Reminiscences of Queensland, 1862-1869

In Short

This memoir tracks a life of relentless physical labor and eventual political influence in the Australian bush. Moving from the shipping docks of 1862 to the halls of the Queensland Parliament at the turn of the century, the narrative captures the transition of a frontier landscape into a settled territory. It serves as an unvarnished record of survival, documenting the rise of towns like Winton, the challenges of colonial administration, and the author's idiosyncratic later years as a water diviner, offering an authentic perspective on the nineteenth-century pioneer experience.

The Story

The journey begins in February 1862, when the author, a young man from the West Country of England, boards the City of Brisbane fueled by an uncle’s optimistic tales of the Australian pastoral life. Reality quickly sets in: the promise of sitting in the shade of one’s own fig tree is replaced by the grueling, wet, and often dangerous work of a teamster. The early years are spent navigating the treacherous, muddy tracks of the North, hauling supplies to remote gold diggings and shearing sheep for meager wages. Life is defined by constant movement, erratic weather, and the company of characters ranging from desperate diggers to former bushrangers.

As the author gains experience, he transitions from a laborer to a participant in the broader development of the region. Alongside partners like Fitzmaurice, he helps establish the settlement of Winton, initially little more than a collection of waterholes. This period is marked by the struggle to secure basic amenities—like a reliable water supply—amidst a harsh landscape that is often misunderstood by those sitting in comfortable offices on the coast. The narrative highlights the tension between the pioneers who lived on the land and the distant legislators who failed to comprehend the realities of the interior.

The author’s life takes a decisive turn toward civic responsibility. Frustrated by the lack of infrastructure and the recurring threats posed by arsonists in the dry, natural grasslands, he takes a legislative role. He enters the Queensland Parliament, where he navigates the complex, often contentious world of colonial politics. He works to pass legislation that protects property and secures railway funding, demonstrating that the same tenacity used to drive bullock teams is required to move a bill through the House.

In the final act of his career, the author moves beyond the physical and political realms into a curious, semi-mystical domain. He discovers an innate ability to dowse for water, a skill that transforms him from a struggling merchant into a sought-after guide for pastoralists looking to tap into underground supplies. The memoir concludes with the author reflecting on his transition from a young, naive immigrant to a seasoned, influential figure, still occasionally testing his resolve—and his luck—in the unforgiving landscape that has become his home.

How It Unfolds

The voyage begins The author leaves England behind, trading foggy mornings in Plymouth for the uncertainty of the Southern Hemisphere. He arrives with little but a sense of adventure, quickly discovering that the myth of the "land of promise" is a far cry from the realities of the bush.

Learning the trade Work as a teamster and overseer exposes him to the brutal rhythms of the Queensland interior, where rain can strand a traveler for weeks. He encounters the colorful and often dangerous figures of the goldfields, forming alliances that shape his future.

Founding Winton He settles in the western region, shifting from transport to retail and infrastructure development at the Pelican Waterholes. Life here is a constant negotiation with the environment, marked by droughts, rat plagues, and the struggle to turn a remote camp into a functional town.

Entering politics A growing dissatisfaction with the legislative neglect of the West drives the author into the halls of Parliament. He learns the difficult art of navigating committee rooms and debates, ultimately proving effective in securing laws that protect the pastoralists he once worked alongside.

The water diviner His later years are defined by the accidental discovery of a sensitive faculty for locating groundwater. This final chapter illustrates his enduring, practical connection to the land, as he spends his twilight years assisting others in securing the vital resource he once chased across the continent.

The People

The author, W. H. Corfield, anchors the story with a pragmatic, observational style. His growth is measured not in status, but in his deepening knowledge of the country; he evolves from a vulnerable laborer into a confident political actor who knows how to navigate both the House and the desert.

Fitzmaurice serves as the author's primary partner and foil, a man whose shared history of labor and mutual trust helps build the foundation of Winton. His eventual loss of sight adds a poignant, sobering layer to the success they achieve together.

John Murtagh Macrossan stands out as the author’s political idol. A man of small stature but massive intellect, he provides the author with a model for courage in the face of powerful, entrenched interests.

Sir Thomas McIlwraith, the Premier, is depicted as a polarizing, visionary force. His impatience and foresight regarding the settlement of the West leave a lasting impression on the author, serving as a catalyst for the legislative changes that redefine the region.

In Its Own Voice

"The early wet season caught me at Boundary Creek, ten miles beyond Nebo; I was stuck in a bog for five weeks, rain pouring the whole time."

The author describes the unrelenting, primitive conditions of the early colonial roads where time felt suspended by the weather.

"The habitables portions of Australia are limited to the slopes of the mountains, and the narrow space between them and the sea."

The author quotes a skeptical 1877 publication to underscore how little the rest of the world understood the vast, productive potential of the Western Queensland interior.

"I found by careful observation and study that I can far more effectively decide upon the actual bore site by the indications which my hands give."

In his later years, the author explains the physical sensations of his water-divining, highlighting a transition from manual labor to a more intuitive mastery of the environment.

What It's Really About

The memoir explores the friction between the promise of a new land and the brutal reality of carving a life out of it. It is an argument for the importance of "first-hand" knowledge, contrasting the lived experience of the pioneers with the detached, often misguided decisions made by administrators on the coast. Underlying the narrative is a question of identity: how does an outsider become a steward of a wild territory? The author posits that it is through the persistence of the individual—in both the physical labor of the bullock team and the intellectual labor of the legislature—that a frontier is transformed into a society.

Why Read It Today

Readers with an interest in Australian history will find this an invaluable, ground-level account of the transformation of the nineteenth-century interior. It captures the transition from a nomadic, gold-seeking culture to a more structured, pastoral life. The prose is unpretentious and direct, reflecting a man who spent more time with bullocks and local magistrates than with editors.

The book does not shy away from the harsh realities of the era; it includes the blunt, occasionally fatalistic attitudes toward danger and the natural world that defined the pioneer experience. The reader should be prepared for the author’s candid accounts of the colonial frontier, including his descriptions of the treatment of indigenous people and the casual violence of the period, which are presented as matter-of-fact observations of life at the time. Despite the episodic nature of the writing and the occasional dry detail regarding political procedures, the book rewards the reader with a vivid sense of place. The image of the author, seasoned by years of drought and labor, wandering the plains with a wooden twig to find water, remains a haunting, quintessentially Australian image of humanity’s persistent, stubborn search for life in a dry land.