Gascoyne Research Station

Statement of Significance

Aesthetic Value – Gascoyne Research Station forms a spacious rural cultural landscape combining low-key vernacular architecture with an understated tropical setting.
Historic Value – Gascoyne Research Station is illustrative of State Government support for land settlement and agricultural advancement, with various schemes developed since the late 1880s to improve farming conditions and encourage people to take up agricultural land.
Historic Value – Gascoyne Research Station is significant for its role in the ongoing development of tropical agriculture in the Gascoyne district, which is one of the region’s major industries.
Historic Value – Gascoyne Research Station has been associated with the Western Australian Department of Agriculture and its officers since establishment in 1940.
Research Value - Gascoyne Research Station has scientific value for its role as a research station specialising in tropical agriculture, which undertook research to facilitate botanical understanding and horticulture development of the Gascoyne region, in particular with regards to irrigation.
Social Value – Gascoyne Research Station is valued by the farmers of the Gascoyne district of its association with the establishment of tropical agriculture in the region, and has value for Departmental employees who have worked and lived there since its establishment in 1940.
Social Value – Gascoyne Research Station contributes to a sense of place for the local community in its central position with the Gascoyne River settlement.
Rarity – Gascoyne Research Station is rare as the only research station in Western Australia to specialise in horticulture for the northwest, and one of only two established in the State for research into tropical agriculture.
Representativeness – Gascoyne Research Station is a good representative example of an agricultural research station of the World War Two and immediate post World War Two period with only minimal adaptation for the tropical climate, and demonstrates a way of work and life for employees at the place.

Physical Description

Gascoyne Research Station, comprising an office, eleven employee dwellings, packing shed, tractor shed, workshop, nursery, water tanks, outbuildings and trial plots of various plantings first established in 1940.

History

Gascoyne Research Station comprises an office, eleven employee dwellings, packing shed, tractor shed, workshop, nursery, water tanks, outbuildings and trial plots of various tropical agricultural plantings established since 1940. After World War One, agriculture was promoted in Carnarvon under the Soldier Settlement Scheme and a subdivision for tropical agriculture was established along the Gascoyne River. In 1922, the Secretary of the North West requested 30 acres of the subdivision be set aside as an experimental plot. By the late 1920s, some banana plantations had been established and there was market gardening of tomatoes and beans by Yugoslav, Italian and Czechoslovakian migrants who were drawn to the area. In 1935 bananas and pineapples, with beans as a cash crop, were giving encouraging results, and a variety of other tropical and subtropical crops such as citrus, grapes, papaya, passionfruit, tomatoes and Lucerne were being produced. Gascoyne Research Station was established in 1940 with the aim to ‘further the development and ultimate settlement of the North-West of Western Australia’. A house (House 2) was constructed at the Station by builder Ken Illingworth and was occupied by Bert Day and his wife in September 1940. Irrigation was provided by sinking a cement well casing 27 feet into the River bed to tap the subsurface waters in the river sands. The work at Gascoyne Research Station predominately involved test trials for irrigation routines, pest and disease control, weed control, fertiliser performance, and the performance of different varieties under varied conditions. The intent of the research was to investigate anything that could potentially enhance production, efficiency and cost control in local plantations. In 1974, Gascoyne Research Station acquired adjoining land (House 10) to expand their operations and various sheds were added to house machinery, workshops and a nursery. In 1983, the office building was extended and the Department of Agriculture began focusing on environment and soil conservation. Gascoyne Research Station continues to operate as a research facility for tropical fruits and vegetables, as well as the centre of Department of Agriculture operations for the district.

Integrity/Authenticity

High/High

Condition

Good

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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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.