Local Government
Woodanilling
Region
Great Southern
There no heritage location found in the Google fusion table.
Location
Robinson Rd Woodanilling
Location Details
Construction Date
Demolition Year
N/AStatutory 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 |
|
Statement of Significance
The site is significant for its association with the Great Southern Railway and with the
development of transport and communication.
Physical Description
The site is west of the Station and Goods shed sites, near the junction of Robinson Road
(west). Nothing remains as remnants to identify the specific site but it is believed to be
on the railway reserve to the east of the current CBH weighbridge.
History
The construction of the Great Southern Railway in 1884 brought with it a siding built at
Round Pool.
Woodanilling town's first permanent settler was railway ganger, Harry Stevens, who
arrived in late 1892, to be joined by his wife Emily Jane and young daughter Lucy Jane
on New Year's Day 1893.
Harry Stevens was the son of a brickyard proprietor at Plumton, England. His mother
died when he was of tender years. Harry was an adventurous young man and served in
the English Army for a period. He was attached to the famous Husaar Regiment as a
trooper and saw service in Ireland during those troubled years. Stevens sailed from
England aboard the 'Otago' in March 1886 and during the 11 weeks of the voyage fell in
love with Emily Jane whom he married when he arrived in the colony. He joined the WA
Volunteer Force, known as the Guildford Guards, a military unit under Major Gairdner.
The Gold rush around Southern Cross lured Stevens there, but he found the conditions
were unsuitable for raising a family so he accepted the position in the railways as a fettler
at Popanyinning and was later transferred to Woodanilling.
Harry and Emily Stevens' daughter had been born on a hot February day in 1888 at
Highgate. So hot was the day that the neighbours cut bushes and placed them on the iron
roof in an endeavour to make the house a little cooler.
Their first house at Woodanilling was a humpy which had been occupied by the previous
ganger named Nete. The 'house' had a tin roof with hessian wall and was situated on the
west side of the railway just north of the goods shed and station. The humpy was alive
with bugs, daughter Lucy recalled later.
Stevens built a wattle and daub house and the family lived in this before shifting into the
newly constructed station house.
Integrity/Authenticity
site only
References
| Ref ID No | Ref Name | Ref Source | Ref Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Bird, "Round Pool to Woodanilling", p 151 | 1985 | ||
| Photos 7/21 |
Place Type
Historic Site
Uses
| Epoch | General | Specific |
|---|---|---|
| Original Use | Transport\Communications | Rail: Housing or Quarters |
Historic Themes
| General | Specific |
|---|---|
| TRANSPORT & COMMUNICATIONS | Rail & light rail transport |
Creation Date
03 Nov 2004Publish place record online (inHerit):
ApprovedLast Update
01 Jan 2017Disclaimer
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.