The following notes have been derived from early newspapers accessed via Trove (NLA) online.
It seems that in historic times Wattle Flat has been able to produce a good range of agricultural produce: Sheep (wool & meat), Wheat, Dairy Products, Pigs, Honey, Orchard Fruit, Potatoes & other vegetables, and Poultry.
Early sheep runs
Prior to the major influx of people into the Wattle Flat area with the start of the 1851 goldrush there are several sheep runs in the vicinity of Wattle Flat. On the Wattle Flat tableland the White family and the McCabe family are grazing sheep in the late 1840’s. The early naming of Sheep Station Point on the Turon River west of the settlement of Sofala is clear evidence of sheep farming in the Turon valley north of Wattle Flat at this time.
A newspaper advertisement in the SMH on 7th May 1844 lists sheep for sale by auction from sheep farms known as “PALING YARDS” (15 miles NE of Bathurst) & on government land called “MIDDLE WATTLE FLAT” near Limekilns (20 miles NE of Bathurst). 657 ewes for sale from PALING YARDS are fine-woolled sheep of the Terry breed. 240 rams from the same farm are high quality Merino & Saxon breeds.
Farms providing to the gold miners
Developed farms near the early settlement of Peel had fields of wheat, maize & potatoes. These were badly damaged in the floods of 1852. Some of the land in the Wyagdon valley between Peel & Wattle Flat may also have been cultivated at this time.
With a considerable demand of food by the early gold prospectors in Sofala & Wattle Flat, butcher shops did a good trade, probably mainly in lamb & mutton. As the number of gold prospectors in Wattle Flat fluctuates during the 1850’s, several butchering businesses are developed & sold. Early butchery businesses in Wattle Flat include those held by Richard Gordon, Richard Gosling, W Smith, and John Smeed.
There is reference in the newspapers to hungry Chinese miners seeking to acquire the slaughter-yard offcuts & offal. As on other goldfields, it seems likely that members of the local Chinese community set up vegetable gardens of their own, and shops to sell their produce.
There were several dairy farmers at Wattle Flat who supplied milk & butter. One of these was Jim Selly on the track to Surface Hill. Undoubtedly many other settlers would have had a dairy cow nearby.
Several bakeries were established in Wattle Flat & Sofala which may well have used locally grown wheat.
More developed farms
In 1885 two local farms were auctioned. One was owned by the late Mr Kerr at Limekilns, and the other, at Paling Yards adjoining the Wattle Flat Common was known as Daley’s farm. Kerr’s estate included several mechanical reapers, various ploughs, chaff cutters etc., & a butcher shop at Wattle Flat.
In the early 1890’s a very productive bee farm at Nuggetty Hill NE of Wattle Flat, had been developed by Mr H Petersen. He has a 10 acre block with areas for the cultivation of apples, grapes & nuts. Within this area he has 160 colonies of Italian bees, from which he obtained over 22 tons of honey in a season. These bees thrived on the eucalyptus blooms, principally white & yellow box.
Numerous houses in the village of Wattle Flat had established productive orchards for quince, pear, apple , nectarine, apricot, & fig, together with vegetable gardens. Blackberry hedges & other briars edged these cultivated areas. Numerous flocks of geese & poultry were raised around the village. One farmer in the village specialising in potato cultivation produced over 150 tons in 1894.
In 1891 several judges from the government Agricultural Dept. examined Mr Carmichael’s farm near Wyagdon Hill, Wattle Flat, which was renowned for its good wheat crops. In 1896 a valuable local farm known as Dulcis Vale, 8 miles south of Wattle Flat on the Limekilns road is sold by the Foord Brothers . This farm has 150 acres under crop with 40 acres of Wheat, 30 acres of Maize , 60 acres of Barley, 10 acres of Oates, & 15 acres of Lucerne. The farm buildings were set up for the production of butter, cheese, bacon, ham, etc. The farm was then bought by Mr John Ranken of Sydney.
In March 1898 Mr H Hilson is busy with his thresher working through the Wheat stacks at Wattle Flat. The yield is between 16 & 20 bushels per acre. In 1915, a property belonging to the McCudden & Carroll families in Wattle Flat has the name “Wheatfields”. Many years later in 1941 H T Healey sells his 13 acre farm located 2 miles from Wattle Flat village which has 4 acres under wheat crop.
In September 1902 butchers meat is scarce, and many householders are glad to procure rabbit for food. A rabbit trapper with a load of nearly 50 pairs (of rabbit?) was heading for Sofala. He stopped at Wattle Flat, and such was the local demand, that his entire stock was immediately bought.
As evidence of the importance of local dairy production in 1921, M J Ireland storekeeper in Wattle Flat is an agent for Baltic dairy separators, for the separation of cream.
In 1912 large areas of local timbered lands are being cleared. Mr J W Irvine, President of the Sofala & Wattle Flat Bee Keepers Association leads a local resistance to this clearing, citing that some of this timber is essential for bee farming.
Bee farming continued at Wattle Flat & Sofala until the 1940’s. Local apiarists included Charles W Griffin, Mrs E & R. Nancarrow, David McAlister, & others. In 1935 the Sofala area honey produce is increasing in value to an estimated £30,000/yr.
In the depressed 1930’s period, this area becomes attractive for fox & rabbit trapping for the skin trade, and ample trout in the Turon River attracts anglers.
During the war years (1940’s), there are reports of prolific garden vegetable cultivation in Wattle Flat with cabbages, parsnips, carrots, tomatoes, onions, sunflowers & strawberries.
In April 1944 Wattle Flat experienced a remarkable contrast between bush fire & snow. A grass fire destroyed many acres of grass on properties between Millamurrah & Wattle Flat. The following week a heavy snow fall associated with thunderstorm activity blanketed the burnt area with snow.