Left: The Troffs wheat silos. Right: Location of The Troffs homestead.
‘The Troffs’ is a locality which falls midway between Gobondery Springs and Trundle Lagoon. It was named after a large flat rock in which there was a depression shaped similarly to a watering trough.
The Troffs Run was first taken up by William Cummings in 1864. The run consisted of 64,000 acres. Cummings forfeited the lease, and it was purchased by Thomas Redfern Watt. The run now covered 100,000 acres. Other owners of ‘The Troffs’ include Webster and Laidley, the Hutton Bros, the Daryan Bros, the Hunts and the Burkes.
Like other large stations, selecting a portion of land allowed other families to live and work on their own property. Sections of ‘The Troffs’ were portioned to F.W. Gibson “Plevna”; Frank Atkinson “Glenrock” and brothers James and Daniel Crowley who created “Cardungle” and “Moira” respectively.
The Troffs Hotel may have been the first shanty in Trundle district. Owned by a man called Spargo, it passed into the hands of Thomas Riley before the licence was taken over by Honora Moloney. Honora transferred the licence to the newly erected Trundle Hotel.
The Trundle Star mentions the absolutely virgin forest of ‘The Troffs’, with the silence being almost oppressive. However, The Troffs did become more populated and additions such as a railway station, a cricket team and a school were added. The school was called “Eastella” (1926-1932; 1937-1940).
‘The Troffs’ was home to the Burke family. Sisters Maureen Bell and Bernadette Boneham came into Parkes Library to share memories and photographs of The Troffs. Some of their memories include catching “the little green beetle” school bus from Kadungle taking them to St Pats in Trundle; the Rawleigh’s man; and the party line on the home telephone.
By Dan Fredericks
(This is an abridged version from Parkes Library’s blog www.historyparkes.org)