REPORT ON ROUTES TO YILGARN HILLS
DESCRIPTION OF ROAD AND WATER ING PLACES.
NORTHAM AND NEWCASTLE ROUTE
by H.E. Parry
From Northam to Koologwaa 3 miles, two good wells, both on private land, one suitable for stock, owned by Mrs. Habgood, and one of fresh water, owner, McMannoth.
BEERING, 6 miles, well of permanent water on left hand aide of road, owned by Richard’ Dudley. This is a regular watering place for teams.
JONNAPULLEN [JENNAPULLIN] 10 miles, Well 20 chains on left of road suitable for stock but small supply owner, D Morrell. There is also a well about 300 yards on same side of road which, if deepened would likely yield a good supply. At 15.5 miles there are 2 wells about 400 yards on the left side of the road on government reserve. One of these wells is considered permanent.
GUILGUILLING, 18 miles. Mr. J. Eaton’s Two very good wells. This is a regular stopping place for team. “Water easily obtained by sinking.
MINDARA, 23 miles, permanent well of water suitable for stock. 300 yards eastern side of road. Owner Joseph Lockyer.
BLINMINUING, [BLIMMINING] 27 -miles 2 wells close to road on left side. Sheep are watered at these all year of late years. At one time supply was not good.
GOOMALLING 30 miles Mr. Slater’s homestead Plenty of water in Mr Slater’s wells. Regular baiting place for teams. Water could be obtained here by sinking if necessary. This is the function of the Newcastle road.
MINJANJEERING, 34 miles. Mr. Slater’s winter station. Dry rock hole in small gully.
A dam could be constructed without much difficulty.
BEEANDING, 40 miles. Small sand hole. Could not get sufficient water for horses. Likely place for well. Would advise sinking here, as it is a good baiting distance from Goomalling.
At 45 miles is a small gully, with large flat granite boulders, where tank or dam could be made if necessary. Too rocky for well.
NEENING [NAANING], 50 miles, there is a spring, said to be permanent by some of the settlers; but Mr. Adams informs me that has seen it nearly dry. The supply might be greatly improved by deepening and enlarging present well. A very likely place for water, A dam could be made in gully to collect the surplus water. This is, however, on private land so I would advise to go on to NAMELCATCHING, 53 miles, which is on Government land, where I would suggest a well or bore. The settlers all maintain that a good supply could be got here.
BENJYBERRING [BENJABBERING], 60 miles. Two wells and a rock hole. At present there is a fair supply but it is not permanent being only a soak, too rocky for sinking. Tanks might be excavated, or a well sunk about a mile away at the 59 miles which seems a more likely place.
WYALCATCHING [WYALKATCHEM], 67 miles. A tank of about 15 feet square, at base of large granite boulder on south side of road. Could only be improved by enlarging tank; too rocky for sinking.
CARROLOGGING, (ed. KORRELOCKING) 71 miles. A well about 700 yards on south side of road, with bad water and scanty supply. Good tanks could be made at base of enormous mass of granite close to road. Settlers advise sinking, they believe water will be got at from 20 to 25 feet.
GABWOTTING, 74 miles. A small rook hole quite dry. Water might be obtained here by sinking.
MOONABUDDING, 77 miles. Small well, only a soak: not permanent. Is often filled up by thunderstorms. Improved by enlarging.
YELBURNING [YELBENI] Well, 83 miles. Well 25 feet deep. About two feet of water, but not very good. I would suggest, deepen this.
CALCUBBING, 85 miles. Small Sandy hole very nearly dry. Would not advise doing anything, but would go the next place.
THE SWAMP 68 miles, where there is a very likely place for a well. At this place there is a small sand hole about 10 chains on south side of road surrounded with banksia trees, which are a good indication.
TRAYNING 95 miles. Good supply of water at present but not permanent. It is a tank excavated in ground, 10 foot in diameter by 14 feet deep stepped up with stone covered with saplings. A small gully is formed into it which fills it whenever a thunderstorm occurs. This could be improved by enlarging, very good place for a tank.
