One of the first land selectors to live on part of Imbil station (aside from the original selectors John Elworthy and Matthew Mellor) was William Tatlock Chippindall. He selected 90 acres of the station near Bunya Creek with the intention of running cattle (King, 2001). By 1878, the Gympie Times reported of his success, detailing how he had expanded his farm to an area of 2866 acres, running between 300 and 400 head of cattle. As the years went on, and with further success in the industry, he expanded the property again, this time to 4000 acres (King, 2001). This provided opportunities to grow basic supplies such as maize, oats, lucerne and potatoes, which he often took to Gympie to trade for rations. He then built a homestead which is located north of Hasthorpe Road, Kandanga (King, 2001). He also assisted with the establishment of Bunya Creek provisional school, as the school first took place in the barn of his property (Green, 2020).  Unfortunately, he came upon hard financial times in the late 1890s, with the collapse of the Queensland Banking system, which then resulted in a depression. This caused him to subdivide and sell his property in 1897 (King, 2001).

Matthew Mellor, early selector of Imbil Station. Source: Gympie Library Photograph Collection.

Chippendall’s farm advertisement. Source: Gympie Times newspaper article: 22 Jul 1897 – Advertising – Trove

Following this, in the early 1900s, many people came to the Mary Valley region to establish farms. I have listed some of these farmers and details of their land ownership below.

Name	Area/ Land selected
Mr John Ahern	418 acres-The Bluff district.
Mr John Thomas Ahern (son)	400 acres adjoining his father’s property (listed above).
Mr Joseph Axelby	720 acres -The Bluff district
Mr Sydney Smith	235 acres at Bluff Plains.
Mr David Lane	420 acres -below The Bluff district
Mr Jeremiah Collins	160 acres- The Bluff district
Mr Robert Gilroy	170 acres- Bollier district
Mr Gilbert Hordern	458 acres- Bollier district
Mr Thomas Rodwell	160 acres- Bollier district
Mr John Bryant	307 acres- Bollier district
Mr Michael Whelan	1000 acres -Bollier district
Mr George Meyers	640 acres- Bollier district
Mr James Aspenell	160 acres- Bollier district
Mr Albert Lowe	1280 acres at Brooloo
Mr Harold Meyers	100 acres- Bollier district
Mr Carl Frederikson	160 acres- Bollier district
Mr Marius Andreassen	160 acres- Bollier district
Mr John Thomas Olsen and Jacob Olsen Jnr.	392 acres- Bollier district
Mr James Everett	160 acres- Bollier district
Mr Oliver Ticknell	260 acres- Bollier district
Mr William Barsby	320 acres at Imbil
Mr Henry Hole	160 acres at Imbil
Mr Thomas Watson	160 acres at Imbil
Mr Charles Carlson	256 acres- Bollier district

Name	Area/ Land selected
Mr Rasmus Hansen	340 acres- Bollier district
Mr August Carlson	30 acres- Bollier district
Mr J H Waller	500 acres- location unknown
Mr William Stubbins	162 acres- Imbil
Mr George Spiller	480 acres- Imbil
Mr Edward Rowlands	96 acres- Imbil
Mr John Grainger	160 acres- Imbil
Mr John Organ	160 acres- Imbil
Mr Samuel T Holbrook	Land size unknown
Mr Ernest and William Matthews	343 acres- Bollier district
Mr Frank Chippindall	160 acres- Bollier district
Mr Oden Meyers	160 acres- Bollier district
Mr Peter Jorgensen	Land size unknown- Bollier district
Mr Roots	437 acres- Bollier district
Mr A Jocumsen	216 acres- Bollier district
Mr G W Sutton	295 acres- Bluff district
Mr W R Humphrey	Land size unknown- Bluff district
Mr W C Andersen	297 acres- Bluff district
Mr S G Smith	Land size unknown
Mr David Lane	209 acres- Bluff district
Mr Kevin O’Leary	323 acres- Bluff district
Mr John Grogan	160 acres- Bluff district
Mr Patrick Ahern	365 acres- Bluff district
Mr James Smith	470 acres- Bluff district

Name	Area/ Land selected
Mr Patrick Grogan	160 acres- Bluff district
Mr Gilbert Hordern Jnr	100 acres- Bollier district
Mr Durham	189 acres- Bollier district
Mr H.B Hill	150 acres- location unknown
Mr John Henry Mills	202 acres- Bluff district
Mr William Slaughter	320 acres- Bluff district
Mr Burton	100 acres- Bluff district
Mr P H Sutton	513 acres- Bluff district
Mr Edward Pickering	400 acres- Bluff district

 Table information source: King, 2001.

References:

Green, D. (2020). History of Education in the Gympie Region 1867-2020. Gympie: School Archive Australia.

King, Joy. (2001). Imbil: Jewel of the Mary Valley. Imbil: Joy King. pp 1-244.

Post published on 9th of February 2026.