72-530: The Canning Stock Route is a track that runs from Halls Creek in the Kimberley region of Western Australia to Wiluna in the mid-west region . With a total distance of around 1,850 km (1,150 mi) it is claimed to be the longest historic stock route in the world. A 1928 Royal Commission into the price of beef in Western Australia led to the repair of the wells and the re-opening of
144-512: A Beach Buggy driven by Gordon Hayes, became the first two-wheel drive vehicle to complete the CSR under its own power. A support crew carried the fuel. In 1991, a Citroën 2CV , driven by Rupert Backford and Mathew Rawlings, completed the CSR with a support crew towing the car over many of the dunes. In 1993 long-distance walker Drew Kettle walked the route. In 1997 Robin Rishworth cycled, with
216-400: A bus as transport to and from the school for the students. The indigenous language of the area is Martu Wangka dialect , however most students speak Aboriginal English . An early mining settlement of Lake Way Gold, named after the dry Lake Way south of Wiluna, established around 1896, was called Weeloona , derived from an Aboriginal word meaning Place of wind or Windy place . However,
288-475: A day's walk apart – where wells could be dug, and enough good grazing land to sustain this number of cattle during the journey south. In 1906, with a team of 23 camels, two horses, and eight men, Canning surveyed the route completing the difficult journey from Wiluna to Halls Creek in less than six months. On 1 November 1906, shortly after arriving in Halls Creek, Canning sent a telegram to Perth stating that
360-441: A dry season and a wet season. The temperature is warm year-round, with July, the coolest month, having an average high of 27.2 °C (81.0 °F) and an average low of 12.6 °C (54.7 °F). November has the highest average high of 38.3 °C (100.9 °F), while December has the highest average low at 24.7 °C (76.5 °F). The highest temperature ever recorded was 45.0 °C (113.0 °F) on 8 November 1988 and
432-515: A fence gate on the Millbillillie -Jundee track 11 km (6.8 mi) from Wiluna when they witnessed a bright fireball falling into spinifex ( Triodia ) grassland to the north. The debris from this meteor became known as the Millbillillie meteorite and is understood to be pieces of the asteroid Vesta that had at some point been knocked off by a collision in the asteroid belt . Although no official specimens were recovered until 1970 it
504-627: A major renovation converted the Club Hotel into the Shire of Wiluna administration buildings. The town also has a general store, petrol, caravan park, sports oval, public swimming pool, school, and health clinic. Local water holes are much damaged and overused after years of cattle use. During the wet season , large lakes may form that attract an array of wildlife. The region has snakes, kangaroos , bungarras (large lizard/goanna), bush turkeys , donkeys , horses, camels and dingoes . Willuna
576-484: A result of stockmen being attacked by Aboriginals. The government claimed it would cost £5,625 and take six months to repair and refused to consider the expenditure at that time. Despite police protection, drovers were afraid to use the track and it was rarely used for almost 20 years. Between 1911 and 1931, only eight mobs of cattle were driven along the Canning Stock Route. A 1928 Royal Commission into
648-399: A single-wheel trailer , he carried all his food with him and replenished his water at wells. In 2016 Sam Mitchell towed an array of solar panels behind his fatbike. This was the first time a solar powered vehicle traversed the complete length of the route. The Canning Stock route is considered one of the world's great four-wheel drive adventures. Apart from keeping the track open, the route
720-419: A support centre for cattle stations in the area. Halls Creek is the administration centre for Halls Creek Shire Council . The land now known as Halls Creek has been occupied for thousands of years by Aboriginal peoples . The land is crossed by songlines and trading paths stretching from the coasts to the deserts, some passing near the modern town. The story of that long occupation remains alive today and it
792-586: A way to get their cattle to market, and the Government of Western Australia keen for competition to bring prices down, a 1905 proposal of a stock route through the desert was taken seriously. James Isdell, an east Kimberley pastoralist and member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, proposed the stock route arguing that ticks would not survive in the dry desert climate on the trip south. The route, which crossed