MUJAKINE [MOUJAKINE] 99 miles
Mr. Glass’s homestead 2 tanks and a well. The well is in the granite and is fed by a spring, but the supply is not large, and might be improved by a shot or two of dynamite. Very extensive tanks could be made if necessary. At present both tanks and well are barely sufficient for Mr. Glass’s own use. If a supply were obtained at Trayning nothing need be done at this place.
YARRAGING [YARRAGIN], 105 miles, Mr. A. Butterley’s homestead. . There is a “very fair well of water close to an enormous granite hill which could be improved by deepening; on private land. Do not anticipate any difficulty in obtaining a large supply here by sinking to about 15 or 20 feet.
BABADIN (ed. BIBBINING) 119 miles. This is the first really permanent water on the road. It is a fine, stream which appears to come out from the base of a large granite hill, I am told that it is a never-failing spring, and it is certainly one of the best springs I have seen in the colony.
DANDYARNING 132 miles. A dry sand-hole; could be made into a good tank.
CALCULLING, 138 miles. Small tank in granite Very little water. More tanks could be made by excavating between the granite rocks.
WILGOYNE, 148 miles; Mr. G Lukin’s homestead. A large tank excavated at the foot of a large mass of flat granite boulders. There are also two wells that give a fair supply, but Mr. Lukin would require all this water for his own use, but more tanks and wells can be put down without much difficulty.
MULLINGOBBING 158 miles. A small natural tank in the rocks on a small flat. Very little water There is a splendid place for a tank in the granite rocks close to this place. Which would only require excavating to turn it into a fine reservoir.
ELLACHBUTTING, 161 miles. A well about half a mile on the north side of road, at the foot of a large granite hill. This is a very fair supply but Mr Adams informs me that it is not permanent, but very seldom fails. I believe a few charges of dynamite would greatly increase the supply.
WALYHAMONUING 173 miles. This is a remarkable mass of granite rocks, forming a basin, almost entirely surrounded by bald granite hills. There is only a little water in a small rock hole. By excavating, several good tanks could be made at small cost, but I am of the opinion that a spring could be found at the base of one of the hills, as occurs in other instances in these granite hills.
Between WALYHAMOUNING [WALYAMONING]and ENUING [ENUIN] a distance of 18 miles there is no water, but I think a well could be got at 182 miles.
ENUIN, 191 miles. Mr. G. Lukin’s old homestead. There is a tank in the granite rocks, which has so far been supplying the prospectors with water; it is now however nearly dry. It could be made much larger and almost an unlimited amount of water conserved by making more tanks.. There is however a well which Mr. Lukin sank to a depth of 42 feet, and left off on reaching porous sand stone. I would suggest that in the first place this well be put down deeper, until the granite is reached, when I feel sure a good supply will he obtained. Failing this, however, there is every facility for tank making. Mr. Lukin has two other wells about seven miles from Enuin, but the supply is, I believe, limited.
At a place called BARCOOTING, about seven miles from Enuin, Mr. Lukin has another tank, from which Mt. Anstey’s men were at one time carting water to Enuin. About seven miles to the south east of Enuin is a large salt lake, which I take to be a portion of Lake Deborah. These lakes contain no water, although from a distance it has the appearance of a magnificent sheet of water. This, on closer inspection, is nothing but salt. I believe that fresh water might be obtained by sinking close to these lakes, the salt being very superficial, Mr. Anstey’s reef is about one and half mile eastward of Enuin.
The total distance from Northam to Enuin is 191 miles, Newcastle being five miles further, or 196 miles. In returning from Enuin to York the same road is kept as far as DANDYARNING, where another road branches off to MANGOWINE, Mr. C Adams’ homestead, which is 76 miles from Enuin.
Between DANDYARNING and MANGOWINE water could be very likely obtained at a large granite rock about half way. At MANGOWINE there is a good well of permanent water, and Mr. Adams informs me that other wells could be got without much difficulty.
From MANGOWINE there is a road to YARRAGING which is distant about 11 by road, but only 9 in a direct line, Mr Adams says that water could be got anywhere between these places. I saw two of Colreavy’s trial holes about five feet deep at this place in both of which there was good water.
From MANGOWINE a more direct and Mr. Adams states a better watered road could be got to Enuin. The distances from Northam by this road would then be –
Mangowine [MANGOWINE]116miles permanent well of water.
