| The younger Thomas was adventurous and by July 1874, for a short period he left working on Maroon to become a miner in the harsh [[wp>Palmer_River#Palmer_goldfields|Palmer River goldfields]]. It is not for nothing that an account of life on the Palmer goldfields was entitled 'shattered dreams'.((Gordon Grimwade and Christine Grimwade, 'Shattered dreams: Recollections of the Palmer Goldrush 1874-1875', //Queensland History Journal// | The younger Thomas was adventurous and by July 1874, for a short period he left working on Maroon to become a miner in the harsh [[wp>Palmer_River#Palmer_goldfields|Palmer River goldfields]]. It is not for nothing that an account of life on the Palmer goldfields was entitled 'shattered dreams'.((Gordon Grimwade and Christine Grimwade, 'Shattered dreams: Recollections of the Palmer Goldrush 1874-1875', //Queensland History Journal//23:7, November 2017.)) In the young Thomas' case, he contacted 'gulf fever' (typhoid or malaria) and nearly died.((Jane Black (compiled), North Queensland Pioneers, Country Women's Association, Townsville, ?1932.)) His brother Morres wrote in a [[letter]] that, after Thomas returned from the Palmer in ill-health, he remained on Maroon while Morres had to leave, presumably because the property could not support them both. \\ |
| In later life Thomas, like his father, bought a considerable amount of property in Queensland: Darbyshire lists nine purchases between March 1877 and January 1881, at Melcombe (Maroon), Telemon((//The Brisbane Courier//, 8 October 1873, cited in Darbyshire, described it as 640 acres of second class pastoral land)) and Mogill.((Andrew Darbyshire, 'A Fair Slice of St Lucia', p.123)) At some stage Thomas de M. M-P owned, with his brother Hugh, Annie Vale station.((D. Waterson, //A Biographical Register of the Queensland Parliament 1860-1929//, Canberra: ANU Press, 1972, p.135.)) In 1880, he was listed as being at Moonbago, South Kennedy, Bully Creek.((H. Mortimer Franklyn, A glance at Australia in 1880, p. xlvii.)) At the time of his father's death, in 1892, he was in partnership with his father running a property 'Bullywallah' (or Bulliwallah), Bulli Creek south-west of [[wp>Charters_Towers|Charters Towers]], Queensland - another M-P property, Aberfoyle, was due west, across the dividing range.((Andrew Darbyshire, A Fair Slice of St Lucia. Thomas Lodge Murray-Prior, St Lucia History Group research paper no. 8, p.77 map)) Possibly Moonbago was part of this property. It would be interesting to discover if he named the property with its distinctive Anglo-Indian name of 'wallah' (Bullywallah: an inhabitant of Bulli). One source states that, after some years, Thomas de M. M-P. bought his father out to become sole owner of the property. On his father's death, he returned to Maroon.((D. Waterson, //A Biographical Register of the Queensland Parliament 1860-1929//, Canberra: ANU Press, 1972, p.135.)) As there is no mention of Maroon in TLM-P's will, and T de M M-P was left the smallest legacy of any of his father's children (£1,000)((Judgement re T.L. M-P Trust, 11 Otober 1905, schedule 15. J. Godden's copy.)) the assumption is that his inheritance was secured (like much of that of his sister Rosa) before his father's death. A New Zealand paper reported that Thomas de. M. M-P, at the time of his death, owned Aberfoyle station, previously owned by his father and brother-in-law John Jardine; after he died the property was sold by his executors.((//Otago Witness//, 3 May 1905, p.8; //The Pastoralists' review : a journal and record of all matters affecting the pastoral and agricultural interests throughout Australasia//,15:2 (15 April 1905) p.76.))\\ | In later life Thomas, like his father, bought a considerable amount of property in Queensland: Darbyshire lists nine purchases between March 1877 and January 1881, at Melcombe (Maroon), Telemon((//The Brisbane Courier//, 8 October 1873, cited in Darbyshire, described it as 640 acres of second class pastoral land)) and Mogill.((Andrew Darbyshire, 'A Fair Slice of St Lucia', p.123)) At some stage Thomas de M. M-P owned, with his brother Hugh, Annie Vale station.((D. Waterson, //A Biographical Register of the Queensland Parliament 1860-1929//, Canberra: ANU Press, 1972, p.135.)) In 1880, he was listed as being at Moonbago, South Kennedy, Bully Creek.((H. Mortimer Franklyn, A glance at Australia in 1880, p. xlvii.)) At the time of his father's death, in 1892, he was in partnership with his father running a property 'Bullywallah' (or Bulliwallah), Bulli Creek south-west of [[wp>Charters_Towers|Charters Towers]], Queensland - another M-P property, Aberfoyle, was due west, across the dividing range.((Andrew Darbyshire, A Fair Slice of St Lucia. Thomas Lodge Murray-Prior, St Lucia History Group research paper no. 8, p.77 map)) Possibly Moonbago was part of this property. It would be interesting to discover if he named the property with its distinctive Anglo-Indian name of 'wallah' (Bullywallah: an inhabitant of Bulli). One source states that, after some years, Thomas de M. M-P. bought his father out to become sole owner of the property. On his father's death, he returned to Maroon.((D. Waterson, //A Biographical Register of the Queensland Parliament 1860-1929//, Canberra: ANU Press, 1972, p.135.)) As there is no mention of Maroon in TLM-P's will, and T de M M-P was left the smallest legacy of any of his father's children (£1,000)((Judgement re T.L. M-P Trust, 11 Otober 1905, schedule 15. J. Godden's copy.)) the assumption is that his inheritance was secured (like much of that of his sister Rosa) before his father's death. A New Zealand paper reported that Thomas de. M. M-P, at the time of his death, owned Aberfoyle station, previously owned by his father and brother-in-law John Jardine; after he died the property was sold by his executors.((//Otago Witness//, 3 May 1905, p.8; //The Pastoralists' review : a journal and record of all matters affecting the pastoral and agricultural interests throughout Australasia//,15:2 (15 April 1905) p.76.))\\ |