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#1732765888128864-469: Is cooler and has a higher diurnal temperature variation . January is the wettest month, receiving 155.2 millimetres (6.11 in) of rain on average. August is the driest month, receiving only 2.1 millimetres (0.083 in) of rainfall. August has the least precipitation days with 0.5 and January has the most with 13.5 days. Humidity is low year-round, but it is higher during the wet season. Halls Creek receives 3439 hours of sunshine annually, with July having
936-540: Is home to VMW, a marine weather transmitter operated by the Bureau of Meteorology . Parts of the unsealed and flood-prone road between Wiluna and Meekatharra are as of July 2020 being sealed, as part of a pilot program in which the Government of Western Australia provided A$ 1 million for road work contractors in collaboration with the Martu-ku Yiwarra Training Centre. The Wiluna area
1008-654: Is in Meekatharra . Wiluna has from 200 to 600 Aboriginal people living within its community, depending upon the nature, time and place of the traditional law ceremonies across the Central Desert region. The traditional Aboriginal owners (a grouping known as the Martu ) were "settled" as a consequence of the British colonisation process that began in the 1800s. In the 1950s a church-based group were supported by
1080-696: Is located between the towns of Fitzroy Crossing and Turkey Creek (Warmun) on the Great Northern Highway . It is the only sizable town for 600 km on the Highway. Halls Creek is also the northern end of the Canning Stock Route , which runs 1,850 km through the Great Sandy Desert until the southern end of the route at Wiluna . The town functions as a major hub for the local Indigenous population and as
1152-435: Is not maintained. Some wells have been restored but others are in ruins and unusable. While quite a few travellers successfully make the trip, it still requires substantial planning and a convoy of well-equipped four-wheel drives or equivalent vehicles, and is only practical during the cooler months. Fuel drops typically need to be organised in advance and the 1,850-kilometre (1,150 mi) trip will take two to three weeks. Fuel
1224-679: Is now available at Kunawarritji Community near well 33 and Parnngurr Community near well 22. The Kuju Wangka committee of the Yanunijarra Aboriginal Corporation closed the Canning Stock Route to tourists in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. They reopened it on 14 June 2022. The history of the Canning Stock Route has been well documented from the colonial perspective – accounts of European explorers, drovers, prospectors and law enforcers – but increasingly
1296-522: Is revealed in the culture of the Jaru , Kija , Kukatja , Walmajarri, Gooniyandi and other Indigenous people who live in Halls Creek Shire. Late in the 19th century, Europeans arrived, searching for land for cattle and sheep, as well as minerals. On Christmas Day 1885 prospector Charlie Hall found a 870-gram (28-troy-ounce) gold nugget at a site that would eventually be named after him. News of
1368-790: Is situated on the edge of the Western Desert at the gateway to the Canning Stock Route and Gunbarrel Highway . It is the service centre of the local area for the local Martu people , the pastoral industry, the Wiluna Gold Mine , and many more people who work on other mines in the area on a " fly-in/fly-out " basis. Wiluna's climate is hot and dry, with an annual rainfall of 258 mm (10.2 in). Mean maximum temperatures range from 19 °C (66 °F) in July, to 38 °C (100 °F) in January. The closest service centre
1440-540: Is understood that members of the local Aboriginal community had collected pieces. Another meteorite fall was recorded near Wiluna on 2 September 1967. This meteorite was a H5 -class object; specimens were collected and housed in the Western Australian Museum . Wiluna Remote Community School is a school that provides education for students from year 1–12, currently having a student population of between 85 and 115 students. The school provides
1512-509: The Aboriginal history of the track is also being recognised, and Aboriginal people are keen to have their story told. We wanna tell you fellas 'bout things been happening in the past that hasn't been recorded, what old people had in their head. No pencil and paper. The white man history has been told and it's today in the book. But our history is not there properly. We've got to tell 'em through our paintings. Archaeologists now believe that