Dandannie [DANDANNING] 122 miles, permanent Well of water.
Cootanning [COOTANNING]134 miles, a tank with a little water, which might be enlarged.
Gilakim [GEELAKIN] 157 miles, well, permanent water. Between Cootanning and Gilakim water might be obtained by sinking.
Jatawolkin 165 miles. There is a good supply, but a little brackish.
Barcooting, a large tank belonging to Mr Lukin.
Enuin 186 miles.
From York to Mangowine
From York to Malbelling 10 miles. There is a good supply of water in Mr. Beckit’s well. There is a Government reserve here where, if a well were sunk a similar supply would be likely obtained.
Skeleton Pool, 16 miles; Fair supply of water in pool. Could be very much improved by cleaning out and making small dam. I also think that water could be got by sinking.
BALMONGING, 22 miles, small pool of water could be improved by making a small dam. A well, however, would be the best, A great number of the settlers ate trying to get a well sunk at this place as it is a good baiting distance from Youndeging.
YOUNDEGIN, Mr. Eatons’. A very good spring of permanent water on government reserve. Requires cleaning out and fencing in, to prevent pigs etc, from polluting this water.
TAMMING, 25 miles. Only a small soak at present but there is a likely place for a well close by in the gully.
NARELING 80 miles. A tank fed by a spring, permanent water. Large granite hill not far off.
MILLIGAN ROCK, (ed. MILGANNINE) Massinghams’ homestead 67 miles. Two wells of permanent water.
Mr. Massingham states that he has watered a flock of 2000 sheep at one of these wells all the summer. This well is not far from large granite hill
WOOBEING (ed. WOOLERING) 67 miles, another well of permanent water, only 5ft. deep. Spring comes out of a fissure in the granite,
NALYRING ROCK, 72 miles. A splendid well of permanent water at foot of small hill. Remains of an old homestead and a very good orchard. A more direct road could be got from Tamming to Nalyring Rook, but Mr. Massingham states the water supply would not be so good.
About 1.5 miles to the north west of Milligan Rock is a small well about 3ft. deep. A spring comes out of the granite and gives a good supply of water. Mr. Massingham states that, when cleaning this well out some months back, he found in it, two large “cray fish”. This I think would suggest artesian water. .
NANYANURE, (ed. NANYANINE) 77 miles. A small well of permanent water. 800 sheep have watered here every ether day, throughout the summer.
DUROKOPPING, (ed. DUROKOPPIN) 79 miles. Well, but only a soak. Not much water at present. Would advise that this be deepened.
COTCHEROOTCHING, (ed. KODJ KODJIN) 86 miles A little water in shallow well at foot of hill but it is only a soak and not permanent. This is a very good camping ground with plenty of feed. I have no doubt that water could easily be got by sinking.
TOOTANNIE (ed. TOOTANING) 94 miles. No water, but good place for a dam in the gully, also a likely place for well.
WILLANCOOBING (ed. WALCANCOBBING) 98 miles. Remains of an old homestead. Water in a very peculiar rook hole on the top of a mass granite and appears to extend for a considerable distance under the rock. This is said by some to have been a permanent supply at one time,, but I could not get any very definite information about it. There was plenty of water when I was there
At 105 miles and 107 miles are wells, with at present plenty of water, but Mr. Adams informs me that they are not permanent, They might, however, be greatly improved.
Mangowine, 117 miles. Permanent water, already described.
A better road could be got from Cotchercotching direct to Mangowine, which would save about 7 miles. Mr, Adams thinks that there would be no difficulty in obtaining water by sinking half way between Mangowine and WILLANCOOBING on the direct road.
The remaining part of the road from Mangowine to Enuin I have already described. Total distance from York to Enuin via Wilgoyne would then be 195 miles or by the more direct road from Mangowine.
187 miles.
H.E. PARRY, Resident Engineer, Eastern District
To the HON. J.A. WIGHT, MICE, Commissioner Of Railways, Perth.
The Report of Parry’s trip to the Yilgarn Hills, with a Mr Hills, was delivered to the Director General of Works and published for public information in the Western Mail (Perth, WA: 1885 – 1954), Saturday 21 January 1888, page 9.