Hunt's Wells Group

Child Places

• 17557 Naraline Well (Well No.3)
• 17566 Woolubar Dam
• 17562 Burrancopping Well (Well No. 9)
• 17564 Yerdanie Well (Well No.21)
• 17573 Slate Well Soak (Well No. 24)
• 13523 Railway Dam, Merredin
• 17574 Slate Tank (Well No.24)
• 27208 Hunt's Slate Well
• 17559 Dodolokine Well (Well No.5)
• 00556 Gnarlbine Soaks (Well No.22)
• 17561 Totadgin Well (Well No.7)
• 10075 Moorine Rock and Well No. 11
• 10072 Caroling Rocks Dam No. 16
• 17558 Maranobbing Well (Well No.4)
• 17571 Boorabbin Well (Well No. 18)
• 17560 Metchering Well (Well No.6)
• 17570 Karramindie Soak (14 Mile Rocks Soak)
• 17568 Duladgin Rock
• 17576 White Peaks Tank (Saddle Hills) (Well No.26)
• 17572 Warngangering Dam (Well No.20)
• 17567 Tin Hill
• 17563 Granite Hill Well (Well No. 19)
• 17553 Youngdegin Well (Well No.1)
• 17575 Stoney Hill Tanks (Well No.25)
• 17565 Horse Rocks Well (Well No.23)
• 10078 Kodjerning Rock and Well No. 13
• 10062 Karalee Reservoir, Rock Catchment & Aqueduct
• 10074 Koorkoordine Soak (Well) No 14
• 10076 Quardagin Well
• 10071 Boodalin Well (Yarkarakine - Bodallin) Well No.10
• 10073 Keokanie No. 12 Well
• 17577 Mt Monger (Well: reserve 18052)
• 17569 Wongi Dam (Hunts Old Dam at Wongi)
• 10077 Weowanie Rock & Well No. 15

Statement of Significance

Hunt’s Wells Group, a discontiguous precinct of 16 wells, dams and tanks established in 1865-1866 between Cunderdin and Kalgoorlie, has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons:
The group represents a significant technical achievement of the early Swan River Colony, a rare and cohesive group of water sources established through the efforts of surveyors, colonists, convicts and Aboriginal guides with the aim of establishing a pastoral track into the State’s interior.
The group, initially considered a failure in terms of spreading British settlement to the interior, later formed the basis of the earliest route used by early prospectors to the Eastern Goldfields, and influenced the location of later infrastructure projects such as the Eastern railway line and the Goldfields Water Supply Scheme.
The group demonstrates the complex relationship between the British colonists and the Aboriginal groups of Western Australia, with the explorers both relying on, and coming into conflict with, Aboriginal groups while adapting traditional Aboriginal water sources into British forms.
The group is associated with explorer and surveyor Charles Cooke Hunt, and is associated with Aboriginal guides Kowitch, George Mundale and Tommy Windich, whose expertise in navigation, bushcraft and languages assisted multiple British explorations.
The group demonstrates the nature of British exploration, with Hunt penetrating deeper into the interior through building off previous journeys by himself and other explorers, with his own journeys used by later explorers to facilitate further expeditions.

Values

The construction of the line of wells in the 1860s represents one of the earliest significant developments of groundwater sources in the Eastern goldfields district;

The wells were important, reliable sources of water for Indigenous people and for Europeans after 1864, demonstrating the different approaches to water storage and water management;

The wells are associated with the forced labour of the Western Australian convict system between 1850 and 1868;

The wells are associated with explorers Charles Hunt and Henry Lefroy, as well as Indigenous guides Kowitch, George Mendail and Tommy Windich; and,

The wells are valued by local and wider communities for their associations with the expansion of European development

Physical Description

Hunt’s Wells Group consists of the following 16 water sources (of an original total of 25) established by Hunt between 1864-1866:
• P17553 Youndegin Well (Well No. 1)
• P17558 Maranobbing Well (Well No. 4)
• P17559 Dodolokine Well (Well No. 5)
• P17561 Totadgin Well (Well No. 7)
• P17562 Burrancopping Well (Well No. 9)
• P10071 Boodalin Well (Yarkarakine – Bodallin) Well No. 10
• P10075 Moorine Rock and Well No. 11
• P10078 Kodjerning Rock and Well No. 13
• P10074 Koorkoordine Soak (Well) No 14
• P10077 Weowanie Rock & Well No. 15
• P10062 Karalee Reservoir, Rock Catchment & Aqueduct (RHP): Hunt’s Dam is present at this site
• P10076 Quardagin Well: Well no. 17
• P17564 Yerdanie Well (Well No. 21)
• P556 Gnarlbine Soaks (Well No. 22) (RHP)
• P17565 Horse Rocks Well (Well No. 23)
• P17575 Stoney Hill Tanks (Well No. 25)