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#17327658881281584-696: The Great Sandy Desert , the Little Sandy Desert and the Gibson Desert . Alfred Canning , a surveyor with the Western Australian Department of Lands and Surveys, was appointed to survey the stock route. Canning's task was to find a route through 1850 kilometres of desert, from Wiluna in the mid west to the Kimberley in the north. He needed to find significant water sources – enough for up to 800 head of cattle,
1656-685: The Lake Maitland uranium project and the Lake Way uranium project both owned by Toro Energy Ltd, and the Yeelirrie uranium project which BHP Billiton sold to Cameco . All three are located within 100 km (62 mi) of Wiluna. All three projects were opposed by environmental groups and some local people. Yeelirrie is most fiercely opposed, with over 40 years of clear opposition from traditional owners . In October 1960, two station workers named Fred Vincenti and Frank Quadrio were opening
1728-498: The Western Desert has been occupied for around 30,000 years. For Aboriginal people, the history of the stock route is therefore part of a much older story. They have recorded this story, including the changes brought about by the construction of the stock route, through oral and artistic traditions. Halls Creek, Western Australia Halls Creek is a town situated in the east Kimberley region of Western Australia . It
1800-465: The Calvert and Carnegie expedition accounts to find out about the country (both described the terrain as "extremely difficult") and the use of Aboriginal people to find water, an example Canning followed during his own expedition. After it was determined that ticks could not survive a desert crossing, the government endorsed James Isdell's scheme and funded a survey to find a stock route that would cross
1872-550: The Canning survey party returned to Perth, Canning's use of Aboriginal guides came under scrutiny. The expedition's cook, Edward Blake, accused Canning of mistreating many of the Aboriginal people they met during the survey expedition. Blake objected to the use of chains and criticised the "party's 'immoral' pursuit of Aboriginal women, the theft and 'unfair' trade of Aboriginal property and the destruction of native waters". Blake
1944-635: The Purnululu (Bungle Bungle) National Park. Near the other end of the Tanami Road in the Northern Territory, over 1000 km away from Halls Creek, is Gosses Bluff crater , with the 5 km diameter, 180 m high crater-like feature, now exposed, being interpreted as the eroded relic of the crater's central uplift. In the 2016 Census, there were 1,546 people in Halls Creek. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 66.9% of
2016-569: The Wiluna police to make sure local "guides" stayed as long as he needed them. In order to gain assistance in locating water along the route, Canning captured several Martu men, chained them by the neck and forced them to lead his party to native water sources ( soaks ). As many soaks were sacred, the Martu may have misdirected the explorers away from these, resulting in the eventual stock route winding more than would otherwise have been necessary. After
2088-409: The aid of food drops, in just less than 27 days, and is considered to be the first modern day solo cyclist. In 2004 Kate Leeming , as part of a longer trek, completed the route with the aid of a support vehicle. In 2005 Jakub Postrzygacz became the first person to traverse the entire track without either support or the use of food drops, travelling alone by fatbike for 33 days. With large tyres and
2160-449: The attempt and returned to Halls Creek. Three years later, in 1976, Rankin achieved his ambition to walk the stock route. After driving the route in a Land Rover and establishing food depots along the way, he set out from Halls Creek on 12 July 1976 with three other bushwalkers, Ralph Barraclough, Kathy Burman and Rex Shaw. Barraclough turned back after becoming ill, but the others completed the journey in just under three months. In 1974,
2232-461: The attempt. The remains of one of their trolleys lie 19 kilometres (12 mi) north of well 15. In 1973 Rankin tried again, this time starting from Old Halls Creek with Englishman John Foulsham. This time they had professionally built trolleys with motor-cycle wheels. The walk began on 1 June. Soon after reaching Godfrey's Tank they were unable to pull the trolleys over the high sand hills. They left them and walked on to Lake Tobin and there abandoned
Canning Stock Route - Misplaced Pages Continue
