Chinaman’s House

Author

Shire of Chapman Valley

Place Number

06358

Enlarge Map

Show Property Street View

There no heritage location found in the Google fusion table.

Location

North West Coastal Hwy Oakajee

Location Details

Adjacent to Oakajee River; Lot 5663 Plan 254830

Other Name(s)

Chinaman House - Stone Ruins
Stone Cottage Ruins

Local Government

Chapman Valley

Region

Midwest

Construction Date

Constructed from 1930

Demolition Year

N/A

Statutory Heritage Listings

Type	Status	Date	Documents	More information
(no listings)

Heritage Council Decisions and Deliberations

Type	Status	Date	Documents
RHP - Assessed - Consultation (Preliminary)	Current	10 Oct 2012

Other Heritage Listings and Surveys

Type	Status	Date	Grading/Management		More information
Type	Status	Date	Category	Description	More information
Municipal Inventory	Adopted	17 Oct 2012	Category 4	Category 4 SOME SIGNIFICANCE: Contributes to the heritage and/or historical development of the locality. Management Recommendation: Conservation of the place is desirable. Any proposed change to the place should be in sympathy with the heritage values of the place.

Statement of Significance

The place has only some heritage significance as a representative example of a small-scale vernacular dwelling
associated with the agricultural settlement of the Chapman Valley district in the first half of the twentieth century.

Physical Description

Chinaman’s House comprises the ruins of a vernacular stone dwelling situated adjacent to the Oakajee River at
Howatharra. Located in a paddock approximately 2 kilometres west of the North West Coastal Highway, the site is
accessed via a rough track skirting the topography of hills and riverbank. Only small sections of low remnant wall
remain of the cottage, believed to have comprised of two-rooms. Surrounding scattered piles of rocks are presumed
to have come from former walls. The stone is local granite in random sizes.

History

The cottage would appear to have been constructed sometime during the c1930s. The cottage appears on a 1943
Army aerial survey map of the district but not on a 1926 Lands & Survey map. It is believed to have been occupied
by a person, or family, by the name of McDonald, who may have undertaken market gardening of tomatoes. The
1943 map indicates what could be a fenced plot of land immediately south of the cottage. A local legend said that
the place was occupied by a Chinaman who grew tomatoes which is just that – a legend. A vague event involving a
Chinaman found hanging from a tree in the area sometime in the late 1940s prompted local leaseholder Trevor
Royce to call the place Chinaman’s Hut when, in fact, the Chinaman concerned had no association with the place.
(Source: HCWA Assessment Documentation P6358)

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: Low
Original Fabric: Ruins
Modifications: Unknown

Condition

Poor

References

Ref ID No	Ref Name	Ref Source	Ref Date
HCWA P6358	"Register Assessment Documentation".	HCWA

State Heritage Office library entries

Library Id	Title	Medium	Year Of Publication

Place Type

Historic site

Uses

Epoch	General	Specific
Original Use	RESIDENTIAL	Single storey residence
Present Use	RESIDENTIAL	Single storey residence

Construction Materials

Type	General	Specific
Other	STONE	Other Stone

Historic Themes

General	Specific
PEOPLE	Famous & infamous people

Creation Date

01 May 1997

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Approved

Last Update

25 Sep 2019

Disclaimer

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.