Beringarra Station

Statement of Significance

Beringarra has considerable historic significance ad one of the early pastoral stations established in the Murchison district and for it's association with the Campbell and Darlot families. The place is evidence of the impact of flooding, the use of local materials, including ant bed floors and climate suited design showing how people adapted to their environment. The large grouping of buildings is typical of pastoral station complexes of a similar era.

Physical Description

The Beringarra Station Homestead comprises a group of buildings within a fenced garden area including the main house, store, kitchen, worker's quarters which all form a quadrangle around a lawned area. In addition there is a meat house, bough shed, laundry as well as a swimming pool. The house is a large building of rendered stone construction which is coursed. The twin hipped iron roof is punctuated by vented gables and two corbelled chimneys and extends to cover surrounding verandahs. French doors open onto the wide verandahs, A band of concrete render has been applied to the walls below the window sill height in a past effort to control rising damp. Internally the house has compacted ant bed flooring with lino and carpet laid directly over. The adjacent worker's quarters is of similar construction materials with a hipped corrugated iron roof which extends to cover the surrounding verandahs, supported on metal poles. A covered walkway joins the house to the kitchen located opposite, while the store completes the square. The small laundry building is timber framed and clad with corrugated iron.

History

In c1876 Edward William Butcher took up leases near Mount Taylor that was to become Beringarra. His sons, James and Charles, commenced working on the property with financial backing from Charles Crowther of Geraldton. When things did not work out for the Butchers, Crowther took over the property, installing a manager. In 1880 brothers Robert and Charles Campbell assumed control of the Beringarra lease and set about developing the run. The place shanged ownership again in 1882 when Henry Darlot purchased it for 12,000 pounds. When Henry died the station passed into the hands of his three sons, Everard, Lenny and Harry Darlot, who subsequently sold in 1910 to the Australian and new Zealand Land Company. For many years the station was managed byn Jack Rymer, followed by Alfred Wood and later Rueben Warrener who was there until 1946 when the company split the property into three and sold out. The main Beringarra block was sold to RG Iles of Carnarvon, and then two years later to Percy Fitzgerald who remained a further five years before selling to A and A Robinson. In 1961 Alan Blood came to Beringarra as firstly the property manager, then a partner and later a sole owner in 1973. The original homestead, located close tot he Murchison River and tot he north of the present homestead, was built in 1880. It was of mud brick construction using a mixture of loam and Wandarrie grass in a brick mould, fifteen inches by ten inches by nine inches, and had a thatched roof and surrounding verandahs. This homestead was washed away in a flood in 1884. The Darlot family was responsible for the construction of the second (and current) homestead. (Round to the Murchison, pp.78-83)

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: High

Condition

Good

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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