2304-490: The community. The former Governor-General of Australia , Major General Michael Jeffery was born in Wiluna on 12 December 1937. A new primary school was constructed in Wiluna after Jeffery visited the town in 2006 and criticised the condition of the existing school. Warri and Yatungka were a famous Aboriginal couple who died in Wiluna in 1979. They were the last of the Mandildjara people to leave their country and
2376-474: The discovery drew more than 15,000 people to what is now Old Halls Creek to try their luck. It proved a barren land for these people, and some graves can be found in Old Town's small cemetery. The gold rush lasted less than three months and Halls Creek became a trading centre for cattle stations , Aboriginal communities and miners who stayed there. The post office with its telegraph line that terminated here,
2448-444: The dry season. During the wet season, Halls Creek is often cut off due to flooding; water levels can rise and fall very rapidly. Permits are required in some areas. Aside from the well known and well preserved Wolfe Creek Crater , averaging about 875 metres in diameter, nearby there is also Goat Paddock crater , 7 km in diameter and 106 km west-southwest of Halls Creek, and Piccaninny crater , 7 km in diameter, within
2520-569: The finished route would "be about the best watered stock route in [the] Colony". Canning was forced to delay his return journey because of an early wet season in the Kimberley that year. The survey party left Halls Creek in late January 1907 and arrived back in Wiluna in early July 1907. During the 14-month expedition, they had trekked about 4,000 km (2,500 mi), relying on Aboriginal guides to help them find water. Canning had always planned to rely on Aboriginal guides to help him find water and had taken neck chains and handcuffs supplied to him by
2592-460: The first motorcycle crossing from Wiluna to Billiluna was achieved by Paul Allardyce, Colin Fitzgerald and Andy Bowman. They had air support flown by John Fitzgerald and Phil Schubert. In 1977, the first commercial tour completed the drive. During the 1980s fuel dumps were created and adventurous travellers became interested in the history of the track and the challenge to drive it. In 1985,
2664-515: The government of the day to establish a mission. The traditional people lost their lands through many different processes, including the issuing of pastoral leases , the discovery of gold and the influx of non-Aboriginal people onto their lands. Before and after the atomic nuclear testing near Maralinga in South Australia in the 1950s, many Aboriginal people from at least three different tribal and language groups were forced to live within
2736-406: The heavy buckets up from the bottom of the wells required the strength of three men or use of a camel. Consequently, many Aboriginal people were injured or died while trying to access the water, either falling in and drowning or breaking bones on the windlass handle. In reprisal, buckets were cut off or timber set on fire, and by 1917 Aboriginal people had vandalised or dismantled approximately half of
2808-482: The hunter-gatherer lifestyle. Their Romeo and Juliet -like story was recorded in the best-selling book The Last of the Nomads by Dr W J Peasley. This story is recounted as Peasley, organising the expedition, although it was Stan Gratte of Geraldton (OAM) who organised this party to recover them when urged by Warri's brother Moodjeren, who was concerned, due to old age and the lack of young people who would normally assist
2880-488: The land and water sources along the route. The map has become a symbol of Australia's pioneering history. Commercial droving along the stock route began in 1910. The first few droves were of small groups of horses – the first started out with 42 horses of which only nine survived the journey. The first mob of bullocks to attempt to use the stock route set out in January 1911; however, the party of three drovers , George Shoesmith, James Thompson and an Aboriginal stockman who
2952-456: The last run in 1959. In the 1950s horses became scarce in the Kimberley as widespread losses were caused by " walkabout poison ". This led to the stock route being used to drove horses north from around the Norseman area where they were sold to the stations. Wally Dowling, a drover who had made nine droves along the stock route took what was probably the last group of horses northwards along
Canning Stock Route - Misplaced Pages Continue
3024-437: The lowest recorded temperature was 0.2 °C (32.4 °F) on 18 July 1945. Halls Creek has never recorded a temperature below freezing point. Halls Creek receives 571.5 millimetres (22.50 in) of precipitation annually. There is a wet season from December to March and a dry season for the rest of the year. The hottest time of year is just before the wet season and at the start of it, from October to January. The dry season
