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Gunnagawah is aboriginal for a lot of little huts
1907
11 July 1907
A Spring Flat Social.
Our Spring Flat correspondent writes:- "The newly-erected woolshed at Gunnagawah was the scene of a festive gathering on Thursday night, 4th instant, when one of the most enjoyable socials ever held in this part eventuated there. The promoters were the employees of that homestead, viz., Mr. G. Cover and Misses A. Blane and M. Sales, and the shed was good-naturedly placed at their disposal by their employer, Mr. D. Cox, who also contributed towards defraying the expenses of the night's fun. Though the night was dark and the temperature anything but merciful, the company was a large and representative one, friends attending from a wide radius in response to the invitations issued. At an early hour dancing, which constituted the enjoyment, was commenced, and continued until midnight, when there was a cessation for refreshments. Mrs. Birtles and Misses Sales, Blane, and E. Menchin presided at the table, and they proved themselves most efficient in the discharge of their duties. The revellers having satisfied the wants of the "inner man," dancing was resumed with renewed energy, and continued, with occasional intermissions for songs, until 3 a.m., when the assemblage dispersed for their various homes. During the night Mr. and Mrs. Cox visited the scene of merriment, and expressed the wish that all would enjoy themselves. Messrs S. Honeysette, H. Rayner (violin), and J. Fittler (accordeon) kindly provided the music, proving themselves no mean manipulators of those instruments, while Mr. W. Cormack, who was entrusted with the direction of the ceremonies, acquitted himself with his usual characteristic efficiency. The promoters were most assiduous in their efforts to make the social the success it was, and it must be gratifying to them to know that they attained that end1
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1912
8 February 1912
GUNNAGAWAH RAM SALE.
Stewart and Smith have received instructions from Messrs. D. and E. Cox, of Gunnagawah, to sell by auction on the Mudgee showground on February 14, 90 stud and flock rams2
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1915
30 December 1915
FIFTY-TWO BAGS OFF THREE ACRES.
To strip 52 bags of wheat off three acres is nearly a record. Yet such was done at Mr. D. Cox's Gunnagawah Station, last week. The sample was Federation, and the grain was in first-class order3
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1937
18 January 1937
GRAZIER FINED
St. John's Wort on Land
THE Cudgegong Shire Council's Noxious weeds inspector proceeded against Douglas Cox, of Gunnagawah, Mudgee, at the Mudgee Police Court this morning, on a charge of having failed to keep its lands free from St. John's Wort. Cox pleaded guilty.
Mr. J. Braham (of the firm of McPherson and Bawden) appeared for the complainant, and said that the land in question had never been treated properly. The inspector had made an inspection on November 20, and had then served notice. On December 16 the inspector found that only a fraction of the infestation had been destroyed.
Defendant said that after the notice had been served he worked as well as he could on the weed, and had been working ever since.
Mr. Braham said that the council would not press for a heavy penalty. Mr. Pickup. P.M., fined defendant £1 with 8/- court costs and £1/1 professional costs4
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8 April 1937
Gunnagawah Sheep
MR Dud. Cox, of Gunnagawah, Mudgee, again exhibited his fine woolled sheep at the Bathurst show and met with success, winning firsts with ram and ewe, both described as very fine animals. For medium woolled ewe he was placed second to the famous Dalkeith exhibits. The "Guardian" congratulates Mr. Cox on his well-earned triumph5
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10 June 1937
LINK WITH EARLY DAYS
Gunnagawah, One of the Original Mudgee Studs
THE COX family has been identified with Merinos since 1810, when Captain William Cox bought the Waterhouse flock. About 1830 the sheep were moved to Mudgee district, and history records great progress both of the district and the sheep.
Just as pioneer members of the Cox family moulded a sheep ideal for their conditions, so their successors maintained and improved the type, and to-day an important place is held by Gunnagawah Stud, situated at Mudgee and owned by Mr. Douglas Cox. A link with the Spanish Merino, it has a high-class team for Sydney sales.
The romance of the sheep industry is closely bound up with the history of early-day Mudgee flocks. Purity of blood gave them a status no other flocks possessed, and buyers from all parts of Australia were drawn to the district for rams.
In this eventful period foundations were laid for the Gunnagawah stud by the present owner's father. The year was 1866, and the initial stock were of the original Mudgee strain. It was not long before the stud began to take a leading place in flock improvement, and during the eighties its rams commanded prices ranging to 200-guineas.
Until 1918 the stud concentrated on the Spanish Merino, introducing no outside blood. A bold move was then made. In order to produce a plainer type, and yet sacrifice none of the wool quality for which the stud had built up a well-merited reputation, high-priced Haddon Rig rams were selected.
Heavy culling gave a uniform flock of the popular plain bodied type, hardier in constitution than their predecessors, a little longer in the staple, but retaining all the softness and character of the old Mudgee wool.
Since 1921, no further rams have been added. Thus two great strains have been welded into the Gunnagawah sheep as they are known to-day, accounting in a large measure for their success at district shows. In the post few years many prizes have been won at Bathurst, Mudgee, Gulgong and Dunedoo, and at Sydney sales they have a big following.
This year Mr. Cox is sending to Sydney one of the best consignments of sale sheep the stud has so far produced, Goldsbrough, Mort and Co. Ltd., will offer two stud rams and 37 selected flock and flock rams, the latter in pairs and pens of five. No. 4.11, one of the stud rams, should make a good impression, with his massive, plain body, good front, and dense fleece on the fine side of medium and full of character.
