Local Government
Woodanilling
Region
Great Southern
Albany Hwy Beaufort River
Gibb's
Woodanilling
Great Southern
| Type | Status | Date | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|
| (no listings) |
| Type | Status | Date | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|
| (no listings) |
| Type | Status | Date | Grading/Management | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | ||||
| Municipal Inventory | Adopted | 18 Mar 2003 | Category 5 | |
The site is important for its connection with the first European settlement of the area and for its association with pioneering families.
The site is on a plateau which rises steeply about 100 metres to the north of the well dug by convicts working on the construction of the Old Sound Road in the mid 1850's. It was known as the 139 mile (being that distance from Perth) and is opposite the Woodanilling turn. A heap of rubble remains to mark the site.
The stone hut and other buildings may have been built during the 1950's or a little later. It is possible that this was the first home of William Cornwall and his wife Eliza before the building of the Beaufort Homestead in 1862. The Gibbs family who were later to become the pioneer settlers at Darkan lived here for a time until 1867. A diary extract from Bishop Hale, Anglican Bishop of Perth on his journey to Albany states: 23 March 1866: "Dark on arrival at Gibbs 138 mile. All male part of Gibbs family in the bush, but we did very well, slept in hut. Kenworthy (his curate) in hayhouse. Place remarkable for abundance and excellence of water, belongs to Cornwall". 26 April: Return trip: "Left Kojonup 8.30 to reach Gibbs about 2pm. Drizzling rain, after arrival very heavy and constant. Mrs Gibbs asked for a service but no one came. Baptised her child and had prayers. 27 April: "Left at 6.30 without breakfast, Mrs Gibbs made a charge of 17/- for the horses and I gave her 25/- in quittance of all favours, had a good breakfast at Spratt's 124 mile. Most of the time the Gibbs men spent hunting or helping Cornwall with the shepherding or shearing. The kangaroo skins were taken through to Perth and traded for provisions. Sometime in 1866 or 1867, the Gibbs family moved to Darkan. The next known occupants of the cottage at the Beaufort were the Hale family. Stephen Hale (with his wife) Emma arrived in the colony in 1842. Hale was bricklayer and potter by trade and later pursued his trade in the district of Guildford for some years. They had a large family but apart from Stephen (jnr) and Owen, they were all daughters. Owen Hale was the original selector of the Kunmallup Well site (Kojonup Location 93), which was granted on 5 December 1883.
| Ref ID No | Ref Name | Ref Source | Ref Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Photos: 7/14-7/18, 8/12-8/15 | |||
| John Bird, "Round Pool to Woodanilling" pp 16-17, 36-37 | 1985 | ||
| "West of the Arthur" ps 16-17, 74-75 |
Historic Site
| Epoch | General | Specific |
|---|---|---|
| Original Use | RESIDENTIAL | Other |
| General | Specific |
|---|---|
| DEMOGRAPHIC SETTLEMENT & MOBILITY | Settlements |
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