3096-431: The mission site. This created many conflicts and the legacy continues today. Much traditional knowledge and skill exists today amongst the Aboriginal residents and visitors. The existence of an historical Club Hotel, a dilapidated relic of the town's former heyday, created much conflict with many people opposed to its presence as an operating pub arising from the conflict and trauma associated with alcohol abuse. In 2019,
3168-639: The most sunshine and February having the least. Weather Atlas (sun hours) As of November 2018 the Browns Range Project pilot plant—160 km south east of the township near the Kundat Djaru Community —is producing 50 tonnes (49 long tons) per annum of dysprosium . Wiluna, Western Australia Wiluna is a small town in the Goldfields-Esperance region (since 2021) of Western Australia . It
3240-536: The name is also sometimes claimed to come from the cry of the curlew , which is frequent in the area. Wiluna experiences a desert climate ( Köppen climate classification BWh ), though like most of inland Western Australia it has seen its rainfall increase by around 40 percent since 1967 . The heaviest rainfall, however, was associated with the April 1900 floods when the town received 527.1 mm (20.75 in), two-and-half-times its normal annual rainfall. Wiluna
3312-422: The natives destroying the wells again I equipped the wells ... so that the native can draw water from the wells without destroying them.—William Snell Snell started work on the refurbishment of the wells, fitting some with ladders for easier access, but he abandoned the work after well 35. Reports vary that he either ran out of materials or the desert became too much for him. In 1930, Alfred Canning (then aged 70)
3384-403: The old town was abandoned by 1954. The nearby settlements known as Chinaman's Garden (Yarrunga) and Wangu Outstation (Flora Valley Station) were funded by the federal government as outstations during the 1980s. For tourists, there are several nearby attractions such as: Tourism information is available. Many talented artists producing Indigenous Australian art live in Halls Creek and
3456-492: The party accidentally shooting himself dead. Carnegie investigated the possibility of a stock route and concluded that the route was "too barren and destitute of vegetation" and was impractical. Wells and Carnegie both mistreated Aboriginals they encountered on their expeditions, including by tying them up and forcing them to find water. Carnegie is also believed to have fed them salt, and he was later publicly criticised for this. Evidence supports that Alfred Canning had read both
3528-491: The police station, government office, racecourse and stores gave the town a purpose. In 1918 the Australian Inland Mission built a hospital and the old town continued, with few inhabitants and little water. In 1948 an airfield was built near the site of the present town and over the next decade the old town moved nearer to this new site. Except for the police station, which was finally relocated in 1961,
3600-399: The population had fallen to less than 100. Gold mining resumed in the area in 1981. The closest mine site to town is the Wiluna Gold Mine , approximately 3 km (1.9 mi) south of Wiluna. The mine is operated by Wiluna Mining Corporation and currently produces gold from re-processing of legacy mine tailings. Yeleeri site, located 100 km (62 mi) south has uranium ore , and
3672-518: The population. It is home to the Indigenous Djaru and Gija peoples as well as some Tjurabalan peoples from the desert to the south of the town. Indigenous people have lived in the region for at least 30,000 years. "Aboriginal people in Halls Creek are predominantly Jaru and Kija peoples. Many residents celebrate both Jaru and Kija heritage. there are also significant numbers of Gooniyandi people from further east, Walmajarri from
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#17327658881283744-522: The price of beef in Western Australia led to the re-opening of the stock route. In 1929, William Snell was commissioned to repair the wells and found that the only wells undamaged were the ones that Aboriginal people could use. Snell criticised the construction of Canning's wells because they were difficult for Aboriginal people to use safely, and he put the destruction of the wells down to the anger and frustration people felt at being unable to access traditional water sources. Snell personally committed to making
