Local Government
Woodanilling
Region
Great Southern
There no heritage location found in the Google fusion table.
Location
Burt 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 due to its association with postal communications and also for its
linkage with pioneering families.
Physical Description
The site is north of the railway station and on the east side of Burt Road. The house from
which the 'post office' operated was clad with galvanised iron.
History
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.
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. When a stationmaster was appointed, Stevens
purchased Lot 124, over the railway and built a galvanised iron dwelling. This house was
used as the first Post Office which was operated by Emily Stevens.
Mrs Stevens began her role as postmistress almost by accident. Originally with no
stationmaster, the Woodanilling mail was left at the siding on the edge of the railway
tracks for anybody to puck and sort up. Then Mrs Stevens began picking it up for safety
and to keep it out of the weather and would distribute it from their wattle and daub house.
When they moved to the station house this carried on and when in their new home this
service was officially recognised in September 1902 Mrs Stevens was paid 10/- a week
for her effort.
However, when her daughter Lucy married Richard Wilcox in 1905, Mrs Stevens was
unable to carry on with the Post Office and relinquished it. The Stationmaster, Alfred
Searle, took it over but the service was unsatisfactory as most business had to be done in
Katanning as money orders and the like could not be procured at Woodanilling
References
| Ref ID No | Ref Name | Ref Source | Ref Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Photos 10/16, Col 1-17; "Round Pol to Woodanilling", pp 9, 12 | 1985 | ||
| John Bird; "Round Pool to Woodanilling", pp 151-152, 158, 162, 212 | 1985 |
Place Type
Historic Site
Uses
| Epoch | General | Specific |
|---|---|---|
| Original Use | Transport\Communications | Comms: Post or Telegraph Office |
Historic Themes
| General | Specific |
|---|---|
| TRANSPORT & COMMUNICATIONS | Mail services |
Creation Date
04 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.