Cuppacumbalong Homestead - de Salis Family

De Salis Family

Leopold Fabius Dietegen Fane de Salis (1816–1898), pastoralist and politician, was born on 26 April 1816 in Florence, Italy, the fourth son of Jerome Fane, fourth Count de Salis, the third son by his third wife Henrietta, a daughter of William Foster (bishop). Sir William Foster Stawell, later the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the colony of Victoria was his first cousin.

De Salis was educated at the English public school Eton College, before completing further studies in sheep farming near Jedburgh, in Scotland. In 1840 at the age of 24, de Salis emigrated to New South Wales where he acquired with a partner the 'Darbalara Station' located on the Murrumbidgee River near Yass. In 1845 he established a run he called Jewnee pastoral station in the Riverina district as well as two others over a 8 year period. As a principal squatter, he was instrumental in opening up to the area to agriculture. After he disposed of these interests, the village (later the township) of Junee was established on this site. He married Charlotte MacDonald in 1844 with whom he had five children; Leopold William (1845–1930), Rodolph (1841–1876), George Arthur Charles, Henry Gubert (1858–1931) and Nina. In 1855 the de Salis family bought and relocated to 'Cuppacumbalong' Station situated on the Murrumbidgee River.

Cuppacumbalong was noted for its especially fine wool and magnificent draught horses. De Salis undertook a number of property improvements such as crop irrigation and was a local pioneer in the use of stock dams. The homestead was situated low to the river and was subsequently inundated on a number of occasions by flood waters during de Salis' time.

Within 6 years of the family's arrival in the Queanbeyan district the Robertson Land Acts was passed into law in New South Wales. These measures were designed to wrest control of land away from the squatocracy and encourage the takeup of land by smaller more productive landholders (selectors). De Salis quickly registered several parcels of land under the names of various family members and dummies to retain ownership of 'the flats', the riverflats that backed onto the Murrumbidgee River. In doing so he eventually consolidated his family's land holding and 'converted' his squatter run into a de facto 'freehold estate'.

Leopold's only daughter Nina married scientist William Farrer in 1882. De Salis gave the newly-weds 97 hectares of his property, which the Farrers later named Lambrigg.

In 1869 the de Salis family acquired the Nass; and Nass Valley squatting runs located in Upper Murrumbidgee area and later still purchased the Coolemon run high in the Brindabella Ranges. Later in the 1870s his sons acquired stations in Queensland, most notably Strathmore, located near the township of Bowen. Leopold's immediate elder brother William Fane De Salis held a number of positions including the chairmanship of the London Chartered Bank of Australia. William used his financial connections to help his brother finance these pastoral operations.

Leopold de Salis was elected the Local Member for Queanbeyan in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly where he served local constituents from 1864–69. Then in July 1874 he was appointed to the New South Wales Legislative Council. In a political career spanning 24 years, de Salis pursued taxation reform, specifically income tax, that required labourers contribute 'as an insurance against misfortune or improvidence'.

The de Salis family later fell victim to the financial crisis of the 1890s and the Union bank foreclosed on the family's Queensland land holdings in 1892. Leopold visited England in 1893, when the accompaying photograph was taken. The de Salis family remained at Cuppacumbalong until 1894. Leopold was declared insolvent four years later with a debt of £100,000 shortly before his death.

De Salis Street located in the Canberra suburb of Weetangera is named in honour of Leopold de Salis.