Our History
Goolgumbla was originally purchased in 1872 by Sir Samuel McGaughey, a well-known pioneer of the Australia sheep industry, who established a stud on the property in 1908.
It changed hands in 1913 when the stud and acreage were sold to Mr George Ernst Stuart, together with an adjoining property called 'Singorimbah', fetching £146.916 for the land and £33,181 for the sheep, cattle and horses respectively.
The stud continued under the management of George Stuart, and later his nephew Leslie Stuart, until 1950 when the enterprise was bought by the Killen-Henderson Partnership. For management purposes these owners formed Goolgumbla Pty Ltd as a subsidiary of Pastoral Development Holdings. In 1964 control passed to the Dalgety organisation when it acquired all P.D.H. interests.
Fifteen years later, in 1979, Arthur and Jean Trethowan bought Goolgumbla and successfully ran the property until 1986. At that time, it was sold to the Commonwealth Government to become part of The Superannuation Fund Investment Trust.
The Rollinson family purchased Goolgumbla in 1998 as an addition to their other rural based holdings in Victoria and New South Wales.
Having previously purchased 'Hawks Nest' in 1970 at nearby Jerilderie, Bruce Rollinson's father, Bob, was keen to increase his foothold in the Riverina – aiming to acquire suitable land to run the family's Concordia stud sheep and expand the commercial business.
At the time, meat and wool were in a slump so Bruce Rollinson and his two dogs set to work alongside a couple of contractors, to develop the essential elements of the property. They began by tackling noxious weeds, improving fencing and shoring-up essential watering points.
Years of back-breaking work followed, and by the time sheep and cattle prices had well and truly improved, state of the art infrastructure was taking shape, designed to support an efficient merino stud operation as well as the family's other interests.
Bob Rollinson overseeing shearing.
Today, the Rollinson family operates several distinct sheep properties, plus Victorian cattle holdings in Penhurst, running Herefords.
Each is managed independently and sheep are run separately until sale day, to quarantine against the spread of parasites and disease.
“… our multi-faceted enterprise includes a quality line of 60 Shorthorn heifers and 200 steers…”
Our Victorian based home property 'Selisian Downs', near Serpentine, is managed by Bob Rollinson as part of our Concordia merino stud operations. The stud supplies rams for our properties 'Hawks Nest' and 'Walla' in the Riverina, where we run 10,000 Concordia blood ewes.
Today, our multi-faceted enterprise includes a quality line of 60 Shorthorn heifers and 200 steers, as well as 100 cast for age cows.
Our herd has evolved with the assistance and support from Gillian Leeds from Leeds Shorthorns. Since 1998, we have blended the original line of Goolgumbla cows with bulls and stud cows, sourced from the Jerilderie based stud "Broome".
More recently, we have sourced quality bulls from the Dubbo National Sales to support our breeding program.
Shorthorn cattle are well suited to our region and the resulting marbled carcass weights are a standout. This type is an excellent alternative and we place a strong emphasis on colour, breeding deep reds and beautiful roans.
“Every day that we set foot in the paddock our aim is the same – to improve sustainability, uphold our diversity and care for our animals in the best way possible.”
Building Sustainability
Goolgumbla has evolved during the past 20 years to become a diverse and self-sustaining operation.