Cavan Station history in print

But one author is doing her best to at least place the history of some in the public record.

Following on the success of her first book, Deltroit and the Valley of Hillas Creek, Nicola Crichton-Brown has added to our collective knowledge of Australian-based pastoralism with Cavan Station - its early history, the Riley legacy and the Murdoch vision.

Publication of the story about Cavan Station was blessed by the Murdoch family, through Rupert Murdoch’s daughter Prue and her husband Alasdair Macleod, each of whom have a close connection with the operation of the expanding pastoral enterprise south of Yass.

Ms Crichton-Brown was aware Alasdair had read her book on Deltroit and enjoyed it so she took that as a cue and approached him.

“I rang him and said … you should let me write a book about Cavan,” she said.

“The book is very complimentary about Cavan and deservedly so and particularly of the Murdoch-era which is ongoing but I would like to make it very clear Prue and Alasdair have been very trusting and very supportive throughout the whole process.”

Ms Crichton-Brown said they never sought research or editorial control and she was grateful for their trust.

That trust has been repaid in volumes with the publication of this impressive book encompassing the pastoral development from the time the region was first crossed by European explorers in 1824, but also delving into the geological past and acknowledging the indigenous tribes who lived in compatible harmony with the landscape for more than 21,000 years.

Ms Crichton-Brown confirmed the early European history of Cavan was easy to find.

“There is a deal of published and unpublished material relating to the Riley family who were really responsible for putting Cavan on the map,” she said.

“And there are also a lot of documents, papers and diaries relating to the Joseph Castle era held in the Noel Butlin Archives at ANU in Canberra.”

The story of those two families and their success and failure in transforming Cavan Station into a valuable and productive wool growing enterprise is the basis of this story.

But Ms Crichton-Brown admitted the real challenge, as she saw it, was to find something fresh to say about Cavan Station, its people and its environment.

“When you start to research a history book you never quite know what you will find … or even if find something worth writing about,” she said.

“Unfortunately, my assistant Val and I went down a number of paths that yielded nothing.”  

As many who have undertaken similar projects at Ms Crichton-Brown trawling through archives can be frustrating but she said the lack of the personal history of many of the key figures in the Cavan story didn’t allow for a full interpretation.

“It was also very difficult to find anecdotes that had been passed down generation to generation that brings light to the narrative,” she said.

Among those lost accounts, especially in relation to the Riley family, Ms Crichton-Brown said it was very difficult and impossible to prove how Alexander Raby Riley lost his entire fortune before he died.

“Not only the loss of Cavan but every single Riley property throughout NSW together with the valuable flock of Saxon Merino sheep,” she said.

“Nonetheless, due to the efforts of a lot of people it has been possible to put together a very comprehensive history of Cavan that now includes some sparkling discoveries and some previously unknown facts.”  

Among the many who assisted with the research, the memories of descendants of the Castle family who held Cavan Station from 1862 until 1966, Tim Phillips, his late mother Lorna and his cousin Susie Castle-Roche have added immeasurably to the narrative.

“Tim was tireless in unearthing extracts from books and journals he had read over the years that were relevant to the history of Cavan,” Ms Crichton-Brown said.

The book is dedicated to Tim’s late mother Lorna who was equally fascinated by the history of Cavan Station.