Activity On The Darling Downs
In 1840 Patrick Leslie started with stock from a New England station, then the most northerly settled district in New South Wales, and formed Toolburra and Canning Downs (at 28°13′35″S 152°03′57″E / 28.226419°S 152.065747°E / -28.226419; 152.065747), the first stations on the Condamine River, before the river had been identified as a tributary of the Darling River. Leslie met explorer Allan Cunningham at the home of Hannibal Hawkins Macarthur in Parramatta. In 1840 Leslie, accompanied by a convict named Peter Murphy, followed in the footsteps of the explorer. On the return trip to Sydney he marked a trail by cutting into the trees. This became known as "Leslie’s marked tree line".
On his return to Sydney Leslie married Catherine (Kate), daughter of Hannibal Hawkins Macarthur, at Parramatta on 9 September 1840. His best man at the wedding was Stuart Donaldson. On July the 2nd 1840, the first head station was established by Walter Leslie at Toolburra. Walter and George Leslie then set about building a residence at Canning Downs. Although the three Leslie brothers claimed all the land to the head of the Condomine River, including its tributaries, they were forced to give up most of the claim to new arrivals because of the requirement that all land claimed had to be adequately stocked.
In 1841 Leslie and his wife travelled from Sydney to Brisbane aboard the Hunter River Steam Navigation Company steamer, Shamrock. They were then counted as the first family to make the journey from Brisbane to the Darling Downs. By 1841 the Leslies had sold their interest in 'Toolburra' and moved to 'Canning Downs' which was managed by George and Walter Leslie. When the Leslies first settled on Canning Downs, they had 6000 sheep, two teams of bullocks and drays, one team of horses and a dray, 10 saddle horses, and 22 convict employees. The task of building up the property during a time of depression proved too difficult and Patrick Leslie was ruined financially by 1844.
In 1845 Leslie acquired 14 hectares of land in his father's name on the banks of Breakfast Creek, Brisbane and built Newstead House, where he lived while pasturing flocks at Canning Downs. In 1846 he acquired 'Goomburra' on the Darling Downs. Newstead House was sold to his brother-in-law, John Clements Wickham, the following year. 1851, he also bought nearby Gladfield Station. Leslie left Australia with his wife and son in 1854 and returned to Britain.
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