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1870
8 September 1870
Burrundella, the residence of G. H Cox, Esq., M.L.C., is the first house in size, design, and position in the district. It is a two-storey building, flanked by single-storey wings, with semi-octagon ends, shaded by a noble verandah in front, and commanding a lovely view. East of the Cudgegong valley and mountains, on the opposite side, a rounded and green lawn in front elopes away down to the still greener alluvial flats of the river, from the brow of which I send a view of the house (together with others).
An artist may spend an hour profitably and most agreeably in the drawing-room, inspecting copies of old masters which adorn the walls, statuettes, and first-class photographs, gathered in Italy in the course of Mr. Cox's travels in that country, together with many interesting specimens of Italian art. Among the well-executed copies of renowned originals arc a devout "Magdalene," by Julian Romano; the "Repose in Egypt," from Corregio's original at Naples; Titian's "Magdalene," beautiful, but not so spirited as Romano's; and Raphael's "Holy Family" (Naples); Titian's beautiful "Flora and Belladonna," from the Uffizzi gallery at Florence, together; with views exceedingly well painted by Conrad Martin, of Arthursleigh and of Sydney harbour, from Tivoli. Two statuettes in alabaster, well executed by students, and standing on brackets, represent the world's standard of human beauty, the "Venus de Medici," and the "Apollo Belvidere." What is termed in Italy a tatzze, or two-handled plate, contains the portraits of seven of Italia's greatest men, Ariosto, Tasso, Petrarch, Dante, Michael Angelo, Raphael, and Galileo; their heads are in opaque alabaster on a ground of transparent alabaster. Among the photographs (whose execution is a treat to behold) are a view of the magnificent Cathedral of Milan, containing 3000 statues in white marble and tracery, that almost rivals iron in delicacy of slender detail; a photographic gem, being the world-famed bronze gates of the Baptistry, Florence, which the great architect, Michael Angelo, declared to be worthy to fill the entrance to Paradise. The face of the gates is divided into compartments, each representing striking events in Old Testament history, the beautifully executed figures, buildings, and foliage standing forward in the photograph as they project in the bronze; the photograph is in itself a study for an hour. Another book contains vignettes of the great painters, sculptors, and poets, of four and five centuries since, from portraits by themselves, and a finer collection of genius, intellect, moral power, and masculine beauty never was grouped together.
There are many other things to see, as an imported stained-glass window lighting the main staircase, and containing Mr. Cox's crest and monogram; a model of the "Ruined Temple of Juno," (?) in the Roman Forum; the "Marriage of St. Catherine," and a case of gold, silver, and bronze medals, awarded mostly in 1851. But the buggy is waiting, so we make our way through Mudgee down to Menah, where the sheep and the woolshed are to be
seen1
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1880
2 October 1880
1884
15 November 1884
Our Studmasters
The Hon. G. H. Cox(https://fionasuniverse.com/tree/Cudgegong%20Valley%20History/individual/X1692/George-Henry-Cox), Burrundulla.
No. XXIII.
The Hon. George Henry Cox, the eldest of seven sons of the late Mr. George Cox, was born at Mulgoa, where he now resides, about 60 years ago. In the first responsible Parliament he rendered good political services as the representative of Wellington, and in 1863 was appointed to a seat in the Legislative Council, a position which he has since filled with a conscientious regard of its multifarious duties and responsibilities.
