The Carr Brothers, early Bullock Teamsters in the Young and Grenfell district
Thomas Carr of Frankfield, near Bimbi, and his brother Daniel came to Young in 1861 and were there during the time of the Riots.
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In 1864 they began a Carrying business from Young to Forbes, and for this purpose they had purchased two big bullock drays , with ten bullocks for each.
The loads were usually about three tons and the route was from Young via Kikiamah, past the old police barracks behind Ingrey’s and Plowes’ west of Louisville through Bogolong, via Old Pinnacle to Forbes.
There was practically no track.
Mr. J.B. Wood owned Brundah which included all Grenfell and the Seven-Mile.
As time went on a small village sprang up at the seven-mile on the Young road, later to be called Weddin, some remnants of this village remain today.
Bimbi did not exist at the time but there was an area called Bimbi Corner.
It was the corner of Burrett’s Euroka station, Wentworth station owned by John Nowlan Snr, and Balabla owned by Steel Caldwell Snr, and this is where Bimbi was eventually established.
At the time the Walshes owned Kikiamah, John Daley Arramagong, Carlo Marina Arramagong East, W.R. Watt Bumbaldry and Iandra, and John Tait, a well known racing identity, owned Oma.
Tait sold Oma to Major West, who sold it to John Dent, this was about 1867 or ‘68.
In 1864 the Carr brothers started carrying for Watson Brothers of Young, taking loading to Forbes in 1866.
They were carrying to Thompson’s Lead at Forbes and took their last load there on 6th August, 1866.
When the Carr brothers arrived back at Young they were told to load up for the new diggings at Emu creek, now known as Grenfell.
When they delivered the first load of goods they camped on the Bimbi road near where the Government tank was later established and made a new track up Emu Creek through kangaroo grass and a box forest.
They camped again on the Grenfell side of Ingrey Brother’s and although their bullocks were hobbled, four were lost, and were not found for some time, eventually being found at the Seven-Mile .
Thomas and Daniel’s first load to Grenfell was for a Mr. Taylor, who had a store on the Main Lead.
Taylor came out with a tip-dray and Taylor lead the way to Grenfell, when they arrived at the store hundreds of miners cheered the load, and never was a dray so quickly unloaded.
The second load was taken up the next day.
The Carr brothers were paid 20 shillings a ton for loading and averaged a trip per fortnight, each carrying three tons, so returns for themselves, bullocks and drays averaged 30shillings per week each. But they were still better off than shepherds who were paid 30pounds per year.
In 1871 the brothers had had enough of carrying and each selected 320 acres on Memagong, then owned by the McKays. (Sourced from the Grenfell Record January 1918.)
