Ngatta Pool Buildings, Boolardy Station

Statement of Significance

The Ngatta Pool buildings have high historic significance for their association with the Pool, the discovery of the area and with John Perks and the Wittenoom family. The usage of one of the buildings for early Roads Board meetings over a period of 30 years enhances the historic significance of the place considerable. The buildings are a good example of an early shearing shed and are evidence of the use of local materials.

Physical Description

Located approximately 10 kms west-north-west of Boolardy Homestead and adjacent to the picturesque Ngatt Pool, the group of building includes the shearers' kitchen and adjoining dining room, quarters for the shearers, cook and overseer as well as a shearing shed and yards. The main group of buildings is positioned in a row running roughly north- south. Walls are a combination of local stone and corrugated iron with either hipped or gabled corrugated iron roofs. The kitchen building features a rear wing with a curved CGI roof, this being the work of Alf Couch. The southern most building features a verandah to two elevations supported on mulga posts. The buildings are still in fair condition.
The corrugated iron shearing shed, with mulga timbers, was used until recent years. It was extended and partly reconstructed in 1910. The shearing shed, c1880's, is about a hundred and fifty feet long and varies in width from thirty five feet over the boards and pens to fifty feet over the wool room. The eastern, or pen, end is partly bush timber with mulga posts and rafters while the remainder is all sawn timber. The building suffered considerable damage from a recent willy willy and remains in a partly collapsed state.

History

Ngatta Pool on the Moucher Creek which feeds into the Roderick River was discovered by John Perks in 1873. The following year perks and E Wittenoom took up leases there which became known as Boolardy Stattion. (See place no. 3) The shearing shed, known as the Bottom Shed, was built on the banks of the pool in the 1880's however it was decided to build the Boolardy Homestead on the present site. The shed which had been rebuilt several times, once housed 20 stands, firstly blade shears and then later a conversion was made to machine. In 1926 a second shearing shed was built north of the homestead which is known as the Top Shed. Eight of the machine stands along with the steam engine were moved to the new shed. For approximately 30 years, from prior to WWI until the following of the end of WWII, one of the buildings at Ngatta Pool group was utilised as the meeting place for the Murchison Roads Board. The meetings were conducted around a large table with long benches on either side. (Source RFB Lefroy, Comments on the Shire of Murchison Municipal Inventory).

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: High

Condition

Shearing Shed- Poor. Others- Fair

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update

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.