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PadthawayPadthaway Station, of 84 square miles, on Mosquito Plains was taken up by Robert Lawson in January 1847. In 1849 he married Eliza Bell and built a substantial stine cottage for her. This was just as well as they were to have 8 children. Sadly two of them died very young. Mary, born on 17 April 1854 died on 27 December 1855 and Anne, born on 14 September 1859 died on 1 December 1860. By 1860 Robert Lawson had expanded his holdings which now amounted to 131 square miles. During the early 1860s several children were born at the station. On 16 February 1863, the wife of Matthew Pollack, who was employed as a horsebreaker, gave birth to a son. A few weeks later Eliza Lawson had a son on 27 March and a son was also born to Donald McLean and his wife on 20 May 1863. The McLeans lived at Lochaber Cottage. In 1866 Padthaway consisted of six leases, 824, 872, 913, 921, 156 and 157. It was large enough to hold 26,500 sheep and 250 head of cattle. After shearing the wool was taken to Robe from where it would be shipped to Adelaide or Melbourne. Robert Lawson died in 1876 at the age of 60. The two-storey homestead was completed in 1882 and remained in the family until 1979. Eliza lived in it until her death in 1913 at the age of 91. Later the leases would be cut up into soldier settler's blocks.
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