. East Trentham. Education Department. Electricity and water. Ellerslie. Fencing. Field’s wheelwright and blacksmith’s shop. Fire. Fire Brigade. First school. First sheep sale. First water tower. Football. Football grounds. Fun. Gallagher’s hut. Garage. Garden’s Hotel. General Mechant, J. Mudge and Son. G.M. Coles Est. Goannas. Golf. Grain Elevator Board. Green Lake. Greyhounds. Gun club. Gunter chain. Gymkhana sports. Hammonds. Highland dancing competitions. Hire car service. Hopetoun. Hopping mouse. Horace Street. Horse racing. House chimneys. Implement factory. Jess Tank. Joe Groat’s baker shop. Jope Brothers. Kangaroos. Karkarooc Shire. Karryie. Koraleigh. Krissy. Kulwin. Lake Boga. Lake Lonsdale system. Lake Tyrrell. Lalbert. Land Conservation Council. Land transactions. Lascelles. Law firm, lawyer. Leipar. Littlewood. Loaders Private Hospice. Lolly shop. Lonsdale water system. Lot 26, section 1. Loottits. Mrs Lugg’s Crown Café. Lutheran pastor. MacWhite seed wheat. Maddywell’s boarding house. Maddywell’s Coffee Palace. Malherbie. Mali. Maligundidj. Malmsbury. Manangatang. Marksman badge. Meat delivery. Mechanics’ Hall [Institute]. Medical Health Officer. Melbourne sheep market. Mending saddles. Mice. Mid Murray Football League. Midwifery. Mildura. Miles and Gregson. Milk. Milling plant. Minapre. Miners. Minister for Public Works. Minister for Railways. Minstrel. Minyip. Miss Bennett’s little dress shop. Mittyack. Morrows and Co. Morton Plain. Motor cars. Myall Football Team. Myall Hall.

Nandaly: general; football club; progress league; recreation ground; school; siding; tennis club; water storage.

Ned Gallagher’s Hut. Neilson. Neuss. Neville. Ninda. Nine Mile. Nullawil. Nuske. Nyah. Nyarrin. Oats. Open channel ways. Optical service. Original settlers. Ouyen. Overnight resting places. Party telephone line. Paul Gottschutzke and Company. Peoples Party. Perro. Pharmaceutical business. Phil Ryan’s Hotel. Pic Em Up Jack. Pier Millan. Piro. Pirro. Plagues. Plough. Plumber. Police. Politics. Porter Reserve. Porter’s timber yard. Post Office. Presbyterian Church. Progress Association. Progress League. Queen Annie. Queen’s Carnival. Racecourse and horse race meetings. Railway Department. Railway line. Railway station. Railway trolley. Rainbow. Rain chart. Ratepayers. Real estate. Registration of births and deaths. Richardson River. Rifle Club. Ringman. Riverina. Roller-skating. Round Swamp. Royal Hotel. W. Wilkinson the saddler. Saleyards. Salt. Salvation Army. Sanderford. School. School inspector. School teachers. Schubert’s property. Scrub and tree rollers.

Sea Lake: butchery; dressmakers; football league; hall; hotel; police station; progress league; rail line; baker; school; show; station yard; times (newspaper).

Sewing mistress. Sheep. Shooting. Show. Sidings. Sikh Indian. Snakebite. Soft drink and cordial factory. Soldier Settlement Commission. Solicitor. Somerville. St Arnaud. State Parliament House. State Rivers and Water Supply. Stations. Tyrrell Downs station. Stein-wedel seed. Stock and station agents. F.A. Howard’s general store. The Farmers Cash Trading Store. Summerhill Hotel. Sunday school. Superphosphate. Survey gangs. Sutherland. Sutton’s Tank. Swan Hill. Taggert. Tank making. Taverner. Tempy. Tennis. The Argus. The Country Party. The Peoples Party. Timber yard. Tin Hut. Tinsmith. Tipping and Little. T Model Fords. Tooey. Tragowel. Trap. Trappers. Travelling hawker. Trenchards and Co. stock agency. Trentham. Troopers. Tucker box. Tumble scoop. Turriff East Hall. Tyenna. Tyrrell Creek. Tyrrell Downs. Tyrrell Downs Road. Tyrrell Downs Station. Tyrrell League. Tyrrell West. Tyrrell West Football Team. Ultima. Underground cement water tank. Victorian Farmers Union. Vin Thomas’ Barn. War. Warracknabeal. Watchem. Water. Waterloo Cup. Water storage. Weighbridge. Wergaia. Wheat. Wheat Growers’ Association. Whelan farm. Wimmera. Windmills. Wine licence. Winkly. Winnowing. Wire netting. Woorinen. Wycheproof. Wycheproof Shire. Young Brothers.