Narra Tarra Homestead & Outbuildings

Statement of Significance

The Narra Tarra Homestead and Outbuildings have considerable historic significance as one of the five original
pastoral leases in the district. The place has further historic value for its close association with three generations of
the family of Joseph Green and John Mills. The property and its various buildings and structures, including the
cemetery, is indicative of the large pastoral leases of the 1850s and 1860s preceding the closer agricultural
settlement at the turn of the century. Narra Tarra Homestead and Outbuildings has aesthetic value for its
picturesque setting, use of local stone and high integrity. This is a fairly complete collection of buildings which
illustrates the varied aspects of the running of homestead pastoral properties and the transition to agricultural use.

Physical Description

The Narra Tarra Homestead Precinct includes the stone ruins of the original homestead, the current homestead, a
series of outbuildings (kitchen/dining building, store/workers' quarters, ruins of dairy and creamery) and a shearing
shed. Some outbuildings have been demolished or have fallen down. Remnant ruins of an old shepherd's hut are
situated near the shearing shed. Stone ruins of the original homestead are located on low ground to the west of the
current house closer to the East Chapman River, which was flood prone.
A small walled cemetery is located on Victoria Location 873, to the north east of the Homestead Precinct but is
owned separately and is actually located within the City of Geraldton-Greenough’s municipal boundaries.
Homestead: Set in an elevated location the building is surrounded by gardens and a steel post and mesh fence and
the adjacent is the Kitchen/Dining Room building which are connected by covered walkway. The large single storey
homestead has been extended and modified over time to accommodate its continued use. The walls of the original
section of the homestead are rendered and painted stone, mostly featuring a smooth ashlar finish. Quoining to the
corners and around openings has since been rendered. The current hipped concrete tiled roof has replaced earlier
pressed tin tiles which in turn replaced a corrugated iron roof prior to that. The roof extends over the verandah to
the west elevation and is supported on square timber posts. Old photographs of the homestead reveal that the
original roof was constructed of shingles with thatching/rush to the verandahs. The original plan comprised two
front rooms and hall with three rooms behind to which the dining room and the current kitchen were added. The
current kitchen was a bedroom when first added, as meals were prepared and eaten in the external kitchen. The fire
place and chimney were removed from the east end of the front bedroom and additional bedrooms of painted brick
construction were later added at the rear. The feature bay windows to the west elevation have tapering walls below
sill level and project onto the front verandah, being a later modification. The homestead features a cellar.
Kitchen/Dining Room: Located immediately to the rear (east) of the homestead, this tall stone building has a steeply
pitched corrugated iron roof, hipped to the north and gabled to the south and punctuated by two corbelled brick
chimneys. Red brick quoining to openings has been painted, or lime-washed, over in part. The southern elevation
comprises asbestos sheeting to the end wall. Internally some rooms feature boarded timber ceilings.
Store/Worker's Quarters: Located to the east of the Kitchen/Dining Room, this stone building has a corrugated iron
hipped roof which extends to cover partly enclosed surrounding verandahs supported on timber posts. There is a
carport to the southern side. The building features extra wide doorways suggesting some specific use.
Shearing Shed: Located to the east of the Homestead Precinct, the original stone building has a corrugated iron roof.
Several corrugated iron timber additions have been added to the building over the years and obscure much of the
original inner structure, although they are currently in various stages of collapse. A more modern shearing shed is
located immediately to the west.

History

Mr Joseph Green first came to the Victoria District in 1850 as a carter of goods from the Avon and Swan districts. He
took up the lease of Narra Tarra, approximately 10 miles from Geraldton adjacent to the junction of the East and
Upper Chapman Rivers, where he built a home for his family. The Narra Tarra lease was originally a large holding of
100 000 acres stretching as far as Mt Erin. The property has since been greatly subdivided, the bulk of the
subdivision taking place in 1910.
Joseph Green's daughter, Caroline, married Mr John Mills in 1857. John Mills was a mounted constable who came to
Champion Bay from Essex in 1855. The couple took over from Joseph Green in running Narra Tarra (Their
granddaughter, Beryl Mills, became the first Miss Australia in 1926). One of their sons, Frank Mills, carried on
managing the property until 1899 when, owing to financial difficulties, he was forced to sell Narra Tarra to Mr
Samuel Lockier Burges from Bowes for the sum of 12 000 pounds.
Sam Burges, who married Bertha Mills - the daughter of John and Caroline Mills, was the first man in the district to
own a car – a 1905 model Ford, and also the first local to own a tractor, a steam Fowler traction engine. Sam Burges,
who became a Justice of the Peace, was noted for growing large areas of wheat with the use of machinery. A costly
privy Council law suit over Willi Gulli Station near Northampton and expensive living which included the upkeep of a
houseboat on the Thames in London are said to have impoverished Burges. Consequently, in 1909 Burges was forced
to sell Narra Tarra to the government, after which it was subdivided into blocks of approximately 2,500 acres and
sold to the new wave of settlement farmers coming into the district.
The new owner of the homestead, now located on Narra Tarra Estate Lot 11, was Mr James Mitchell (later Sir James
Mitchell). In 1925 the property came into the hands of Mr Frank Green, a well known merchant and store owner of
Geraldton, and his son Eldred. Frank Green endeavoured to repurchase land from the original Narra Tarra lease as
surrounding farmers went broke during the depression and other lean periods.
The property also included a private cemetery situated on the banks of the East Chapman River. The cemetery
contains the graves of several members of the families who at different stages owned the Narra Tarra property.
Those buried there include John Mills, buried in 1900, and his infant son (18 months) buried in 1874. A further grave
marks the burial place of another infant, Firebrace Darlot, buried in 1888.
A `half time' school, named the Narra Tarra School, was opened at the turn of century to compliment the one
operating at Nabawa. Although the school has the same name as the pastoral property it was actually located near
the Nanson townsite. Incidentally, Narra Tarra is also the name of a mine site situated to the north west of Nanson.
This mine is also referred to as the Protheroe Mine after the name of the townsite which emerged there.
During World War II there were four Italian prisoners of war, captured in Egypt, sent to work at Narra Tarra.
Joshuah Mills, a second son of John Mills, acquired part of the original Narra Tarra lease. In turn, his son J. Stuart
Mills, took over the farm and it then operated as J S Mills and Son.
The original Narra Tarra lease consisted of undulating countryside, including some first class agricultural land which
was ideal for wool growing. Over the years wool (Merino) and cattle (Aberdeen Angus) have been bred on the
property. Barley and oats have been grown at times to supplement the low price of wool. The current homestead is
actually the second one built on the property. The first homestead, a simple stone cottage situated on the banks of
the East Chapman River was flooded. Consequently, a second and more substantial house was built on higher
ground. Narra Tarra, an aboriginal word, is widely held to mean `Hill Camp', although it has also been translated as
`Where the two waters meet'. Narra Tarra is mentioned in Randolf Stowe's Novel Merry-go-round in the Sea.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: Medium

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.