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an increased area of kind under cultivation ; in fact, during the last 

 few years I have had an idea of this sort in my mind, but then the 

 Government were not in a financial position to carry it out. Now 

 I think it is a wise step to repurchase good land and cut it up for 

 sale and improvement." The Coondle and the Xorman estates are 

 two choice properties, close to Newcastle, which have been offered 

 for sale to the Crown, and the proposals are under consideration. 



The Coondle estate is part of the famous Toodyay valley, which 

 has a great reputation for the strength of its dark red soil. It was 

 granted to the original proprietor in consideration of his rights as a 

 pioneer, and comprises 7,000 acres rive miles north of Newcastle. 

 On the maps of the Lands department it is known as " Location No. 

 i," and it is one of the possessions of the Leake family, one of 

 whose members was for many years Chief Justice of the colony. 

 The land is undulating, and portions are almost mountainous ; but 

 no country is better known for its excellence in the eastern division. 

 Most of it is timbered with York and salmon gum. It is confidently 

 expected that the estate will be acquired by the Government, and 

 will be subdivided into holdings large enough to be sought after as 

 farms by men possessing a few hundreds of pounds. There is a 

 good road from the estate into Newcastle, and a sufficient supply of 

 water for stock and household use. There is sure to be an eager 

 demand for land at Coondle, if the aspiration of Newcastle is realised 

 by it passing into the hands of the state. It is a source of great 

 regret by the people of the district, that it is hidebound by the 

 comparatively little use that is made of some of the choicest subdi- 

 visions, which only sustain sheep and cattle, instead of being con- 

 verted into fields of wheat. It is pointed out that there is no lack of 

 pastoral rims which do not offer great inducement to turn them into 

 arable lands, and that it is a waste of good gifts to have the farmer shut 

 out from such fair tracts as Coondle. 



The Xorman estate is a splendid property of 7,000 acres, adjoin- 

 ing Coondle, and is six miles from Newcastle. It was, in the early 

 days, given as a Crown grant to Mr. R. Norman, and has passed as 

 a legacy to Mr. Fenwick, an American gentleman, who, during a 

 recent visit to the colony, intimated his willingness to sell it to the 

 Lands department. The Norman is a fine agricultural block, 

 and is watered by the Boyagerring brook. It is estimated that 500 

 acres without a break could be put under crop in more than one 

 part of the grant, which grows York gum and jam ; in fact, the 

 local land agent (Mr. A. N. Piesse) says that eight-tenths of it could 

 be cultivated. There is no finer wheat land in the district. In the 

 south-west corner, which is timbered with gum, there are patches 

 of box poison, and also some York road poison, which also thrives 

 on some parts of the commonage. After the first rains, local stock- 

 owners find this vegetation to be most dangerous. East of New- 

 castle there is no poison within a distance of 20 miles. The chief 

 pasture plants are corkscrew and silver grass, which are very fattening. 



