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Charles MullenPrint Page Print this page

18-December-2020
18-December-2020

Photographs supplied by Stephen Warren

The monument commemorates Charles Mullen, a pioneer of the district who developed a system of clearing land known as `mullenising`.  Mullen, one of the earliest settlers in the `Mudla Wirra Forest,` emigrated from Ireland in the 1860`s.

Instead of grubbing out the tree roots, Mullen felled the trees and sowed his crops over and around the stumps working the land with a single furrow plough wherever possible. He then developed the idea of using a V-shaped log which was hitched to a team of horses at the pointed end of the V. This was dragged over the stump-covered field before planting seed by hand. This system of farming in scrub country quickly spread throughout Australia and was known as `mullenising`.

However the process which was repeated annually had a devastating effect on the soil, a problem which was overcome with the introduction of superphosphates in the 1890s. The stump-jump plough was eventually designed to overcome similar problems.

Location

Address:Mudla Wirra Road, Wasleys, 5400
State:SA
Area:AUS
GPS Coordinates:Lat: -34.476122
Long: 138.678411
Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate.
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Details

Monument Type:Monument
Monument Theme:People
Sub-Theme:Settlement

Dedication

Actual Monument Dedication Date:Sunday 7th October, 1973
Front Inscription

Plaque :

This plaque erected to the memory of
Charles Mullen
was unveiled by 
Mr. Tom Casey 
Minister for Agriculture
7th October,1973

Plaque :

Mullenising Is A System Of Farming Introduced
On This Land In The Late 1800s By Charles 
Mullen. Previously Scrub Land Was Cut Down
And Then The Stumps Were Grubbed Out Before
The land Was Cultivated. With Mullenising A 
Forked Log With Spikes Was Used To Cultivate
The Ground Between The Stumps Bringing The
Land Into  Production Much Earlier Than
Previous Methods. The Original Forked Log Worked
Around The Stumps But Became The Forerunner
Of The Stump Jump Implements Used Today.

Source: MA,NRUM
Monument details supplied by Monument Australia - www.monumentaustralia.org.au