3816-456: The region boasts much mineral wealth. The Paroo Station lead carbonate open pit mine is located 30 km (19 mi) west of Wiluna. As of January 2015 it was being placed into care and maintenance due to low global prices for lead. Wiluna and the Mid-West region are the site of Western Australia's most advanced uranium mining projects. Three projects are in the approval process, with
3888-590: The route again to commence the construction of well heads and water troughs at the 54 water sources identified by his earlier expedition. He arrived back in Wiluna in April 1910 having completed the last of 48 wells and bringing the total cost of the route to £22000 (2010: A$ 2.6 million). Thirty-seven of the wells were built on or near existing Aboriginal waters and were constructed in the European tradition, which made many of them inaccessible to Aboriginal people. Pulling
3960-715: The route in September 1951. In 1968 the entire length of the track was driven for the first time by surveyors Russell Wenholz and David Chudleigh, and Noel Kealley. In 1972, before the route was regularly negotiated in four-wheel drives , ambitious attempts to complete it on foot took place. A New Zealander, Murray Rankin, and two English brothers, John and Peter Waterfall, fashioned homemade trolleys from bicycle wheels and metal tubing, and began their attempt starting from Wiluna in early June 1972. First John and then Peter turned back, but Rankin continued to Kumpupintil Lake , then called Lake Disappointment, before being forced to abandon
4032-455: The route was closed to tourists due to the COVID-19 pandemic . It was reopened on 14 June 2022. In Western Australia at the beginning of the 20th century, east Kimberley cattlemen were looking for a way to traverse the western deserts of Australia with their cattle as a way to break a west Kimberley monopoly that controlled the supply of beef to Perth and the goldfields in the south of
4104-621: The south-east and Kukatja people originally from the desert country to the south. Over the years other Aboriginal people from nearby groups have moved to Halls Creek. These include the Gurindji and the Walpiri from the east, the Ngardi from the south-east and Malngin from the north-east." Halls Creek has a warm semi-arid climate ( BSh according to the Köppen climate classification ) with
4176-411: The state. East Kimberley cattle were infested with Boophilus ticks infected with a malaria-like parasitic disease called Babesiosis and were prohibited from being transported to southern markets by sea due to a fear that the ticks would survive the journey and spread. This gave west Kimberley cattlemen a monopoly on the beef trade and resulted in high prices. With east Kimberley cattlemen keen to find
4248-606: The stock route. Around 20 droves took place between 1931 and 1959 when the final droving run was completed. The Canning Stock Route is now a popular but challenging four-wheel drive trek typically taking 10 to 20 days to complete. A few adventurers have traversed the track on foot, by bicycle, motorcycle and in two-wheel drive vehicles. There are two small settlements on the track where fuel and other supplies may be obtained; Kunawarritji , approximately 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) north of Wiluna , and Billiluna , 173 kilometres (107 mi) south of Halls Creek . In March 2020,
4320-418: The surrounding communities. Some artists sell directly, and there are also multiple art centres within the Shire of Halls Creek, where buyers can meet the artists and purchase works. There are alcohol restrictions within Halls Creek. In May 2009 the state Director of Liquor Licensing imposed a "prohibition on the sale of packaged liquor with an alcohol content greater than 2.7 per cent from licensed premises" in
4392-618: The territories of nine different Aboriginal language groups , had been explored previously in 1896 by the Calvert Expedition led by Lawrence Wells and again later that year by the Carnegie Expedition led by David Carnegie . Two members of the Calvert Expedition perished of thirst and the Carnegie Expedition suffered considerable hardships with camels dying after eating poisonous grass and a member of
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#17327658881284464-442: The town. In September 2009 it was reported that assaults and drink driving arrests had decreased dramatically as a result of the bans. Full strength alcohol can be purchased with a meal at the local motel or hotel, however take-away sales of alcohol above 2.7% are prohibited. Halls Creek has two distinct seasons, the wet season (November - March) and the dry season (April - October). Permanent surface water sources are scarce during