Since 1852, when he was gazetted to the Commission of the Peace, he has taken, an active part in the business incidental to the courts of the Mudgee district, where, at Burrundulla, his stud farm, he resided for nearly 40 years. He was the first mayor of the municipality of Cudgegong, and the first land-owner of the Mudgee district who encouraged agriculture by leasing portions of his valuable estate to tenants of the farming class. He has been, and is, an active worker in connection with agricultural societies. He is a member of the Council of the Agricultural Society of New South Wales, and is President of the Mudgee Pastoral and Agricultural Society. The knowledge which he acquired during two journeys through Europe and America, has been freely placed at the disposal of his fellow agriculturists, by whom he is well respected as a worthy Australian gentle man. Apart from public life, as a breeder of pure stock, cattle, sheep, and horses Mr. Cox has established an enviable reputation. The Burrundulla sheep have their descent from the earliest importation of the merino by the Messrs. Macarthur of Camden and Mr. Riley of Raby, and also from the then well-known Empress Josephine flock, now called the Rambouillet. Very few crosses have been introduced since those early days. Some 35 years ago some imported Saxons were purchased, and more recently Silesian blood was used; these sheep closely resembling the Mudgee type, being fine, dense, and very elastic. A lock of Mudgee wool is not considered as showing true character unless it will stretch twice its normal length. Mr. Cox when in France lately procured some yarn spun from Mudgee wool. This is so fine and strong in the staple that 1lb. will reach 35 miles. The GX in diamond over Mudgee wool brand (Mr. G. Cox's) has always taken a leading position in the London market, and has invariably been purchased by French manufacturers, realising up to 4s ½d. per lb. Up to 1883 the wool from the Burrundulla flock has averaged 6s. 4d. per sheep. In the show yards the numerous silver cups and other trophies that adorn the sideboard of the homestead testify to the excellence of the stud animals, while the equally large number of medals awarded at various wool exhibitions prove that the fleeces from this old established flock have competed successfully against the best-known flocks in the colony. Three gold medals have been won by exhibits from the Burrundulla flocks - the first in 1862, given by Messrs. Mort and Co., for the best six fleeces of wool in grease; these were ewes, and averaged 9lb. each. The next gold medal, together with diploma of honour, the highest award obtained, was awarded for the best six fleeces at the Amsterdam Exhibition, for wool the product of New South Wales. These were also in the grease and went from 12lb. to 16lb. each. Last year, at Calcutta, a gold medal was again awarded for six fleeces - three hogget rams and three ewes - the former weighing up to 18lb., the latter 14lb. Last year two flocks of cast ewes, aged respectively seven and eight years, with 87 and 90 per cent. of lambs at their sides, cut 7lb. of wool all round; and this season, notwithstanding the drought during the summer, 500 rams, chiefly yearlings, cut within a fraction of 10lb. of wool each. Mr. Cox has at various times experimented with rams from various sources - Ramboulet, Tasmania, Victoria, and Riverina, but never with satisfactory results. He finds it impossible to improve upon the true Mudgee type of wool in the Mudgee country3
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1893
15 September 1893
15 September 1893
Burrundulla Station, Mudgee, N.S.W.
The Property of the Hon. G. H. Cox, M.L.C.
The Mudgee country was discovered in 1823 by that indomitable pioneer, William Lawson (one of the three discoverers of the track over the Blue Mountains). His report of the richness of the country north of Bathurst induced Mr. George Cox to start from that place, only located eight years before, with a small herd of cattle to take up the new country, the arrangement made with Mr. Lawson being that Mr. Cox was to keep on the south side of the river, leaving Mr. Lawson the north bank. This division, after the manner of the patriarchs of old, remained in force until the surveyors came in the next decade, when others, of course, insisted on sharing the land. When Mr. Cox first arrived he passed a large swamp of 500 acres, covered with reeds many feet in height, and then camped at a large waterhole on the Mudgee River. He still journeyed on a few miles, and settled down upon a beautiful park-like piece of country. After the cattle had been turned out on their new pastures they suddenly disappeared, and, after much search, were eventually discovered hidden amongst the tall reeds of the swamp. Mr. Cox, assuming that the cattle were the best judges of country, retraced his steps, and settled down at Burrundulla. After a little artificial draining,and the reeds and swamp grass had been fed off by heavy stocking, the swamp gave place to beautiful paddocks of white clover, prairie grass, trefoil, and other nutritious pasturage. The cattle first taken across from Bathurst were sent further afield to the rich pastures of the Liverpool Plains, a small dairy herd only being retained. Great quantities of cheese were manufactured and forwarded by bullock drays to Sydney - a journey of 200 miles. Sheep were first sent to Mudgee at the end of the twenties, and the district has ever since been the home of the Australian merino.
