Local Government
Wiluna
Region
Midwest
Wiluna - Halls Creek
Wiluna
Midwest
| Type | Status | Date | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|
| (no listings) |
| Type | Status | Date | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHP - To be assessed | Current | 11 Jun 2004 |
| Type | Status | Date | Grading/Management | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | ||||
| Classified by the National Trust | Classified | 10 Jul 2000 | ||
| Register of the National Estate | Indicative Place | |||
| Municipal Inventory | Adopted | 20 Oct 1995 | ||
The Canning Stock Route has high historic significance for its association with the pastoral industry of the East Kimberley and Surveyor, A.W. Canning.
Runs between Wiluna and Halls Creek, its historical significance of a 2,000km long stock route built in 1908-10, with forty-eight wells and two tanks constructed by over thirty men and led by Alfred W Canning, born and trained in Victoria and settling in Western Australia during his adult working life. The Canning Stock Route passes through three Western Australian deserts, the Little Sandy Desert, Great Sandy Desert and the Gibson Desert. There are 997 sand dunes to cross. It is a wilderness area with a very fragile ecosystem. The Canning Stock Route covers 1,867km. It is unique in that it is untainted by commercialism. The route is rich in Aboriginal heritage, communities live outside the temporary land reserve.
An inland stock route was first discussed in the early 1890s due to the cost and difficulty of transporting East Kimberley cattle which suffered from 'red water fever' a disease transmitted by ticks. These cattle had to be shipped south as they were not permitted to be driven through the disease free West Kimberley and Pilbara regions. When a total quarantine was placed on East Kimberley cattle in the early 1900s, prominent pastoralists of the region lobbied Parliament for an inland route, arguing that ticks would not survive the desert journey. Although previous explorers had strongly advised against the idea due to the lack of water and suitable feed, the proposal was supported by the Minister for Mines, H. Gregory, and the Government agreed to send out a survey party. In April 1906 A.W. Canning was appointed Surveyor-in-Charge and the following month a seven man team set off from Day Dawn with two ponies and 23 camels. On completion of the 14 month survey Canning reported to the Department of Lands that it would be possible to establish a stock route with fair feed and good water from 54 wells to be constructed some 20 miles apart. Canning was selected to lead the well-sinking expedition which commenced in April 1908. The stock route was last used by drovers in 1958.
| Library Id | Title | Medium | Year Of Publication |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11748 | NGURRA KUJU WALYJA One country, one people: The Canning Stock route project 2006 - 2011 | Book | 2011 |
| 3758 | Canning Stock Route : a travellers guide. | Book | 1995 |
| 903 | Research towards production of oral histories of the Canning Stock Route (final report). | Report | 1986 |
| 10154 | Work completed, Canning. A comprehensive history of the Canning Stock Route 1096 -2010 | Book | 2013 |
| 10171 | The Beckoning West: The story of H. S. Trotman and the Canning Stock Route. | Book | 1966 |
| 7138 | The pathways of the drover. | Journal article | 1994 |
| 1739 | A brief history of the Canning Stock route | Book | 1980 |
| 1047 | A time to keep: preserving the past for the present. | Book | 1994 |
| 6717 | Report on the facilities and condition of the Canning Stock Route from Wiluna to Well 33. | Book | 2003 |
| 9535 | Pastoral Australia: fortunes, failures and hard yakka - a historical overview 1788-1967. | Book | 2010 |
| 12164 | Canning Stock Route Royal Commission ; Royal Commission to inquire inti the treatment of Natives by the Canning Exploration Party 15 January - 5 February 1908 | Book | 2010 |
Other Built Type
| Epoch | General | Specific |
|---|---|---|
| Present Use | COMMERCIAL | Other |
| Original Use | Transport\Communications | Road: Other |
| General | Specific |
|---|---|
| TRANSPORT & COMMUNICATIONS | Droving |
| PEOPLE | Aboriginal people |
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.