James DARLING
Born 2 September 1857 in Adelaide, South Australia [55]
Son of John DARLING and Isabella FERGUSON [55]
His father was the large-scale grain buyer and exporter who established the firm John Darling & Son [200]
Married Elizabeth DOWIE on 26 October 1882 at the Stow Memorial Congregational Church in Adelaide, South Australia [55]
Resided in the Melbourne suburb of Strathmore until purchasing Glenaroua Station from Thomas SINGLETON in 1901 [349: 18-Jul-1901]
Grazier of Glenaroua Station / Glenaroua Estate in Glenaroua, Victoria, Australia [50] [293: 1-Oct-1910] [349: 18-Jul-1901]
Along with his son Arthur travelled on the steamship Orsova from Melbourne, Victoria to Fremantle, Western Australia [225: 9-Sep-1913]
Following their arrival in Fremantle on 9 September 1913 they stayed at the Palace Hotel in Perth [225: 10-Sep-1913]
After several days touring Western Australia's country districts they returned to the Palace Hotel on 15 September [225: 16-Sep-1913]
He was "much impressed" with the State's agricultural and grazing possibilities [39: 24-Sep-1913]
He took out a contract to purchase 16,080 acres of virgin land in Carnamah, Western Australia on 23 September 1913 [27]
The land was purchased from the Midland Railway Company for £13,668 (17/- per acre), payable by instalments over 15 years [27]
The 16,080 acres was spread across 23 blocks of land which were half of the Company's Elventh Subdivision [120: 14-Nov-1913]
It was his intention to transform the land into "a high-class agricultural and grazing proposition" [39: 24-Sep-1913]
The sale was transacted through the Midland Railway Company's land agent James GARDINER [39: 24-Sep-1913]
The land was part of the concession granted to the Company by the WA Government for building the Midland Railway [39: 24-Sep-1913]
His 23 blocks, located in north eastern Carnamah, consisted of Lots M988, M999, M1000, M1001, M1002, M1003, [27]
M1004, M1005, M1009, M1011, M1012, M1013, M1014, M1015, M1016, M1018, M1019, M1020, M1021, M1022, [27]
M1033, M1034 and M1035 of Victoria Locations 1934, 1935 and 2020 [27]
The remaining 24 blocks of the Eleventh Subdivision were put up for sale by auction in Perth on 13 November 1913 [120: 14-Nov-1913]
Despite a "representative audience" at the auction, no bids were received but several inspections of the land were arranged [120]
He was evidently the only one to see potential in the land as the inspections failed to result in any further sales [27]
He stayed at the Palace Hotel in Perth until late September 1913 and was then briefly in Carnamah [225: 20 & 27-Sep-1913] [39: 29-Sep-1913]
From 29 September 1913 he advertised for contractors to do ring-barking, post-cutting and tank-sinking in Carnamah [39: 29-Sep-1913]
He requested his son Arthur shift to and develop the property and repay him the money that was borrowed to buy it [P190]
His son settled on the property and became "the largest wheat and sheep owner in the Carnamah district" [34]
Inering Farm was among the best mixed farming properties in WA, and was referred to on equal footing as Glentromie Station [34]
He wrote to the Upper Irwin Road Board in 1915 appealing against the rated valuation of his property in Carnamah [9: 1-Oct-1915]
In 1922 his son sold the farm to the Repatriation Department who subdivided it for First World War servicemen [39: 4-Oct-1922]
In late 1920 he'd offered 4,800 acres of his Glenaroua Estate to Victoria's Closer Settlement Board for returned soldiers [339: 2-Dec-1920]
Later resided at 41 Riversdale Road in the Melbourne suburb of Hawthorn [293: 1-Oct-1910]
Father of Arthur Garfield, Ruth, Kenneth Cleveland and James Woodville [54] [293: 1-Oct-1910]
Died 19 March 1929 at his home in the Melbourne suburb of Hawthorn [54] [293: 20-Mar-1929]
| Reference: Carnamah Historical Society & Museum and North Midlands Project, 'James Darling' in Biographical Dictionary of Coorow, Carnamah and Three Springs, retrieved 27 December 2024 from www.carnamah.com.au/bio/james-darling [reference list] |
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