Australia So Much to See

References Shire of Yilgarn/Southern Cross

Shire of Yilgarn

Yilgarn – Southern Cross 

Western Australia – Southern Cross

Mingor.net – Southern Cross

InHerit – Palace Hotel  

InHerit – Railway Hotel  

Golden Pipeline – Ghooli   

InHerit Ghooli

Yellowdine Roadhouse

Wikipedia – Yellowdine Roadhouse

See our surprise visit to Mount Palmer from 2007.

The town was initially planned in 1895 as a railway siding along the Coolgardie to Southern Cross railway line that was opened in 1896. Once gold was discovered at Mount Palmer close to Yellowdine in 1934 the government began to develop the siding as a town-site that was later gazetted in 1935.  

The name of the town is believed to be Aboriginal in origin (Yelladine), with ‘dine’ meaning ‘place of’, but the full meaning is unknown. 

In more recent decades, Yellowdine was nothing more than a roadhouse on the Great Eastern Highway.  The roadhouse was closed in 2017, then re-opened under new ownership in 2020.  The Yellowdine Roadhouse was destroyed by fire on the 24th December 2023 from suspected arson.

Around 1927 an agricultural experimental farm, known as the Yilgarn State Farm was established at Ghooli, trialling if the area was suitable for growing wheat.  While wheat growing was successful to the west of Southern Cross, heading east received diminishing rainfall and was considered unsuitable.  Land further to the east of Ghooli has not been released for cropping.  West of the line wheat and canola are grown. 

Flying over this area, there is a distinct line between what in spring is paddocks of green and gold, and the dark green of the scrublands as you enter or leave the goldfields region.    

There was a school at Ghooli in the 1930s, and remnants of a children’s playground with the frames of swings and a maypole can be seen adjacent to the old houses. 

Karalee Dam was constructed to provide water for steam trains on their way to Kalgoorlie. The site was chosen mainly because of its granite outcrop – with rain, the outcrop becomes a natural catchment area.   C.C. Hunt constructed a well at Karalee Rocks in the 1860s.   

Constructed between 1896 and 1897, its capacity is 10.6 million gallons (just over 48 million litres), being the largest of the railway dams in this area.  The dam is 450 metres above sea level and 7.6 metres in depth. Retaining walls of granite slab, all cut from the top of the rock and laid by hand, surround the enormous rock catchment. This enables the water to flow off the rock into the dam via a large semi-circular aqueduct of steel which was hand riveted at each joint. This structure is still in very good condition considering its age and exposure to natural harsh elements over the years.

I was keen to see this for historical interest, but there was roadworks on the highway, and the signage I was familiar with was not there.  We missed finding the turn to the four kilometre track in to Karalee Rocks and the camping area, which has flushing toilet, dump point and a tap, utilising water from the dam.   We did not intend staying there overnight, just to have lunch there and a look around.  Hence our lunch was late that day.        

 

 

Hunt’s Wells Group consists of the following 16 water sources (of an original total of 25) established by Hunt between 1864-1866 between York and Kalgoorlie during four separate expeditions aimed at opening up the route and land for agriculture.  They then proved invaluable for the development of the Goldfields. 

Youndegin Well (Well No. 1)

Maranobbing Well (Well No. 4)

Dodolokine Well (Well No. 5)

Totadgin Well (Well No. 7)

Burrancopping Well (Well No. 9)

Boodalin Well (Yarkarakine – Bodallin) Well No. 10

Moorine Rock and Well No. 11

Kodjerning Rock and Well No. 13

Koorkoordine Soak (Well) No 14

Weowanie Rock & Well No. 15

Karalee Reservoir, Rock Catchment and Aqueduct: Hunt’s Dam is present at this site

Quardagin Well: Well no. 17 (Quardanoolagin and later known as Quardagin, and now Koorarawaylee.)

Yerdanie Well (Well No. 21)

Gnarlbine Soaks (Well No. 22)

Horse Rocks Well (Well No. 23)

Stoney Hill Tanks (Well No. 25)

References

InHerit – Hunt’s Wells 

Hunt’s Track – rediscovering well sites 

In most cases Charles Hunt and his team found water sources used by Aborigines and/or early settlers and travellers, excavating wells and lining them with stone.  In some cases dams (tanks) were constructed.