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House Site

Author

Shire of Woodanilling

Place Number

17248
There no heritage location found in the Google fusion table.

Location

Albany Hwy Beaufort River

Location Details

Other Name(s)

Gibb's

Local Government

Woodanilling

Region

Great Southern

Construction Date

Demolition Year

N/A

Statutory Heritage Listings

Type Status Date Documents More information
(no listings)

Heritage Council Decisions and Deliberations

Type Status Date Documents
(no listings)

Other Heritage Listings and Surveys

Type Status Date Grading/Management More information
Category Description
Municipal Inventory Adopted 18 Mar 2003 Category 5

Category 5

Historic Site without built features: recognise, for example with a plaque, place name.

Statement of Significance

The site is important for its connection with the first European settlement of the area and for its association with pioneering families.

Physical Description

The site is on a plateau which rises steeply about 100 metres to the north of the well dug by convicts working on the construction of the Old Sound Road in the mid 1850's. It was known as the 139 mile (being that distance from Perth) and is opposite the Woodanilling turn. A heap of rubble remains to mark the site.

History

The stone hut and other buildings may have been built during the 1950's or a little later. It is possible that this was the first home of William Cornwall and his wife Eliza before the building of the Beaufort Homestead in 1862.

The Gibbs family who were later to become the pioneer settlers at Darkan lived here for a time until 1867. A diary extract from Bishop Hale, Anglican Bishop of Perth on his journey to Albany
states: 23 March 1866: "Dark on arrival at Gibbs 138 mile. All male part of Gibbs family in the bush, but we did very well, slept in hut. Kenworthy (his curate) in hayhouse. Place remarkable for abundance and excellence of water, belongs to Cornwall". 26 April: Return trip: "Left Kojonup 8.30 to reach Gibbs about 2pm. Drizzling rain, after arrival very heavy and constant. Mrs Gibbs asked for a service but no one came. Baptised her child and had prayers.

27 April: "Left at 6.30 without breakfast, Mrs Gibbs made a charge of 17/- for the horses and I gave her 25/- in quittance of all favours, had a good breakfast at Spratt's 124 mile.

Most of the time the Gibbs men spent hunting or helping Cornwall with the shepherding or shearing. The kangaroo skins were taken through to Perth and traded for provisions. Sometime in 1866 or 1867, the Gibbs family moved to Darkan.

The next known occupants of the cottage at the Beaufort were the Hale family. Stephen Hale (with his wife) Emma arrived in the colony in 1842. Hale was bricklayer and potter by trade and later pursued his trade in the district of Guildford for some years. They had a large family but apart from Stephen (jnr) and Owen, they were all daughters. Owen Hale was the original selector of the
Kunmallup Well site (Kojonup Location 93), which was granted on 5 December 1883.

References

Ref ID No Ref Name Ref Source Ref Date
Photos: 7/14-7/18, 8/12-8/15
John Bird, "Round Pool to Woodanilling" pp 16-17, 36-37 1985
"West of the Arthur" ps 16-17, 74-75

Place Type

Historic Site

Uses

Epoch General Specific
Original Use RESIDENTIAL Other

Historic Themes

General Specific
DEMOGRAPHIC SETTLEMENT & MOBILITY Settlements

Creation Date

11 Nov 2004

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Approved

Last Update

01 Jan 2017

Disclaimer

This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.