Local Government
Wiluna
Region
Midwest
Wiluna - Halls Creek
Wiluna
Midwest
Constructed from 1906 to 1908
| 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 place has historical value as it played a significant role in the pastoral industry.
The place has social value as it is used today as a tourism site.
The place has significance as it is a physical reminder of the incredible difficulties encountered in droving stock through bush over long distances in the early 19th Century.
The place has associations with AW canning who surveyed the route.
The place is associated with the need to move stock using a tick free method.
The Canning Stock Route stretched between Wiluna and Halls Creek, a distance of approximately 1850 km. The wells along the route include bores, lined wells, and modified natural water sources. The route is reputed to be the longest stock route in the world. A number of the wells may still be in extant and in their form. A number of wells are known to have been modified.
An inland stock route was discussed in the 1890s as a way of transporting cattle inland and reducing possible contamination from tick-borne disease by avoiding in settled areas. A route was surveyed in 1906 by C W Canning and a seven man team, using camels to traverse the desert. After a 14 month survey Canning reported a route would be possible through a chain of 54 stock wells, placed approximately 20 miles apart. Despite a Royal Commission on Canning’s treatment of Aboriginal people during his survey, Canning was selected to lead the well sinking expedition, which commenced in March 1908. By April 1910, 48 wells had been completed over a distance of 1850 kilometres. Despite the initial success, the route fell into disuse. This has been linked to resistance by local Aboriginal groups along the route to the wells and stock drives. In 1928, another Royal Commission saw the repairs and re-opening of the wells in 1929. The last stock drive using the route is reputed to be 1958. In the 1970s, the route became used by tourists. The Aboriginal history of the route has also become more recognised in recent years.
To be confirmed - archaeological potential in a number of well and construction sites.
To be confirmed
To be confirmed
| 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.