Cockney Bill's Corner

Physical Description

Located on the north-east corner of the intersection of Meeberrie-Mt Wittenoom Road and Beringarra-Pindar Road are the remnants of a cattle yard and cattle crush. Sited approximately 10 meters from the road edge all that remains of the cattle crush is one tall post measuring about 2 metres in height and two broken stumps in line about 3 metres away to the east. The remnant and collapsed mulga fence of the old cattle yard extends immediately to the north of the crush and curves in a fairly distinctive line to the west past a tree. The earth has built up into a slightly raised mound along the former fence line. Further investigation of this site may reveal additional evidence that should be recorded, such as a well believed to have been sunk by William Templeton, otherwise known as 'Cockney Bill'.

History

The site was name after Cockney Bill, whose real name was William Templeton. Templeton worked as a shepherd for Frank Wittenoom and was one of the original shepherds who went to Yuin in the 1870's. It is believed that he sank a well, in the near vicinity of where the stockyards were later built, which was subsequently referred to as Cockney Bill's Well. In February 1890, Templeton aged 54 died from thirst 40 miles from Wooleen. He had been unsuccessfully attempting to move a flock of sheep from the dried out Tilly Pool on Curbur to Irrabiddy Pool. The tragic tale is mentioned in Frank Wittenoom's Memoirs. "Shapre and Mawhinney also had a lease North of the Murchison, known as 'Kurbur'. This was the scene of a tragedy. Mawhinney stationed a man named Bill Templeton, with a flock of sheep, at the water, with rations to last a month or so.The water dried much quicker than was expected and the shepherd had no means of letting his boss know, but continued waiting until the water was quite dry. It was then too late to do the long distance for home and water, so most of the sheep died, the man was too loyal to leave them, and he was found dead also. This man was one of the original shepherds who went from Yuin with us to Bowes in 1874. He was known as "Cockney Bill" and there was a well named after him, six miles from Murgoo on the Sanford. Following the opening of the Geraldton-Mullewa Railway line in November 1894 horse or camel drawn wagons gave way to bullock teams. Cockney Bill's Corner became well known throughout the Murchison district as a place to shoe bullocks utilised to cart wool bales from Byro to Pindar. The cattle crush was built by John Shaughnessy who was also responsible for erecting similar structures at Beringarra and Milly Milly. John Shaughnessy was a bullock teamster, drover and 'jack-of-all-trades'. He had his teams shipped in from South Australia to Geraldton for use in the Murchison district. The area near Cockney Bill's Corner was one of several sites seriously considered when the Murchison Shire Council was deciding on a location for establishing the Murchison Settlement. The site's location in the junction of the Beringarra-Pindar Road and the Mt Wittenoom and Wooleen Roads together with it's close proximity tothe Murgoo telephone exchange, and hence the Murgoo lease, were not in favour of this location and ultimately the present site was chosen to establish the Murchison Settlement. (sources: Oral History of Frank Shaughnessy, Tape 1 May 1984, held by RFB Lefroy, Nixon M & Lefroy RFB; "Road to Murchisn". pp.38,105 & 7, RFB Lefroy "A Varied and versatile Life:the memoirs of Frederick Francis Burdett Wittenoom 1955-1939" pp. 49-51, RFB Lefroy,"The Murchison Settlement": a paper prepared at the request of the Geraldton Historical Society, 1986 pp. 3 & 5)

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Integrity: Low

Condition

Poor

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