Chauncy's Cairn

Statement of Significance

Chauncy’s Cairn, a stone cairn built around a timber post, has cultural heritage significance for the following
reasons:
• the place has the oldest known surviving road survey marker in Western Australia;
• the place, constructed in 1846, forms part of an early public works programme which was developed to
improve colonial roads and is associated with Assistant Surveyor Philip Chauncy;
• the place is a representative example of the type of survey cairn constructed throughout Western
Australia during the nineteenth century; and,
• the place is a prominent landmark on the flat granite outcrop.

Physical Description

DESCRIPTION
Chauncy’s Cairn is a granite cairn built around a timber post set on a large granite outcrop.
The Cairn stands in isolated bush in the Mundaring Weir Water Catchment area. Access to the site is along a
power line track (which runs off Flynn Road, Chidlow). The cairn is situated approximately 200 metres to the
south of this track, on a flat granite ledge which lies at the south western edge of a laterite ridge. The ledge
provides panoramic views across Wariin Brook valley and to distant Mt Dale. The surrounding bush is
dominated by wandoo trees (Eucalyptus wandoo) with isolated jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) and marri
(Eucalyptus calophylla) trees together with associated understorey plants such as xanthorrhoea preissii, acacia
pulchella, acacia drumondii, hibbertia hypericoides, grevillea bipinnatifida and kennedia coccinea.
The cairn is formed from loose granite rocks which have been roughly placed to form a conical pile
approximately 900 mm high. Larger rocks form the base, rising to gradually smaller rocks as the pile reaches
the top. Given the nature of the granite rock in the vicinity of the pile, the rocks were gathered from the granite
ledge. A round timber post has been inserted vertically into this pile and extends 800 mm above the rock pile.
The post has a diameter of approximately 130 mm. The full length of the post is not known.
Concealed within the cairn is a glass jar with a plastic lid. The jar was placed there by Ian Elliot on his
rediscovery of the cairn in 1974 and contains two pieces of paper. One of the pages is a photocopy of
Chauncy’s original field book entry and notes the date of rediscovery by Elliot. Persons visiting the site have
recorded their names and date of visit on this page and on the second page which was added once the first page
was filled.

History

Assessment 2004
Construction 1846
Architect/designer & builder: Philip Chauncy
Road.
Philip La Mothe Snell Chauncy, a government surveyor, was employed to survey the route between Guildford
and York in 1846. His task was to survey the route that had been initially laid down by Dale in 1831, with later
alterations by George Smythe in 1835.
Chauncy altered the line of the road slightly near Greenmount and diverted slightly to the north near Sawyers
Valley, but essentially his route followed the laid down by Dale and Smythe. Approximately three miles to the
east of Halfway House he climbed Ngangaguringguring Hill to get a view of Mt Dale which he was using as a
survey point. It was on this hill that he erected his survey cairn of rocks with a white gum post. He then
continued his eastward journey to York moving slightly to the south in places of the established route to York.
Chauncy’s new route was not popular with the settlers as it passed through several sandy patches and over
several small gullies. The settlers preferred a route slightly to the north which passed on the northern side of
Lake Manaring, rather to the south. Pleas to the government went unheard until the settlers took their own
action by constructing a new route which passed to the north of Lake Manaring. Eventually the government
relented and this more northerly route was officially adopted in 1850. Chauncy’s line to the south was
abandoned and was gradually forgotten.
The survey cairn on top of Ngangaguringguring Hill fell into disuse until re-discovered by Ian Elliot in 1974.
Chauncy’s Cairn was placed on the Shire of Mundaring’s Municipal Inventory in April 1997.
Despite the presence of a number of survey cairns in various parts of Western Australia, Chauncy’s survey cairn
appears to be the oldest surviving cairn and possibly the only road survey cairn remaining in Western Australia.

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.