The other ram 5.12, a four-tooth, is a bold medium and is particularly good underneath. He has a great head, and plenty of substance.
These rams offer practically the last opportunity of getting Gunnagawah blood this season. On the property, the only sheep left for sale are 30 two and four-tooth flock rams, which were shorn in May, and about 100 cast-for-age ewes. Mr. Cox will be delighted to answer inquiries from "Farmer and Settler" readers6
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28 October 1937
GUNNAGAWAH
MR. DOUGLAS COX'S Gunnagawah stud is one of the original Mudgee Merino flocks. It was founded by the father of the present owner in 1866. As far back as the eighties, the Gunnagawah rams were eagerly sought by discriminating buyers and prices up to 200-gns were often realised. Such prices were high for those days, and were paid only for the best rams that could be obtained. When the demand for plain bodied sheep became evident in 1918, Mr. Cox made the first introduction of outside blood to his pure Spanish Merino blood flock. To get plain bodied sheep, he selected Haddon Rig rams, for which he paid high prices. No outside rams have been added since 1921, the only sires used since then being the progeny of the Haddon Rig rams mentioned. Many important prizes and championships have been won by the sheep in recent years at leading western shows, including Bathurst, Mudgee, Gulgong, and Dunedoo7
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1938
9 June 1938
SPANISH MERINOS
Historic Blood the Basis of Gunnagawah Merinos
SHEEP IN GREAT CONDITION,
DESCENDANTS of some of the Spanish Merinos first brought to Australia are in Mr. Douglas Cox's Gunnagawah stud, Mudgee. Some years ago they received an infusion of Haddon Rig blood and now they have size, density, and length comparable with any Merinos in the State.
Mr. Cox has been exhibiting at shows for a period of forty years. His sheep were successful this year at Mudgee and Gulgong. Four years ago they took prizes in Sydney. Mr. Cox is not sending rams to Sydney this year, but invites sales on the property.
It is necessary to delve into the pages of history to discover the origin of Gunnagawah stud. It was founded in 1866 by Mr. Cox's father, who used descendants of the first Merinos brought to this country.
These sheep - pure Spanish Merinos - were brought from the Cape by Captain Waterhouse in 1797. On his departure from the Colony in 1810 he presented Macarthur with five ewes and a ram, selling the rest (practically the whole draft) to Captain W. L. Cox, Paymaster of the 102nd Regiment.
The proprietor of Gunnagawah is a descendant of Paymaster Cox, and when the sheep came into his possession they had been bred pure from the Waterhouse foundation. As time went on Mr. Douglas Cox found that constitution was diminishing, owing to constant in breeding. He persevered as long as possible, but by 1918 he looked like losing the whole of the sheep.
Haddon Rig was selected for an infusion of blood, one ram being purchased. Another was obtained in 1920, These two lines gave exactly what was required. Rejections were heavy, at first, but the infusion of fresh blood gave increased, also better constitution, increased length to the staple, and great density. Uniformity of type in the Gunnagawah sheep now creates a very favorable impression.
Heavy Cutters
Mr. Cox recalls an interesting fact about the old Spanish Merinos. They were exceptionally heavy cutters, rams yielding 36-lb. of wool and ewes 19-lb. Most of the weight, however, was made up in grease. The introduction of Haddon Rig blood minimised grease. Rams now cut up to 26 and 30-lb., with ewes giving 14 and 15-lb., and the wool yields particularly well on a clean scoured basis.
Gunnagawah is a property of 1085-acres, comprising apple and box country, well improved. There are 950 Merinos in the stud. Mr. Cox believes in severe culling and breeds only from about 380 ewes.
A 50-acre paddock has been sown to lucerne, but for pasture improvement Mr. Cox favors sheep's burnet, which, he says, grows beautiful wool. He is also enthusiastic about oats, quoting as an example of their value the fact that he sowed 28-acres in February, 1937. As 130 ewes lambed at the beginning of April they were put on the oats and remained there till 1st September, when they were taken off. The crop was then allowed to grow and produced 30-tons of hay and eighty bags of grain.
Gunnagawah escaped the effects of the recent dry spell, but lambing ewes were fed a small ration, and, when inspected recently, were in splendid condition. It was only the third time in forty-one years that Mr. Cox has had to resort to hand feeding!
Show winnings are a good guide to the merit of sheep and in this respect, Mr. Cox has had some noteworthy results this season. Exhibiting twenty-three sheep at Mudgee, he won nine firsts, eight seconds, four reserve champion ships, and two championships; while at Gulgong, with eleven sheep, he won five firsts, three seconds, and champion medium wool ewe8
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1940
6 June 1940
GUNNAGAWAH Merino stud, Mudgee, was founded in 1866 by Messrs. A. H. and F. S. Cox, brothers in partnership, on sheep imported from King George III's stud of pure Spanish Merinos. Mr. A. H. Cox was the father of the present owner, Mr. Douglas Cox.
Mudgee has been long famed for the beautiful quality and character of its wool. The Cox family has been associated with the industry in this district since the earliest days, and still occupies a number of holdings around those parts.
Since Gunnagawah has only 1000-acres Mr. Cox cannot run big numbers in his stud. He keeps the breeding strength at about 300 ewes, and consequently has to cull heavily. This has the effect of raising the quality to a very high standard. Gunnagawah sheep have taken high awards at district shows.
Mr. Cox's Sydney sales team this year will comprise eight stud rams, seven stud ewes, and thirty-two flock rams. For sheepowners who wish to improve the quality of their wool the Gunnagawah team will have a special attraction9
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