4536-533: The track as it was found that only 600 head of cattle could be supported at a time, which was 200 less than was estimated when first completed. As Carnegie had accurately reported in 1896, the track was impractical for cattle drives. During the Second World War the track was upgraded at considerable expense in case it was needed for an evacuation of the north if Australia was invaded. Including horse drives there were only 37 recorded drives between 1910 and
4608-585: The use of chains, the Royal Commission accepted the survey party's actions as "reasonable" and Canning and his men were exonerated of all charges, including "immorality with native women" and stealing property. The Royal Commission approved the immediate commencement of the stock route's construction. Canning was appointed to lead the construction party. Canning left Perth in March 1908, along with 30 men, 70 camels, four wagons, 100 tonnes of food and equipment and 267 goats (for milk and meat), and travelled
4680-438: The wells in a bid to reclaim access to the water or to prevent drovers from using the wells. Canning's party had constructed the wells with the forced help of one of the Aboriginal peoples whose land the route traversed, the Martu . Canning produced a detailed map of the stock route, Plan of Wiluna–Kimberley stock route exploration (showing positions of wells constructed 1908–9 and 10) on which he also recorded his observations of
4752-410: The wells more accessible to Aboriginal people: Natives cannot draw water from the Canning Stock Route wells. It takes three strong white men to land a bucket of water. It is beyond the natives power to land a bucket. They let go the handle [and] some times escape with their life but get an arm and head broken in the attempt to get away. To heal the wounds so severely inflicted and [as] a safeguard against
4824-478: Was commissioned to complete the work. While Snell had encountered no hostility, Canning had trouble with the Aboriginals from the start but successfully completed the commission in 1931. With these improvements, the route was used on a more regular basis although in total, it would only be used around 20 times between 1931 and 1959 when the last droving run was completed. None of the larger station owners used
4896-473: Was concerned that the planned wells would prevent Aboriginal people accessing water. Blake's complaints led to a Royal Commission into the treatment of natives by the Canning exploration party. Blake was unable to prove many of his claims, but Canning did admit to the use of chains. Kimberley explorer and the first Premier of Western Australia , John Forrest , dismissed Canning's actions by claiming that all explorers behaved in this manner. Despite condemning
4968-478: Was explored by Lawrence Wells in 1892. Gold was discovered in the area in 1896, and within a few months over 300 prospectors were in the area. The town of Wiluna was gazetted in 1898, the name Wiluna being the Wati (Aboriginal language) name for the area. By the 1930s, the town had a population of over 9,000 people, but World War II severely affected the gold mining industry, and many mines were shut down. By 1963
5040-458: Was known as "Chinaman", were killed by Aboriginals at Well 37. Thomas Cole discovered their bodies later in 1911 during his successful drove along the stock route. In September 1911, Sergeant R.H. Pilmer led a police "punitive expedition" to find the culprits and ensure the stock route remained open. The police made no arrests, but the expedition was considered a success after Pilmer acknowledged killing at least 10 Aboriginals. On 7 September 1911 it
5112-481: Was reported that the first mob of cattle to traverse the entire length of the stock route had successfully arrived in Wiluna. The cattle had apparently gained condition on the long drove. The stock route was closed at some time prior to 1925. In 1925 the Billiluna Pastoral Company requested that it be reopened. The state government refused saying that it had fallen into disrepair from disuse as
5184-561: Was the furthest away from Perth that the narrow gauge Western Australian Government Railways system reached. The Wiluna branch was connected to the main Northern Railway at Meekatharra . The branch opened to Wiluna on 2 November 1932. The line was closed on 5 August 1957. The Indigenous people who have always lived in the region come from different tribal groups. Accomplished hunters, crafts people, pastoralists, bush mechanics and people with many other skills exist today within
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