Kennedy Range Area (Mooka & Binthalya Homesteads)

Statement of Significance

Aesthetic Value – Importance for its contribution to aesthetic values of the setting demonstrated by a landmark quality and having impact on important vistas. The place is a modest example of a pastoral homestead constructed in a remote location. Historic Value – Importance for the density of diversity of cultural features illustrating the human occupation and evolution of the locality. The place is associated with pastoral settlement and demonstrates the changing fortunes of the pastoral industry in the Gascoyne and Murchison regions. Research Value – Importance for information/archaeological material contributing to a wider understanding of natural history by virtue of its use as a research site, teaching site, type locality, reference or benchmark site. Social Value – Importance as a place highly valued by a community or cultural group for reasons of social, cultural, spiritual and education associations. Social Value – Importance in contributing to a community’s sense of place.

Physical Description

Both homesteads are now owned by Department of Parks and Wildlife (formerly CALM) and are currently managed as a conservation reserve. The Butler family still act as caretakers to the Mooka Homestead. Both the Binthalya and Mooka pastoral stations have been earmarked for inclusion as part of an expansion to Kennedy Ranges National Park. Both homesteads are an example of the constantly changing fortunes of the pastoral stations within the Shire of Carnarvon. The Kennedy Ranges are significant to the Carnarvon community.

History

Binthalya is a modest example of a homestead group constructed in the inter war period in a remote region of the mid-west of the state. The homestead includes a kitchen, a bathroom, lounge, storeroom and verandah. To the north of the homestead was a two roomed structure, two sheds, and a pumphouse shed to the east. Other associated structures included a Shearer’s Quarters, 5 additional sheds, a Coolroom, and two steel water tanks. Binthalya Station, built by Norman Dempster in c1912 was named after a nearby Aboriginal well. Following construction of the homestead, Dempster then went to fight in World War One, returning to Binthalya in 1918, where he remained for a short time before moving to Meedo. The Homestead then became an outstation of Mardathuna Station, situated to the west. In 1999 the Department of Environment and Conservation (then known as CALM) purchased Binthalya Station as part of a government acquisition program to set aside important areas as future conservation reserves across the Gascoyne and Murchison rangelands with the intention to include Binthalya Station within the Kennedy Ranges National Park. Mooka Station takes its name from the Mooka Springs which are on the property. The springs were known to the local Aborigines as “Mooka” meaning running water. In January 1906, a section of the lease was taken up by Thomas Binning and this formed part of his holding. On 18 June 1924 this lease was transferred to George Hutton. Later George acquired more land to make up the Mooka lease. It was George Hutton and his family who pioneered Mooka Station. In the early days, the old Mooka homestead was thirteen miles from the main road. It was the older children’s job to take a horse and cart or a pack horse to the main road to collect the mail and wares. There was a bough shed at the side of the road in which to camp while waiting for the mail. During the early part of the century a general store was built in the vicinity of where the present Mooka homestead now stands. This store was always referred to as ‘Half Way Store’, and Mrs Davies was one of its proprietors. Not far from where the store once stood is a marked grave – that being Fred Wilson, one of the locals of the Gascoyne District and referred to as “July Bun”. In 1935 rainfall became more and more spasmodic, eventually declining into total drought. By 1942, when the drought broke, all that remained of the original flock were 415 poor, battling sheep.In 1956 the Mooka homestead was relocated to where the old Half Way House once stood, because of its proximity to the main road and its location south of the river. Hutton also bought the now unused camel reserve which surrounds the homestead. George’s fourth daughter Fay married Ron Butler who was overseer on JImba Jimba Station, and after George’s death they carried on the management of Mooka. The Kennedy Ranges themselves are also considered widely significant. A mesaform erosion residual of mostly fossiliferous Permian rocks topped by west-north-west trending red sand dunes derived from earlier laterite profile constitutes the Kennedy range cliff. Below the cliff is a clay pan area and in the south-western corner are springs.

Integrity/Authenticity

Low/Medium

Condition

Poor

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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