The comprehensive station records of the pastoral property Colly Creek from the 1890s to 1956. The business correspondences and papers of the property date further back in time and begin in the decade of the 1850s. The extensive collection of letters of the Weatherly family who purchased the property in 1897 also begin in this time period and continue on through for a century. Prior to its sale in 1955 Colly Creek Station comprised some 36000 acres of land which had been taken up by Andrew and George Loder around 1837. Within a few years George Loder gave up his interest in the station and it remained solely in the hands of Andrew until his death. The station was renowned for its good cattle and Andrew Loder was amongst the first to breed Herefords in Australia. Upon acquiring the property in 1897 William Weatherly of Melbourne continued this tradition by establishing a Hereford Stud in the 1920s. |