A broken plough in 1876 unlocked previously unviable farmland
Richard and Clarence Smith's accidental invention in 1876 let farmers till scrubland, unlocking 285,670 acres for purchase in a single year.
A blacksmith named Richard Smith broke his plough while working a paddock and realised something brilliant: if the plough could move up and down, it could ride over tree stumps instead of breaking. Richard and his brother Clarence refined the idea and showed it at the Moonta Agricultural Show on 6 November 1876.
The stump-jump plough had hinged shears that let farmers till rough land without removing stumps. Before the invention, scrubland was almost impossible to farm.
When land was leased, nearly all of it was abandoned. As the plough caught on, 285,670 acres were purchased in 1881 alone.
Clarence opened a factory in Ardrossan that employed up to 130 people and sold ploughs across the country. The invention is now honoured on a commemorative coin from the Royal Australian Mint.
- 285,670 acres in 1881
- Acres purchased in one year
- November 6, 1876
- Show date
- Up to 130 people
- Factory workers employed
- Ardrossan
- Factory location
Why it mattersA simple mechanical innovation solved a real farming problem and opened vast areas to agriculture, turning unusable land valuable.
AustraliaThe stump-jump plough is a piece of Australian farming history; today its principle still guides how tractors till difficult ground.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 13 h ago
