GLENCOE
Inverary, Mount Muirhead and Glen Coe. The Runs.

    When Robert Leake and his party in 1844 first sighted the picturesque lake he was to name Lake Leake and the magnificent country surrounding it, he said “ McIntyre we have gained our paradise”. 

    However John McIntyre, his overseer, encouraged him to look further before riding to Adelaide to register a claim to it. His instinct, he said, was following a dream he had of a far off land like this when he was much younger. Robert took his advice which led to the discovery of another lake and much more rich land, thus increasing dramatically the size of the holding he finally registered. 

   On 6th March, 1844 Robert Leake was granted an Occupational Licence on three adjoining double runs, Lake Leake, Mount Muirhead and Glencoe, Lease No 183 of 212 square miles, some of the finest land in the South East.

     In May of 1844 Governor Grey led an expedition to the South East in search of new agricultural lands in what was then considered a watery waste. On their return journey they passed through the Glencoe district, unaware that over the nearby range of hills the Leakes were busily erecting a head station on the edge of a lake of their newly acquired runs.

    They had not been there very long however, before they had their first encounter with the aborigines. On June 1st, Robert, in a letter to his father, commented;
     “... however with the advantage of having plenty of country I have its troubles, for since the first part of my letter was written one of my out-stations was attacked by blacks. Twice they succeeded in spearing sheep and carrying them off. We shot one and wounded others.”

   By August of 1844, R.R & E.J.Leake had added the Mount Schank run to their leases, and by the end of the same year had settlers on all sides of their Glencoe, Mount Muirhead and Lake Leake runs on Occupational Licences.

   In 1851 Pastoral Leases were taken out on runs over the border in Victoria at Kentbruck and Lake Monibeong situated on the road to Portland, some distance along the coast, and adjacent to the Glenelg River.

    Further to this in 1854 the adjoining Tarpeena run was leased from the Crown, which was also known as Mingbool.

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Inverary Station
    The Head station built on the banks of Lake Leake he called “Inverary”. The first building was the homestead, a slab hut with a bark roof, followed by the kitchen, men’s hut, meat house, store, stables and barn, all put together without a nail, bullock hide and wooden pegs taking their place. During the very wet winters most of this run north from Lake Leake, although consisting of rich clover flats, was continuously under water. A station hut was built about 5 miles north-east of the lake to look after this section of the property, not far from present day Kalangadoo. It was on the edge of Lake Leake, when hostilities ceased, that large groups of aborigines made their camp near the homestead, living on handouts from the Leake’s as payment for becoming involved in the day to day running of the station.

    In November of 1844 Alexander Tolmer, Inspector of Police, paid a visit to their station at Lake Leake, and was lavish in his praise of the area;
      “It is situated at the top of a hill, on the borders of a beautiful little lake, and is one of the most picturesque spots I have ever seen. The lake is about three miles in circumference and appears to be very deep; there is another lake a short distance off, somewhat smaller and divided from the former by a range. The country all round for miles, is truly splendid, and forms one of the finest runs in the province.” 
    The Governor of South Australia, Sir Richard MacDonnell, on a visit to the South East in 1855 was so impressed by the area where the Leakes had their homestead, that it was recorded in the “Register”.
    “After a halt in the woods for lunch and rest, a pleasant ride through this beautiful estate brought the visitors to Lake Leake, where they received a most hospitable welcome from the host and lady.
    Probably a few finer sights for a house could be found in Australia ... where the traveller in commencing a descent from the range of hills compassing the lakes, first sees on each side of the road in the valleys beneath two fine sheets of water, viz Lake Leake and Lake Edward.”
    Likewise an article written in the “Register” some years later conveys the writers thoughts on the past: 

   “He had an eye for the picturesque, had this old time worthy. The scene of his primitive repast was the margin of a placid lake of wide extent encircled by rising ground forming the rim of an extinct crater. At that time the locality was thickly wooded and the view from the resting place of the old pioneer must have been indeed enchanting.”   
   Harry Hickmer, who lived on the station for many years, later under the pen name of  Panagharry, gave a detailed description of the lake;
     “ Lake Leake, a beautiful sheet of water over a mile across and about four miles round, including a very large swamp at the end ... Mount Ann, nicely dotted with beautifully shaped blackwood, cherry and wattle trees. In the spring when the lake was like a sheet of glass at times, these beautiful green banks would be reflected in the lake, like a mirror, making a sight and a picture never to be forgotten. It was the camping place of thousands of all kinds of ducks, swans, and magpie geese: in fact all kinds of waterfowl. On the approach of night, about dusk, the peculiar trumpet-like sound made by the geese and the various other cries of the waterfowl created quite a burr when they were about to take their flight to the feeding ground in the gum forest, Blackwood Flat and other places where swamps and water holes abounded, returning to the lake in the early morning. Lake Edward though only about a mile distant was never much favoured by the waterfowl..”.

Glencoe Run
    The Leake brothers second run they called “Glencoe”, named in honour of their trusty Overseer, John McIntyre, who was born at Glencoe in Scotland. 
    On this run they built their first woolshed and the overseers house, and the first wool was shorn there. It was here that John McIntyre lived.
    With the surveying of the Glencoe end of the run completed in 1846, sales were advertised to be held in Adelaide on 5th January, 1847. Robert had written home to his father that he was keen to purchase 1,000 to 2,000 acres of the best land he had. At the sales R.R. & E.J.Leake were the largest purchasers of freehold land on the Glencoe, Lake Leake and Tarqua runs, and by far the biggest buyers of land in the South East District. Still more was added in 1849 giving them a continuous run of freehold land from the southern end of the run right through to Lake Leake, encompassing the best of the land and the permanent waterholes.
    The western border of the run was marked by the north-south running Bluff Range, heavily timbered and of little value for grazing purposes, and the very good country to the east nearer to Mount Gambier, also purchased as freehold land, was intersected by blackwood and stringy bark forests and numerous marshy swamps. All this country of much lighter nature and consequently of poorer quality, was retained by the Leake brothers as Crown Lease. 
    In the mid 1850’s, defying criticism from many people, Robert made this section his head station, building a stone house, and later after his death, Edward built the stone woolshed.
    When Robert Leake died in 1860, Edward inherited the property. It had running on it approximately 33,000 sheep, 6,000 cattle and 250 horses running on 45,000 acres of freehold land and various rented runs.
    The Mount Muirhead run was wrongly called, as it was situated at the foot of Mount Burr, and became known as the Tarqua run. This encircled the Tarqua Lagoon, a permanent waterhole where the first sheep were washed, and reputed to be the second lake discovered by the Leake party on their arrival.
    The main road from Robe Town to Mount Gambier ran through this run, and on this road was the Mount Burr Hotel, known as The Bush Inn. Owned by Robert Leake, and leased out, it contained a store and post-office and in 1856 it burnt down, later to be rebuilt on the same sight. Opposite was located the racecourse, horse breeding and racing a favourite hobby of the Leakes.
    In 1851 Pastoral Leases were taken out on runs over the border in Victoria at Kentbruck and Lake Monibeong situated on the road to Portalnd, some distance along the coast, and adjacent to the Glenelg River. Here sometime later Edward Leake on his return from Portland, built a house, next to the punt and on the site of the present day Nelson Hotel. The property consisted of approximately 200,000 acres, containing several fresh water lakes, and capable of depasturing 30,000 sheep and 4,000 to 5,000 head of cattle.

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