Burdekin Downs Archive
Burdekin Downs was taken up by Edward Cunningham in 1861. The property covered 140,000 acres on the eastern side of the Burdekin River and included the area which later became Charters Towers. Although originally a sheep run, the property did not prosper until it was converted to cattle. The prosperity lasted until the drought of 1872.
In 1873, Burdekin Downs was acquired by the Bank of New South Wales. It was purchased from the Bank by Messers Kennedy, Dalrymple and Vanneek in 1882.
The station changed hands again in 1892 when it was sold to John Surgeon,owner of a butchering business in Charters Towers and remained in his family until 1913.
Hubert James Markham Allingham was the next owner but within a year he sold to R.A. Howell who worked the property for the following four years.
In 1918 Jack Salmon, a former manager and part owner of Natal Downs, purchased Burdekin Downs. The Burdekin Downs Records were donated to the Library by Mr Paul Burt, a grandson of Jack Salmon.
Name Index Index of the personal names which appear in these records.
Archive Location: 4R
Detailed Listing
Certificates
ED/1 Marriage certificate of George Cavey and Elizabeth Johnson. 25/9/1875.
BD/2 Birth certificate. Benjamin Unwin Cavey. 16/10/1881.
BD/3 Copy of BD/2 issued 26/1/1942.
BD/4 Birth certificate. George Cavey. 26/1/1886.
BD/5 Birth certificate. Maude AmenaCavey. 17/1/1892.
BD/6 Baptismal certificate. Eileen Emma Dulhunty. 1/2/1926 born 26/8/1925.Correspondence
(a) George Cavey Snr.
BD/7/1-BD/7/11 Mss (Fragile) Envelope
Items - 7 business and 2 personal letters to George Cavey between 31/8/1882- 26/1/1897 and 2 letters from George Cavey to Petty Cavey 22/12/1885 and 26/3/1886. l9p.(b) Elizabeth Cavey nee Johnson.
BD/8/1-BD/8/6 Mss. (Fragile). Envelope.
Items - 4 personal letters and 2 telegrams to Elizabeth Cavey between 14/2/1892-6/11/1918 + 2 In Memoriam cards. 9p + 2 cards.(c) L.F. Dulhunty
BD/9/1/-BD/9/8 Mss. (Fragile). Envelope,
Items - 6 personal letters to L.F. Dulhunty between 26/2/1903-8/9/1909 + 2 In Memoriam cards. 6p + 2 cards.(d) Emma Cavey
BD/10/1- BD/10/43 Mss. (Fragile). Envelope.
Items - Personal letters to Emma Cavey between 28/6/1892-28/5/1924 + three undated. 61p.(e) George Cavey Jnr.
BD/11/1-BD/11/19 Mss. Envelope.
Items - Personal letters to his family from George Cavey Jnr. between -/-/1916-20/10/1918 + 4 letters to George Cavey Jnr. from his parents between 26/10/1916 - 4/11/1916. 60p.(f) Maude Cavey
BD/12/1- BD/12/31. Mss. Envelope.
Items - Personal letters from family and friends to Maude Cavey between 31/12/1914 - 5/7/1941 + 4 undated. 61p.
BD/12/32 - BD/12/56 Mss. Envelope.
Items - Personal letters from 2nd Lt. Roy Wilkinson between 11/1/1916-28/10/1918. 83p.
BD/12/57-BD/12/78 Mss. Envelope.
Items - Personal letters from American relatives to Maude Cavey between 9/8/1915—1/12/1945. 39p.(g) Jack Dulhunty
BD/??/13/1 -BD/13/36 Mss. Envelope.
Items - Personal letters to Jack Dulhunty between 20/7/1904-12/12/1925 + 8 undated. 48p.(h) Miscellaneous Correspondence (to family members other than listed above)
BD/14/1 - BD/14/10 Mss. Envelope.
Items - Personal letters to various members of the family other than those listed above between 20/5/1904 - 29/4/1947 + 1 telegram and 1 photograph. l4p. + photograph.
Miscellaneous Items - (including invitations, photographs, programmes, printed material, Maude Cavey’s postcard collection, personal souvenirs, diaries, and other ephemera).
BD/15 Charters Towers Waterwords Board. Charters Towers Water Supply. Contract nos. 1, 2, & 3 Specifications for works. Typescript. 32p.BD/16 A lectuieon our gold supply by Mr. Thomas Cornish, M.E. Pub. by the author. Printed booklet. 29p.
BD/17 Charters Towers Goldfield. Review of the year 1985. Pub. by the Northern Miner and North Queensland Register. - Printed booklet. - 6p.
BD/18 The Final Objective. A souvenir of the H.M.A.T. Tokada. Australian Imperial Force Publication Feb. 1919. Printed booklet. 8p.BD/19 Hughenden Flood News. - Chronicle special news sheet. - Printed.
BD/20 Public Burial Service in connection with the funeral of Her Majesty the late Queen Victoria, 2/2/1901. Order of service Municipality of Charters- Towers. Pamphlet. Printed. 1p.
BD/21 Drover’s agreement between J.L. Dulhunty and the Torrens Creek Meat Export Coy. Ltd. 23/3/1916. Mss. lp.
BD/22 Handwritten short account of her life in Charters Towers by Maude Dulhunty, addressed to Miss Myra Matthews, President, Business C Professional Women’s Club, Townsville. Mss. 3p.
BD/23/1 - BD/23/4 4 poems by L.F.D. (Dulhunty) Mss. Envelope. 9p.
BD/24 Poem; Welcomes by Gloria C.W. Hughes Mss. 1p.
BD/25 Poem: Luna Puergue by J. Shackleton. Mss. lp.
BD/26 Poem: Heroes of Charters Towers by Bert Warne. Printed. 1p.
BD/27 Emma Cavey’s diary, 1890. Many pages blank.
BD/28 Maude Cavey’s prayer book. 1906.
BD/29 Diary. Unknown writer. Random entries in the Cooper note book for stockowners 1949-1950.
BD/30/1-BD/30/29 Christmas cards 29p.
BD/31/1-BD/31/11 Birthday cards 11p
BD/32/1-BD/32/6 Wedding -invitations 6p
BD/33/1-BD/33/3 Ball invitations
BD/34/1-BD/34/11 Dance programmes lp.
BD/35/1-BD/35/3 Menu’s
BD/36 ‘Authors Carnival’. Question game. 1p.
BD/37 C.W.A. picnic sports ticket. 1p.
BD/38 Programme. Melba Tour 1909. 1p.
BD/39/l-BD/39/30 Photographs. 30 photographs.
BD/40/1-BD/40/248 Maude Cavey’s collection of postcards sent to her from Australia, America, England, Europe, Asia and the Middle East by her family 248 postcards + 1 book of 12 cards.
BD/41 Wild Flowers of the Pacific Northwest. Pub. by Richfield Oil Corporation, U.S.A. Printed booklet. 8p.
Burdekin Downs Station Records
BD/42 Ledger: Accounts 1916-1931
BD/43 Wages book 1916-1939
