Life on the Farm at World’s End Creek

Johanna & Anna Duldig
Johanna & Anna Duldig

In 1922 at Worlds End Creek, Hundred of Baldina, Dad (Friedrich) and Mum (Emma) took over the farm from Grandfather (Friedrich) and Grandmother (Louise).  Grandfather and Grandmother retired to Eudunda.  Fred and Emma continued to manage the farm until April, 1941 when they sold it and bought a dairy at Gawler.

At Worlds End Creek, Dad had 500 acres of farm land, wheat, barley, oats, sheep, cows, pigs, chooks, turkeys, etc. There were 5 children and 4 of them were born at the actual homestead. They were Gladys, Melva, Viola and Roma. A son, Kenneth was born at Burra.

The homestead had in the beginning a kitchen, bedroom and cellar off the main building and then in 1924, a new kitchen was built under the main roof. The lighting for the kitchen and dining room was petrol light and candle lights for the bedrooms.

Outbuildings and storage areas included: car shed, implement shed, grain shed, two chaff sheds, blacksmith shop, cow shed, horse stables, fowl shed, shearing shed plus large areas for hay stacks and wood yards etc.

Dad started farming with horses and later on he had a John Deer Tractor which we girls used to drive throughout the harvest. Dad on the Harvester. We girls were only school kids but we did our fair share of the work, carting cocky chaff, stooking hay, helping Mum fill and sew wheat bags, feeding all of the animals, milking the cows, and looking up turkeys up behind our home in the Princess Royal Ranges.

Mum had a huge garden, flowers, vegetables and fruit and we had 21 cows, which we milked by hand – no modern conveniences in those days. We also made butter.

We had to sit on the churn to hold it down while Mum turned the handle. We had severe dust storms and had to have lights on and when floods came down we had to open the kitchen door and let water go through.

Between Heinrich’s and Duldig’s farm was a reservoir where they swam and boated. We caught yabbies which Dad said were big enough to saddle and ride and picked mushrooms which were larger than dinner plates.

We kids started walking the 3 miles to school, then we each got a pony to ride and later on we had a buggy.

Entertainment: We had a billiard table and the relations near and far came to play. Other activities included spot light shooting, tennis, cricket, card evenings and picnics. We attended Church and school
Grandfather Duldig opened the first cricket pitch.

We took sheep and cattle to Burra and Robertstown using horses.