The water sources are spread along the historic course of the Goldfields Road between Cunderdin and Kalgoorlie. They include wells, stone lined circular shafts; dams, earth embankments or depressions capturing a water flow that was faced on one or more sides with stone; and tanks, earth embankments or depressions capturing a water source with no masonry. These definitions are not absolute as Hunt appears to have used them interchangeably.

The water sources therefore have a variety of shapes and sizes, and while a small number are intact many others have been physically impacted by development, destruction or attempts at conservation. As a collective group, these wells physically demonstrate the water sources used by Aboriginal people, the construction method used by Hunt, and the development of subsequent water sources along the route to the Goldfields after 1890.

History

Hunt’s Wells were established by an exploration team of surveyors, Aboriginal people and convicts led by Charles Cooke Hunt. The wells were created as the basis of a track leading into the state’s interior, one of the earliest water infrastructure projects of its type in the colony. While Hunt viewed the explorations as a failure, his wells formed the basis for the route between Northam and the goldfields, and were essential to the Gold Boom of the 1890s.

After European settlement of Western Australia after 1829, agricultural settlements had expanded inland to York by 1836. However little attention was paid to the interior, given the dry conditions and poor farming conditions. In 1862 Henry Lefroy was tasked with making an exploration north and east of York to find new areas for grazing, accompanied by ‘one settler, a policeman, a native and a prisoner.’ Lefroy reported several areas of ‘exceedingly promising character, as to both agricultural and pastoral purposes.’

As a result of this expedition, Charles C Hunt was appointed the head of another expedition in 1864, accompanied by R Hardey, Robinson, Kowitch (the Indigenous guide who accompanied Lefroy’s party) and ‘another native.’ Relying on an Indigenous guide to find water in the arid interior and find the best travel routes was a common practise of early European explorers, including Moore, Drummond, Gregory, Stirling and Roe. The purpose of Hunt’s expedition was to find the easternmost extent of Lefroy’s exploration and establish a depot to be used as a base station for further explorations. Hunt’s first journey took a total of 34 days, and he succeeded in ‘establishing a good line of watering places, at reasonable stages… available in the driest season of the year.’

This was followed by a second expedition between July to November 1864, aiming to penetrate even further into the unmapped interior ‘with the view of hitting upon some large water course trending E. and W.,’ Hunt did not make any significant additional progress inland during this journey, his movements hampered by a lack of water. However, Hunt did report a large area of grassy plains, and was therefore tasked with a third, longer expedition into the interior, and to clear a route by digging wells.

Hunt’s third party began in January 1865 and consisted of 18 pensioner guards and prisoners, as well as Indigenous guide George Mendail, who had accompanied him on his previous journey. By August Hunt succeeded in establishing a chain of water sources, which provided water for a distance of 300 miles from York. Hunt returned in October, the result of his work leading to calls to open the area (known as the Hampton Downs) to squatters. Of note also was Hunt’s report of Indigenous people in the interior wearing shell from the northern coast, evidence that a chain of communication and trade could connect the two areas.
Hunt embarked on a fourth expedition into the interior in July 1866, departing from York with an exploration team and accompanied by a work party tasked with creating a depot on the Hampton plains. A separate work party under Taylor started from Yangedine with a similar task of creating a depot at the Stony Hill Well. Unfortunately, the lack of water in the area forced Taylor’s team to turn back, leaving Hunt’s teams at Duladgin. Hunt’s progress was similarly halted due to lack of water at Slate Well and was forced to return to Perth in October. Hunt’s fourth expedition trip was notable in that Hunt heard rumours from local Indigenous people of two murdered explorers, which was later hypothsised to be missing Eastern States explorer Leichhardt - a report which would see young government surveyor John Forrest begin his first exploration into the interior. On this journey Hunt was accompanied by Kowitch as well as Tommy Windich, who would similarly act as a guide for Forrest’s expeditions.

Hunt’s health deteriorated after this fourth expedition and worked as a surveyor in Geraldton. However, he became ill in December 1867 and died in March 1868.

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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.