Balladonia

Balladonia may reference four different structures/sites east of Norseman and on the Eyre Highway corridor.

Balladonia Roadhouse

This is the ‘Balladonia’ most travellers encounter. It is 197 kilometres of road travel east of Norseman on the Eyre Highway. It is the first commercial stop for travellers heading east along the Eyre Highway.

Balladonia Roadhouse was built in 1962 to cater for travellers attending the Empire Games (now the Commonwealth Games) in Perth. Today the Roadhouse complex includes a motel, caravan park, restaurant, and supplies various different fuels.

The Balladonia Heritage Museum, inside the Roadhouse, displays debris from the 1979 crash of the Skylab space station (supposedly), aboriginal artifacts, information on the construction of the Eyre Highway, and much information about local history.

The coffee is good and, with due consideration to its geographic location compared to other Eyre Highway roadhouses, its fuel prices are outrageous. Plan to refuel elsewhere – the mid point of the Eyre Highway is cheaper. Anywhere along the journey to Ceduna (other than Nullarbor Roadhouse} is cheaper [Time sensitive information].

Balladonia Telegraph Repeater Station (Ruins)

The Balladonia Telegraph Repeater Stations is the next ‘Balladonia’ an eastbound traveller will encounter.

At the western end of the Ninety Mile Straight 27 kilometres of road travel generally east of the Roadhouse is the derelict Balladonia Telegraph Repeater Station. It was constructed as a repeater station in 1896/1897 when a direct line was constructed from Eyre Sandpatch to Norseman as part of the relocation of the original Perth-Adelaide Telegraph Line away from the coast (too many outages caused by salt-laden, moist air) and to connect directly with the line constructed from Esperance to Coolgardie in 1896. Coincidentally this re-routing of the telegraph line caused the overland route for travellers to follow the same path.

The telegraph repeater station at Balladonia was in use until 1929 when the main east-west telegraph line was again relocated further north – this time along the transcontinental railway.

The structure that housed the telegraph repeater is 250 metres off the Highway, beyond a locked gate signposted as private property. It is closed to the public. Its coordinates are 32º 27′ 50.16″ S 123º 51′ 43.69″ E.

Before the current roadhouse was built 27 kilometres to the west in 1962 travellers refuelled at this location.

Balladonia Station Homestead (Historic)

The oldest of the ‘four Balladonia sites’ is the heritage-listed Balladonia Station homestead.

Balladonia was the first pastoral station on the Nullarbor.

In 1879 brothers William Ponton (1836-1900) and Stephen Ponton (1835-1901) with partner John Sharp (d.1910) had been exploring north of Mt Ragged for some time. They were aware of a large rock known to the natives as Ballajuinya. In August they were on the edge of what was later to become known as the Nullarbor Plain when they came across the rock for which they had been searching for so long. They considered that it was like finding a diamond and for many years they referred to it as Diamond Rock. They built a homestead there in 1881 – sometimes recorded as 1873.

The explorers/pioneers were upset when they became aware in 1896 that a bureaucrat in the Lands Office had corrupted the name to Balladonia.

According to the Western Australian State Heritage Office, ‘Balladonia’ comprises a main residence, original residence, farm sheds, barns, worker’s cottages, and stone fences — all single storey stone construction. The main residence is a Federation style bungalow with a symmetrical twin-gable façade, bullnosed verandahs supported by stone pillars, and a corrugated iron roof. It is listed with the Heritage Council of Western Australia as a place of high integrity that is on private property.

Further, there is no validity to the speculation that the name has a Spanish derivation

Balladonia Pastoral Station

The current day homestead of the Balladonia Pastoral Station and the historic homestead are at the same location, about one kilometre north of the highway and about 800 metres north-north-east of the historic telegraph station. Its coordinates are 32° 27′ 28″ S, 123° 51′ 55″ E.

The access road leaves the Eyre Highway 27.7 kilometres east of the roadhouse.

Balladonia or more accurately the Balladonia Aggregation is a combination of neighbouring pastoral leases – Balladonia, Nanambinia, Woorlba, and Noondoonia stations. Together this pastoral station covers slightly more than 6700 sq km (an area larger than the world’s 33 smallest sovereign countries).

The main homestead complex is at Balladonia. The homesteads at the aggregated leases (Nanambinia, Woorlba, and Noondoonia) have been kept and while it is unknown if they are utilised (even as outstations) ‘drive bys’ as part of various Road Trips in the area would indicate that Nanambinia is unoccupied.

Balladonia Station was originally run as a sheep station until converted to cattle in 2012. It is presumed that this conversion to cattle applied to the other leases in the Aggregation.

The Balladonia Aggregation is rated to run 6300 cattle units (not necessarily the same as 6300 cattle).

Land types on Balladonia range from open saltbush and bluebush grass plains to eucalypt woodlands and low granite rises. The country has a good reputation for high fertility and a mild climate. Average rainfall over the past 30 years has been 300mm per annum.

The reports of the various trips, tours and travels on the Adventures website have a lot of information about place names – their naming and features – toponymy. More information.

Feel free to use any part of this document but please do the right thing and give attribution to adventures.net.au. It will enhance the SEO of your website/blog and Adventures.

See Terms of Use.