Source: Gulgong Pioneers Museum
1901 - Biraganbil. THE OLD HOMESTEAD OF THE ROUSE FAMILY.
(By "St. Magnus.")
Biraganbil, the old homestead of the Rouse family, is situated on the Cudgegong River, about six miles from Gulgong. The dwelling house is a most beautiful and picturesque spot, with a clear stream in front, surrounded by green pasture lands and cultivated paddocks, with a background of dark wooded hills. The property is now in the hands of Richard Rouse, jun. The homestead is like a large-sized country village. The dwelling-house is a noble structure of brick, two storeys high, with a large court-yard in the centre, something after the style of Spanish dwellings of the better class, only the Australian dwelling is by far and away superior to any Spanish dwelling I ever saw. The courtyard is paved, kept scrupulously clean, and ornamented, by a multitude of flowering plants. The outside of the building is in keeping with the inside. There is a wealth of ornamental plants as well as a fine orchard, with windmills for irrigation or other purposes. The outbuildings are large and include quarters for a small army of men. There are a steam flour mill, blacksmith and wheelwright's shop, stores, wool shed, stables, cow sheds, men's quarters, etc, and the buildings are nearly all of brick. The reason for this large assemblage of buildings is because Biraganbil was originally the homestead of the late George Rouse, and formed the head station of all his holdings, scattered far and wide over the country.
Source: Australian Town and Country Journal (Sydney, NSW : 1870 - 1919) Sat 12 Oct 1901 Page 22
Richard Rouse, c 1866
Richard Rouse of Biraganbil
Source: Wikitree
Richard junior* was born on 15 May 1843 at Jericho, near Windsor, New South Wales, son of George Rouse (1816-1888) and his wife Elizabeth, née Moore. He was educated at The King's School, Parramatta, and then learnt wool-classing. In 1867 he managed the Biraganbil stud flock near Gulgong founded by his father in 1864 with rams and ewes bought from N. P. Bayly of Havilah and later from E. K. Cox of Rawdon. He kept careful pedigree records and bred sheep with fine strong wool of abnormal elasticity and won many prizes at the Mudgee, Dubbo and Warren shows. He was also noted for breeding race-horses, including the champion, Marvel, and was reputed one of the best judges of horses in the colony. He inherited Biraganbil in 1888 and held three other stations.
* Note: this Richard Rouse was first cousin of Richard Rouse of Guntawang.
In May 1872 Rouse had 1000 shares in the new Biraganbil Gold Mining Co. Ltd. He was a councillor of the Agricultural Society of New South Wales, sometime president of the Gulgong Hospital, chairman of the Mudgee Pastures and Stock Board, a sheep director for Mudgee, a member of the Australian Jockey Club and a magistrate, although he rarely sat on the bench.
Richard died at Biraganbil on 12 February 1906 and was buried in the Anglican section of Mudgee cemetery. He was survived by his wife Mary Helena and by two sons and two daughters. Mary Helena was daughter of Charles Bland Lowe of Goree, Mudgee. She married Richard on 29 July 1869. She died in 1922.
Source: Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 6, (MUP), 1976
1906 - DEATH OF MR. RICHARD ROUSE.
Sportsmen throughout Australia will learn with regret of the death of Mr. Richard Rouse, the well-known breeder and sportsman, who passed away on Monday night at his residence, Biraganbil, near Gulgong. The demise of Mr. Rouse, who was in his 66th year, was not unexpected, inasmuch as for the last two years he had been afflicted with internal troubles. Mr. Rouse came of an old colonial family, the original of which was an Imperial Civil servant in the infant days of this State, and who on his retirement from the service settled down at Rouse Hill, subsequently acquiring the lands near the Cudgegong River, known as Guntawang and Biraganbil.
Mr. Richard Rouse, who had the affix junior to his name prior to the death of his cousin Richard, of Guntawang, was born at Jericho, near South Creek, and had been prominently connected with horse-breeding and horse-racing since his boyhood. He was a first-class amateur horseman, and was a member of the Sydney Turf Club during its existence. In the late "seventies" and "eighties" the colours of Mr. Rouse figured prominently on the turf, and most of the old brigade of racing men can readily recall the brilliant performances of the half-brothers Waxy (by Gemma di Vergi) and Sting (by Grandmaster), the former of whom carried the popular blue and gold stripes to victory in the Epsom Handicap, 1881, and the latter, after winning the Hawkesbury Grand Handicap and A.J.C. Craven and Randwick Plates, 1883, was afterwards sold at a high figure to the late Mr. E. Weekes for whom he won the Adelaide Cup, 1853. In those days the late Noah Beale presided over the Biraganbil stables, and he was succeeded by James Swan. The Biraganbil stud, to which Mr. Rouse paid most attention in his later years, was very prolific in the production of racehorses, who achieved great success on the turf. The Biraganbil sires included such equine celebrities as Wilberforce, Marvellous, and Grandmaster, and during the regime of the gentleman just deceased, the stud has turned out such famous racehorses as Marvel (the greatest miler Australia has known, and winner of the Epsom and Doncaster Handicaps), Blarneystone (Summer and Tattersall's Cups), Little Bernie (Summer and Tattersall's Cups), Mackay (Royal Stakes), Donizetti (Doncaster Handicap), Reviver (A.J.C. Champagne Stakes and Metropolitan), Cerise and Blue (Sydney Cup), Lochaber (Toorak Handicap), Survivor (Metropolitan), Aristocrat, Shamrock, Dan O'Connor, Myles na-Coppaleen, Optima, and other performers of lesser note. The deceased gentleman also devoted himself to the breeding of cattle and sheep on an extensive scale. He leaves a widow, two sons, and two single daughters. Of the sons, the eldest, Mr. Leslie G. Rouse, is one of the A.J.C. stipendiary stewards; while the other, Mr. Herbert Rouse, manages Biraganbil station. The Australian Jockey Club will be represented at the funeral by the Hon. Richard Jones (chairman) and Mr. E. M. Betts. The deceased will be interred at Mudgee to-day.
Source: The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954) Wednesday 14 February 1906 p 9 Article
Richard Rouse of Biraganbil, 1843-1906
Source: Austcemindex
THE PROPERTY
The following photos were supplied by Trevor Walsh who lived at Biraganbil from the late 1950s until 1972. Trevor's parents, Kevin & Margaret Walsh. ran the property for Stan Fox.
See also: BIRAGANBIL BURIALS
