Original Warambie Station - site of

Statement of Significance

Inthanoona Station Homestead Group is very significant historically as having physical evidence for the establishment of an early pastoral station in the Northwest, and for having the artistic depictions of those events by Aboriginal people in a substantial rock art gallery adjacent to the station. This type of rock art site is extremely rare for the region and the nation. Importantly, the station remains include the ruins of the homestead group as well as the unique stone yards in a double circular form revealing innovations by early sheep famers. The material remains represent a significant location for research in terms of early stations and cultural contact, particularly the Aboriginal contribution to the pastoral industry.

Physical Description

The Inthanoona Station Homestead Group (fmr) is located in a pool in the Jones River. The complex includes the archaeological remains of the former station homestead and associated structures on the northern banks of the river, and the stockyards, woolshed, Aboriginal camp and rock art gallery on the southern bank. In the river bed are substantial remains of stone walls presumably designed to control the flow of water and passage of stock. The rock art includes a significant number of historical motifs depicting the station residents, animals and activities and represents one of the most significant assemblages of contact rock art in the nation.

History

The Inthanoona pastoral station was one of the earliest in the Northwest, being established by Samuel Viveash, who travelled overland to the region with other early pastoralists Wilksonson and Middleton in 1865. He remained in partnership for at least two decades. Viveash married Ellen Vittora, the daughter of Seymour Meares, in 1880. 1
The station was established on a pool in the Jones River, with neighbours upstream at Old Woodbrook Station and downstream at Pyramid, Mount Fisher and Sherlock stations. In this early colonial pastoral landscape, Inthanoona appears to have been a smaller player, although two separate leases (the other being Tambrey) were used in combination for stock agistment.
Viveash and colleagues were also active in the early pearling industry, building one of the first vessels in the Pilbara, a small pearling vessel named Amateur. Aboriginal people at Inthanoona appear to have worked the pearling fleet, as suggested by rock art images of seven boats at Inthanoona, including one showing a person diving/hanging under a boat.
The cross-cultural nature of Inthanoona station is revealed most strongly in rock art. Historical sources also reveal the presence of Aboriginal people, including three decades after the station was established.2
The property was amalgamated with Tambrey Station in the late 19th century, as indicted in an 1896 newspaper article describing a bankruptcy hearing for Samuel Henry Viveash that stated: “there is no Innanuna now; it had been sold”.
Today the site is part of Warambie station, a small property on 70,000 hectares on the Jones and George Rivers. Five kilometres from the present homestead are the remains of the original homestead. The Sambell family purchased it from the Stove family in 1980.

Archaeology

Homestead remains
The building remains are largely reduced to foundations and collapsed stone walls and associated surface deposits of cultural materials. The spatial organisation of the station is clearly demonstrated in the archaeological record.
The innovations in yard construction, and the stone structures in the Jones River, reveal a substantial amount of labour. The yards are, like many early yards in the region, unique in design and reveal vernacular yard construction.
Rock art and historical engravings
The site was clearly a focus for Aboriginal occupation well prior to the arrival of Viveash and company, as suggested by archaeological remains of camps and the rock art at the site.
The historical corpus of rock art is extraordinary, being well executed and preserved and of a scale that is very rare in Australia. The rock art shows people, clothing, boats, animals, pastoral activities, hunting and shorting. There are also names depicted at the station including that of Meares (Ellen Viveash’s family name).
The engravings site is a Registered Aboriginal Site (DAA site ID 7975, Warambie Engraving).

Integrity/Authenticity

Much of the original building material and fences has been removed. The rock art is in excellent condition.

Condition

Ruins

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.