The flocks at Burrundulla are descendants of the first imported merinos and the Rambouillet flocks, and care has been taken to keep the strain as pure as possible. The present owner - the Hon. G. H. Cox, M.L.C. - has won many medals and trophies which testify to the excellence of the Burrundulla flocks. In 1862 he won with Burrundulla wool the gold medal given by Mort and Co. for the best six fleeces of wool in the grease; these were from ewes, and averaged 9 lbs. Each. in the same year he won the gold medal and a diploma of honour at the Amsterdam Exhibition, the fleeces averaging from 12 to 16 lbs. Each in the grease. At Calcutta, in 1883, a gold medal was awarded him for six fleeces, and in 1878 he won the Grand Prix at Paris for the best wool in the world.
The Burrundulla Estate is now occupied by thirty tenants, each with a comfortable farm, and during the last two years dairy farming has made great headway. Curiously enough, Burrundulla is now being put to its former use, excepting that butter instead of cheese is the staple dairy product5
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1899
1904
1907
15 April 1907
From Lue down to Mudgee the country improves, and when the town itself is reached no prettier picture could be wished for. Rich flats, extending from the town right out to the foot of the hills, are carrying most luxuriant crops of maize and lucerne, in addition to the rich pastures of the dairy farms. A very great portion of this flat is on the well known Burrundulla Station, the property of the late Hon. G. H. Cox, now managed by his sons, Messrs. V. and A. Cox. It would be hard to see anywhere a more beautiful picture of agricultural country than can be seen from the Burrundulla homestead. Maize crops were nearly 12 ft. high, and the lucerne was most luxuriant.
Messrs. Cox Bros, have cut a great portion of the flat up into dairy and lucerne farms, and the tenants are making splendid livings. There is one farm of 80 acres, which was rented by two men at 25s. per acre. One family consisted of nine girls and one boy, and the other of five boys and one girl, yet already one man has retired and invested his money in cottages in Mudgee. Lucerne-growing was the chief use to which they put the land, but now dairying is more extensively carried on.
There is a good stud Merino flock at Burrundulla, dating back to the early importations made by Captain Waterhouse. The late Hon. G. H. Cox tried many experiments with different types of Merino, but, like most of the Mudgee breeders, he found that the old original strain gave most satisfaction.
A large collection of medals and other trophies testify to the successes the Burrundulla sheep and wool have achieved6
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1910
13 April 1910
1913
1917
28 November 1917
28 November 1917
GLORIOUS FLATS.
To take a run out to Lawson Creek, on the Burrendulla Flats, is an experience worth having. It leaves pleasant memories. There are glorious lucerne flats on every hand, and when it is recorded that the growers are able to take from six to eight cuts a year from the paddocks the unsophisticated is able to form some idea as to their value. It is not necessary to travel more than five miles out of the town to view the sight. There are the fields of deep green, acre after acre of heavily leafed and thin stalked lucerne, which commands the top price - practically its own price, for you can't buy it for "a mere song." If the offer does not suit, the farmer can easily stack it, for the time comes when feed is needed in one or another part of the country.
The mower was going over one of the paddocks, cutting the lucerne with razor-like precision, leaving only the narrowest margin as it went along thus proving the density of the growth. You could even smell the sap, and therefore able to appreciate the sentiment of that song-writer who said something about "the scent of new-mown hay." He had not followed a mower at Mudgee, otherwise he would have written two songs. On these flats the rich, moist soil is more than 15 ft deep, and uniformly so, the roots penetrating right through to the drift. This explains why the Mudgee lucerne-grower is able to cut his crop in the most severe drought. That these flats are always spoken of by the Mudgee people with such feelings of pride is easily understood after one visit12
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1924
6 June 1924
By-and-bye the rich Burrundulla flats, hemmed in, seemingly, by mountains of the bluest of blue, unfold themselves to the admiring eye, and one wonders what the acre is worth and calculates how much it pays in Municipal rates13
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1934
24 Nov 1934
1958
29 August 1958
Field Maize Competition
The Royal Agricultural Society of N.S.W. has announced the results of the 1958 field maize competition for the South Coast and inland division areas.
The inland division championship was won by Messrs A. McDonald and G. C. Cox, Burrundulla Flats, Mudgee17
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